The spring took us quickly to the summer and the summer … it will soon take us further … Now the days are truly getting shorter again. The energetic June and July provided us with twice as much time as usual. All time spend well. All time spend with reflections and mindful moments during harvesting, restoration and training. So grateful for valuable help from family and friends - old and new.

This season has enriched us with craftsmanship, carpentry and wood work. So many milestones, so many achievements, and so many awaiting challenges.

The animals remind us to breathe and let go and to appreciate the moments.

.

Lonely am I as the forest aspen,
Of kindred bare as the fir of its boughs,
My joys are all lost as the leaves of the tree
When the scather of twigs from the warm day turns

(From Hamdismál)

Tree after tree and bundle after bundle, of willows, roe, aspen and ashes... We spend day after day at Østreng these summer weeks with harvesting leaves for the winter fodder. The extensive drought has urged us to search the roots for older customs in feeding the animals. Our forefathers also fed their animals during winter, but they did not cultivate as much land for fodder as is normal today. Neither did they have big storage rooms or hay wrapped in plastics. The fodder was mainly stored outdoors and the fodder was harvested in nature. Nature is a true larder!

I am so enthusiastic about the possibility we have had this summer to dive into a new plant practice field. These days we teach ourselves about the old customs of harvesting leaves as fodder. The oldest snidel - a knife specifically suited for cutting twigs - found in Norway dates back to the Viking Age, and in some parts of Norway the traditonal way of "lauving" has been practiced continously since. In other parts, this knowledge has been forgotten. At Østreng we study, practice and research different ways of lauving this year, and we will definetely remember this custom for the future.