Schwelm blüht auf! - uncivilizing a city;-)

 Now this darkmountain blog certainly got me by the balls, for it´s what I have been doing for years, with great pains for the most part, and I did not realize there were other people like me out there. One big fancy of mine is the "Schwelm blüht auf!" project I undertake with my employer, the GSWS. At the core of the project is something like "official guerrilla gardening";-). We sell wildflower seeds at non-commercial prices to private households (1,50€ per package for 2 - 3 m²) and corporations alike.

 Also, the city management does use the same mixture now, so I can show you how it looks like in the entire city now;-). I am a bit proud of that achievement, for just two years ago, wildflowers were nowhere to be seen in cities. Now the neighbouring communes have jumped on the train - at least private households did.

OH, and we do not exactly encourage guerrilla gardening, do we? Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm.... er... let me put it this way.... erm... we have no control over what you do with those seeds, do we?*ggg*

There will be a photo contest soon, on who has the wildest garden in Schwelm, and all that is officially sanctioned. I have hope.;-)

Flea market in Schwelm-from dawn ´til dusk :-)

 On Sunday it was some good hard work again, this time for my employer on the famed flea fair:-) in Schwelm. Got a flea market? THAT´s a flea market*ggg*! Some 1000 m of booths, up to 80000 visitors, and the small town bursting with people. Shops open,  there´s an artist´s mile, and no new goods whatsoever. No beeping electric toys, no flying merchants praising their special refuse clothing, and a kick up the butt if you try to sell them.

 Those are our thugs kicking butts:-). I worked with them, and I am just kidding, of course. They are a very friendly crowd, and certainly know how to be polite. In fact, there´s a good-natured atmosphere on the market, people having fun, music and sharing food and drink. Some black sheep, of course, but those are few. Even if it became slightly difficult, it was a pleasure to work with those gals and guys!

 Enzo having "Bratwürst"*ggg* and obviously liking it:-). Thanks to Tschierse Catering which offered us delicious food at bargain prices!

 The squad ready for battle:-).

 This is one of the many reasons I like this market. Quality antiquities, and many tales to tell. Glassware, porslain, clothing, tableware and cutlery, I can tell you, I could hardly keep my countenance:-).

 This city is crammed full.

 ...

 ...

 Khalil was there again, and we had a nice, good-natured chat.

...und Katha kriegt was Schönes, lalalala.*gggg* nur was?*g*

 ...

 We sold those wildflower seeds like hotcakes. This was great, for we sold seeds for roundabout 2500 square metres, resulting in a huge increase in bio-diversity and loads of food for bees and insects, plus beautiful colours everywhere next year.

 We sold this hiking guide that the AGU wrote about the Schwelm region. It has many great pics and offers hiking trails to natural monuments in the region.

 There were many traders, and they were all kind of nervous, for the weather forecast spelled catastrophe. A very close friend:-), erm, a part of my soul*ggg* made some hard work pushing the clouds aside, though, and so it started to rain when all was said and done. Thanks for those kind thoughts, and thanks for everything, and all*ggg*.

This is Axel, my colleague, with whom I patrolled the booths to weed out those infidels who had not paid:-). Axel is a great man to work with, always with a good-natured joke, and a friendly and laidback guy to boot. ´twas a joy! This is a trader he was acquainted to since his childhood.

Checking the bill...

Oi, Axel, keep those hands ter yerself*ggg*!!!

 Many visitors in spite of the weather...

 ... and good business for the traders, too. Most were quite content and will return next year, to the 72nd fair, which will take place on May, 6th.

 Axel was pleased.... has  a  cool moustache...*ggg*

Of course, I had to work until late in the evening, resulting in some 18 hours of work and riding to work and back home. But it did not bother me any, for it was a great event. I was bonking hard when I came home, but I had a day off on Monday and relished in the luxury of sleeping late:-).

Wildflower seeds for sale on the flea market in Schwelm

On Sunday, the 9th of October, I am proud to announce that we will have another great project running: My employer currently merchandises wildflower seeds for public use. Those wildflowers simply look great, and they blossom like mad. In Schwelm, there are many places in parks already sown with those flowers, and that is simply a great thing, way better than those straight lines and mournful plants one is so accustomed to in german parks. Vividly yellow, orange, red, white, blue will sprout all over the entire year.

They will be available at our booth at the crossroads of Moltke and Willhelm-street in Schwelm city. Plus, there is also a botanic guide on wild plants in Schwelm written by the AGU Schwelm for sale.

It´s not Fimbulmyrk selling that, but it´s a good thing. If you want some seeds or the botanic guide (a review will follow soon on this blog), follow this link:

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3rd "Tag der RegionEN" in Schwelm:wildflowers going wild in Schwelm:-)

On 25th September the 3rd fair at the Martfeld castle in Schwelm is hold. There will be smiths, gold smiths, falconers, wildstock, dog obedience demos. There will be canoe rides on the pond of the stronghold, and the obligatory culinary adventures, including "bushcraft" cuisine. Many hunters, beeskepers, outdoorsmen, bushcrafters, farmers and conoisseurs will be present and having a ball again. My employer will be present with a booth where wildflower seed packs will be sold at a bargain price. Those wildflower seeds are currently all the rage in Schwelm, where the city department sowed them on formerly triste pieces of grass in the parks. It is a sight to behold those vivid colours of poppy, dandelion, calendula, marguerites, and chamomile in blossom. Though some certain acquaintance of yours, my dear readers*ggg*, might not be so innocent for the promotion of this project as it may seem at first glance*ggg*, it´s a great thing either way*g. You can even get them for a price of 1,50€ from the GSWS (100g, enough for a large patch). Phone for it to get one or hundred*ggg*: +49 02336 860370. Please note, that it´s not me selling them*ggg*.

The seeds:-).

Source:http://www.lokalkompass.de/gevelsberg/kultur/3-tag-der-regionen-m447842,93195.html

St.Jakobus Pilgrimage in the city of Schwelm has a new portal

Pilgrims coming through the small city of Schwelm on  St. Jakobus pilgrimage now have a new portal to inform themselves how they can stamp their pilgrim´s permit catalogue, find a place to sleep, and all the relevant stuff they need for their life outdoors and on their trail. Click here for more infos.

Care day for a roe deer refuge underbrush we planted

Last Saturday several institutions in Schwelm met for a bit of care work for a site where we planted underbrush as a hideout for roe deer and other wildlife in the local woods. I set out early to meet with Mauro, a friend of mine and a member of my club, to do the ride to Schwelm, to do something useful and then get in some riding on the local DH and pumptrack site in Schwelm, that is completely legal. The Hegering Schwelm e.V. a local hunter´s association, the AGU, an association of environmentalists, plus two mountainbike teams (Rote Erde Schwelm e.V. and my own team, Zee Aylienz e.V. – MTB Hagen) were present to do a bit of good honest work, get good and sweaty in the process and have some serious talking to discuss any possible conflicts. We met in the late morning and cleared the site from wild growth, all in a friendly atmosphere with lots of good-natured talk. How come problems always seem easier to solve if you have worked together beforehand? Mr. Treimer, head chairman of the AGU also provided us with hot sausage from a solar oven and showed us this drying device. Really interesting concepts, and self - sustenant with no additional power supplies! And we relished in the first apples of the new season… delicious. It was a privilege to work with those people, and it will not be my last time I did that, for sure!

 The crowd had fun working! Photo by pixelpager internet design

 We had some interesting conversation and some quality food, too. Photo by pixelpager internet design.www.pixelpager.de

Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), in German: Wiesen - Bärenklau. Young sproutings can be harvested and are edible, bigger ones peeled and eaten raw or in a compote. Hogweed contains furocumarin and can thusly lead to allergic reactions. You should obstain from older plants. Hogweed also increases light sensitivity. And remember: If in doubt if you can eat a plant rather obstain from it! 

Christian at work. He is a member of Rote Erde Schwelm and not only rides his bikes through the forest using it but also feels responsible and does something to give something back to the woods. Hats off for that!

Don´t know of the nutritonal value of this snail, but we had sausage anyway;-).

That is a solar grill. No power supplies but the sun´s beams. We had hot sausage in no time (10-15 minutes), and it was not exactly a bright day!

The drying funnel.

Fruity!;-)

 Lunchtime!;-) Photo by pixelpager internet design.


Then Mauro and I went on to get in some riding (see video). One perfect day in my book, and I got home all finished from working and riding.