7 years since we found Vale de Moses

In September 2007, on a family tour round southern europe in a motorhome, with Moses our golden retriever, Josh aged 10 and Eloise aged 8, we arrived in Portugal and saw on the web an old abandoned farm in the centre of Portugal with the same name as our dog.

Here's the blog entry we wrote on that providential day when we first arrived to the village of Amieira and were led by our trusty hound to discover the hope of a new adventure. I re read it today to remind us where this all began. Worth a read if you've not heard the story before. All the photos on this post today are from 2007.

That's 7 years ago this month. Feels like an entire lifetime away. And what an adventure it has been. Learning how to restore houses. Learning a new language and culture. Learning how to make wine, plant trees and potatoes, cultivate herbs and tomatoes, use power tools, drive tractors. Learning how to fish. Learning how to teach English to children in schools. Learning about social media and launching a yoga retreat from our home. Meeting such a rich diversity of people, teachers, volunteers, therapists and carers from all over the planet. Most importantly of all, raising our children (this was Eloise aged 8!) in an isolated forest environment with an abundance of peace and olive oil.

Life, they say, revolves in 7 year cycles. Every single cell in our body changes over this time. Perhaps we fundamentally do too. I was 35 then and now I'm 42. A quick Google search brings up some fascinating stuff around the phases of our lives. And this one I've just been through resonates with lots that have been written about by sages past. Here's a snippet of just one of those links...

"From the thirty-fifth to the forty-second year, depending upon one’s personality and what one’s circumstances allow, one begins to feel a new restlessness. In some degree a desire to share whatever one has gained through life with others comes to the surface. What has been developed or realised can be taken to greater subtlety during this period. This is almost like unfolding something, perhaps similar to the way a flower unfolds a bud that has been developing in earlier phases of its growth. 

You may reach heights or realisation and creativity not touched previously. The profound breakthrough of ones innate genius that emerges around this time will no doubt be expressed in some degree. However, whatever is attained or realised will be enlarged and synthesised in later periods."

All encouraging stuff. Seems from these sites that there is more to come as we get older. Obviously. Good to know nonetheless.

So here we are, drawing towards the close of another fabulous yoga retreat season at Vale de Moses, starting to peak at what might be down the road in the months and years to come. Josh left home last week for school in Castelo Branco. Eli just left for art school in Lisbon this morning. Soon our retreats will close once again for the year, our wonderful team departs and it will then be just Vonnie and I. Then she's off end of November for a while to New York to see her aunty before our Christmas retreat in Barbados. So in December it will be just me and Moses. And his Mrs, Safi and their puppy Moksha. And our 11 year old cat from London, Angel. No one else.

Despite the fact we've lived so remotely for 7 years, I've actually only spent a couple of days here on my Jack Jones own. December might be just the thing to take stock, reflect and dream a little more of what lies ahead. The next 7 year cycle is just around the corner. Today though, I am feeling unbelievably grateful that we bought a puppy in London and named him Moses and that he led Vonnie, Josh, Eli and I to this magical little valley in Portugal.

May your journey through Autumn this year be full of loveliness, whatever life cycle you find yourself in.

Peace.

Memphis

p.s. was also looking through some of the restoration videos we took and found this one by Eloise. Check out the chaos of building work...

We bought a Garden Centre!

Last week River and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Felt proper grown up. Almost. We nipped over to Sertã for a little lunch and, as we normally do when we go there, popped by the lovely garden centre run by a Brazilian family. Only to sadly find that they had closed down. We drove round the back to find a charming young man, Luciano, who explained he was looking after the house and grounds while the owners were back in Brasil. They'd be back but not for a while.

We noticed a few plants still in the front and inquired if they were still for sale. How delighted were we to find that they still were, and at very low prices too, even for the mature palms, yukkas, cactii, succulents, roses, hedges, olives and trees. I looked at River. She at me. Then I asked the guy for a price to buy every plant they had left and some of that good soil and chicken poop round the back.

It was our anniversary. We felt a rush of blood to the head. A 'once in a lifetime' price offered and agreed, delivery date set, and lo and behold, just like that, we had bought the whole stock of this wonderful little Garden Centre. 900 plants plus soil. Love is such a crazy thing. A garden centre's worth of plants seemed so much more fitting to our 18 years of marriage than a ring or watch could ever be.

To give all these lovingly grown and cared for plants the very best of homes at Vale de Moses. What a thing. The plants will be together forever! As we hope we will be too. Now all we need to do is figure out where to plant them all!

On the drive home:

"Memphis, do you think we are ever going to start living a little more sensibly one day, a tad more sanely?"

"I hope not babe. We only get one shot at this life. Might as well make the absolute most of it, não é."

"Feared you might say that.", with that oh so cute smile of hers as wide as the ocean.

Drove all the way back to Amieira dreaming of the fecundity to come.

We're just finishing our last retreat of the year today. A wonderful week to end an incredible 2012 season. The lovely Paul and Sally celebrated their 20 years of marriage here along with the amazing Georg and Amy, Aussies from Saudi Arabia, the sweetest Rosie, florest from England and the enigmatic gardening astrologer Alea from California. Felipe from Brazil and his girlfriend Fanny from Sweden celebrated his 31st birthday Portuguese styley with cake and brigadeiro on the day our good friends Bill and Becky arrived on their travels round Portugal.

14 of us in total. Felt like a week of proverbial fireworks going off. Rounding off our retreat season with a marvelous bang topped indeed by being constantly surrounded by such beautiful plants in pots sitting in every available space around the farmhouse. Simply glorious. Thanks guys for making it such a special finale.

Tomorrow we head off to Gois for Eloise's second horse riding lesson at a stunning little family run riding school and holiday centre, followed by a hack through the forested valleys there for River, Felipe, Fanny and Rosie. Last weekend Eli and I drove the 90 minute road across the mountains with jaw droppingly stunning views to the stables run by Steve and Sandra with first class lessons given by their daughter Mella. They've been here in Portugal 18 years now, arrived about the same time River and I were getting married, and have created a charming riding holiday spot next to a river with 7 horses and a menagerie of dogs. "Too sweet" as the Bajans say.

It was an emotional day for Eli's first lesson. It had been a long long time since her last sit in the saddle at her 6th birthday party with her friends in London. We'd been looking for stables near us for the last few years and talked to the one or two people who own horses around here but nothing ever got going. Eventually, we looked further afield and decided the 90 minute drive over the mountain was worth it and booked in her lesson with Mella and a tall elegant mare called Puff.

To see my daughter trotting confidently, hands free round the sand school, with an ever constant beam of pure joy on her pretty face, actually brought a tear or two out of her proud old Dad's eyes. A sério.

She had waited patiently for 7 years to have another go on a horse. And there she was grooming Puff, tying on her saddle, becoming friends and learning to ride her. Too incredible for words. She'll be exploring the valleys and villages there in no time at all. "Awesomeness" in Eloise's inimitable own word.

There's more. 2 weeks ago our 15 year old Joshua arranged his first job. Check this out. Playing a baby grand piano in the lobby of the newly built 4 star Hotel Santa Margarida in our local town of Oleiros, while their guests dine on Friday and Saturday nights. A bit of pocket money for the lad plus a lush dinner prepared by a wonderfully talented chef and waitress served on his own table in the restaurant.

And there is nothing better to improve one's playing than live in front of an audience. Gives great inspiration to practice and learn more pieces. The sound a baby grand produces in that lobby is delicious. Music fills the hotel. Lifts the ambience to life. Keeps people a little longer, for just one more drink. We hope he gets to play there as often as possible. Maybe start a little band, who knows. What a first gig!

Will try to take a video this weekend of the new kitchen gardens. Lawn is sown and the grass is already 2 inches high. Beds are ready for the influx of new flowers and the smaller herb garden ready for seedlings through the winter. We've also cleared and built a new access path down to the river ready for restoring the little stone dams. That'll need a video too. It's magical along the river. Timeless.

And finally, our Vale de Moses yoga retreat website should be ready for making online bookings for the 2013 season in a week or so. You'll hear it here first.

Thanks for tuning in peeps.

Namasté

Memphis

A Day of Yoga

We found this truly beautiful video of yoga posted up on the web last week by Enrique Espinoza.

Enjoy...


A Day of Yoga from Enrique Espinoza on Vimeo.

Gloriously Sunny by River

It is a gloriously sunny day today.  Though the calendar tells us that Winter is fast approaching I have been working all day in shorts and a t-shirt.    I am alone, well without human company.  Just me and Moses and our new puppy Safira.  Angel my wicked cat is around somewhere, probably trying to tease hibernating voles out of their holes.   The children are already at school and Memphis has gone to work on the roof of some friends.  It is a good day, a quiet day. (photo Yulia and Safi on yoga retreat)

It has been almost a year since my last entry and I know some of you have been wondering where is Von, thanks for the emails.  To be honest, I have been working and this year has flown by.  We have had the great pleasure of housing, feeding and watering a number of Woofers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), visitors, family and friends.   A great deal of work has gone into the vegetable production and with thanks we have eaten well all summer and into the autumn.  (Bill, Becky and Ollie round the Nov 5th bonfire)

We are still learning the art of organic vegetable growing, and believe me it is not without challenge.  This year we have met the challenges of tomato ad pumpkin blight.   Little horrible bugs I have never had the horror of meeting eating the broccoli.  I have had to sow all of our winter veg twice due to some naughty get away chickens and a frisky puppy, even now the horrible caterpillars are munching away on my lovingly watered and fed cauliflowers and nothing organic I seem to try really works.  Right now I am preparing to begin the disgusting task of picking the buggers off one by one, perhaps this will be futile but gardeners are known for the obsessive love of perfect plants. (Entry in our Guest book by the frisbee throwing wwoofing gals of Kansas)

I know the caterpillars will be back and we will laugh through this just as we have learnt to laugh at all the trials and tribulations we have had here so far and press on regardless. (Jonny battling Memphis at scrabble)

On the lighter and brighter side, the chilli peppers have been sublime and after two years of trying to grow perfect chilli peppers, the chillies this year have been my crowning glory!  Hallelujah red hot chilli peppers by the basket full.  It is still warm enough for the Calendulas and Californica Eschlotzias to be flowering.  Their iridescent orange colours are greatly welcomed at this time of year.  Strangely enough my Red hot Pokers are rising valiantly out of their sword like home of leaves , their conical flowers just beginning to bronze, I look forward to their ever increasing reddening, perhaps we will have Red Hot Pokers for Christmas. (Eloise and Joshua, the most established of all the plants in our garden)

The Olive harvest was speedily completed with the help of one of our very much appreciated German Woofers, TK, big thumbs up to TK!  It was great fun being up in the trees with you.  We are now pleased to have our own Olive oil again this year, only half that we made last year as the trees are semi biannually producing. 1 year bumper, 1 year low.

The other big news this year has been yoga.  After thirteen years of grabbing practice time when and if I can it has been wonderful to wake up before the sunrise and practice.  I believe this is how I have managed to keep sane, this year, mind you.  Before we came here, yoga was largely about the relaxation of the body, busy Mums need to find ways to relax.  This year however, it has been wonderful, delightfully centering to simply be within myself, despite all the plants that need watering, and the clothes that need washing, and the hurts that need cuddling and the house that needs cleaning and the people that need feeding.  It is from this state of stillness of meditation that all else has been given invitation to flower.   Or, maybe I am just middle aged and needing to be still a great deal more.  Either way I can safely say that meditation is a revelation.  If you have never tried it, do, it will change your life.

This year I have also had the pleasure of teaching our first yoga retreat in Portugal and also teaching some Woofers.  How wonderful to wake up in the morning and just watch lovely young people stretching, earnestly trying to relax.  Very sweet.  I hope to do more of this as the years unfold here.  It is a beautiful place to meet oneself face to face.  There is something about yoga that invites the bubbling up of the naughty happy child within us, and it is that child that will bravely go forth to face the most gruesome of challenges, such as horrible caterpillars. 

My first Christmas present has arrived from Memphis, a tractor load of goat poo!  Hooray.  Not the glamorous handbag or necklace kind of present, but it is just the thing to put a smile on my face.  Big!  Big!  Big pumpkins next year.  2012 big! (Memphis relishing the battle with Jonny)

 I guess one could say we are simply living a normal life now.  The builders have long departed.  The furniture, paintings and photographs are largely in place.  The days are now made up of morning yoga, gardening, cleaning, sewing (I learnt to sew this year, thanks Aunty Sally).  The nights are still nights of bonfires outside and music but all in all it is just life.  There are still an infinite number of projects we hope to complete, chicken houses and barns and the little Adega at the end of the hill.  All in all this Winter 4 are still bobbing and jumping and jiving their way through life with all the enthusiasm we can muster, maybe we are getting older but some meditation and silence is creeping in there too.

Off to finish the Christmas tree.  Happy shopping to all…  Thanks for the new tunes Ian, digging the classical music.  However, I must say that Chase and Status are wonderful for chopping firewood too, thanks Aunty Helen.  Getting older is better…

(Josh on da karaoke)

Peace and Love

River