Autumn into Winter...

Yes, it's been again too long since the last time we wrote anything here... The main reason was that, since Emma and I came back in the end of October, there was lots of work we wanted done to prepare for the winter, and of course, the olive harvest, our main winter crop... The days were not so long, the sun rising between 7am and 7.40am at this moment, and setting between 5 and 5.30pm... You might wonder what we were up to? So our time has been spent between planning, studying, working, prayer and meditation, cooking and cleaning, resting and hanging out with the many visitors we had these last couple of months. As a result there has not been much energy left to be writing in front of the computer... adding on to the fact that we only have our laptop battery life to use in one go...
The picture on the right shows the first thing we did when we came back... fixing the kitchen roof that would always leak on rainy days...

OLIVE HARVEST COMING SOON...

If you´re willing to come and join us for one more olive harvest this year, come and visit in NOVEMBER ...
get in touch by e.mail or a simple comment here just to fill you up with more details.
It´s a time for community, share and fun ...
Bring instruments, songs, stories and joy
Thanks!!!

Cork...gardening...and irrigation

I was busy with my garden when I heard a truck coming... I was not expecting anyone... not that most of people who come by do get in touch before they arrive :-) ... I was just curious... First I thought someone got lost, but then I found out...
This guy you see up on our biggest cork tree came here 9 years ago, the last time the cork was taken... he asked me if I wanted to sell the cork... I was not so sure, because I could use some for insulation... At the same time, if I wanted to use it, I had to smash it, which is not easy by hand... so I asked if I could get a good deal getting the left overs on the factory he works for and he said yes... so, ok... he gave me 50€, which I'm not sure if it was a fair price, but hey, I had no money at all, so it actually came on the right time...
It was also nice to see how it's done... and it's amazing how fresh and wet the bark is inside after it's pealed... and the smell, wow, amazing !!!
But here are some more pictures with some comments about few things I've been up to this last month...

Permaculture course review ...

Check here to see my review on the last Permaculture course... I wrote on my personal blog together with other things that I experienced the last months, but I hope it's ok for you... you can always scroll to the parts where it those speak about the course... it was one with many unpredictable things happening in between, but it was a great one :-) !!!
I just thought it would be easier for me like this than writing the same things again  here :-)

PERMACULTURE COURSE, MAY/JUNE 2011

Here am I to announce another PERMACULTURE COURSE here at the MOUNT OF OAKS, Portugal... As last years it will be taught by Lesley Martin who is a fantastic person, experienced learner and practitioner, and a great teacher in my opinion... I’m sure all the ones who did attend any course with her would say the same...
It ‘s gonna take place from the 28th of May to the 5th of June 2011, and it’s gonna cost 180E (if by any chance you’d like to offer more, know that all the money will revert to pay the teacher, the food expenses of the course and all the extras will be for our future projects...this land is still in a pioneering stage and all things we need are either bought with charitable donations, or done with recycling materials we get for free)...

Back to work...new projects on the way...

 I'm starting the new season organizing... I really don't like mess and chaos... some chaos can be organized, but when it's messy it just gets on my nerves...

We have this shed here where we'd keep the "useful junk"... it was just a roof actually, because the original idea was never finished... then it just became a place to dump things, not really organized... I really like recycling, and there are some things that might be really useful, but then, when it is messy the way it was, nobody can really find anything when it's needed...and actually things get damaged and become real trash...

News from the last months...

Sorry for not posting for so long... I posted on my other blog and forgot to update this one, so  here
goes...
I'm actually away from the land since the beginning of December and I'm so looking forward to go back...I'm in Angola at the moment visiting my parents who were both sick, and now it's time to go back for a new season at the Mount of Oaks.

A GOOD NEW SEASON TO YOU ALL