Prättingvallen Fäbodvall

From the book Fäbodvallar i Delsbo, published by Delsbo Hembygdsförening 1996:

On Prättingvallen there are five cottages left and some barns. They are Harald Lindes in Prättingberg, which used to be called "Hovers", Kjellins now Staffan Sjöbergs, Per Jo Hansas now Yngve Västgårds, Sveds and Jobsmyrastugan. Harald Lindes and Sveds cottages repaired.

1924 my mother Jon-Ors Ollas Margit giant on Prettingvallen in Hovers cottage. Then 4 years old I was there with her. In Per Johansas cottage Georg Dolks wife Kristina with the children Birger and Anna, in Jobsmyrastugan Anna Gavell and in Kjellins, Karin Mattsson from Glombo.

In 1929-30-31 maybe also somewhat later giant Henrik Henriksson with wife Anna from Hallsta in Per Jo Hansa's cottage. In Kjellins Per-Eriks Signe from Prettingberg, then very young and in Hovers Stran-Kare Olsson from Glombo. Stran-Kare spent 19 summers at Prättingvallen, and she also looked after the sheep during the summer. Because at Prättingvallen they always walked with the sheep down from the villages Västanäng, Hallsta, Prättingberg, Glombo and Tolbo. They used to take the sheep to the forest as soon as there was something green to eat. And in the fall, it was always Stran-Kare who made sure they were available somewhere. She was probably there as late as 1947.

As children we used to go to children's weekends on the embankment, 2-3 with each shepherdess. Then we went all the way down from the village and up. At Harsbacka, that is the hill closest to the embankment, there was a big stone called "Flötsten" on it we would get up as many stones as possible because then we would get kärnflöte when we arrived, = thick sour cream just before it becomes butter, but it was not true all the time.

We had so much fun with the whole bunch of children, we played ring games in Sveds cabin because it was empty, and hide and seek in the forest. Then we used to go to Lillvallen and visit the children there, because there was also a children's weekend. But we were very afraid of the horses that walked in the woods, so we had a hare rattle that we scared them with.

We slept in the shed, and it was so nice to wake up to the buzzing of the separator, because it was almost always in the shed. And what good food we got, pancakes fried in good sheep butter in the three-legged frying pan on the fireplace with cloudberry jam and cream. Cloudberries, surely picked on the big Prättingvallmyran. There used to be coals in the pan, but you shouldn't pick them, you should eat them because they made you beautiful, Hindrik said. Then I remember that Hindrik used to carry water with his yoke, and that he had a pig on the embankment, which always followed him wherever he went, even down to Hallsta back and forth.

In the afternoon we walked home again all the way, a memory richer. We also used to bring small presents for the shepherdess we stayed with. There were four shepherdesses at Prättingvallen.

"Hinriks Anna", Anna Eriksson

"Per-Erik's Sigrid", Sigrid Eriksson

"Stran Ollas Kare", Karin Olsson, Svalbo

"Eckens Anna", Anna Gavell

Anna Henriksson was there for 17 summers. Karin Olsson used to have sheep for others who had a home on the embankment, and made sure they came home in the fall.