Weekend Coffee Share – I’m back!

Posted byMariaPosted inBalcony Garden, Container gardening, Dalarna, Gardening, Intentional Living, Sustainable options, SwedenTags:, ,

I am so happy to be able to offer you some coffee, or tea again! My blogging break is over, and I am back with a new fresh blog; Green Dreams. In my first post on the blog earlier this week I explained how I picked the name. 

Me in one of the comfortable chairs at the balcony this morning, right after getting my first haircut since the pandemic started.

Back to the coffee! What kind of beverage can I tempt you with? There’s hot coffee from the French press (I’m having some right now,) and there’s hot, or cold tea in any flavour you can imagine. If you’d rather have ice coffee I could probably manage that as well. If you where here, visiting me in my home in Sweden, I would offer you to step out on the balcony. It’s 75F and you can have your pick of a comfortable chair in the shade, or in the sun. Half of the balcony is shaded until mid afternoon. Are you comfortable now?

Cherry tomatoes on the way, at my balcony garden.

How have you been? Are you on vacation? I’m enjoying my third week of vacation, four more to come. It’s fantastic, not having to set an alarm, just spend the days any way I please. I have to say that time off was well needed, the past semester was very intense. So far on my vacation I’ve been sleeping, reading several books, riding my bike almost every day (I got a new mountainbike in May,) I’ve had several picnics in beautiful nature with my children, and of course I’ve spent some time tending to my balcony garden.

Large squash leaf. I’m trying to grow the squash vertically, in containers, to maximise my space.
We’ve already harvested some beans, and there’s more on the way.

Do you have any fun plans for the summer? We are having a staycation, but not as strict as last summer. Last summer we literally stayed within one hour of hour house, usually much closer, the whole summer. This summer we are exploring the region of Dalarna, our part of Sweden. Here’s a post I did about a little adventure we had on Wednesday. Dalarna is a rather big region with mountains, big forests, lakes, and farm land. There’s plenty of wildlife in the surrounding forests, such as; elk, deer, brown bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx, and eagle owls. There are some eagle owls that have their nest in the old copper mine here in Falun. They had three owlets (baby eagle owls) this spring, I’ve been looking at them with binoculars on a regular basis, it’s fascinating. When they were first hatched the owlets were super tiny little fluff balls, now they are starting to look like the predators they are (still a little fluffy.) There is a Facebook group where people post daily updates, photos and videos of the owlets, if you are intereted.

Thank you for having coffee with me today, and thank you Natalie for hosting the coffee share! Happy 4th of July weekend! Feel free to share my new blog on your social media, or with anyone that you feel would enjoy some Green Dreams 🙂

Love,

Maria 

Published by Maria

It’s all about experiences, and the healing power of nature. Life is about choosing happiness. My gypsy soul have taken me to many different countries, and definitely taught me to be more humble. I enjoy growing my own food, and spending time outdoors. I now reside in the region where I was born: Dalarna, Sweden. I am a mom, a kindergarten teacher, a minimalist and a gardener. Love, Maria

52 thoughts on “Weekend Coffee Share – I’m back!”

  1. Nice to see your garden and all its wonderful abundance… one of the things that has always impressed me is your ability to grow food in tight spaces. 🙂 Your summer sounds wonderful so far, the perfect R & R. ❤

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        1. How bad were the heatwaves? I’m, glad you are getting some much needed rain. I believe we have some rain in the forecast next week as well.

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          1. Here in the hills, we hit 96º, but the valley was 103º when my spouse went shopping. Pretty hot, if you include the uncomfortable humidity. Dry heat, like you had in LV, is marginally more tolerable. But this coming week is supposed to be more ‘normal’ in the 80s. Summer!

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            1. 96 is definitely enough..it’s been more humid this summer than I remember my childhoods summers to be, when it is 80F here it feels like too much. It’s 76-77F today. Plants are thriving though, I had to harvest and clear out some this morning. It is starting to get crowded on my balcony.

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  4. Maria, it is so nice to have you back. I can easily see siting with you in your garden and asking how your blogging break worked out. You certainly would have had more free time so did you do something cool that you’ve wanted to do for years or did you strike out in some new direction? Did you spend time just thinking or did you decide to invest much of that time into your children (because I suspect you are a wonderful mom). On the other hand, perhaps what you did is something that you would prefer to keep private. That would be okay of course, just as long as you know you were missed and I’m glad you’re back.

    I would also tell you that I spent much of the time you were gone, switching my writing work from creating my autobiographical essays to creating new fictional stories. My sense if timing is not good but I think you began your blogging vacation before I published my longer story that grew out of a shorter version. It was well received, but I’ve learned that most of the people who read my works are not as attracted by longer pieces, so I’m unlikely to create many more of them in the near future. If interested, it’s about an hour long read and can be found at this link https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com/ayem-notthymn-the-second-door/

    It’s a story of redemption, but not a normal one. I have one more of this length almost ready to share but after that I’ll return to creating my shorter pieces. I’ve enjoyed exploring these other types of stories where the scene is rich and the memories I try to create are vivid and worth thinking about.

    But, you’re back. WELCOME! Anything you want to tell me about what you have planned?

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    1. I will most definitely take the time to read your long story, within the next few days. If you don’t write for a living, the most important reason to write is sometimes to indulge yourself in something you enjoy? Or? I do really like the effort you’ve made with your blog to make the layout appealing to the reader. Keep up the good job 🙂

      It’s been very intense at work this spring, and I decided to focus on giving each and everyone of my little students meaningful days, even though it required more effort from me than usual. I spent my free time taking care of my own children and myself. I did invest in a new bike, and rode my bike a lot as a way to get out, clear my head and get exercise. The plan is to keep up with healthy habits and enjoy time in nature with friends and loved ones. Restrictions are easing up some, and that is a relief.

      I hope you are enjoying summer my friend!

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      1. I don’t think any of us are going to miss covid once it becomes a historical story that we all survived and will recall and honor those who did not. But we will enjoy getting back to a more normal life.
        Thanks for noticing the effort I’ve made into redoing my blog. That does take a lot of time, more that I anticipated, but I too like the more accessible layout and the number of readers I have has been steadily increasing – which is nice. I’m not one who could be happy writing without being read by someone somewhere and am enjoying that my readership is spread around the globe. Most still are in the US, but a lot are not. I hope you enjoy my longer story. It should leave you thinking whether I nailed the topic or you want to slug me for missing it. Either way, I’m sure you’ll have a reaction I would love to hear.
        Blessings

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    1. Thank you! It is actually starting to get a little too crowded on my balcony. I would have happily gifted you some plants if your were close by 🙂

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  7. Maria, You’re doing a great job with your garden and your harvest shows that. I’m glad you’re back to blogging and participating with #weekendcoffeeshare. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you Irene! I have traveled a lot throughout life, but now I am really happy to explore the beauty right here. There is so much to see. This morning when I was riding my bike I followed a new trail in the forest that I’ve wanted to explore for a while, and ended up in some really amazing places that I had never seen before. I hope you are enjoying a great weekend!

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  13. I’m delighted to see you back, Maria! I actually worried about you. I didn’t know you were just having a blogging break, one day your blog was just gone! Maybe I missed some information before that. I’m glad you’re back, however, and that you’re having some holidays. Here summer is in full swing, and this year we have a small greenhouse.
    It’s fantastic if you can grow all that on a balcony. Your tomatoes look very healthy and happy. Where I grew up, also in Dalarna, there were plenty of owls that used to howl (or whatever owls do, haha) in the evenings. That sound gives me a feeling of home.

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    1. Thank you so much Susanne! It is great to be back. I remember you telling me that you had lived in Dalarna, I didn’t understand that you grew up here. I didn’t grow up here, but I was born in Mora, Dalarna.

      It is wonderful that you have a greenhouse. What are you growing in it? My balcony is like a greenhouse on the 4th floor, it is screened in with glass windows (that I open up to let the air flow, and pollinators enter now when it is warm.)

      I hope you are enjoying a fabulous weekend!

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      1. That’s fantastic that you also have pollinators in there! I have only a small greenhouse and we have tomatoes, chili, coriander, basil, sweet pepper, fennel, leaf salad and various seedlings that come and go 😀. I grew up in Orsa but have lived most of my adult life down in Vänersborg snd a couple of years in Göteborg – and now in Ireland. I lived a year in Falun and have lived about a year in Mora.

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        1. That sounds like a fabulous combination you have going on in your greenhouse. I can imagine all the yummy dishes you can make with your harvest.

          Orsa is very nice, so is amor and Falun of course. Right now I am renting a newer apartment in a passive house in Falun. When the kids finish their schools I’d like to get a small house in the countryside, and grow more veggies.

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  17. It would be lovely to share a cuppa with you – when I saw your picture you reminded me of a Swedish friend and when I read your post, I can see I was right in that thinking! Missing a Scandinavian summer right now as I am in Australia.
    Following your blog now so I can keep up with your future posts.

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    1. Thank you! I’ll send some Scandinavian summer weather your way 🙂 It is a beautiful summer, maybe slightly more humid than usual.

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  18. You’ve been missed! So great to hear from you and I’m bookmarking your new blog.. I have a plant that like with huge leaves in my wildflower garden, but I don’t know what it is, unless I have accidental squash!

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    1. I missed you Kathleen 🙂 You never know about this accidental squashes….:) I’m heading over to your blog, perhaps there is a photo of your plant?

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