Vikings

Most of our guests arrive at our cottage by car, some on bicycles, sometimes we pick up somebody in town who arrived by bus ( and train from Copenhagen), but one evening this summer some 30 people arrived in a  Vikingship... men, women and children. They brought their own tents and it was a beautiful romantic evening with campfires and singing, children bathing. It was very special. And thanks to the supermarket in Horne, which delivered food and other necessary supplies down the beach, they could also stock up.
They came from the south of Jutland, they said, and had built the ship themselves. One of them had once, long time ago bought a self-built Viking ship from a group of boy scouts. The boy scouts never made it to Jutland, they sank for the coast of Lyø. The new owners of the ship gathered friends and relatives, formed the Kalvø Vikingeskibslag, and built a new ship: the Imme Sejr. It took them 2 years to build it, and now they were sailing it during their holidays.
The remains of Viking ships have been found several places in Scandinavia, even here on Funen, where a ship burial was found south of Kerteminde near the village of Ladby. Based on the information found in this grave, the museum is now building a replica which will be ready for sailing next summer.
In October we took visiting friends to see the nearly finished ship which is a very impressive piece of craftsmanship.
The Imme Sejr  is also built like the ship found in Ladby.
For more pictures of the Imme Sejr: www.toenderskibsslag.dk
and for the Ladby Museum: www.vikingemuseet.dk

Monday July 7th ,  Ykkja's foal was born!
He is very quick and naughty and has the same colour as his father Hnokki fra Fellskoti. Hnokki has been World Champion Tølt 3 times, so that is very promising.
As it belongs to my brother in law, it will move to Holland somewhere in the future, but until then we will enjoy him.

Summer!
The weather has been great for many weeks now, so it is very busy at our B&B.
The Danish school holidays started last friday and there is no time left for writing blogs. So, just a few pictures:

 These beautiful pictures of the midsummer sunset were taken by Søren Pedersen, one of our neighbours. The sun goes down halfway the Helnæs peninsula, that is as far as it get's, and will from now on go down more and more back to the left.

Some days there is just time enough for me to take Shanty out with the sulky and some guests.
The picture was taken by the Lund family from Norway.


For those who are able to watch the Dutch television: On July 25th the Tour de France is near Bergerac and the program 'Avondetappe' by Mart Smeets will be broadcasted from the home of our designer Joris van Grinsven,  the Chateau de Clérans.  NOS July 25th, 22.10 hrs.

'Frog' rescue
Since a few days, baby natterjack toads are trying to get through our house. As soon as someone opens a door, the toads come in, walk through the house and want to get out at the other side. They are on their way down to the freshwater lagoon in the bird reserve next to us.
So apparently our house is in their way, but the house was built in 1853, so they should know by now how to get around it.
We pick them up and put them in our small bird pond, so they can freshen up a bit before going on.
Natterjack toads are protected and in connection with the EU Life+ project. five new breeding water-holes have been dugout in the former agricultural land, for the benefit of this rare toad. The little natterjack toad can be distinguished from other toads by the lemon yellow stripe along its back. Natterjacks are noisy neighbours, their sound is like an electric drill and we can hear them on warm summer evenings, mostly in May.
I have a native Canadian friend who lives on Vancouver Island. She told me that in her culture, the frog is the messenger, or announcer. With so many toads coming in every day, I wonder what the message is.......

YELLOW

Danmark is getting yellow! The rapeseed is in full bloom now, everything between us and the village of Bøjden is bright yellow. So beautiful......

Rapeseed is grown for its oil, so sometime later this summer it will be harvested and the oil will be extracted.

First reds

In summer we experience the most fantastic sunsets right on our doorstep, colouring the sky in all sorts of reds when the sun dives into the sea.
It is March now, but the weather is extremely nice this year and last night we could enjoy the first of all those 'reds'.
The sun is up at 06.42 in the morning and sets at 18.17. Daylight time is increasing quickly and soon we will have our long light evenings again.
Soon our guests will be able to sit outside enjoying these
sunsets while sipping a glass of wine and listening to the nightingales.
So much to look forward to.

Skylarks

It is mid-February and life at Bøjden Cottage has become more quiet. After a lovely summer and a long autumn with many guests, we finally got time to do a bit of gardening, some indoor paintwork or just a tour with the horses.
We only had a few weeks of winter weather, but my daughter could skate at the freshwater lake in the bird reserve and we had a bit of snow.
Right now, the sun comes out every day and daylight time increases quickly. The garden is littered with snowdrops and yellow eranthis, and since yesterday, the skylarks are back. Where they go in the winter, I don't know, but right now you can hear them everywhere and today I saw some couples bickering with each other about their territory.
And showing off: flying higher and higher and higher, until you can hardly see them no more.
Spring is definetely on it's way.
If you are interested in what birds, and what number of birds you can spot in the area from day to day, go to:  www.fugle-faaborg.dk