What if you found an old house, seemingly abandoned – but…

The main building with the old pond

the door looked rather well kept

The back side veranda with yellow(!) dogs watching

…how do you really know if it is? I walked in to this old farmyard, with houses built  around it on every side. I remember the place from when I was young, it was really beautifully painted and the garden roses were well kept – I always admired it from the roadside. Unfortunately,  nobody remembers the old owner’s name.

For many years it was the home of an artist, named Thomas, who worked pottery and was rather famous in the southern part of Sweden. I think I still have some of his cups and mugs at home. When he sold the house, nobody lived there for some years. We always thought it was a pity to let go of such a lovely place.

In later years it was used by a theater group for outdoor performances during summertime. The building to the left is only a  backdrop, while the right one is a real house. As you can see…someone is still keeping the grass at bay, even mowing the lawns.

When is a house really abandoned? When nobody lives there, or when nobody even bothers to keep it ”alive”? Inside the yellow, main building, I could see (through the windows…) that there was a rather modern kitchen, carpets on the floor and even a bowl of walnuts on the table.

And, someone has stored a whole winter supply of firewood in the dilapidated shed.

So – somehow I do not think the house is totally abandoned, but I haven’t seen a living soul here for the last 15 years. Maybe I should keep an eye on it from now on – just because I am curious about its history. What do you think about abandoned houses?