(3 August, continued)
On our way back from lunch at the old mill café, I wanted (if possible) to check some distances between a few places in the neighbourhood of where our paternal grandparents grew up. Back in July 2012 we managed to locate both the farm where our grandmother was born and lived until she got married (easy enough to find), and the small wooden cottage on the grounds of a neighbouring farm where our grandfather grew up (more difficult to find the way to). But I forgot back then to make note of the distances. Over the years since then, I have been going through a lot more old photos and letters and family history; and often find myself wishing I had a better grip of places frequently mentioned.
However, this time we even failed to find our way back to the childhood home of our grandfather. Rereading my old post from 2012 again now, I'm thinking we probably made some of the same mistakes now as we did back then - and gave up quicker... On the other hand, as our last expedition was 12 years ago, even more thoroughfares on narrow dirt roads across farm land may also actually have been closed to the public since then. So we decided not to pursue. I did get one distance properly confirmed, though - between the farm house and the railway station (which back at the beginning of the previous century also served as post office) it's around 1½ km (or 1 English mile). Just about the same distance as my own walk into the town centre these days - so not really "all that" far.
We also drove a roundabout way (more car-friendly) to one of the other places often mentioned in my grandmother's letters (Komlösa). A hundred years ago, I understand there was a chapel there that she walked to sometimes. Nowadays there is a rural museum with a collection of old wagons at an old farm in that neighbourhood. They're the kind of museum that is only open occasionally, though - or on special request. Their website did say it would be open on Saturday afternoons throughout summer (June-August); but when we got there, it looked as closed as the last time we tried (also years ago). We wandered around a bit outside but no person appeared. Never mind - I got a few nice countryside photos, anyway!
That's a very pretty house in the third photo, and everywhere looks well cared for.
ReplyDeleteIt must be so interesting and rewarding to be able to trace back to where your family "physically" came from. I have no idea exactly where my grandparents (and beyond) came from, other than just the name of an area in the UK.
Carol, my grandfather was a journalist and photographer with special interest in local history , and my dad hardly ever threw anything away - and thus I ended up inheriting quite a lot of information... ;-)
DeleteLoved seeing the round window cuttings in the first building and also the shed. So great to try to see where your grandparents' lives were lived. I've google mapped a few of mine, which lived in cities. Of course none of the farms would be available that way, though a cousin actually went by the land deed to see the places in Illinois where barns and houses are still standing. Her photos are wonderful to give a sense of place.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, it helps that I often visited this area in my childhood, and came back to live here from my 30's onward (and my parents also moved back here in their retirement years). I've never had a car of my own though, so I usually don't get out into the countryside much. But I took advantage now of having my brother here for a few days!
DeleteThe sceneries are truly iconic. Similar views in some parts of my state here
ReplyDeleteFor the first time I've begun to wonder why almost all the buildings are that traditional rd.
ReplyDeleteGood question, Graham! A special kind of red paint has been used here in Sweden since around the 16th century - Falu(n) Red ('Falu Rödfärg'). (It can only be called that if it contains pigment from the copper mines of the town Falun.) It allows the wood to breathe and has speical anti-weathering qualities which makes it suitable and durable for wooden houses in our climate. Initially, it was expensive and used only for castles and manors. But in the 19th century, the paint reached ordinary people, and many houses and barns (earlier usually left unpainted) were painted red. That transformed our typical countryside landscape and red cottages and barns became something of a Swedish national symbol. (But it is also common in our neighbouring countries Norway and Finland.)
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