How to build a small house in a corner of your garden.

There are many reasons why I have not had time to up-date the blog as frequently as I used to and this is the main one!

 

When building a house on a small plot it is very important to find a place that has the right light, ground, elevation and place in relation to all other buildings on the plot. In this case we choose a corner that we have hardly used at all before with some tall trees that we thought would give some shade. It is also a bit higher than the rest of the surrounding area enhancing the view. The main problem was to find spots to dig the holes we needed for the plinths.

 

After trying various places, we eventually found spots where we could dig eight holes about 50 cm deep.

 

In each hole we put some macadam in the bottom and forms of paper to put the cement in. A small cement mixer made it fairly easy to mix the cement.

  

To be able to fasten the foundation for the floor on which the house would stand, I choose adjustable joist hangers to make it as easy as possible to get the foundation / floor absolutely even.

 

 

 

Finally the truck with all building blocks, nuts and bolts arrived. They truck was too big to take the stuff all the way so we had to load it on a trailer and move it that way the last hundred meters.

 

 

 Plenty of bits and pieces to put together!!!
  
 
 
 

The first step is to lay the foundation. It must be perfectly level and all angels exactly as they should be or the glass panes would not fit, the roof  leak and so on.

The pillars for the wall also had to be exactly vertical or the rest of the house would not be as expected.

  The roof is made of polypropylene to keep the temperature down a bit and to withstand branches that might fall down from all the trees around the house.



It is only 9 m2 but still large enough for a table and four chairs!

Although we have only had it for a couple of weeks we really love it and use it far more than we thought we would. It is such a good feeling to sit inside it, listen to the birds and the wind in the trees while as the same time be protected from both the wind and mosquitoes.

Butterflies and beetles

The birds are quieting down in Svångemåla while the grown ups are busy bringing food to their fast growing children. Luckily, there is an abundance of insects so I am sure they will all be well fed!



This is one of the many beetles I don't know the name of but I am sure someone will be able to tell me :)   

23/12 2014   I just got this very comprehensive information from my friend, former colleague and beetle expert Bengt Andersson - 

Den har inget svenskt namn, men den heter Orthocerus clavicornis (Linnaeus, 1758).

Betyder att det var Linné själv som beskrev arten 1758. Parentesen runt Linnaeus innebär att han beskrev arten med ett annat släktnamn än det nuvarande Orthocerus, men artepitetet “clavicornis” (= med tjocka antenner) ändras aldrig, eftersom Linné var först med att beskriva arten. Han som beskrev släktet Orthocerusvar fransmannen Latreille år 1796.

 

Linné förde t ex alla jordlöpare till släktet Carabus. Hundratals släkten har genom åren fått ändrat släktnamn, vilket medfört att Linné står inom parentes för alla deras arter. De arter (stora djur, 13 i Sverige) som ingår i våra dagars släkte Carabus har alltså ingen parentes omkring Linné (bilden)!

Många släktnamn har alltså ändrats, eftersom man upptäcker vilka arter/grupper som egentligen hör samman eller är åtskilda. Det finns många regler i samband med nomenklaturen, och en del namnbyten sker inte trots att det skulle ske. Vi som har varit med under ett halvt sekel har blivit tvungna att acceptera många nya namn - men med visst besvär och ofta under (lönlös) protest!

Many thanks !

 

Tiny but beautiful is the Polyommatini. It is very common and can be seen both on flowers or as here on the gravel road leading up to our house.

Not so tiny and not so common is the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus). It is actually the largest of all beetles in Sweden and look like some sort of dinosaur when it comes marching through the tall grass.

It got tired after a while and wanted to fly away but got tangled up and continued to walk.

A close relative of the stag beetle is the lesser stag beetle (Dorcus parallelipipedus). I am again not sure if I have managed to identify it correctly but it looks very much like the pictures I have seen on the Internet of the lesser stag beetle.

 Aporia crataegi or Black-veined White butterflies are common in Svångemåla.

Coccinellidae

There are plenty of Ladybugs in and around Svångemåla and from what I saw yesterday, there will be many more!!  :)

 

 

 

As a I child I was told that it brought luck if a ladybug landed on you. If that is true, this will be a great summer!

Spring is still in the air !

May has continued to be unusually cold but that cannot stop the force of spring! The Cowslip  (Primula veris) are making part of my plot yellow and attracting all kinds of insects. The one on the straw (Nemophora sp., probably N. metallica)  looked like it had golden wings! (Click on the picture to see it better! )

 

Even the Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis ) has started to spread its wonderful fragrance.

The Linden tree (Tilia) has struggled a bit and its buds are still small.

The Crane (Grus grus) couple showed up some time ago and they can be heard both mornings and evenings when they blow their trumphets. Lovely and graceful birds!

An old apple tree is currently in full bloom but I am concerned that there are hardly any insects pollinating the flowers. A few bumble bees are doing their best but where are all the bees?

Spring flowers!

May has been unusually cold this this year, so far, but there are nevertheless a lot of beautiful flowers to admire and enjoy. Here are some of them:

True Forget -me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) From what I remember from previous years, this is a bit early but since April was warm it is probably nothing unusual.

Thicket shad-bush (Amelanchier spicata)

One of the many small roads you can take long walks along in Svångemåla.

I am not sure about this flower's name in English but in it is Doronicum in latin. 

Purple Wood anemone !!

The Wood anemone, (Anemone nemorosa) ) is supposed to be bright white but sometimes nature mix it up a bit and add a color or two to make it more interesting. From what I understand, it depends on the soil but I am not sure. Do you know?

Peacock butterfly

This picture is not from Svångemåla but I think this Peacock butterfly (Inachis io ) deserves to be in a blog about nature! Click on the picture to enlarge it!

Bullfinch

The Bullfinch ( Pyrrhula pyrrhula ) couple that last year had a nest in my Hops is now munching away on the buds of my Thicket Shadbush (Amelanchier spicata). I have not yet decided if it is OK or not but as long as they are happy I guess they can enjoy a free lunch.

Svångemåla up-side-down

If you click on the picture and look closely in the drop of water, you will see our shed up-side-down! Almost like some form of fish-eye lens!

Damson tree

As you might remember, an old Damson tree ( Prunus domestica ) fell down during a storm last winter but when we cut off some branches and put them in water, they started to bloom. Lovely!