When the bright spring sun turns golden and the wonderful light lures us outside, we gather in the garden and make a nice warm fire to sit by. It’s quiet except for the playful dogs and the crackling fire that hypnotizes us. “Soon, we’ll smell like grill chips,” we laugh.

While I keep the fire burning, Joeri is the food-master, bringing all kinds of deliciousness outside. He always knows how to make it just perfect. Even for my pita-craving of last week, including the soft curry sauce that we typically chose in Antwerp. Except for falafel, he also tried some vegan feta and provided freshly baked bread, and vegetables.

We chat a bit, stare into the flames, and I carve carefully- but also a bit clumsy. At first, I thought that the basic shape was already too much provided in the kit to create a Dala horse that I got (something like this, including the knife), but as a beginner, it’s challenging enough :-). I try to aim for the fire with the wood that I cut off, but most of the wood chips fall on the floor or stick to my coat.

I continue carving and try to get some rounded shapes while it gets darker and darker. We slide our chair a bit closer to the fire, feeling the glow on our faces. By the time it’s pitch black around us and the fire is starting to fade, I’m far from finished, but I decide to keep the next round for the next fire moment.