12/07/08 - Fire starting and Potatisgröt.

After a phone call home for the parents on both sides of the world to catch up with their respective children (timed perfectly to not interrupt the All Blacks vs South Africa test match), we were off to the mainland and Inga where a craft day was being held. A lot of old ways of doing jobs, chores and crafts were being demonstrated.

We saw in action: the making of slats by a cutting plane that was run off the back of an old tractor and then a shed being rooved from the wooden slats.
A grinder that was transforming oats into rolled oats - better known as porridge and a hand operated grinder that produced flour by crushing grain under a large rotating stone, and spitting the finished product out the side.
I had a go at water divining, which actually did seem to work!! Although the professional water diviner could make the stick do alot more than I could, including walking backwards so the stick 'sensed' water behind him and it tipped up and over his shoulder.

There was also a skillful man who must have devoted his whole life to learning all the different ways to light a fire without matches or a lighter. This included using just a battery and steel wool (for scrubbing pots), and of course rubbing sticks together.

One particular highlight was eating the very traditional Perunapuuro (Potatisgröt in Swedish) - which is a potato porridge. Despite our hosts' warning that our taste buds may not be that way inclined, both Marea and I agreed that it was definitely not that bad - our plate was certainly clean by the time we finished!! As explained by Magnus' mother: cook and mash potato (WITHOUT salt), then mix with rye, bake for two hours, then add the salt. The key is all in when the salt is added!!

Back on the island, it was time to try our hand at fishing!! With Martina showing us all the good spots for worms (namly her grandparents' drainage ditch), we had a decent supply of bait, and were ready to start hauling them in!!! Marea turned out to be the worst fisherwoman of all of us - didn't you know Marea? fishing is about patience. Not deciding its boring after 20 seconds!!!! (In my (Marea here) defence we were short one fishing rod and fishing is boring if Daniel is agitating for his turn)

Any how, mainly thanks to Martina's skill, we did manage to catch a few small fish - but only big enough to be good for bait for bigger fish later.

The evening meal provided yet another challenge and experience for us. That being getting all the meat and flavour possible off well armored crayfish. It is definitely not a first date meal, with bit of crayfish pieces flying all over the table as we try to break them off, and loud sucking noises all around as you attempt to get the last bit of flavour off the poor disected creatures!!