As we walk over to the Academy, Olafr can't stop talking about the forge and all its high tech equipment and it's fun to see how giddy he is about it, and I will let him visit it again and bring his apprentice Bruinn to see it. Unfortunately there is no available water power at his forge in Borgarsandr, so most of the upgrades can't be made. Available water power will dictate where mill and so on a built in the future, but I plan to try and make wind power mills and sawmills.

The Academy's basement and foundation is complete, and they are working on the fireplaces and chimneys and have started on the walls and framework. But there is also road work being done and the bridge to Orusingen is getting finished. I have asked Pedr to hire those who showed up and want some simpler work, and when the weather isn't right for laying logs or masonry, work is done on bridges and roads, or roads are paved and ditches are dug etc. Lack of daylight is primarily what limits working hours. Pedr have a couple of men to spare and they will have time to finish the shooting range and make the small booth with is roof and walls, but he don't know how much they will be able to finish this year; it is very weather dependent and those few hours of daylight. It hasn't started snowing yet, but a week before midwinter is the last week of work for the free men - they're going home to their families before winter really sets in. He's going to start sending slaves to Borgarsandr in a week or two because they simply can't build when it rains too much or is too cold and snowing. The mortar doesn't harden as it begins to approach freezing, and rain only traps moisture, which can become ice and cause problems if it then freezes. It is also not possible to work outside if there is too much rain because the wool clothes cannot handle it. Wool continues to keep the bearer decently warm, but even by a fire the clothes won't have time to dry overnight, which only means sick workers and other problems in the long run. We have had unusually good weather so far this autumn, and although we have had cold nights, it has generally been good and warm enough during the days. I'm very glad that they got so much done since summer, and would have been happy with just the mansion without the exterior facade.

Hopefully it will be a mild winter, and those who have chosen to stay will continue building when the weather permits, but construction will mainly pick up speed again at the end of winter in mid-February when at least the days are longer. 9 weeks off is the usual time, i.e. 2 months. Again, 9 is an important number in this culture. It seems that about eight men will remain here over the winter and a little more in slaves, and there will be housing for them to at least sleep inside. Some of the men have their young wives with them.

I need more housing, but when my future craftsmen move into their houses and apartments, it will be a problem for future larger feasts. The marriage with Iselin shouldn't be a problem, but Kari's could be a problem, and it feels like a bad idea to push the workers out for their apartments, and my guests will probably be important people that needs to be impressed. So I want Pedr to build a small luxury guest house for two smaller groups or one large, basically a 14x6m house almost exactly like the inn that is being built at Laxlanda, but with different decorations and furniture, and the small dormitory on the second floor will be furnished as a large bedroom with a double bed. The so called 'guest mansion' will be built north of the small lake in the middle of the island and close to the mansion, with a little side road going around the lake to the backyard with its small barn for horses and a couple of carriages, but also for the animals the guest mansion might need. The view over the small lake and the road across the island on the south side of the lake will be nice, and in the future there will probably be a small garden in front, with a veranda. I've been thinking about clearing up and planting more meadows around that small lake, which will continue past the Icehouse and down to the orchard by the mansion. Pedr likes the idea and it will look good. Of course, this guest mansion must have amenities and be very comfortable, so it will include a steam boiler system. Partly for more practice building it, but also so that the first installation in my mansion wasn't a fluke. The guest mansion project build speed will be completely dependent on the weather, but since it won't have a large stone basement it should be manageable, and Pedr say he have a few people who can start on it today.

I will probably have more needs and changes, but the forge/sawmill is prioritized because things like planks will save a lot of work for all the other buildings. Then the Academy and apartments are prioritized. We'll just have to see when it's finished. Weather determines everything, especially when it comes to masonry. The important thing is to finish the Academy before the middle of March. I really should have taken it slower on starting the Academy and waited until next fall, but I only have myself to blame, and I'm still adjusting to thinking in Alfheimr's time and pace.

Since master builder Pedr will still be staying here over the winter, I invite him to the wedding, and after he happily accepts, I talk to Pedr about the feast and a day off with a feast for the workers on the day I get married. It won't be a big expense as there won't be many left here, but there won't be any women from the 'troop' in Borgarsandr this time. It should be okay as many who stay over the winter have their wives along, and a couple of men have also started some kind of relationship with the maids who work for the construction team.

Neither of us know what to do in the future. If there is no opportunity for female company, it can lead to great dissatisfaction, bad work and pure sabotage. Most workers probably won't be a problem, but there is always 'mold' that tends to spread and have a greater effect unless it is taken care of quickly or prevented.

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Once back, me, Olafr and Bruinn enjoy some time in the sauna and relax before dinner. The buffet with grouse, hare and deer meat is nice, and Olafr really enjoy the meal, but so do Iselin's parents who will also take home some of the deer meat. I should probably take Iselin's father Iuli on a bow hunt or go fishing or something. Anyway, there will be more hunting in the future, but we can not hunt too much on the islands to protect the wildlife here.

Maybe I can buy land on Orusingen to be able to hunt somewhere close to here? In the near future I will have a ferry there, and eventually there will be a bridge. I can easily trade land I have from Radgeirrson a few days south of here, for something that is closer and more practically useful for me. Of course most don't want to move, but might be enticed with a gain in animals or land area, and I can loose some land, especially if I gain much more in forest for hunting or just trees close by. Hopefully there is water power available. It can be an advantage that people here don't really value forest, lakes or mires, although silver for extra animals is obviously the better deal for me. I need to talk to landowners on Orusingen and with Jolfr Lum.

After dinner I talk to Iselin and Kari about the tenants that lease land on the islands. At the moment, my grasp of how farming really works here is simply too vague, so I plan to try to use next year to learn and see opportunities and try improvements. My idea is to gradually improve production, streamline and expand agriculture on the islands, and partially use the farms here as experimental farms. We've already started a bit with easy to do things like silage. So the tenants can continue to lease for a year as they have, but I don't want to bind the lease for too many years because there could be restructuring as early as next year. Even with hopefully increasingly agricultural machinery, I think the amount of work here will increase as time goes on, so they don't have to worry about being workless or thrown out. So we make plans about what to say and about the lease agreements. They will of course be without voting rights, but they already expect that, and basically the lease is for a certain amount of animals, wool, crops and hay. Sometimes firewood, silver or workdays are included. I have no real idea of what is appropriate and both Kari or Iselin is a bit fuzzy on the subject, but we know what they paid to the King, and both along with Ciara agree that we will continue with it, because as far as we know it is basically a standard agreement. There will be a few small changes as I need their help to improve the farms more than silver.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

The farms and longhouses are quite run down, and longhouses don't last that long if they aren't built properly for it, which they haven't really done here or in many cases in the countryside. Usually the farm is moved and new houses and barns are built after 15-20 years when the wood rots and the roof is not worth fixing, and the farm is gradually moved around the land about once a generation, and the move also helps to spread the wear on the land so it is not worn out completely. In many cases, a lot of the logs are re-used to save work. In many places where nature does not offer much choice, farms are more stationary, but usually built to last with a better foundation and so on.

According to Hrappr and Ida, the farms here should have been moved or new ones built a couple of years ago, but it is simply too much work to build new ones and people are not really that motivated when they lease the land and the buildings are not 'theirs'. Many of the lower status and poorer families live semi-nomadic lives where they lease land for a few years, and then maybe change farm if they haven't managed to save up to buy something of their own, or interpret signs from the gods that say they should move, or they are simply evicted because someone has offered the landowner more for the lease. According to tradition and practicality, moving happens at the end of May, so that people can leave and others can arrive. If it's an empty farm or new farm, that's another matter. Add complications about food, sowing, crops, etc. It's not easy for those not owning their land and home, and in places like 'Norway' where there is limited farmland and almost all tied up in Odal that can't be divided, the poor have few options and might have it worse than slaves, since slaves at least work at the same place and have food and shelter. It's no wonder that many end up leasing land from Storman owning a lot, and that new land across the oceans is a luring prospect, and there is quite a lot of Norse people in Alba.

I expect my constantly expanding construction plans will limit manpower and resources for what can be done next summer, and I don't want to mess about too much the first year, but the year after that it feels like a good idea to start building new permanent and updated farms during spring and summer, and finish the remaining buildings the following year. These new farms will be built in the same style as all other new buildings and they won't be longhouses, and the first rebuilt farm will be on this island so everything here is new and the same design. Those future farms will be equipped with things we have already tried that works well like better kitchens, toilets, bathrooms, fireplaces etc, but each main farm will also have things like root cellars, brewhouses and dairy. I am thinking of making each farms main building look like a classic 19th century Swedish farm manor with two floors, and proper windows and roof tiles and so on.

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The tenants appear, and they have obviously washed and dressed in their fine clothes, and there are more of them than I expected, but at the same time not that many. Of course they already know about how we live in here, and have heard a lot of rumours about it not least from Ida and Hrappr, so they remove their shoes and are cautious and curious when they are shown into the meeting room by Jalida and we welcome them there. It's fun to see their faces as the look around. Just the fact that they are welcomed through the main entrance seems to have made an impression, and I go barefoot to show that it is completely normal. They obviously know that, but seeing it is another thing.

The meeting is short, and they are happy to continue as they have done, and seem to be looking forward to the coming years. Everyone is only interested in if they can stay here. I can imagine that they are terribly curious about how the islands will change, and it feels good that no one seems to doubt that life here will be better in many ways. So we write contracts which is new to them as it is usually just a verbal oath and arm grabbing to seal the deal. Only one can read and write, and badly, but he force his way through and helps the others understand that it is exactly what we verbally agreed on. When they put their house marks as signatures, there are happy faces all around, and the maids come in and offer them beer, cider or wine, cookies and fresh baked buns.

After the short celebration, they are given a quick tour of the downstairs areas and the great hall with the huge windows and stained glass plus the chandelier and decorations is really impressive. They get a more thorough tour of the wing's kitchen, staff areas, bathrooms, sauna, laundry room, toilets, etc. Of course, this is what is really interesting for them after everything they have heard, and Ida and Hrappr are very pleased to be able to act as a guide and give them demonstrations, as it is their parents, friends and neighbours. Just playing with the hot water faucet and feeling the radiators heat makes them smile in wonder, and Hrappr is so proud and eager to show them his attic room that also have a double-glazed window. The parents are so proud of their children's new lives, and the children are proud to show it.

Since Olafr and Bruinn have gone for another walk to just enjoy the nature - and to most likely visit the forge again - and since Hillevi missed the music night, I give her a proper introduction to music, camera, pictures and music videos, and there are many who just 'happen' to participate and want to hear the same thing again.

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I'm exhausted and sweaty as I just sit in my bed with Iselin lying blissed out beside me while I stroke her thigh and stomach. That was... nice. Caecilia gives me a kiss as she return to the bed with cider mugs for us, and she could probably keep going on all evening. As usual I want to stop sweating and dry off a bit before we crawl under the duvets to fall asleep, so we talk about firearms, hunting and trading land. They absolutely understand why I want to do it and agree that it would be more useful, because fresh meat is a luxury here where it is not possible to freeze food, and well-salted meat is not that nice to eat with a lot of other things. Both like my plans for a future community system for sharing meat. It is of course already done in many places, but it can be much more organized here, and the more people who participate, the more often something can be slaughtered etc.

I should really look into trying to make a freezer system. It would be so very worth it this summer even if the system cannot be spread to the public. The icebox alone will be worth so much and I've already realised we need to get bigger and more iceboxes made, plus a warm box for slow cooking and keeping food really hot. In the future, I will build another and bigger ice house and import far more ice, so that everyone living on the islands can have an ice box, and maybe it can be used to create a fishing industry and ship fish and other things. Next year we will check how much the ice melts in the ice house to get a rough estimate, and I plan to put a counter on the run-off in the cold house where a tilting liter measure is filled, and automatically tipped out while incrementing the counter, and statistical data can be collected per day or week and tracked along with weather. We also need to know how much ice our icebox use up during a season. After that, it will be easier to scale for all households on the island and oversize the Ice house it for other use. Ice will not be free, but hopefully cheap and is more of a symbolic sum so that people won't waste ice on unnecessary things. Or there will be a rationing where it is possible to buy extra.

Caecilia cuddle up against my back and wraps her arms around me as we continue to talk about the future regarding the Academy and technology.