I have, You have, Koloni-have

I have, You have, Koloni have.  It’s a clever play with words.  You have to speak Danish to understand it.  John said it to me and I started to crack up.  John and his wife Birthe, invited us to have dinner at their kolonihave which roughly translates to communal garden.  It’s a long running Danish tradition from the very early 1800’s. 

Basically, it is a small cabin type home on a small plot of ground.  They are always in an areas that are designated for such a cabin/garden with each garden side by side.  Each garden owner is in a union or association where group decisions are made concerning the area. 

The idea behind the kolonihave is to get out of the tightly packed, apartment city and get some fresh air where you can get some dirt under your nails and exercise your green thumb. Most garden homes have electricity.  Many with running water and some without any power or plumbing at all.  They are intended for use during the warmer months only; April thru October.   

John and Birthe’s garden-home is so wonderful, cute and “hyggelig”. It’s the epitome of what it means to own a kolonihave.  Their garden home is about a 25-minute drive away from the center of Copenhagen. John and Birthe’s garden home has 2 open terraces and 1 covered patio.  This means that no matter if the Danish sunshine is dry or flowing, you can always sit out and have a hyggelig (cozy) time.  It has a good size kitchen with eating nook, living room with fireplace, bathroom with shower, toilet and washing machine, bedroom and guest room, storage hallway and a working tool shed. Here now are some pictures I quickly snapped with my phone from John and Birthe’s kolonihave.

First we were royally welcomed with Gin & Tonic.  When it was time to eat, Birthe brought out this beautiful and very tasty appetizer she baked.  The filling was creamy salmon - I'm still waiting for the recipe.

 The Danish colors of red and white wine were served.

Birthe plants many of her flowers and bushes from seedlings. 

Notice the doorstep - made of logs.

This is the patio table on the main terrace.  That's my jungle juice in the green bottle.

I bought in Sweden because it's illegal in Denmark.  It keeps the mosquitos away.

 The main dish was grilling up nicely.

 Here is a treeman to greet guest with a nice country style welcome.

 What time is it?

 Chives with purple flowers, huge leafs on the rhubarb and tomatoes growing in the glass-house.

 This is the back terrace where morning coffee is served as the sun rises on this end of the cabin.

 2 prince frogs at the door step.

 View of the front garden from the living room.

 Lupin from the garden.

 artwork and antiques

On one of our visits the weather was not sunny so we ate here in the covered patio with an amazing grape vine growing up over head.

If it is cold out, this small wood-burning fireplace will keep you warm and cozy.  It's a Danish cast iron stove made on an island called Mors.  If you are in the market for a wood-burning fireplace, check out this company called Morsø. They have been in the business for over 150 years.  Click here to go to the website. 

 Cats in the window.

 Danish tradition is to have a flagpole in the garden.

It was a cool day and the evening winds were picking up so we moved inside for dessert.  It was a holiday weekend called Pinse (Whitsun in British - Pentecost in American)  This is the weekend that Danes normally stay up all night long to watch the sun rise.  Though we didn't actually plan to stay all night long - which could have been fun - and it was even offered - we actually ended up leaving surprising early.  Suddenly Jens was not feeling well.  That ill feeling he had, lasted several days and yesterday at 3:30 in the morning, it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare.  Later that day with blood and brusise, we got him started on prescription medicine and things are hopefully going to get better.

I want to say tusinde tak John and Birthe for a wonderful meal and a very nice evening.  So sorry that it came to a quick end.  But while it lasted, I enjoyed it very very much.  Thank-you for your invitation and generous hospitality. 

To see more typical Danish summer garden homes, try to google Kolonihaver or just click here to see what a typical garden home looks like.