Birch Manor - 4 - Return to Unicorn Farm

The prompts are once again at Elephant's Child but are provided by Hilary Melton-Butcher.

This week's prompts are:
Paucity
Inglenook
Heft
Yew
Pergola
     and/or
Greed
Madness
Myth
Traveller
Visualise

     Only a bit of the story. I promise more, but when? No words used.

"Susan," Knud said one day. "Now it's summer, the sun is shining and all the children are coming in a week's time. I think we need a mini-vacation before the invasion?"
"What are you thinking about," Susan asked. "You know, I'm always ready for an outing or two - as long as it does not involve too much social mingling. For being a witch, I'm actually rather shy."

"Yes, yes my own sociophobic witch," Knud said smiling. "I know you are. But the trip I have in mind does not involve any people - that is, except for bus drivers, ticket inspectors, waitresses, etc. along the way. I would like to go back to Unicorn Farm."
"To the Unicorn Farm!"  Susan exclaimed. "Yes, why have we never thought about it. Do you think there is anything left at all? The farm burned down, and it's been a long time and all that."

A few days later, Knud and Susan were again biking to the station. The bikes were loaded; they carried a tent and sleeping bags, backpacks, and of course Susan's old brown suitcase.
"It's just like when we were young, just the two of us and a tent," Susan said happily as they finally got off the train after a few hours of rumbling in different trains. They found the bus onwards, there was plenty of time and after another half hour they were as close to Unicorn Farm as they could get. "Phew," Susan said, "why didn't we bring our bikes along? I did not think this trip was quite as long when I was young, but now ... sigh."
"Yes, we are not used to long hikes any more," said Knud, "It's probably good for us."
"You sound just like Thora," Susan said with a longing smile. "She also always teased poor Gilvi."
"Poor Gilvi! I beg your pardon! He was not poor. He was amazing."

The terrain had not changed, but new houses had been built, the old ones renovated, re-painted, expanded and so on in the past over 50 years. The roads were not simple dirt roads any longer, but broad tarmac roads with lamp posts, road signs, house numbers and so on.
"Well," Susan said, "I remember the name of the road, my aunt and uncle's summerhouse was on, but not the number - only that it was somewhere around the two-hundreds." She said as they found a winding path down to the cliffs. "So, let's go down there and follow the path along the edge. It might be easier for me to recognize the houses from the sea side."
But even the face of the cliffs had changed. Finally Susan stopped. "I think this is it, do you see that row of trees, that could well be the line separating the lands of the Unicorn Farm from the rest of the island ... at least I think it is. That house up there could be my aunt and uncle's summer house. and the cliff has the right lay here, not as tall as I remember, but I was smaller then," Susan said with an insecure smile.
Knud lookd at the house, the line of trees, and finally back at Susan. "I always arrived via the road, and as soon as the portal was built, I used that exclusively, so my memories are quite vague," Knud said shaking his head, "And I was not out there wand-singing every now and then. Let's get closer. Maybe that will help."
They left the cliff and walked over to and along the line of trees. Behind the trees the land was still mostly virgin land. Some houses had been built, but it was clear that the building boom had subsided before reaching this end of the island.

Sæbe - Soap

     På indkøb var der tilbud på hampefrøolie. Det skulle jo være sundt. Og det er det nok også, men for mig smager det som bunden af et papegøjebur, så det måtte blive til en sæbe i stedet.
     Først måtte jeg dog lave en ny sæbeform, for jeg havde en idé. Jeg havde købt en silikonegrydelap med bitavlemønster. Den skulle bruges i bunden af formen. Jeg ville skære den over, og komme den i bunden af min normale sæbeform, Men efter at Skribenten havde overbevist mig om det fornuftige i det, byggede jeg altså i stedet en ny form rundt om grydelappen.

-- 🍯🦜 --

  A new soaping mould was necessary. While shopping, I bought some down priced hemp seed oil. It is very healthy, people say. I tasted it. It might be healthy, but it tastes like a parrot cage smells. Uff. No, not going to happen. I turn it into a soap.
  Some time ago I found this pot holder. Made from silicone and with a bee hive pattern. In the beginning I wanted to cut it in half and place it in the bottom of my old soap mould. The Writer convinced me that building a new mould round the pot holder was the better part of wisdom.

     Her er så formen med grydelappen nede i bunden. Lige parat til at hælde sæben i. Den er super-enkel. En plade, som de to af siderne er skruet fast på. Det er dem til højre og venstre på billedet her. De to andre sider er så skruet fast på de faste sider, og kan tages af.

-- 🛠 --

  Mould ready for soap. It's a super simple thing A bottom with two sides fastened with screws; those are the ones right and left in this photo. The other two sides are fastened to those two - also with screws - and can be taken off.

     Ingredienserne: Kaustisk soda til sæbelud (der skal tilsættes vand), kokosolie med bivoks på toppen, den ækle hampefrøolie og svinefedt i gryden.

-- 🍯🩸💧 --

     Ingredients: NaOH for lye (add water), cocoa oil, the two yellow 'muffins' on top are bees wax,  then the nasty hemp seed oil and tallow in the pot.

     Så smelter alle de glade olier nede i gryden. Medens sæbeluden køler af under emhætten.

-- 🥄 --

  All the happy oils melting in the pot while the lye water is cooling down under the hood.

     Hæld luden i de smeltede olier, bland godt, rør, rør igen og rør lidt mere. Og hæld så den stadig flydende sæbemasse i formen.

-- 🧼 --

  Mix the lye water into the oils when they have melted, mix well, stir, stir again and stir some more. And pour the raw, still liquid soap into the mould.

     Den dufter godt! Og ikke spor af papegøjebur. Jeg glæder mig til at se resultatet om et par dage.

-- 🧼🦜 --

   It smells nice! And not from deceased parrots at all. I wonder how it will look when I demould it.

WfW March 10 - No Words, just a Teaser ...

The prompts are once again at Elephant's Child but are provided by Hilary Melton-Butcher.

This week's prompts are:
Paucity
Inglenook
Heft
Yew
Pergola
     and/or
Greed
Madness
Myth
Traveller
Visualise

I have not written much, sunshine and lover back pains have made me stay in the garden much of the time. And I even have a lot of words left over from last Wednesday:

Dredge, Hedgerow, Curmudgeonly, Scruffy, Plying, Dolphins, Sea-cave

... I wanted to write a story about Susan and Knud returning to the Island, where Unicorn Farm was situated ... I'll update, when this happens. And I won't be reading any of your stories until then, sorry.

Domen - The Greenhouse

-- 💚🏡 --

     Når solen skinner, men det kun er 4 grader varmt og blæser koldt, så er det en god ting at have et drivhus at være inde i. Det trængte virkelig også til en kærlig hånd. Se bare her. Og så kan man ikke se alle rødderne.

-- 🌱 🥬 🌿 --

When the sun shines, but it's only 4 degrees and an icy wind is blowing, it's nice to have a greenhouse to work in. And the greenhouse needed some work. Just look at this. Oh, you can't see all the roots.

Og den anden side af domen med vandanlæg og gamle lys og dynebetræk, der fungerede som frostsikring.

-- 🌱 💚 🌿 --

And the other half of the dome with the watering thingamajig. Candles and old duvet covers were against the frost.

Den sorte urtepotte, der ligger på det første billede er blevet fyldt en eller to gange om dagen i fire dage. Lige inden kaffen søndag så det sådan ud. 

-- 💚 --

The black pot, as big as a bucket (10 litres) has been filled once or twice a day for four days.
Just before coffee Sunday it looked like this.

     Og mirakuløst nok skinnede solen stadig da vi var færdige med kaffen og jeg fik det sidste op. en halv spandfuld mere, hønsene er glade aftagere.

-- 🌱🐔🐔🌿 --

  And the Sun was still shining after coffee, first day this happened. Normally the afternoons have been cloudy and murky. I weeded the last spot, filling another half bucket. The hens did not complain over the extra work.

Det var oven i købet en smule mindre blæsende, så jeg ryddede en tiendedel af området udenfor også. Domen er en tikant i grundplan.

-- 🟢 ⅒ 🟩 --

It was even a bit less windy and the dome was between me and the wind, so I cleared one tenth of the area outside. One tenth? Yes the dome is a decagon seen from above.

Nu skal domen vaskes og have nye vinduesoplukkere. Og vandanlægget skal spules, sættes op igen og sluttes til. Men jeg er allerede begyndt at forspire de første frø.

-- 🥬 🌶 🥒 🍅 --

Now I just have to wash the dome, install window openers, and wash and put back up the watering thingy, But the first seeds are already sprouting in my window.

Poetry Monday :: Be Nasty Day

If you want to read some more poetry,  Diane and Mimi of Messymimi's Meanderings  write wonderful, funny, thought-provoking, ingenious and honestly well written verse. Go and read.
  Karen of Baking in a Tornado has joined us in this crazy pursuit, and promises us at least a poem a month - may  we hope for more.
  SpikesBestMate often publishes a nice verse in the comments, and helps out at topic supplying.

  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey who has been a faithful particimant, is taking a break due to her husband's recent passing from this world. Let's continue to send warm thoughts, good energy, and lots of prayers her way.

Be Nasty Day.

One day to be nasty, one day to be foul.
One Abracadabra Day - and not two.
You can't always be good and as wise as an owl
you can't always be  tractable too.

One day to be nasty, but what will I do?
Put tacks on the chairs, and milk in your shoe?
Put salt in the sugarbowl? Rice in the cheese,
And pretend they are worms, pretty please!

Put a slug in the slipper, and an egg in your jeans?
I have loads of ideas, all funny and mean.
But I think I will wait till a day you don't think
And eat it up, hook, line and sink!
________________________________________

The subjects for the coming weeks. Huge thanks to Diane of On the Border for providing them:
Pi(e) Day (what else would it be?) (March 15)
World Poetry Day (March 22)
Something on a Stick Day (March 29)
Read a Road Map Day (April 5)
Favorite invention (From Mimi) (April 12)
National Garlic Day (April 19)
The ocean or beach (From Mimi) (April 26)
The best thing about spring (From Mimi) (May 3)