Mill museum in Breckerfeld

Today, I had some time to spare after work and went to one of my favourite cafés, the "Mühlenhof" - museum in Breckerfeld. It´s situated on a hillside overlooking the rolling green hills of the Sauerland, and there is a mill from 1846. There are also many artifacts from that time, and the best thing is,

 you can drink your coffee while sitting in a chair from that time. Mr. Thorschmidt, the owner and landlord, is a craftsman himself. He makes bread according to ancient recipes, the infamous regional speciality bread "pumpernickel, a very dark rug bread that takes two days to bake, at a very low temperature, making for a very smoky and somewhat sweet flavor. Nowadays, Pumpernickel is often additionally sweetened with molasses. Mr. Thorschmidt still makes it the old way, one heavy chunk of hard, nourishing bread. It is delicious with another regional speciality, juniper smoked bacon, and a crucial ingredient of the "Bergische Kaffetafel", more of an event than a meal that takes the afternoon into the evening.There always are several pots of strong, brewed coffee from the tin can (the "Dröppelminna" = dripping ?how do you translate "Minna"? it´s a woman´s name alright, and not entirely free of sexist connotations, since it also regionally applies to a dishwasher or washing machine, Minna it is), loads of wafers with hot cherries, cream, and sometimes vanilla ice, rice cooked in milk, cakes, parsnips with three kinds of bread (pumpernickel, grey rug bread, white bread), raisin white bread and sausage and bacon and cheese and schnapps, with double-bread to take home.   

I really like those buildings, and this peaceful atmosphere. There´s a herbal garden, too, and a little store where you can get no mead, but Mettwürst(Hej!;-)), bacon, all kinds of extremely heavy bread, liver paté sausage and fresh eggs and cheese from local farms, all handmade and tasty to boot.

That´s the ancient mill, still functional, and that´s a sight to behold, when the millblades are turning, if you ask me.

Those beeshives are inhabited. Unfortunately by wasps, which can be a bit of a bummer in summer;-) when you sit outside and just want to have a piece of delicious cake and the wasps share your opinion on cake;-).

Now that´s a sleeping chamber, eh? Bushcraft in your own home. That box to the right is a bed.

Cozy...;-)

An old cart. Sorry for the pics being less than ideal;-) was some strange lighting in there, quite dark, but bright, when the sun came in.

Going upstairs. Mind your head, though, it´s kind of shallow;-). I was fond of the railing, which was cleft out of greenwood by axe and adze. You can still see the marks.

A hacksaw and farming implements.

Old and fusty, just like you were looking into your grandfather´s garden shed. I am sorry for the tools, but it adds to the atmosphere.

Smith´s tools. I try to talk Mr. Thorschmidt out of them for years now, but he won´t let loose. Stubborn sodbuster that he is;-).

A device for breaking flax and straw. Up front a more contemporary milling machine.

Farming tools. And a carved yoke for storing heaves.

I then went to the café and had a really BIG piece of cheese cake with a load of cream and a BIG mug of coffee and dreams of peace while specks of dust were dancing in the sun´s beams and the twilight. I felt very balanced there. Sometimes I just have to do some simple things like this to calm down a bit...

Been ranting enough...;-) 

At the Smithy again: Viktor´s new steel rod breaking tool

 On Saturday I rode to the Muttental again to meet with Volker, help out a bit and have a chat and some forging. There was little traffic, so not much to do. Viktor was there, and I had the privilege to talk to him and help him out a bit. I have a deep respect for him, not only for his ability to forge wonders, but for his view on life and death. I had not said much, and we sat there on a stump, and all of a sudden he lay his hand upon my shoulder and said in his broken German: You must not be afraid. Look, that tree. I cut it recently. Mankind´s the same. If we are left alone, we strive and combat and cannot be modest. Then the boss (as he called him;-)) comes with some scissors, and cuts us to size. War is not to be feared, but survived. The only thing you must do is survive, and then, "bitteschön" it´s peace again. Some 20, 30, 40, 50years, and then it´s war again. It´s always been this way. You must not fight, but live in that manner, then you need not fight. They call it "Systema", but it´s all rubbish. They talk and talk. But you must do! Simply do, and just survive, You can do that, I believe.

I had not said a word about my fears, must I mention that? Then he jumped up, said: Your bike is dirty. You must not ride a dirty bike! I answered: I rode through the woods, it got dusty, and will again on the way home. He grinned and started to wash it. I could not stand that, and did it myself. Then he looked at me and said: Did you understand?

I did. And will not ride a "dirty bike" anymore. Nor a "dirty train", as I have stopped early in my life. Viktor is a very rare man indeed. He appears a bit over the edge sometimes, he drinks too much, as many Russians do, but he has every right to get any respect I owe him. He knows to make EVERYTHING himself, from tools to Vodka to perfume, to medicine. He cut out and treated his maligne melanome he discovered one day himself. In Kazakhstan he pulled out teeth, as was the custom that blacksmiths did, too. He healed horses and people alike, what we call "bushcraft" is a commonplace to him. Making damascus: Just take some springsteel, forge it out, put a file in, weld it with new steel a thousand times, and then "bitteschön" you got some quality blade... He´s a farmer, a hunter, a fisherman, oh yes, and a major in the Russian army, and I heard he had something to do with the Speznaz, too. I will not ask him directly, for the Afghanistan war has hurt him and traumatized a lot. He taught me to make cancer soup and what herbs fit best and what you can do when no pot´s available. All this in some two hours time!

We talked about harvesting strawberries, about mowing the lane, about forging, woodworking, about philosophy and literature, about blades and tools and making coffee.

This is a steel rod breaking tool Viktor made. It´s basically a tempered plate with holes for the rod drilled through, and a strong lever with a tempered insert. Works like a cinch;-). The plate is to judge the length.

 That´s the knife Volker started. he messed up a little, so I helped him out and made this Viking style tang for him, quenched and tempered it and did the grind.

 Oh, and what might be hidden in the flames;-).

This En-Nep-style blade out of spring steel...













It´s always a wonder what people I meet at that smithy. It´s a place deeply connected with my life, deeply rooted in my heart, not only because of the opportunity of forging there, but for the people. I am very grateful for that.