sailing the farm - join our sea gypsy commune!

[zeyang]

Sailing the Farm tribe mid May 2011

Dear wannabe sea gypsies,

Its been really nice weather for the last 2 weeks. The bees are busy
collecting pollen, and we have been working out on the fields for the
last days. The potatoe field is finished so now its just to wait
until october to see the result.

We found we probably needed mast for the sea gypsy community so we
started planting 700 small spruce-trees. Then its just to sit down and
wait - some 80 years. It is the sea gypsies of the future who will
appreciate this step - but its good to think longterm. who
knows. maybe it will be hundreds of boats roaming the seven seas some
time in distant future?

We are still working on the lead smelter, it will be some time until
this step is finished, but goes slowly forward. Finding good lead is
biggest problem.

If you think you have some skills who could be useful to us and wants
to become a part of our happy seagypsy community please dont hesitate
to contact us.

Minutes from last weeks:

1. two hardworking kiwi/aussie guys on their way to the field to pick
rocks!

2. Cooling down the lead smelter with water. the obligatory safetymask
is on. getting lead poison is no fun.

3. Preparing the potato field. quite good soil (you can see some
beehives in the background there)

4. Planting 700 spruce trees. The seagypsy dog watch the process
closely.

http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67207&stc=1&d=1305179959
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67208&stc=1&d=1305179965
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67209&stc=1&d=1305179972
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67210&stc=1&d=1305179978

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[zeyang]

Sailing the farm tribe mid sept 2011


Dear wannabe seagypsies.

The first real frostnights have been visiting us, so winter is slowly
coming our way. we have had quite a lot of asian volunteers this month
and celebrated the full moon with moon cake some weeks ago. (chinese
tradition)

Last weeks have been mostly used to harvest and prepare for
winter. Jam-producion is up to full speed and hopefully we will have
enough homemade jam for the whole winter. The bees have got their
sugar so they are also ready for a long winter. Most important step
now is finish up the roof and also make a new shower/bathroom which
will be warm.

So until next newsletter, have a nice autumn!

Minutes from last weeks.

a. A seagypsy girl from Taiwain
b. two proud seagypsies just waiting to launch their home!
c. Apple harvest. We got 72 kg of jam!
d. Lingon-berry harvest. that was totally 26 kg sofar, and still more berries out there.
e. The roof had to be fixed. We are getting there!
f. Cleaning out the barn for making winter bathroom.
g. Wood cutting. We are not sure but we think we got around 20-30 m3
of wood ready for winter.

http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72873&stc=1&d=1316286909
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72874&stc=1&d=1316286915
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http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72878&stc=1&d=1316287007
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=72879&stc=1&d=1316287013

 

[zeyang]

Sailing the Farm Newsletter

October 2011

Dear Sea Gypsies,

The snow is almost here! September and October have been productive
months here on the farm, as we have been working hard to prepare for
the coming winter. The roof on the main house is nearly finished
(with lines so straight it is almost sea-worthy!) The trench for the
winter bathroom has been dug; once the pipes are in, these
hard-working WWoofers will have no more excuses not to shower! All
that’s left will be to install the wood-burning heaters in the
barracks, and then it will be so toasty warm it wont even feel like
winter. We even have a homemade hot tub, nicknamed "The Potato Pot",
and once the sauna is built, our luxury spa will be complete! What
better way to watch the Northern Lights, than steaming in a hot tub
(that was once a milk storage tank, heated by the magic of a Swedish
potato cooker)? Especially when (to the delight of some, and horror
of others) we discovered that it is possible to measure the volume of
its occupants. Maybe life is getting a little too easy on farm and we
have too much time on our hands?

Harvest season is over and we are enjoying the bounty of home-grown
potatoes, lingonberry jam and apple sauce. Our honey is jarred and
stored for the winter, and it makes a delicious accomplishment to the
morning porridge. There has been a spate of biscuit making, which is
definitely helping us to gain some well-needed winter insulation
around the stomach area! However we are already looking forward to
next spring, and are busy making plans, dividing the fields into
potential orchards, turnips, peas, maybe even pumpkins. There is talk
of installing both a greenhouse (for those of you who cannot seem to
do without a few tomatoes) and a heated space for growing mushrooms.
If you know anything about permaculture, we are very anxious to hear
from you, because we need all the help we can get!

Finally, we want to welcome six new babies to the farm. Chicks "
three white, one brown and two black" have arrived and are giving us
constant entertainment. Turns out, chicken TV is much more addictive
than the normal kind! Four of the chicks are currently living in the
girls' barracks, the last arrived this morning with the first snowfall
and we are calling him Tuff, in the hopes that he is tough enough to
survive the winter.

That's everything from the Sea Gypsy tribe this month. We hope
everyone out there is well, and enjoying the autumn! Please take a
look at our photos and remember, if you have some spare time, there's
always room on our farm for an extra WWoofer or two. The cold is
coming, and that means work is about to begin again on the boat. She
has been much neglected over the summer, and requires some
well-deserved attention!

PHOTOS:

a.The epitomy of a Sea Gypsy farmer, wearing a stylish hat and riding
a 52 model Massey Ferguson tractor.

b.Making apple sauce with our steam heater.

c.The trial run of our machine of the month, an old-style food
processor (acquired for free and in perfect working order, although
there was a long evening of head scratching before we realized we were
using it upside down).

d.Two happy WWoofers, boiling in the Potato Pot.

e.Moving home the grass in the fields.


http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73755&stc=1&d=1318186087
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73756&stc=1&d=1318186091
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73757&stc=1&d=1318186096
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73759&stc=1&d=1318186145
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=73760&stc=1&d=1318186152

 

[zeyang]

Sailing the Farm Newsletter
November 2011

Dear Sea Gypsies,

November has been an exciting month here on the farm. We've had
Americans, Australians, Spaniards, French, Dutch, English... all of us
wwoofers staring at the sky, waiting for the snow to come! It has
been unseasonably warm, and we are still working hard to finish all
the things that need to be finished before winter arrives. It's
already snowing on the mountains, so skiing, ice-fishing and igloo
building are just around the corner.

The roof is not quite finished, although we hope that by the end of
the week we will be eating "Roof Cake" to celebrate its completion.
Turns out a 100-year-old roof is hard to fix! But once all the tiles
are straight, we will move onto the winter bathroom and then the boat.
Other projects this month have included fixing up the chicken coop,
turning it into 5 star luxury accommodation. Only the best for our
chickens! We have also tried our hand at plowing, which is
surprisingly difficult. Maybe there's a reason farmers decided to
swap horses for tractors... although we definitely prefer the horses!
It might just take a bit of practice to get those furrows straight.

Other news... the northern lights have been putting on quite a show this
month. Wwoofers have been busy, hunting for trolls in the forest and
sending each other on scavenger hunts around the farm. One brave
wwoofer attempted to walk along the ancient pilgrim trail that runs
through the farm, back to Oslo.

If you are interested in coming to help us out here on the farm,
please let us know. There is always space, just send us an email if
you want to try your hand at roof tiling, giant igloo building,
welding, plowing... and of course boat building!

We hope all of you are well and looking forward to winter!

Check out our photos from this month:

a.Slowly scaling down the farm, this English girl worries about life
without diesel for our tractor... this guy works best on grass and
plenty of oats.

b.Wrestling with giant snakes in the trench!

c.Safety regulations are by the book. Everyone is wearing earmuffs
these days.

d.Happy sea gypsies feasting (Australia, France, US, England).


http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75065&stc=1&d=1320694322
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75066&stc=1&d=1320694327
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75067&stc=1&d=1320694332
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=75068&stc=1&d=1320694337

 

[zeyang]

Newsletter February 2012. .

Dear Sea Gypsies,

Spring is slowly coming our way, This winter has been really nice
compared to last winter. It has seldom been below -15, which is quite
out of normal.

We had a really nice christmas on the farm, with lots of friends and
seagypies. This year Santa Claus had an australian accent. We tried to
teach him the only one and important centence in norwegian - "Are
there any nice children here" but in last minute he forgot - but the
"kids" still got their presents. The small ones got proper
vikinghelmets and dress of course.... What else for seagypses?

Else we have been doing regular winter maintainance on the farm and
been looking forward to the spring. The boat project is going forward
working on small and big pieces on the boat. We have been doing some
work on how to make a furnace to melt all that scrap aluminum into
more useful stuff like portholes. Casting is not something new. People
have been doing thise for ages. Hopefully we manage to make something
out of brick run on propane or better firewood which we have plenty of
up here. Any foundry and casting experience out there?

Anyway, its quite busy up here now but dont forget to enjoy the early
spring folks! .. and if you want to join our tribe please contact us!

Pictures.

a. Enjoy christmas dinner with friends and seagypies.
b. A young seagypsy quite happy whith his christmaspresent - proper
viking helmet!
c. Out walking the mast. Even a mast need some fresh air these days!
d. We want to duplicate these guys! Anyone with casting/foundry
experience out there? We want to learn!


a: http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=112591&stc=1&d=1330274085
b: http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=112601&stc=1&d=1330274091
c: http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=112611&stc=1&d=1330274096
d: http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=112621&stc=1&d=1330274103

 

[zeyang]

Newsletter April 2012. .

Dear Sea Gypsies,

Still some time until we are ready to put the seeds into the soil. Its
more or less -5 degrees C during night last weeks but daytime is above
zero.

The days have been spent welding and welding and when we havent done
welding we have spent time troubleshoot welding machines. They have a
tendency to break down unfortunately. So we bought 2 more big
machines. We also got hold of another ton of lead. There seems to be
no end to how much lead we need for ballast.

Ahh yes. We got more chickens on the farm. one of our hens found out
we need some easter chickens this year and she missed by 2 days. Not
bad. The small one is a little shy so its hard to take a picture
without getting attacked by the angry mother.

Today it will be traditional easter-dinner here on the farm with
people from near and far. Wish you all fair winds and following seas
and hope you all have a peacful easter.

picture from last weeks.

a: our chickens are enjoying longer and warmer days.
b: two more welding machines arrived on the farm.. It seems we cant
get enough welding machines.
c: Our easter chicken arrived 2 days before easter.


http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=135841&stc=1&d=1333813538
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=135851&stc=1&d=1333813545
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=135861&stc=1&d=1333813551

 

[zeyang]

Newsletter May 2012.

Dear Sea gypsies

Spring has come to the farm! And then came summer, and then a few
blustery days of fall, and finally last Friday and Saturday it snowed
again. But that will be the last snow of the year, we hope - the mild
weather seems to have returned, the trees are leafing out, the
wildflowers are springing up around the river, the bees and the
neighbors have come out of hibernation (again), and we are hard at
work.

This week we mixed a few tons of lovely manure compost into the soil
of the north field, and planted eleven rows of potatoes - by hand -
which should give us about 300 kilos of potatoes in the fall to feed
hungry sea-gypsies all next winter. Next week we'll plant carrots and
onions, and move some tender warm-weather starts to our new greenhouse
- radishes, bok choi, spinach, parsley, beets, and sugar peas so tall,
they might start climbing us if we don't get them out of the kitchen
soon.

Work on the boat has really picked up recently. We've been distracted
with planting, and replumbing the bathroom, and building coldframes
and the new greenhouse - but now that the potatoes are in the ground
and the sea-gypsies are in the bath (phew), we are back in the
boatshed all the time. Our resident woodworker is about to start work
on a wooden dinghy from a traditional Norwegian design, just as soon
as he gets the greenhouse finished. And we cast two tons of lead
ballast, a very medieval process involving a wood-fired furnace in the
yard. The boat will eventually carry five tons, so there is more
casting to do as soon as the scrap yard has more lead for us.

Inside the boat we're sealing off the keel with aluminum plates - the
bow is nearly done, and then we can put in the last of the bow ribs.
In the stern, we're wrestling with engine placement - it needs to be
high enough to fit the cooling system and the primary diesel tank
underneath, but low enough that the propeller clears the stern.
Hmmmmm. Fortunately there's plenty to do while we're thinking about
it - like put on the deck! The boat will start looking dramatically
different very soon and we're all pretty excited.

As always, there's room for more in our big sea-gypsy tribe - so if
you like planting, weeding, shoveling, soldering, sawing, nailing,
welding, grinding, sewing, cooking, drilling, knitting, routering,
getting headbutted by chickens, watching 2-hour sunsets, measuring,
cutting, re-measuring, thinking, re-re-measuring, making bread,
reading sea books, eating waffles or knot-tying, drop us a line!


Picture from last weeks.

a: Sea gypsy girl making psykedelic chair-protection for the chairs.

b: Shaping wood with router

c: Potato-planting.

d: lead melting girl finished melting 2 tonns in one week.


http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161891&stc=1&d=1337015044
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161901&stc=1&d=1337015051
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http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=161921&stc=1&d=1337015064

 

[richh32]

what do you all do for fun?

 

[zeyang]

Newsletter June 2012.



Dear Sea gypsies

We're back to a full farm - the current crew of sea-gypsies hail from
Norway, Germany (times two), Finland, France/Belgium, the UK and the
US - it makes for lively, er, discussions in the evenings while we're
watching Euro Cup matches.

It also makes for rapid progress - in the last few weeks we've picked
the entire farm clean of rocks, planted two fields in a mixture of
cover crops (including phacelia, whose blue flowers are a favorite bee
snack), built and painted a fence around the yard, re-plumbed the
basement, fixed our fleet of bicycles, put in almost a kilometer of
fence around the biggest field, dug up half the far field looking for
a pipe leak, refinished a beautiful old door... and then, in our spare
time, built a model for the boat's dinghy, biked all over the area,
hiked down the river, spent a weekend in Oslo, foraged local plants
for dinner, built a campfire spot overlooking the valley, installed a
swing under the barn ramp, given each other mohawks, and baked about
forty loaves of bread.

And we're going to be parents! Kind of! One of our chickens has very
motherly instincts, and she's been incubating thirteen eggs - some
hers, some laid by the rest of our flock. We're expecting chicks in a
week or so.

All the farming hasn't left us much time for boatbuilding, but we
still managed to make some progress this month: the keelbox has been
welded shut in bow and stern, the last ribs are being bent to shape
and welded in, and the calculations for the curve of the deck have
begun. This week we'll finish the ribs and begin the wood patterns
for the deck frames.

We've been eating like royalty - everybody has learned to bake, and
the spring plants are out in force, so we feast on nettles, milkweed,
chaga mushrooms, dandelions, wood sorrel, and our own bread. After a
long winter of turnips, potatoes and carrots, it's wonderful to have
the green leaves that come with warm days, and the new dishes that
come with new comrades.


So, enjoy summer folks, and if you want to join us, just send us an
email.

Pictures from last weeks.

a: Sea-gypsy girl busy planning the route with help of the world-map
in background.

b: Fence-banging guys!

c: The Fencing-crew on the way to the field.

d: Enjoy a short rest after hours of rockpicking in the field.

e: Welding up the keelbox inside the boat.


http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182061&stc=1&d=1339612761
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http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=182101&stc=1&d=1339612800

 

[zeyang]

Newsletter July 2012.


Dear Sea gypsies

The summer has been good and productive to us. Mostly nice and warm
weather for whole june which is more than you can expect up here.. The
potatoefield and carrot field grow nicely. The sugar peas in the
small greenhouse is now blooming and soon we will be self-sufficient
on sugar-pies (that is, if we dont eat more than one pea a day each)


Mid summerday arrived with nice weather and as normal we had a the
traditional midsummer party sitting around the camp fire eating burned
marshmallows and dreaming about life out on the deep blue sea...

Talking about dreaming.. We have been discussing the deck curve for so
long that we started to get nightmares about this.. but in the end it
looks pretty good. The deck ribs are bent in, and we are in the stage
of plating the deck. Sofar the curve looks really nice! The deck area
will be around 40m2 totally, means we will have space for a hammock or
two between the masts!

Ok, that was all for this month,, if you fancy join our constantly
bigger sea gypsy tribe, please drop us a line. Whish you all a warm
summer and hope you enjoy our pictures below.

a: Mid summer party with camp fire and burned marshmallows.

b: British metalworker. Carpentry is for kids! Big boys only work with
metal!

c: Our french plating crew.

d: Two pretty mermaids (US/Germany) working on deck ribs. Hard hat is
mandatory when you work under the boat.

e: Fishing from the pier behind the boatshed. One of these days he
will hopefully get a fish!

http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195081&stc=1&d=1341733638
http://weldingweb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=195091&stc=1&d=1341733644
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