From London life to Swedish countryside: Meet Doug

When you meet Doug, Zooma's content creator, you quickly notice his curiosity and energy for storytelling. But what you might not know is that once the laptop is closed and the workday ends, his life looks very different from most of ours.

Doug and his family live on a sheep farm outside Jönköping, where the rhythms of the countryside shape their days. Originally from the northeast of England, Doug studied in Liverpool, worked in London, and eventually moved to Gothenburg before settling on the farm in 2021. What started as temporary stays during the COVID-19 pandemic—helping with chores and enjoying the open space—soon became a permanent home and a lifestyle change. 

 

 

Life on the farm

The farm has been in his wife’s family since the early 1900s, with flocks of Gotland sheep roaming the fields. Today, Doug helps care for about 40 ewes, one ram, and a new generation of lambs each spring.

The work is intensely seasonal:

• Winter means early mornings and evenings feeding hay in the barn.

• Spring brings lambing season, the busiest (and most emotional) time, with the whole family on call to assist births day and night.

• Summer is spent moving flocks across fields to fresh grass and preparing feed for the colder months.

Autumn is when the lambs are sold, the sheepskins are processed into rugs, and the cycle begins again.

Spring is the most intense time of year, but also the most rewarding, when new life arrives every day.

There are also chickens on the farm—20 of them—providing eggs primarily for friends and neighbours. 

The farm is KRAV-certified organic. That means no synthetic chemicals on fields and strict rules on feed origin. Most of what the animals eat must be grown on or near the farm. Much of the shorn wool is composted or used as mulch for vegetables; Sweden's fabric-grade wool industry is limited, and Gotland fleece is prized more as sheepskin than knitting wool.

From city streets to sheep tracks

The shift from city living to farm life hasn’t always been easy. 'In London or Gothenburg, you can just decide last-minute to go out, but here, the sheep still need feeding—no matter the weather,' Doug says. Still, he values the sense of responsibility and connection. 'It's a different lifestyle. If it's cold and raining, the animals still need food. You can't put it off.'

In London or Gothenburg, you can just decide at the last minute to go out, but here, the sheep still need feeding—no matter the weather.

And it’s not just the adults learning. Doug’s daughter had her first lambing 'shift' when she was just three months old, strapped to her mum while they helped a ewe deliver a lamb. Life on the farm, for Doug, is very much a family affair.

Looking ahead

Doug and his family plan to continue caring for their flock and taking on more work themselves. For now, they collaborate with a local agricultural school that uses their land for training, in exchange for help with haymaking.

When asked what advice he'd give to anyone dreaming of moving to the countryside, Doug laughs: 'Good fences. Start with really good fences, and you'll save yourself a lot of stress.'

A balance of worlds

At Zooma, Doug brings the same commitment and creativity that farm life demands. His days may move between content strategy and caring for sheep, but together they paint a picture of someone who thrives on stories, whether they're told through words or the work of his own hands.

If you want to receive more news from the Zoomers, subscribe to the Bulletin below.