Recipes For Life

Monet’s garden and house

This time of year, it seems as though all I am doing is making plans, plans and more plans. Plans for the garden, plans for our on-site shop, plans for the interior, plans for what kind of packages we are going to have, never ending lists. What I really need is the sun to start warming me a little so that I get that last kick to start putting my plans into action!

Seriously, I’m itching to get out into the garden. This is going to be such a huge project, and me being me I know I’ll want everything to be done straight away, which I know isn’t possible. I want lovely flowers to make our bees happy, vegetables, fruit, berries, trees, lovely little nooks and crannies where people can sit and day dream, chickens roaming about, rabbits, pigs and friendly goats. But all I can do is take a deep breath and be patient. And I also need to admit to myself that this is going to take years to achieve. Perfect gardens, like dreams, aren’t just made in a few months. They need to grow, be tended to, listened to, and they need to be able to evolve.

I’m always looking for inspiration, so if anyone comes across any great websites, books, pictures, anything really, send them over to me. I’m a beginner in all this, so I need loads of advice, tips and support. Luckily I know I have several friends who are also planning their own dream gardens, so hopefully we can all inspire each other.

Leksands Gästhem Bed and Breakfast: ekologiskt boende

Yesterday was my official back to work day. Of course, as everyone knows who has their own business, there was much unofficial work done over the holidays too, but now it’s back to business.

Luckily it was made a little more fun as the day was already pre-booked for a course (through ‘Kurbits‘) I am attending. Well, less of a course really, and more of a business development program for local ‘tourist’ businesses. We are a small but interesting group who will meet 6 times. Yesterday was our second meeting, which focused on product development, always a fun area when you have an inspiring talker. But, with out a doubt, the best part of things like this are usually the group you are with. This group includes Leksands Hälsokost (health food shop), local farming and catering company Rältagården, and various others including Vintergatan, Lustigsgården, Tågstallarna and ‘Nära Naturen’, a great little group who I can already imagine building some working partnerships with.

When you have a small business, networking can be vital. As everyone is in the same kind of boat, more often than not you will always find someone who can help you with any eventual problems.

So maybe that’s my tip of the day: find, create and be part of a network full of like minded people who can help you and share ideas with you, business or no business. Not necessarily a group of you ‘best buddies’, but maybe a new group who can help you think from a different angle. You’ll never know who you’ll meet or what dreams you’ll begin to follow.

Leksands Gästhem Bed and Breakfast: ekologiskt boende

New Year, new website, new blog. Some little changes to the website need to be made, but I couldn’t resist wishing you all a Happy New Year anyway.

So, here we are, a new year again. The time when people make promises to themselves and start afresh. Some people are happy to see the back of 2010, and some hope that 2011 will be equally as good for them as the past year. Personally, my years seem to get better and better, of course there are the down times too, but since I decided to ‘change my life’ some 7/8 years ago, things have just got better and better. I really do believe in the power of our minds, if we decide to make a change for the good, and if we concentrate on our dreams hard enough, I think we are capable of great things.

The past few years have seen me re-evaluate what is important to me. I’ve gone from traveling to (wonderful, but oh so life draining) London at 7am, only to come home again 12 hours later, eating then sleeping, then repeating the same cycle again and again everyday. Then to living in the life changing and inspirational Paris, followed by coming back to my roots in Sweden, creating a home where I can ‘live off the land’ as much as possible, meeting my soulmate, starting a family (the bestest most perfect one at that), and to top it all off, I now am lucky enough to be able to work with my dreams.

So when it comes to the whole New Years resolution time, I believe that simply focusing on how you want to live your life, or make it better, is really what counts. Making promises and demands on yourself that you may or may not be able to keep, just puts more pressure on yourself. All it comes down to is positive thinking.

2011 for me will be the year of focus and perspective. We are living in great times, where everything is possible.

Happy 2011 to you all.

Leksands Gästhem Bed and Breakfast: ekologiskt boende