Writing our next blog about our guests who stayed with us and gave us special memories. What a great idea that seemed. We happily delved into our memories. And one after the other passed the review. From our first Stockholm guests from India who celebrated midsummer and whose curry scent of their festive dishes lingered for days, to recent guests we discussed life with. All those guests, each with their own story, taught us something about ourselves, were inspiring and came to us to make special memories. Of course, we don’t hear everyone’s story, and that’s fine too. Our main intention is for our guests here just to be. But those guests who came to us for special reasons and shared those with us might also inspire you to experience and celebrate life in the woods.
Families, kids and babies
When we think of large families celebrating being a family with us, we immediately think of the ”Borlänge family.” They rent the Fähus and the Hölada yearly for the Easter weekend and are great people. For the last two years, they have not been able to come because family members belong to the risk group. We miss this cheerful family and hope they can celebrate with us again next year.
The family spent Christmas here once. We call them ”the puppeteer family.” Two of them were rethinking their lives and thought of changing their lifestyle. A month later, they came back to us for a night to talk about that. We had a great time and talked the whole evening and the next day.
Of families in the woods we loved, we will name Gothenburg’s ones with their two little girls, who stayed here last fall. They stayed for two days and enjoyed all the forest life they lived here; some people didn’t want them to leave.
We also had some families that stayed here with their babies between the ages of 0 and 1. They all slept well, but most of them remained in the Supermåne. Maybe it was the rocking in the wind? What they all have in common is that they leave behind lots of diapers.
The baby we have a remarkable memory of was still in her mama’s womb when it slept in the Supermåne. The parents had chosen a special place to open the message about gender. It was such an intimate event, of which we have our own memories that plop up at such times. It was such an honour they chose us for the occasion! Their little girl has since been born, and it would be extraordinary if they came back with her to stay in our forest one day.
Little kids? they always like it here. Especially the ones from the big city experience so many new things being close to nature. Our special memory? A 4-year-old girl who didn’t want to leave the Oddis Öga and couldn’t stop crying. Another one we tried to keep here. And that Belgian one that had never walked on grass barefoot! She was hooked after trying.
Young adults often come together with their parents, except for that one from Falun, who came back with a friend. They should start their ”gymnasium” career after that summer, and it was just so cool that they chose the Supermåne to usher in their new phase.
That time, around the campfire in the forest, was a real eye-opener. That day, we built a hut in the woods with our friends; the Seijbeltjes made a campfire to celebrate and guests to join us. What a story they told us after we sat there, all cosy and at ease. Their farm had burned entirely down with animals in it; this silenced us for a while. Life has ups and downs, and we all have crosses to bear.
That nice lady who spent time alone in the Supermåne to have a moment of me-time and reenergize herself after constant care and responsibility for her dear disabled daughter was also very special to us. Guests like her make us humble and aware and make us aware that we should not take life for granted.
There are countless couples who celebrate something here. Many of them are romantic reasons. The most incredible happy couple? She was asked to marry him on top of the tower of Ärteråsen, and then they celebrated in the Supermåne. It was touching to see such happy people.
Exceptional was the elderly lady who had always dreamt of staying in a tree hut. She was afraid her friend could not climb up the stairs since he had Parkinson’s disease, but they decided to try it anyway. He succeeded, and they had a great time.
Cars, bikes and cycles
And then guests who came with particular vehicles. Unforgettable was an elderly Danish couple who arrived on a sunny day on an enormous motorcycle, ready for an overnight stay in the Oddis Öga. It was precisely that day that a couple in a camper also came to stay with us. We enjoyed listening to the conversations and the clattering laughter that constantly came from our forest. Warm people we will never forget.
More extraordinary ones? During a freezing snowstorm, an ambulance drove into the yard late at night. A cool conversion project for two people who love to think outside the box and, therefore, choose to stay on our extraordinary Supermoon in January (January tends to be cold). Passers-by and neighbours may have looked up worried by seeing their ambulance in front of our place.
A bike? That may sound not that different, but it is the one that cycled on it that made our special memory. Linda Åkerberg from Wilderness Stories is a brave adventurer who cycled, hiked and kayaked through Sweden two years ago and stayed a night in the Supermåne and Oddis Öga to rest after a long day of cycling. We also wanted to keep that one when she left us to continue north in the pouring rain. Overcoming hardships is part of her goal in life, and let’s face it: just these are the most memorable of all. Her goal has now been more than achieved; you can read it all in her book.
How to use a sleeping bag
And that first couple that tested our new sleeping bags in the Supermåne when it was -20 C did that correctly: each in their separate sleeping bag. Most couples nodded yes to our recommendation to do just that to keep warm, but most guests decided to share one sleeping bag. Not always the warmest at such low temperatures, which this lovely couple understood. They even thought them cosy—wonderful people otherwise, with tremendous stories.
They came back and brought their own DJ!
Last but not least, a special couple has already returned with friends, and we will see them again soon. It’s wonderful to see them enjoying everything we offer so much. They love our forest, sauna, MTBs, cooking, good music played on our record player, and great conversations about their dreams, travels, and lives. Such enthusiastic and friendly people make us feel we are on holiday ourselves.
As we made clear initially, this is far from a complete list of guests who have passed by here and whom we loved. In fact, while we are writing this, more memories fly by. But it kind of shows how inspiring it is to receive all those guests who choose us to spend time with them and create their special memories.