This is a WorkAway experience that I was not prepared for. The arrival and first night were a shock. We are a 30 minute car ride out in the country. We have three bikes and a possible bus stop 4.8 km away. If we thought we were stranded in Ferchesar that was nothing! There are several abandoned houses around us. One house at the end of the road (75 meters away) has people in it who might sell us eggs and cake. There was no washroom door when we arrived and the house was COLD!

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The first walkthrough of the house was rough. It is a work in progress and we are part of that work. I knew there was no wifi and that I would need to use my phone’s hotspot. I had not shared this info with the kids. They weren’t happy. The central heating has not been hooked up and it dipped down to 7 degrees the first night. Instead of central heating it has a wood fired oven which we also use to cook with. 

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In Zagreb we bought lots of dry goods like lentils and beans. When we arrived in Karlovac our host Lily took us to the grocery store. We bought LOTS of food but she brings us more everyday. She has given us all that is left in the garden. It still has swiss chard, kale, kiwis, common medlar (Mespilus germanica) and loads of herbs: Parsley, dill, rosemary etc. 

I can’t say enough about how sweet Lilly is. She left us a small supply of walnuts that Desmond cracked and roasted up as a toping to a lovely lettuce and apple salad. She bought the kids treats as well. For Desmond she got chocolaty cream of wheat. Lydia got the chocolate musli. She also bought them Cookies.

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On Tuesday and Wednesday she brought us cake and we drank instant coffee together. On Saturday her husband Ivan brought us cake. He and I spent the morning working together. Lilly’s English is great and she’s very funny. On Tuesday after coffee break she took Desmond under her wing and showed him how to burn brush and use a scythe. All the important skills a boy should know. Lilly has four grown children of her own. Three girls and one boy, with the boy being the youngest.

The work here is all manual labour. I start the morning chopping away in the wood shed. We burn wood all day long to keep the house warm. We still bundle up during the day as the temperature is sitting around 10 degrees celsius. 

Our ever evolving list of Tasks:

• Move sheep manure down to garden
• Remove wood form around front porch ✓
• Dig 180 cm x 140 cm flat space to start steps
• Install curtain-door for bathroom ✓
• Test and install Washing machine ✓
• Clean Up garden ✓
• Bathroom Demolition 
• Sweep the Chimney and Oven pipes ✓
• Sand and Paint hutch
• Hang shelf ✓
• Install Gas Stove ✓

I’m excited about the work, especially because we can see the place changing and improving around us. It is also wonderfully quiet here. The only real noise comes from the kids fighting over Misty the cat (she likes to bite!) The uncertainty and cold of the first night has changed into excitement for us. The kids have said it reminds them of the Little House on the Prairie books. It is indeed rustic. 

It is warmer here now. The temperature outside is the same but the house now retains the heat of the oven through the night. Also we have Lilly and her husband taking care of us. They’re even having us over for supper tonight! Then we’re off to Karlovac for church. Life is good in Croatia.