First few days Latvia, settling in

As we arrived weather drastically changed, and our so moods. Not just because of the cold or gloomy weather but also as my family was having sad times: my, Vineta's, grandmother's health (on who's land we were to live on and make our permaculture garden) started rapidly deteriorating. Luckily I got to see her before she passed away and say goodbye, also tell her what are were about to do... She was happy that someone will do gardening on the land which was completely abandoned for last 10 years, however noone can say it was empty as nature has taken over and animals moved in. Wild life is at it's best there now, sorting itself out, feeding itself and living freely and fully without people's restrictions and most important their destructive behaviors. There are animal caves under house, and each utility building, meadows overgrowing with trees, animal digs, deer or moose poo everywhere. I am happy that somewhere exists a place where human influence is so minimal, especially coming from big city like Manchester, where it seams all there is a one big human settlement. A bit of wilderness and place to breath freely for a change.
It is very common sight in Latvia, especially in region where we are staying, Latgale: an abandoned small old farmhouses, because people moved away to bigger cities, or died and their children never wanted to take on hard life in the isolated places, or perhaps just moved abroad.
As we entered a house itself, it soon became clear that we cannot live here at the moment, even thou my parents warned me of place being messy and uninhabitable, I thought they might be exaggerating. House had at least three break-ins, there is not much of any value to steal, only things taken was  metal for scraping even including a metal crucifix off the wall. Hay and manure seen for no value at all was left, but for us it means gold, because were are here to make garden. No dig garden!
Have to tell the truth my heart dropped when I realized how does 10 year-old dust looks like; but even more: house is more then hundred years old, it's all wood and it is slowly rooting, eaten by hundred's of different creatures from within, being turned back into dust. I thought that it could be a mistake for me coming here, abandoning easy city life and just willing to life simply without very basics ...
Water well is out of order as is it flooded with overground water, and not been cleaned for ten years.
At first I saw only downside of this place.
We had to spend first night on the property in the tent inside the house, even my parents' dog, who was with us, got scared at night and barked at something in the dark; unsettling.  I have to mention that hundred years ago in this region houses were build dark, with low sealing, small windows, so they stay warm in minus 30 winters. It was never build glamorous, just basic, and few generations had lived in these walls, which  bare their happiness and sorrow. It is eerie to be in this house. There are many things left behind by it's inhabitants, lots of clothes and shoes; which are too old to be used but also seam to be too precious just to be binned. They add to the unsettling feeling , it is ghostly in the rooms as if person who had lived here has just gone out and we are intruders from the future looking at the past through things remaining.

 However a chance to be outdoors and work outside, try out all ideas in permaculture gardening quickly took over and our spirits lifted when we counted benefits we can get out of this property:
Space, we have enormous space, fields, forests, ponds, river, and many many trees, some even taken down for us by the people clearing electricity line.
Even thou well in out of order and we are out of drinking water, we quickly found well in nearby village,  and if worth comes to worth we can buy some from the shop.
We have enough manure at least for this season, if we dig up old animal house, which is slowly decaying and we got to make most of it as it will collapse in a year or two... and then it will be of no use for anybody.
We have tons of hay for mulching, my grandparents used to keep cows, pigs and horse there for they always prepared hay for next winter, but they moved away leaving behind lots of it.
And most importantly tools!!! There are basic tools left for us to start off in the garden, luckily we don't have to waist time or money for getting new ones! We are all set and ready to garden!

First few days we spend making Hugelkultur beds, which is basically digging in logs, to fertilize soil for future, then filled with goodness, like manure and more soil then mulched on top.

(Above is a picture to show how high an deer or a moose can reach to nibble of asp tree bark)

Making cold frame: first by laying on the ground some of my granddad's decaying leather coats and then using an old bed as a frame to hold see-through polythene. We started to make use of some items found in the house, rather just to throw them away or burn, which is a favorite method in Latvia for getting rid of things.

Other way we though of reusing things was to make cups for seedlings out of newspaper clippings  my grandma used to collect about things like advice in household, planting, gardening, sewing and plants for health... It is all in files but there are too many for anyone to read it seems to be the best way to honor these things by turning them into new life: plants.

 When leaving England we were worried that Spring has advanced and we are missing  planting season, but arriving in Latvia we travele back in time into early spring nearly back winter time: with snow again and mines degrees at night. It worked out to our advantaged because we could prepare beds for plants, not worrying about being late for putting seeds in the ground.

 

Then soon after Easter, sun appeared again and weather was getting better and better. We spend some time with my parents, after some work done at the house and in the garden. My parents live a drive away from Gailisi where we gonna be making our little settlement and our permaculture garden, they live in place called Naujene near latvia’s second biggest city Daugavpils, where I have spend almost all of my childhood. We had a rest, a good wash, did our first spring tea foraging  and painted some eggs in Latvian Easter tradition (it needs white eggs , leaves are tied onto an egg for making pattern and then eggs are boiled in onion skin water, similar to tie-dye with natural materials)  … 

  On the way to work again!