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Munekogoikoa Farmhouse (Urigoiti, Orozko). Photo credit: Javier Perea. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
My grandmother used to enjoy the sun on the balcony. If truth be told, our farmhouse is cold in summer, let alone in winter.
The balcony would not just be a nice place to sit on though. All kinds of small tasks were waiting to be done while sitting out there, as could not have been otherwise. Those among us who live or have lived on a farmstead know only too well that there is always something to do, even while resting.
There maize ears and beans were dried and shelled. There freshly harvested hazelnuts were separated and cleaned. There seasonal tomatoes were peeled and chopped, then cooked and bottled. And on feast days, finally leaving work aside, whenever guests or neighbours dropped in, there they were welcomed and there they would have a chat and an appetizer. The balcony would therefore be taken great care of and decorated with flowers.
A traditional Carranza farmhouse. Miguel Sabino Díaz.
Rural houses in Bizkaia have traditionally been devoted to crop and livestock farming. In order to make the most of daylight and solar heat, farmhouses are oriented to the sun (eguzkira begira, in Basque), facing south, east or southeast. There are basically two farmhouse designs: lower buildings with a spacious main floor, mostly arable farmsteads, and taller livestock farms with smaller floor plans. (more…)
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