Sångshyttan Micro Season Calendar
Inspired by Japanese tradition and Alexa Firmenich on her blog Lifeworlds, we now create a micro season calendar. We follow life on the farm as it unfolds over the course of a year. It describes different events and important relationships that we have with the more than human world on the farm. Instead of dividing each day into one of four seasons, the Japanese calendar is divided into 72 different sections. Each of these sections lies within one of 24 divisions, all of which have been given descriptively beautiful names. The 72 sections (or kō) only last for about five days each, but still perfectly describe what happens as life blossoms and ebbs.
28 July – 1 August / Misty Fairy Dance
Suddenly the morning has a new air, a little damp and chilly. The mists gather and sometimes you can sense the fairies dancing over the water. Silence seeks its way into the body, in the silence after the migratory birds' farewell.
22 – 27 July / Linden tree orchestra
As in spring when the maple blossoms, there is now an orchestra in the Linden tree where bees and bumblebees enjoy the wonderful flowers. The scent carried by the wind almost makes me drunk.I am looking forward to taste the honey.
17 – 21 July / Nature provides in abundance
It is an incredible abundance. Nature is literally overflowing and it's hard to keep up. My relationship with raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries....well, it's love. I know how it feels to pick up a frozen bag of raspberries on a dark day in January and make jam or pour them into my morning smoothie. Taste of summer.
12 – 16 July / Curtains of rain
Areas with low pressure weather sweeps in. One by one they circulate over the country and rain pours down. One day, 65 mm... Everything is wet. Both Roman snails and Spanish slugs thrive in this wet world. It is difficult to protect your crop, there is an imbalance between plants and their attackers.
7 – 11 July / Sounds of gathering
At the morning bath, a flock of starlings suddenly appears, squabbling and singing together; the the young "teenage birds" gather to head further south a little ahead of their parents and smaller siblings. Another day I see a large flock of gulls gathering in the meadow and after a while they are also gone. I sense traces of fall in my body.
2 – 6 July / A string of Wild Strawberrys
Nothing tastes as good as sun-ripened strawberrys. It's a long-lasting relationship we have with each other. I remember my dad showing his love by getting up early in the morning and picking a barrel that was waiting at breakfast. The smell is summer. Nature is constantly giving of its bounty.