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because it was the third time I had come down with this ailment. However, I recovered again, Spring came and I managed to get most of the materials together allowing me to begin construction that summer. I did all the work myself, the carpentry, thatching and the masonry, although it should be mentioned that Stine help me when ever she could. She would wield the planer while I sanded boards for the ceiling and floors. All along Hans was on the floor crawling around in the wood shavings and sawdust. I went to Copenhagen to see a man who sold building materials second hand and from him I bought windows, as well as hinges and locks for the doors. 

I dug a whole just outside the kitchen door and I used the clay from that hole to fashion homemade bricks which were to be used for the back wall of the chimney as well as for the dividing wall inside the house. Every step of the way I continued to do all of the masonry work all by myself. 

I continued to dig the hole deeper and deeper while lining the inside of ti with rocks turning it into a rather nice well. I thatched the roof with rye straw which I had collected by hand. However, I didn't have enough and so I borrowed some from a few of our neighbors and I took great care to repay them for their kindness the following year. I went and got limestone from Faxe which was to cover the interior walls, and I only had to pay what it cost to break it free at the quarry. The limestone I acquired from the lime stone kiln in Vindbyholdt and for which I paid full price, ten mark per barrel, The wood framing, which consisted of the bases, posts, transoms and support beams were all made out of oak which I got 

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from our landlords free of charge. The lord, under whom I served was Baron Ritz Thott out of Gavnø (Reedtz-Thott) and the man managing his affairs was councilor Nielsen from Vindbyholt. I placed a solid foundation under the house before I built it and I was painted, wallpapered and furnished in every way imaginable. The outbuilding, which also was in pretty rough shape was raised onto a new foundation where it got new baseboards and all other necessary repairs in order to make it like new. The yard was rearranged in such a way that there now was a small flower garden under the window on the South side of the house. There were also a lot of fruit trees in the yard and there was literally no rime or reason to their placement which left very little usable space. I moved some of the existing once and planted new ones as well all along the edge of the yard so that I could plow the area. I dug a marl pit in one of the back corners of the yard and used my wheelbarrow to spread marl all over the yard. I also drained the entire thing which would work to my benefit. I made a deal with Hans Jørgen Petersen, who was a farmer from Orup, that I would be able to use his horses and farming tools in order fro me to work my land, as well as using the horses for transportation. In return I was to work 28 days