The story is this:
Jeppe and I first time met when we were teenagers. Many years later we reconnected and it didn´t take us long to get married (two months).
I had 3 children from previous marriage and soon we added a fourth to the bundle. From there on things got crazy.
“Normal life” had us screaming and shouting and crying and trembling- so one day we decided to run.
And ran we did.
Into the wild.
We ran to a little cabin in the woods called “Svensäter”. We had made an arrangement with the owner of the land- to live in that little cabin while we built ourselves a new one. From the ground. Out of natural materials.
Building a shelter seems to be the most basic of all human needs. We wanted to reconnect with the most basic of all human needs.
To do so we needed help. Someone to teach us the stuff you don´t learn in school. His name is Jo but we called him Captain. He lived 10 years in a tipi in these woods, as a wild man.
We reached out online- he grabbed our hands and he helped us. We owe him much.
He became our neighbour. He lived on a small farm nearby. Our vision was to create a community of families living in the forest, helping each other.
It was a time of great optimism and joy.
Every evening turned into nights around the fireplace. We were talking. As a family, for the first time, really talking.
We talked a lot about society and the life we had before.
Those were magic nights!
We wanted a garden, we wanted to grow most of our own food. Allthough Svensäter was a beautiful place, located in a river valley, surrounded by mountains from where the wolves did howl (I kid you not) – we soon came to realize that the soil in the Swedish forest is not at all like Denmark.
We learned that you must grow soil just as much as you must grow vegetables. We learned about forest farming, permaculture and hugelkultur raised beds.
These were our first crops. They were very green.
Our relations changed. The kids were not just kids, their efford mattered. We depended on their help.
They grew. They took care of each other.
I will, to this day, claim that children needs to be needed and that what we did changed their life to the better.
And what he did changed his life to the better.
Slowly a house began to emerge from the forest floor.
We were heroes.
But also, underneath all of this – a growing crisis. Who are we, what have we done, is this even allowed? We dealt with the past. And the present. And the future. In a way this experience was a full blown family therapy session that lasted for a whole year. It was very intense.
We had to figure out new ways of doing everything. The dustman don´t come to the forest, what to do with the trash? And the laundry? I washed it in the river and it took forever…. and then came autumn.
Everything became wet and foggy and cold. We had to hurry. Soon winter would come and 6 people living in Svensäter did seem quite unrealistic.
My sister came and lived with us for a couple of months. Everybody worked on the house. We had to get it done! (this is my sister and my daughter and some girlpower!)
And the people of the forest came to help us too.
Winter came. We lost morale. It was time to face some hard realizations. Friendships were put to a test.
Minus 25 degrees celcius. Six people at Svensäter. People from the forest would come to our place for coffee and cake. Every day.
We felt that we had to choose. Family first.
We decided to move. We left Svensäter and gave the almost finished building to the community.
Svensäter continues to be a place for many people. A portal into the parallel world of the forest.
It was hard to walk away. One of the hardest thing we´ve ever done.
In the midst of the hardest winter, on a dark cold winternight we had a family meeting. We decided to stay in Sweden and continue this lifestyle. But we would find another place that suited our needs better. Somewhere with better soil. Somewhere that was not the center of a community. Somewhere not quite as harsh.
We decided to enroll the kids in school. We decided to get electricity. We decided to get internet. We decided that we needed more space.
Our neighbours (hence forward called “the angels”) let us live in their guesthouse for a little while. We needed to regroup.
As the ice on the lake slowly began to melt (you have to listen to this. It is so beautiful!) we found our friendships again, we found each other again, we found…
an abandoned cabin the woods. And a barn. Facing south.
We were inspired…
… to begin again.
We would take down the cabin and the barn and use whatever material that wasn´t rotten. We would build ourselves a home.
He cut down trees and worked very hard- but he also remembered what raw experience had taught us. You cannot work too hard. You cannot drive yourself off the cliff.
Friends gave us two trailers and we created a trailerpark to live in, while we took down the old houses.
We had a gypsy home in the middle of the jungle.
And the work began.
Same procedure as last year.
A new era began. We were better. We knew more. We had learned from experience.
Everybody was in it together.
We had established ourselves in the forest and connected with the broader community.The younger kids began in school and part time daycare to learn the language and get some friends (also homeschooling is illegal in Sweden). We worked according to schedule, we knew what to do.
But then two things happened.
These boots were made for walking.
The twins turned 17 and it was time for them to enter High School. It was important for them to meet new friends so we enrolled them in a boarding school system they have here in Sweden. A “Folkhögskola”. They would only be home on the weekends.
I became very sick and had to undergo major surgery (removal of my uterus among other things). This completely immobilized me and I was tied to the couch. Getting a solar panel allowed me to be online and write some.
We advertised for help- and we got it. Our first “wilderness au pair” was the fabulous Christina. Then came Ann-Sophie and Mikkel, then Pernille and then Josephine. Thank you SOOOO much for your help!!!
Our neighbourgs also came one day, bringing with them a team of woofers (Willing Woorkers On Organic Farms).
Mother in law also came. Later she kindly donated money for rockwool insulation. We wouldn´t be here without her.
Meanwhile all these changes, people coming and going, sickness and sunshine… little Sigurd grew and a house grew behind him.
We used scrap material and everything we could find. As soon as the roof was on we moved in. That night, the first night….
…and the first time we lit the fire…
wow.
This house in now our home. This is where we live.
We taught our children to do things themselves, we taught them teamwork, we taught them how to overcome stuff and we taught them to be proud.
I´m proud.
Here´s some pictures from our house.
Dejlig og tuff historie Andrea! Jeg bliver rørt og misundelig og glad. KH Hanne
LikeLike
Sidder m tårer i øjnene over din smukke beskrivelse af jeres liv. Tillykke med jeres beslutning om at leve livet som i gør. Det er meget inspirerede! Alt muligt held og lykke fremover til dig og din seje familie! Kh Signe
LikeLike
jeg er helt enig, det er vildt inspirerende. jeg kan virkelig godt forstå at i er stolte!
LikeLike
Bravo. I Loved reading your story…!
LikeLike
Beautiful family! Beautiful story! I love the way you write. I hope you have recovered from your health crisis.
LikeLike
Thanks you. Yes I have more or less. Having trouble accepting that I can´t do all that I want to do, that I don´t have the muscle or the energy, that I´m getting older. The body is a strange phenomenon. Jusst getting to know if after all those years as a head 😉
LikeLike
Wow, this place you are building is amazing and the nature arround is just wonderful.
Wish you good luck with the work!
LikeLike
Jeg er rørt til tårer. Smukt Andrea.
Sidder ved min egen brændeovn og funderer over livet.
Har fået kendskab til din bog og dermed denne blog fra en gammel klassekammerat på Østfyn.
Glædelig jul
Susanne
LikeLike
Why the tiny postage stamp size pictures?
Article would be much improved with larger pictures.
View at Medium.com
LikeLike
I think you just have to wait for the page to load, alternatively try to reload. It should work, havn´t heard this problem reported before. Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
I stumbled across this via the “Dark Mountain” blog and I’m glad I did! You’ve shown that it is indeed possible to disengage from mainstream, western, consumer led society and connect with each other and the landscape around you, in a fulfilling and soul satisfying way. I hope that many others are inspired by what you have done, to re-connect with their own landscapes and elemental selves.
Beannachd Leibh. 🙂
LikeLike
Jeg har lige læst din bog, og kunne virkelig godt lide den. En af de tanker jeg sad tilbage med var at du altså har nogle fantastiske børn! De lyder til at være noget helt særligt, dem kan du godt være stolt af!
Efter at jeg havde læst bogen fandt jeg din blog (Elsker billederne af huset indefra, hvor ser det hyggeligt ud), og det var som at læse bog nummer to. (Den kunne du da godt have skrevet 🙂 ) Og så endda med illustrationer.
Angående billedstørrelsen som en anden læser kommenterer: Jeg kan også kun se små billeder i dette indlæg. Hvis jeg klikker på dem kommer jeg videre til en side hvor jeg kun ser billedet, men stadig i lille størrelse. Når jeg så klikker på det endnu en gang bliver det stort.
Held og lykke med jeres videre liv. 🙂
LikeLike
Tak skal du have, Helene. Jeg skal have fikset det med de billeder… 🙂
LikeLike
Hej Andrea,
Jeg er dansker og pga giftemål flyttet til Tyskland i 1970. Her bor jeg i Handewitt ved Flensborg nær den danske grænse.
I det tyske blad “Brigitte woman” læste jeg om dig og din familie og er fascineret af jeres mod og måde at leve på. Gerne læser jeg på din blog om jeres interessante hverdag.
Din bog “wir hier draußen” ønsker jeg mig i julegave af mine voksne børn og glæder mig til juledagene med den interessante læsestof om dig og din familie,
I ønskes en god adventstid og glädelig jul – og det kunne være spændende at læse, hvordan I fejrer jul “dort draußen”…
LikeLike
Dear Andrea, i am so impressed of your Story. I just read your book and now looking your pictures. Your clannishness after all the trouble is amazing. And I admire your brave about your two (or more) decisions to live in wood. And that you find a way for you adults and your children. Are you still at your place? Does the twins still live with you on weekends? And I hope you healthy came back? I just can say wowww and wish you the best!!!
Yours Anja from Austria
LikeLike
Hallo habe gerade Dein Buch zu Ende gelesen, bin begeistert. Gibt es ein Folgebuch? mich interessiert es wie es weitergeht.
LikeLike
Hej Andrea und Familie, du schreibst ihr seid in südschweden. Wir haben ein Fritidshus in Hishult. Wo liegt euer Haus? Wir waren in diesem Jahr 2017 3 Monate in Schweden und ich habe es sehr genossen. Gerne würden wir euern Wald kennenlernen. Ich hoffe es ist nicht zu aufdringlich. Dein Buch habe ich verschlungen. Ich wäre auch gerne nach Schweden ausgewandert, aber meine Partnerin möchte in Deutschland bleiben. Aber wir verlängern jetzt unsere Aufenthalte in Schweden. Vielen Dank für eure spannende Geschichte. Kram Brigitte
LikeLike