
The first hunter arrived at the same time we were going out on our morning walk, I had already planned for us to walk in the village. There were morning mist floating in the cow pasture outside my cottage so I have to admit that I felt a bit disappointed when I saw that there wasn’t any up in the village. Still cool almost cold morning and with some sunshine. Alma managed together with Malkolm tangle the leashes to a knot already before we got out of the garden and both behaved just as bad for almost the entire walk π π
Β
Β
Β 
Here in Sweden You can’t just buy a license and then go out and hunt anything. The land owners own the hunting rights and then rent out the rights to hunt to hunting groups (some big land owners also allow single people or small groups of people to hunt there, it’s usually trophy hunters who rent some time on those places). The hunting groups are well organized and the same people year after year so it can be hard for younger people to actually get a chance to join those groups. Also You must go through a course to even get a license and if You can’t pass You will not get any license. Back in the days lost of hunters were drunk and could shoot anything that moved but now days they aren’t allowed to drink alcohol. It is rare that humans get shot these days.




I remember one year when I was in my twenties and listened to the news that the custom service had stopped a van full with people with Germans. They claimed to have shot a herd of Moose, around twenty if my memory is correct. Well they didn’t have any license to hunt here in Sweden and also Moose don’t live in herd. Turns out they had shot a bunch of Reindeer. I think they shouted something about The right to public access (all mans right, a law that allows us to walk anywhere, pick berries, camp at least for 24 hours without having to ask for permission and much more as long as we don’t do it in other people’s gardens). They really should have learned more about that law π π
Β
Β
Β 
I did see a deer on our walk but it was far away and I also heard lots of cranes and geese in the air somewhere over the forest. Normally Nova would have been without a leash but since I knew hunters would arrive everywhere around the village and some drive like crazy, not the ones in my part of the village, they know they can meet all kinds of animals coming from our gardens at any time of the day, they drive really slow π π so today she had to be leashed. She always show very clearly what she thinks about that π Today she stopped and sniffed on the ground for unusually long every second meter or so π π π
Β
Β
Β 
I haven’t done much otherwise but to water the new trees and bushes. Even though the ground water is just 2,5-3 meters down (much the same in yards) sand can’t keep water but instead dries up really fast. So even though I now have a lake behind my garage (it’s usually a swamp as worst) the ground in our gardens are now bone dry. Older vegetation manages this fine but plants that hasn’t grown here for two years usually struggles until the roots have grown down to the ground water.
Β
Β
Β 
It is time to go downstairs to have a last cup of tea for the day, there’s nothing worth watching on tv so I’ll probably fall asleep in the recliner and wake up with an aching neck π π
Have a great day!





Lovely photos as always. Is the first one a sunrise or sunset? Spectacular either way. How far is it to walk to the village?
LikeLike
Hi ppekka!
I’m glad You like them π
It’s the sunrise we had just as we were out walking.
Well I live at the outskirts of the village so technically I’m living in it. But the walk in the village is around 1,4 miles.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Christer, do you know what horse breed(s) your neighbor has? They have the sturdy build of many of the Northern European horse breeds.
LikeLike
Hi Denali Sam!
Four of them are North Swedish Horse and the fifth is a Fjord Horse, a Norwegian breed. You’ll see other horses in todays post but I know nothing about riding horses. I wish I could stop on my way to work to photograph another Swedish working horse bred, they are huge and called Ardenner. Really beautiful.
LikeLike
Hi Christer! Thanks so much for the horse breed information. I suspected that was a Fjord among them. That breed is somewhat popular in New England so Iβve seen them here, but they arenβt a commonly owned breed in my area.Β
Both the North Swedish horse are beautiful but, wow, the Ardenner is a stunning draft horse breed. I did some reading about these breeds before replying here. I am relieved to know that care is taken not to lose those two breeds to extinction. So many of the wonderful old horse breeds are rare and/or at risk of extinction, but fortunately, much is being done to preserve them. The very old British breed, the Suffolk Punch, is allegedly as rare as snow leopards! There are a number of individuals – one dedicated breeder in Virginia and several in New England – who are doing careful Suffolk breeding and employing the Suffolks to work on their farms and logging too, which the horses enjoy.
I like all of the draft horse breeds and the small draft-horse-type breeds too; they are steady, with kind dispositions toward life in general. I had always loved riding the tall warm-blood and cold-blood breeds. However, about 20 years ago I was introduced to several Haflingers, also known as the Avelignese small horse breed (average of 14 hands tall); now they are my favorites for riding and just spending time with. Haffies are kind, easy-going and gentle, and because they are so intelligent they enjoy outsmarting or playing tricks on humans. They do this for fun, not to be unkind to people – they want us to laugh along with them!
This site has some good photos of the Haffie breed that show both its beauty and its comparative size.
https://www.newhorizonshaflingers.com/about.htmlΒ
LikeLike
I must admit that I only like two horses in the entire world and it’s that fjording and its north swedish companion π The kindest horses there ever was and they don’t give a sh.t about my dogs barking when they come close π π π
I also must admit that those haflings are truly beautiful!
I am however glad that they try to keep those breeds alive, no countryside without them.
LikeLike