Our Dacha

Our dacha is 35 km (about 20 miles) outside of Krasnoyarsk.

There is one room and a "kitchen" downstairs and a second room upstairs

Downstairs room. We decorated it with lots of the kids old paintings (as a rule anything old goes to the dacha to live out it's last days)

Kitchen, from the staircase.

Upstairs room

Anita and friends painted the murals, the big picture is of the church summer camp.

This is the view from the upstairs balcony.

For most people dachas are for growing things, we look at ours more as a place to relax and get away from the city and the polution.

That's why we have a climbing frame and sand pit, instead of plant beds.

Now that I have finished building the climbing frame (after only six years) 

I am turning my hand to making raised beds.

This summer we dug out the top layer of grass and sowed clover, we used the turf to make
raised beds

There's always something to do at the dacha!

You can run around,

play in the pool

eat

sleep

take pictures

Climb a tree

In the evening we like to watch films by candlelight!

Tanya

When we first moved to Krasnoyarsk we made friends, in church, with two girls from a children's home. Tanya was one of them. She later lived with us for a couple of years.

Tanya graduated as a social worker and got a job working in the children's home 

where she was brought up.

A year ago she married Artem

Now she has two children, both adopted.

Tolik

and Artem.

A Botanical Walk

One of our neighbours, Ira, came up with the idea of taking the kids on a walk to learn about some of  the local plants. She even prepared a guide with pictures. 

Our band of botanists set off in search of samples.

Their labours were rewarded, richly!

Those who could not wait for the picnic, tried placing sticks on an anthill,

and licking them afterwards (I am told it tastes sour).

Berries were also sampled

At the top of the hill we admired the view, although smoke from distant forest fires affected it badly.

Then we shared a picnic,

took a group picture

and headed back down the hill.

The track comes out at the biathlon stadium, where some, 

who could not wait for winter, ski on rollers!

Tired, but happy!

Froggy Friend

This was a very popular find at the dacha!

Dacha

A "dacha" is a summer cabin usually somewhere outside the city. 

The dacha is where the older generation especially spend their summer holidays and weekends.

It gives relief from the tight confines of flats in the concrete jungles of Russian towns. 

Dachas come in all shapes and sizes, they are mostly self-built.

I love the variety, I love the little inovations, and I love the artistic touches

Dachas are fairly primitave with no running water and a toilet dug at the end of the garden, 

however most do have electricity.

This is a "banya" (that is what the sign says), a Russian steam bath.

A dacha is mainly for growing fruit and vegetables, potatoes are especially important,

it's how the Russians survive during economic crisis.

All the pictures except the one below come from our neighbours' dachas,

which all seem prettier and more productive than ours!

I will show you some more of our dacha in later post.