Spring, Nahlia turned 3, and...

Spring has sprung slowly in northern Germany.  I've been watching impatiently as the different bulb flowers shoot their green leaves into the air, then slowly revealing a beautiful flower.  The sun is finally shining again, though the wind can be very cold still.  Every day that the sun shines, Nahlia dresses in her summer clothes and says 'it's summer today!.'  She can't wait for warm summer days when she can run around in nothing but undies and a dress....  and niether can I!

 Our resident male peacock, making a show, looking for a mate.

 Dovidas and Nahlia meeting the spring kids.

 Moving the 'Palace' - our largest chicken house.  Kathrin is pictured, a fellow apprentice.

 The recent solar eclipse was incredible to watch.  Even when the sun was completely covered by the moon, it's light was still strong.  The warmth was gone, though, and the day turned cloudy and cold afterwards.

 Our beautiful sweet girl turned 3!!!  She had a great day...

 After the carnage of present-opening.... relaxing with Daddy on the couch, watching Pippi Longstockings.

 Having a tea party with her new self-painted tea set!  Daddy used his tea cup for his coffee! 

The afternoon saw her busy making ice cream play dough with her friend Dovidas (neighbour).

After many intense months at Hof Woerme, we finally made the decision not continue with Ulf's apprenticeship.  It was a very difficult decision to make.  We had committed to this new path, this farm, this apprenticeship and now we were facing the idea of failure if we broke that commitment.  But we just could not continue to live and work under so much pressure...  Ulf working 55 hours a week, as well as doing homework and studying for exams, is just too much for our little family to bear.  One full day off every two weeks is just not enough for a husband and a father.  We knew that Hof Woerme was only going to be a stepping stone for us on our journey in Germany.   This last year has been an incredible roller coaster ride of learning and growing for all of us, and through it we have been strengthened... it is just a start in the right direction.  Ulf's work contract finishes at the end of July, which means early August will see us moving house....  where to?  We don't know yet.  We have started looking at other organic farms closer to Ulf's family, which is the main reason we decided to move to Germany - to be closer to them.  But it may take some time before we know where we'll be come autumn.