Old habits die hard is a photo story that captures the patterns of daily life at an old farm in central Slovenia. The photos taken in 2015/16 are focusing on a life of Vinko, born in 1933.
At 6.50 in the morning Vinko is mixing fruit pulp for a home-made spirit.
Vinko is pouring pear brandy for Franci, Rozi’s husband, for “easier breathing” according to Vinko. Rozi is Vinko’s daughter, she comes to help her father with daily work.
Vinko siting in the living room watching morning news with his daughter Rozi. He likes to keep up with what is going on in the world.
Nets for collecting leaves from the forest. Leaves were used as a bedding for cattle. Nowadays this technique is not used anymore and woods are becoming overgrown.
Mother was the person who taught him order and discipline, as evidenced by his made up bed. Vinko’s mother died in 1980 at the age of 86.
Family members used to gather around a large furnace that was build in the living room. It kept the house warm all day with only one firing. Nowadays Rex, house dog, enjoys the warmth of the furnace with Vinko.
There are different objects on the desk in Vinko’s living room. Each one of them tells a story. Vinko is wearing two wedding rings on his left hand – one belonged to his wife Malka who died in 2015. They were married for 54 years.
With gloves on his hands, Franci feeds the cows in winter through a hole in the wall. In winter temperatures get as low as – 20 degrees celsius.
Each year around mid-November entire wide family gathers and Vinko slaughters a pig or two for his family needs. Back in the day they raised up to five pigs.
Up to 150 “black pudding” sausages are made from one pig. Black Pudding with Sauerkraut is a traditional Slovenian dish. The whole process of making sausages and preparing meat stock for winter was always like a holiday for Vinko since the whole family gathered to help.
January snow covering a hayrack or “kozolec” in Slovene. Hayrack is a traditional Slovenian wooden building for drying and storing hay.
In socialist times, when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, each company and factory issued its own badge with the company’s logo for different occasions. Lots of these badges are part of Vinko’s badge collection, hanging on the kitchen wall.
On Christmas eve, New Years eve and Epiphany day, Vinko is praying and walking around the house with burning resing, as a blessing for the coming year. This tradition is also respected by Franci.
After the last faeces are cleaned from cow stall, Vinko looks into the cold autumn sunset and the surrounding forests. With around 60% of its lands covered in forest, Slovenia is the third most forested country in Europe; it is appropriately named “The green Heart of Europe”.
Blooming trees in spring, beside the garden where Franci plants potatoes.
A new circle of life begins as the temperatures rise. New born baby goats come to this world bringing joy and optimism with them.
