Rebecka Englund

Rebecka Englund, Bussviks Gård

You know that house you usually drive past and think ”Oh how nice it is, imagine living there”? No matter where you live or who you are, you have such a house, I am sure of it. Bussviks Gård is a striking building with its beautiful glazed veranda, the ornate iron gate, and large fruit garden. It is just such a house that everyone driving along the Coastal Road in Misterhult knows and probably glances at with dreamy eyes. For some time now, the house has new inhabitants, as Rebecka Englund has moved in with her husband Andreas, the couple's three children, a cat, and a bunch of chickens. I have arranged to meet Rebecka to talk about why they chose country life over living in a city and why more families should do the same.

It is a sunny day in mid-September when I knock on the kitchen entrance of the large yellow house. The ladies in the chicken coop are clucking cheerfully. ”Come in,” someone shouts from inside. I step in and am greeted in the kitchen where Rebecka and her youngest daughter are setting up for coffee. Before we sit down at the kitchen table, we take a tour of the house. The rooms are large, airy, and beneath the layers of 70s and 80s decor, you can sense the original turn-of-the-century style. Rebecka tells me that they have not done much more than move in so far, but the plan is to gradually renovate and put their own stamp on the house. ”We'll take it a bit at a time,” she says, laughing.

You can understand that, as there is certainly no shortage of activities to fill the hours of the day. In addition to being a nurse and a local politician, Rebecka is also an aspiring competitive rider. Last summer, she and her very own gem, 7-year-old Bracine CML, went to compete at the prestigious Falsterbo Horse Show. ”It was an incredible experience,” says Rebecka with shining eyes. In the fall, competitions await in Flyinge and then a winter focused on training. The goal is the top.

The horses are actually a big reason why Rebecka and her family wanted to live in the countryside. ”I wouldn't have had the same opportunities to have a horse and pursue my sport if we had lived in Stockholm. There is a big difference in the cost of having a horse here compared to in a big city,” she explains. ”Also, it's easier to have good horse care in the countryside. There are greater opportunities for the horses to roam in spacious pastures and to ride out in the forest on quiet forest roads without a lot of traffic,” Rebecka continues. ”Last summer we were able to borrow pasture land right next to the property, and it was absolutely wonderful to have the luxury of basically seeing the horses from the kitchen window.”.

Rebecka's husband, Andreas, is from Stockholm and the couple met through mutual friends at a KDU event in Uppsala. However, there was never any question of them settling in the capital. Instead, they moved into an apartment in Oskarshamn while both studied. Rebecka to become a nurse at Nova and Andreas to become a teacher at Linnaeus University in Kalmar/Växjö. After completing their studies, they moved to Värnamo Gård in Misterhult, where they had the opportunity to rent a house. They lived there until this year, when Bussviks Gård came up for sale and they finally won the bidding.

I wonder how Andreas, as a newcomer from the city, experiences living in the countryside. ”He absolutely loves it!”, says Rebecka with a big smile. ”He loves to garden, so it's perfect for him. The chickens were actually his idea too.” The fact is that both love life in the countryside. Rebecka shares that what she thinks is the absolute best about living as they do is that it is such a great place for the children to grow up. ”We can just open the door and let the kids play outside in the yard. The forest is right behind the corner and there are large areas to run around in,” she says. Another important point is the proximity to the children's school in Misterhult. ”A good school is very important to us. Misterhult's school is absolutely perfect, it is personal, calm, and the children get to be outside a lot,” Rebecka explains.

Rebecka continues to speak warmly about her hometown. She describes a place where there is a sense of community, a ”we-feeling,” and where people are happy to help each other. ”We have definitely received a warm welcome. Since we moved in last midsummer, most of the neighbors have stopped by to greet us,” she says.

It's time for the youngest to take a nap and we conclude the meeting. I walk along the gravel path back to the car and I smile to myself. It feels nice that the yellow house, with the beautiful porch, once again has small feet running around in the rooms inside. That chickens are once again strolling in the yard and horses are grazing in the pastures. New hands planting seeds in the ground and picking fruit from the old trees. A countryside farm that continues to thrive with new energy. A win not only for the house and its new owners but also for the community at large.

Text and image: Jenny Svendsby