And another one from our hike. Gorgeous day and great company! 😘 #paulssonpaleo

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Hike this morning. #paulssonpaleo

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Busy planning the events for our first guests on Monday #blog #paulssonpaleo #cavemangames #paleofika #movetoSWE

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Last night's catch from the cabbage patch. They're called åkersniglar and are big as boogers. #yuck #selfsufficiency #paulssonpaleo

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Doing the Little Adder (Yoga in the Commune)

I have been practising yoga on and off for around eight years; to begin with in a gym with loud, thumping music next door, then in the serenity and insense smoke of Triyoga in Primrose Hill and now mostly at home in Kannesten. Yoga is something that clears my mind makes me feel great.

Lately, I have convinced the rest of the family to join in. Some take a bit more convincing than others (cough, cough, pappa), but once in a while we move furniture out of the way and I lead the gang in breathing and stretching. And giggles when I try to explain downward-facing dog and pappa renames the cobra pose "lilla huggorm" (little adder).

Not sure this little fella would approve of the cobra pose!

I must admit that I find it a bit tricky to lead yoga suitable for all abilities. Initially, I mainly used ashtanga sequences, but I soon saw that it didn't work too well, so now I am including some kundalini and hatha yoga in the practise. Needless to say, I have lots more to learn. At least I have a good group to practise on.

Setting up the mats for tonight's yoga session. #paulssonpaleo

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Detail from the poster advertising our hikes and trail runs, in participation with the local hotel Tallhöjden. Read more on our website. #paulssonpaleo

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Scrambled eggs and bacon made out o beef tongue. Remarkably good! #paleo #paulssonpaleo

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Improvised headgear for scything during gnat season. #paulssonpaleo

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Watching the most gorgeous ram yet getting a haircut and a pedicure. #paulssonpaleo

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Time for indoor work. The gnats are killing me! #selfsufficiency #paulssonpaleo

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These fellas make me laugh! #happysheep #Gutefår #selfsufficient #paulssonpaleo #paleoretreat #movetoSWE #blog

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Preparing for PaulssonPaleo's first company presentation. Giddy! :-) #paulssonpaleo #primal #paleo

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Trying Out New Types of Yoga

Enter through this back door on a back street in Halmstad on an early summer's morning to achieve peace and calm. Cecilia and I can highly recommend Kundalini Yoga with Gilla. So relaxing, but still strenuous. Read more about the studio here: Yogastudion Halmstad.

Heart in a Jar

In preparation for more caveman coffee breaks, we're working on perfecting the beef heart jerky recipe (the paleo balls need no improving, they're a bit too perfect, in fact, nom nom nom).

The result of last night's experiment turned out really well, I am happy to report.

No, these are not turds in a jar.

For a jar of crispy-chewy jerky, I used the following:

450 g beef heart from a grassfed cow (Rödkulla from Lindegrens to be precise, name of cow unknown, however)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons applecider vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 thumb of ginger, finely chopped
Black pepper to taste

Day 1

• Trim the heart (be sure to remove all fat, especially) and cut into big chunks that will allow you to cut very thin slices. 
• Freeze for an hour.
• Cut thin slices with a very sharp knife (or with one of those electrical thingies that slice veeeery thinly).
• Put the slices in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Stir occasionally.

Day 2

• "Hang" the slices on a wire rack and place in the oven at 65 degrees. Keep the oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon or similar. 
• When the pieces start to shrink and dry up (usually around 2 hours depending on thickness), dislodge them from the rack and put them on a normal baking tray, occasionally stirring them to make sure they dry evenly. 
• Really thinly sliced jerky should be dry enough at the 3 hour mark, but depending on how thickly you sliced them, it can take longer. Aim for chewy rather than completely crisp. 
• Store in an airtight container, preferrably in a dark place. The fridge is NOT the right place, as the meat will attract moisture. 

Enjoy!

Practicing my resting squat while reading about movement. #paulssonpaleo #primal #paleo #squat #moveyourdna

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Suspected Lyme disease/ borrelia. Plenty of homemade pre- and probiotics to go with the antibiotics for the next three weeks. #paulssonpaleo

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When you're prepared to just have black coffee and your aunt @knollotott whips out the Paleo bread. #paulssonpaleo #paleo #primal

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Eating Clean - An Ode to Our German Friends

We had two visitors from Germany this weekend, lovely Christina and Werner. It was a surprise visit for mamma's birthday and she was immensely pleased to say the least!

They were of course curious about the way we eat. Perhaps because both mamma and pappa are down to the same weight as in their twenties? 

Our standard blurb on our eating habits usually go something like: "Mostly meat/ fish/ eggs and vegetables. And butter."

I can't vouch for the flowers being edible. The heart mince burgers were awesome, though. 

Their reaction was slightly different to what I am used to. You see, they actually eat just like we do, except for the potatoes, bread and beer. They weren't the least bit fazed by our meals. It was just food. 

And I guess that is the problem with our current food culture. Many of us have forgotten what real food is and rely on processed products to nourish us. We don't need to look far to see the devastating effects this has had on us: obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease are so common that we simply accept them as a part of our lives. 

Perhaps some cultures are a bit more protected from this than others. When most Swedes jumped on the ultra-processed low fat/ high sugar bandwagon of the 80s and 90s, our German friends (and probably most of continental Europe) stuck to their butter, full fat cheese and charcuteries. 

I'm not saying there aren't any overweight people in Germany, mind you. Just that the leap to healthier eating habits may be a bit shorter for some our European brothers and sisters. 

Friday afternoon soak at our favourite bathing spot #wildswimming #halmstad #movetoSWE #paulssonpaleo #paleoretreat #blog

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Welcome to Simlångsdalen. So pretty it hurts. #paulssonpaleo

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The trapeze didn't make it through the workout. #paulssonpaleo #wod

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Birthday Week

I turned 40 last week (cue: "oh my gawd, you don't look a year older than 39!"). 

As I have thankfully already ticked "major life crisis leading to drastic lifestyle change" off my to do list, I figured I have cause for celebration. For at least a few weeks. If not for the rest of my 41st year. Or the next decade or so? Let's not be stingy here. And all I want for my birthday decade is to welcome as many of my friends as possible to our new place. 

London lovelies Liz & Laurence hopped on a plane to start off the celebrations in Copenhagen. 

Pre-dinner welfie: please note the very paleo pork scratching in the front

I am lucky to have extremely thoughtful friends, who went out of their way to book the meatiest restaurant around (Nose2Tail), with OFFAL on the menu. Except they called it innards. Cute. 

We rolled out of there. And went straight to bed, funnily enough. That is what middle age does to you.  

Lamb leg to the left, lamb liver to the right

The rest of the weekend was spent at PaulssonPaleo HQ, working off all that Danish meat (organic, mind you!). L & L were really excited to pitch in, so we went straight to work:

L & L finishing off the sixth vegetable bed at lightning speed

A spot of barefoot stream clearing to keep your core strong

Our new rustic side table for the bbq spot!

We fed our guests a bit too, promise

I just hope we didn't break them... We may have to work on the "reigning in" of ambitious city folks. 

Show off! #Gutefår #newboss #blog #paulssonpaleo #movetoSWE #selfsufficient

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Liz n Laurence doing their best to outdo all previous diggers. I'm in awe. #paulssonpaleo #selfsufficiency #nutters

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Welcome Sheep

On Monday, we welcomed our first four-legged guests to Kannesten. A friendly neighbour is lending us seven rams for a few weeks in order to eat some of our now very plentiful grass. We are treating it as 'try before you buy' and we were all smitten as soon as they moved in. It is a great feeling seeing the sheep munch in our field. It is as if they simply belong there and the field didn't have a purpose before they arrived. Very deep, I know.

We are now more convinced than ever before that we need some sheep for our land. There are so many benefits:

1. They eat the grass and shrubs in the field. As a result we don't need to spend hours with the scythe. There are more than enough areas where we can do our core exercises with the scythe.
2. They poop, i.e. they fertilise the fields. We may even collect some to feed our vegetables, which feed us. I love the biodynamic thing!
3. They make you happy by just looking at them. Hours can be spent watching them graze.
4. They have lambs, which are even cuter.
5. Their meat is tasty. 
6. The wool is beautiful.

I can't wait until we have some of our own! Meanwhile, I will enjoy looking at the seven handsome rams.

Actually, I got a total of 104 kg. ❤️ #paulssonpaleo #kettlebellcollection

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New guests tucking into our grass! #movetoSWE #selfsufficient #paulssonpaleo #paleoretreat #blog

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Scything Queen! #paulssonpaleo #movetoSWE #selfsufficient #blog #getstronger

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Sleeping on the Floor II

I have now slept on the floor for more than a month and a half.

Strange critters make their way into my bed somehow. 

Pros:

1. I RELISH going to bed and fall asleep almost immediately, sleeping through the whole night. 
2. No stiffness whatsoever. 
3. It is strangely liberating to wean yourself off another possession.
4. When I have guests over, I have an extra bed. 
5. I can store all sorts of crap on the bed... oh wait, not sure that is an advantage for the messy person that I am. 

Cons:

1. It takes a few nights to get used to the lack of support.
2. In the beginning, I woke up a few times during the night. 
3. Initially, my hip bones were a bit sore from lying on the side. 
4. There is no such thing as sleeping in. When you wake, you're AWAKE.
5. The floor gets dirty. 
6. I hear lil T's pitter patter when she wakes up at 5:30 MUCH better than before. Or is it the vibration that I feel...?

So, what to do with the big bed in my room? For now, it stays. We've got a few people staying this summer and it will be great not to have to lug up the extra beds from the basement.

However, once I move downstairs to take over mamma's and pappa's room, I think I may just put the bed in the basement. Being bedless will surely provide an interesting furnishing experience!

Ordering the wood stack! #movetoSWE #wood #fuel #selfsufficient #paulssonpaleo #blog

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More free food. Thanks for the inspiration @genevadnygard ! :-) #paulssonpaleo #selfsufficiency

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Working on the electric fences ready for new guests...#movetoSWE #selfsufficient #paulssonpaleo #paleolifestyle #blog #fencework

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We shall name this rock 'Chris' after the guy who helped dig it up and remove it from vegetable bed no.6. Thank you Chris! #movetoSWE #selfsufficient #paulssonpaleo #producegarden #blog

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PaulssonPaleo in the News

Our family commune was covered in the local newspaper Halmstad 7 Dagar today! Patrik Ljungman wrote a really nice feature story about us and included some gorgeous photos of the family, particularly the photos of lil' T. Check out the online version here, we are on page 12.

For those of you who can't read Swedish, here's a translation of the best bits in the article...

The whole Paulsson family is under one roof

Three generations of Paulssons work and live together on the small farm Kannesten, in the woods just outside Simlångsdalen. There is always lots to do with a family of five adults and one child: Kerstin, Mats, Cecilia, Catharina, Simon and little Tora all live under one roof.

Cecilia says 'it mostly works really well, but it can get complicated sometimes, as everyone has their own ambitions and we also have big plans for the family as a whole. Our shared dream is to live a less stressful life.'

Cecilia, Catharina and Simon moved to the serenity of Simlångsdalen after several years in London. 'We got to a stage in our lives where we wanted to do something radically different. We decided to move in together and focus on our shared interest in health. When it transpired that mum and dad also were interested, we started looking for a place where we all could live together.'

The family runs a health business called PaulssonPaleo, which provides nutritional advice and personal training. 'Paleo stands for paleolithic, i.e. stone age, food. It is about cooking from scratch and avoiding sugar and grains.' Catharina, Cecilia and Simon have been eating this way for several years.

'We save money and show our respect for the environment by choosing to eat offal. It isn't sustainable to only eat the prime cuts of an animal.'

For the farm to run like clock-work, the family has a kitchen rota and a meeting every Wednesday to discuss the long to-do list.

Catharina says 'we are aiming to live as naturally as possible and we have started growing vegetables and got hens. This is a long-term project, which one day will make us self-sufficient.'

Probiotic drink. In an old gin bottle. #paulssonpaleo #probiotic #rejuvelac #boozybreakfast

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Old-school / New-school #movetoSWE #cuttinggrass #selfsufficient #blog

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Photographer in the House

A reporter from the local newspaper visited us today. Halmstad 7 Dagar contacted us to see if they could run a story on our family collective and apparently we will be on the front page when the newspaper comes out next Wednesday. There will be some great action shots of all of us. Exciting times…..

Special delivery from Ängelholm for our speckled hen Stina. Fingers crossed for lots of chicks! #paulssonpaleo #chickens #selfsufficiency

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Fermentering, inälvor och yoga. Så många idéer på en gång! Vi jobbar på #paulssonpaleo konceptet. Vi har spikat datum på två kurser till sensommaren redan, men det kommer mer.

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Chicks in the henhouse = Ray needs to go

White Vera's first three chicks were hatched yesterday and a fourth one tootled out from underneath her this morning. She's still got three eggs beneath her, but as she's already left the nest with her entire brood, we reckon those won't hatch.

One predominantly black (looks like a penguin!), the rest grey

This is of course fantastic news, but this also makes the removal of Ray the rascal rooster high priority. We can't have him bullying hens or chicks around the food. Youtube is now my best friend, as none of us have done this before. Plenty of grisly videos out there...

Sleeping in the trees

For those who follow my Instagram feed (@nomispohsib) you will have seen a post a few weeks back showing my excitement when our new tent arrived! Last night was the first night I spent in the tent during a recent spell of good weather.

So, the tent is not your conventional, pitched canvas, pegged to the ground type shelter, but rather a floating blob. It is more like a tree house than a tent, but a portable treehouse, one you can fold up, put in a bag, sling over your shoulder and move on. The concept behind the Stingray tent is that you suspend it above the ground, keeping its footprint and any ground disturbance to an absolute minimum. This was the appeal for me, the fact you could pitch it anywhere - no matter the ground conditions, stay the night, and leave no evidence of your visit within the natural habitat.

Essentially, you tie it to three trees, crank up the tension in the straps so that it lifts off the ground and bingo, you have an elevated platform for sleeping on. The platform has an insect mesh layer stitched around its perimeter and when the two poles are inserted and fixed in position, this layer raises up and gives the tent its distinctive form. In the bag is also a waterproof fly sheet that you drape over and this will give you added protection incase of inclement weather.

For my first night, I didn't venture too far and found three trees nearby and strapped the tent at about 2m above ground. Whilst at this time of year the fly sheet is a necessity at night, it was so nice during the day to chill out with just the insect mesh cover, as you can see through it. This gives the impression that you are really amongst the trees and allows you to bask in the sunshine.

We are really looking forward to spending lots of time up in the trees this summer, so if you come and visit us, be prepared for a bit of camping!!

Scything like a boss. #paulssonpaleo #thestrimmerbroke

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