Back to School!

The new season of Autumn has started for real this week. The kids have gone back to school. And they love it. Proper love it. Josh is in year 6, the year he missed when we were on the Poop in Europe tour, so he can learn everything he already knows but this time in Portuguese. In year 7 they will have to study 16 subjects so we thought it best to ease him in gently to a new system and a new language. There are only 11 other children in his class, five older five younger, yet although so few pupils, they still have classroom assistants. You gotta love it here! Eli is in year 4 which is based in another building in the school and is the last year of the younger age groups, so she's a big fish in a little pond. Day 1 she was voted vice president of the class by the other 18 kids in it. They've both settled in nicely and are keen to learn as much as they can. One of our hopes for their 18 months of home schooling on our various adventures was to instil in them a desire to learn for learning sake. Not just to pass tests or to pass through the school system but to enjoy the process of learning. So it's been such a joy to see them both bouncing off to school at 8am and still bouncing when they return on the minibus at 6.30pm relishing the chance to discover more about the world.

Hi ho, hi ho, its off to school we go....



We had a terrific time with Grandma and Papops, my mum and dad, while they we here on holiday. As did Josh and Eli who stayed with them for a week in a log cabin at the campismo de Oleiros. They flew back last Thursday from Lisbon looking much the healthier for 10 days in the Portuguese sunshine. Came back soon guys. And on Friday we took a trip to Coimbra to buy clothes and loads of school stuff. On Saturday we all went down to Albegaria, a little village an hour north of Lisbon where a South African and Portuguese couple, Sandy and Fatima, have made a piece of heaven on earth. A cricket field. Josh and I played and Von and Eli devotedly watched! But it was worth the trip cos Josh took his first wicket in men's cricket. Then another. And then a third. A truly momentous occasion and a fab boost to his confidence the weekend before going back to school. No picies to show but we do have a wee film clip of the cafe there that serves the best ham and cheese toasted sandwiches in the world!

The cafe in the famous cricketing village of Albegaria...



Last thing to say is that "Jerry" has returned to the UK to see her mum and dad. Before she left we all had a rethink on how the renovation work is progressing at Bacelo and Moses. "Tom" really needs to focus his energy on Bacelo so Von and I will be renovating our houses and creating the gardens by ourselves from here on in. We have appreciated their support on the work at Moses since July, especially the belief they've given us that we can do this. Our first goal is to get the house called Moses ready for moving in before Christmas. We have a project plan to that effect and the first few days working together have been really sweet. Sieving the clay we took from the first 2 houses (called Cabeco) earlier in the year and mixing in water with our feet (well Von's feet actually cos I chickened out), then setting in slate with it on top of the walls. It's the way all the stone houses were built in this region years ago and it feels great to be using only the materials we have on the land to kick off the building phase after 2.5 months of demolition. The bathroom roof should be complete by Friday and we'll show you the evidence next week. For now just a short clip to show Von's gorgeous muddy feet in action.

Mud, glorious mud...

Have you seen these grapes…? by River

Here I am finally having a quiet day, the first one in months. I am sitting cross legged at my little table listening to Jazz vocals, at the moment Stormy Weather by Sarah Vaughan is flowing into my body via my ears. It’s a beautiful evening the earth is mellow and comfortable after the first substantial rains in over two months. The air is at its cleanest, sweetest smelling of pine needles, heather and the incomparable smell of autumn ripening fruit. The season at the moment is grapes. Everywhere you look they are hanging hedonistically from voluptuous vines and you find yourself irresistibly drawn to nibbling one or two.

Pergolas of grapes have featured highly in the highlights of this Summer season for me.

It was under a pergola that I sat one day in the village of my dear friend Shanti B and watched the most fantastic (in the truest sense of the word) array of people walking to the last night of a summer fiesta that she and her crew had arranged with the local mayor.

First came her beautiful sister and her twin boys. It was amazing to spend time with her. She was so full of light and laughter it was infectious. It was really odd to meet someone who smiled like Shanti, had the same mannerisms and the same nature, predisposed to joy.

After her came a few rainbow people one of whom was my teacher for the afternoon (I always meet one at Shanti´s and was waiting for him), Jaia my love I am still unpacking that conversation but what I took away from you was to try to remain as natural as possible and move forward as far as I could in love.

Next came the traditional Portuguese dancers with their black or deep red frocks and white pinafores with white head dresses. I had an interesting experience with them when I needed to spend a penny, pee that is. I went into the ladies and there they all were men and women getting tied up in the last of their outfits. There was a great deal of encouragement to pee in front of them with just a half wall dividing us but that was just too much for me, so off to a more private bush I went.

After them came the Rainbow festival clan, in all their beautiful colours, floaty dresses and MC Hammer trousers. With wild, hair, bare feet and dirty angels faces. The light seemed to shine brighter around their combined energy.

After the Rainbow clan came the sound of drummers, Portuguese rather than African. Down the street came this loud, base chakra vibrating sound, played out by stocky strong shouting men. Followed by some of the villagers and the little kids. It was a very heart warming scene.

As if that wasn’t enough there came a sexy young woman, wild haired, brown and doe eyed on a donkey!

There I sat under the pergola eating grapes hanging perfectly within reach and prepared for a fabulous evening and that it was. Thanks Shanti.

It was under a pergola that I realised that things weren’t really working out for Michelle and the rest of us here and I let go of trying to make things work and allowed the winds of change to have their will. It’s been hard that process, and I have felt quite shaken by it but…

Another highlight of the summer had been having our friends Caroline and Jon and their beautiful girls Maya and Violet with us. We have missed them greatly and it was a joy to have that time together, singing, dancing, philosophysing and just generally enjoying being together. And it was sitting under a pergola of grapes that I realised that time was precious and it was good that we shared so much of it together as it would be sometime before life would give us that time again.

We spent the most youthful long weekend in Sao Pedro de Moel with our dear friend Rachel. We laughed, drank too much wine. We walked around on the coast until 7am. And just generally relaxed. We spent time with a woman I am now calling the Goddess of the Lighthouse who taught me an exercise that I hadn’t consciously tried before and I am now using it. It’s well powerful stuff but in order to know about it you’ll have to come to Zion and talk to the Goddess of the Lighthouse herself. We all left saying we love Sao Pedro de Moel and will be going again next year by the grace.

One other highlight worth mentioning was the annual Summer fiesta of Oleiros. Great fun, like Christmas on a summer’s evening. Dancing and watching Sunshine dance in the early hours of the morning had to be the highlight of that experience.

Now Papops and Dr. Mops are here, Andy’s Mum and Dad. The kids have abandoned us for the weekend, but I think they really are sick of us and are so very excited to have their grandparents in their new town. It’s lovely to see.

It’s been unusual having so many people descend on me in my life. Sometimes people are giving to you and sometimes they are taking. It’s not easy for me and I have been showing signs of wear and tear; the main one being a loss of confidence. I have found myself questioning for the first time whether I am doing the right thing. The undertaking here is mammoth I know but when so many people tell you how brave you are to take on so much work, it has the opposite effect on me because I am not brave or spectacular or special in anyway nor am I equipped for this task. Yet what I do know is that when I am working here taking off roof tiles or removing a pile of rocks, I know that I am working for my life for the life of my family and hopefully for the life of some of my friends. I am no great yoga master or gardener or artist or anything that would equip me for a life such as this. I am an ordinary woman being given the extraordinary opportunity to start again from scratch but having a little wisdom of age. I remember that it’s called Moses. So when the giants of doubt and fear come to catch up with me as they have been doing this month I try to remember this biblical story big daddy Memphis told me recently of when Joshua and Caleb came back from spying for the tribes of Israel and responded to the tales of fear and woe told by the other spies with this. “Don’t worry about those big men and their armies, look at the size of these grapes boys!!”

And I remember that that is my divine mission in life. To rejoice in the fruits of life and let the joys of a fruitful life cast out all fear and doubt and to keep flowing like a River. This evening I am flowing eating a bowl full of grapes that Memphis just brought home after spending a few hours with one of our older neighbours. And I am no longer sitting under the grapevine I am sitting in the evening sunlight gorging myself on the fruits of this life.

In the first autumn rains, blackberries for breakfast

The rains began yesterday and everything has been washed clean ready for a new season here in Zion. Today was my housekeeping day at Bacelo and as I strolled back from the compost heap, I stopped to take moment in front of a bush laden with ripe juicy and freshly rain washed blackberries. As it was time for second breakfast, I proceeded to steadily stuff my face full of dozens of sweet little wild berries. Yet another in a long list of experiences that remind me, in this new life of ours, with all of its challenges and difference to the lifestyle we had in London, I lack nothing. We lack nothing. We still have scars as evidence of our long and continuing battle with these viscious brambles, but today the enemy became the provider and friend. Ironically, all I had to do to reap the rewards of their generous offering, was simply leave them alone. After feasting, I stood utterly content with all that God has, is and will provide. Who'd have thought such profundity existed in a blackberry? Bless.

Three stories to tell you today. The first is of circus fairies mingling with folk dancers. The second is the arrival of the 5 starrers. Finally, the magic of St Pedro de Moel.

Our beloved friends Shanti B, Marcia and Ton came over this week from their place in Fundao. We have a cute arrangement with those guys. When it all gets too much for them, they nip over for a few days rest with us. Vice versa, when its time for a fresh perspective we go to the Mount of Oaks to soak up the goodness of their emerging community. Anyway, 2 weeks ago we popped over to theirs to join in with the final night of a community week they were running in their local village, including a prayer room, seminars from voluntary groups, graffiti and circus-act workshops and a weekend party in the open air sports arena. The stunning spectacle of this finale was in the diversity of the people and the cultures they unashamedly expressed. The usual traditional Portuguese folk music, with local singers, dancers and drummers were beautifully mixed together with Barbara’s crowd of tattoo wearing, free spirited dancers and fire jugglers from Belgium, France, England, Africa, America and Israel. The village had never seen anything like it. Nor had we. It was gorgeous. And to know it had all been orchestrated by Shanti B in close partnership with the local Mayor and Catholic priest just added to the inimitability of the whole thing. Kids want to go back regularly for circus lessons. We said they could. Watch this space.

The next is an interesting tale of a clash of ideology that has reinforced our resolve and clarified our direction. We invited another yoga teacher to come and stay with us. She is a well known one with a successful retreat business who has made it into one magazine’s top 10 yoga experiences in the world. Quite an achievement. So we were really looking forward to spending a few days with her. However it didn’t quite go to plan. She arrived with her boyfriend after spending a couple of nights in a 5 star hotel in Lisbon and dressed to the nines as if they had both just walked off a film set. By comparison, we spend most of days fairly scruffy round the edges with layers of dirt normally caked to our sweaty skins. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, half an hour later they were both walking back up the hill, back to their hired car, off to find somewhere not so “basic” as our home! To us this life of ours, and the things we are building with our own hands, are both incredibly beautiful and precious. But not everyone sees it. We know that. It became crystal clear that the guests we would really like to attract are those interested in exploring what they can learn from this type of living and from the new skills that we’re learning everyday. There are hundreds of other retreats in the world where those not so interested can get the pampering they feel more comfortable with. Don’t mistake me. We’ll do luxurious too. But in a new way. One which nourishes our souls and connects us to the deeper rhythms of life. Again, watch this space.

And so to St Pedro de Moel. A little town on the coast of Portugal near Leiria between Lisbon and Coimbra. We were invited there last weekend by the one and only Raquel to spend a few days with her Mum and good friends Rosarinho, Rita, Duarte, Alice & Nelsa +++. These guys had spent many of their childhood summers growing up with each other in this most magical of resorts. Set in thousands of acres of breathtakingly splendid Pine forests, with its own Lighthouse (a possible contender for Raquel's Zion name one day) and quaint seaside town streets, promenades, cafés and bars, families return year after year to reconnect to the place and to each other, play all day in the sea and all night in the clubs. Thanks Raquel. Now we know why your heart always smiles at only the mention of the name St Pedro de Moel. We’ll be back.

Alice & Nelsa singing a few Brazilian numbers in Bambi, the coolest bar in St Pedro de Moel

That’s all for now as my Mum and Dad arrived yesterday from London so we’re off to spend the evening with them. I'll fill you in on how they get on and do a renovations update in the next episode. I'd like to leave you with this photo of one of the many public fountains in our local city of Castelo Branco where there's a water garden and sculptural park that's featured in the very recently published "Gardens of Portugal" book. A book in which one day I hope our Zion gardens will be featured in too.

Ode to Moonbeam - by Effie Starlight (that's me, Eloise)

Here I am again and I know you guys are probably thinking “humph, I bet she’s not going to finish her blog again. Humph.” Ah but oh no I’m going to finish my blog, and that’s that. Probably because I had already written it out before but let’s forget that. Anyway, what I am doing is a poem and I wrote ‘poem’ because if I had written ode you mightn’t have understood!!! Ok let’s get to the blooming point, and if you know me I do tend to jibber jabber!!! Finally before I jibber jabber more I’ll start writing… well technically I have already started writing but… oh here I go again jibber jabbering!! Now I think to myself am I actually going to start my poem?

Anyway, I am going to right now!! So ‘então’ (so!!) lets get started!!

Moonbeam Pocahontas ("Jerry")

There once was an old lady who lived in Bacelo

Spent all her whole life wanting to play the cello

She had 60 cats yet she still wanted more

When she said to her friends “I’m so bored im so bored!”

Then her friends said to her “get more cats get more cats!”

She got lots more cats til she had 603!!

So they lived all their life, poor "Tom and Jerry"!!

By me.

Well hope you liked it you ought to because I have only done like 3 and a half blogs in the whole of the poopineurope tour so you better be grateful!!! Only joking!

So where was I oh yes oh no I forgot again oh yeeaaaaaaahh!! Its "Tom"'s b-day tomorrow and since we don’t have a oven (yet)

So when we went to shantii b’s place mount of oaks they made a lovely crumble any way that’s not the point the point is the thing that she cooked it in takes an awfully long time but never mind so now the point IS that she made it in a solar oven so now for "Ts b-day we are making a solar oven and in about 10 minutes so I better start writing ah yes but it wont be in 10 minutes for you lot he he he!!

Now I am having a little trouble with what pictures to use so well actually I know now!!! So maybe just maybe you will catch me into another blog but like I said maybe!!

But ah well bye for now!!

Ellie!!!

When the weather outside is sunny - by Falcon

Sorry guys for not writing a blog in ages it’s been a while but I finally got round to it. Hope you missed me coz I'm here now. Last time I wrote was a long time ago so there will be a lot to write (some times though its hard to write a lot)

Sunshine Dundee (Peter) and Memphis Bellows (dad) rendered the house of Hari (Portugal is getting to me!) first of all with cement for the structural strength of it (just saying the way Dundee does don’t worry if you don’t have a clue when I’m writing this) and then in Hydraulic Lime for the eco way and because lime breathes (yeah, just blame it on the Sunshine). After that we painted Hari’s house (took me a while to write that in the ‘correct’ manner) and scraped all the lime of the bare stones (Sunshine’s good but he likes to leave a good mess). Now Casa de Hari (three different ways, I should be in the Guinness World Records) looks like a Moroccan house (when I read back on that I feel like I’m a commentator on a T.V. DIY program (with the dodgy American advertisement accent)).

Sunshine left for home and we looked after Bacelo (like a bunch of 16 year olds would when they have a house to themselves). Pocahontas Moonbeam came back with her big strong crocodile wrestler (ha) and brought Dirty Hari and Barry Blue (the cats’ new names) back with her. The princess had arrived with her boxes of ‘one-more-things’ one for during the day, one for midnight, and 5000 for 5 in the morning (I don’t know where she gets all the ideas from. She probably has the boxes in the attic somewhere)! With all the cats and Slinky Belita Heidi Rachelle Winter the new kitten arrival who thinks she’s a dog (poor soul. 5c fine if I said s*d), Angel ran off for a while just coming back for food (don’t worry; she’s lying next to me now).

We started working on A Casa do Putos (the house of the kids), not A Casa das Putas (big difference between Putos and Putas one means kids and one means prostitutes the problem is they sound very similar when said with a Portuguese accent so we’ve decided not to use them as it might give the wrong impression of the type of tourism project we are making here!).

We signed up for school and people here go into school a year later so we’ll learn everything we already know again but in a completely different language. The veggies are coming along and our courgettes are bl… let’s say really big.

I’ve kind of got a reputation of winning in this town of Olieros, after wining a diving contest at school with a backwards dive off a 2.20 meter diving board at the Praia Fluvial (beach river directly translated), and I won the most original photograph in the competição de biodiversidade de Olieros; Flora (flower) e Fauna (creature). All 11 of my photos were shown in the best of all the photos.

We have been going to Shantii B’s and we have learnt a lot from the amazing hippies that go there. It seems that whenever we go there a question gets answered. If it wasn’t for Josh and Rosie Mother wouldn’t have discovered how to grow such gigantic veggies.

Our friends hawk-eye millions, cashmere snaps, Morton twinkle-toes, and Thumbelina goldilocks (Jon, Caroline, Maya and Violet) have just left for Lisbon after staying here 10 days. Jon is an artist and Caroline is a photographer (hopefully they will stay here. They have already found a place that they like). Jon has been drawing like mad and Caroline has been taking photos while teaching me how to at the same time.

It always seems like such a lot to write about but it never ever is it just seems to flow. Ate Já.

P.S. I promised Anoushka (tooshi) Jago that I will write something about the Jago family in here. We are missing you guys loads and you gotta come out here PLEASE!!!!!!

Feira and Friends in August

August in Zion has been full throttle. Fortunately, it’s not been anywhere near as hot as we previously imagined it would have been. Temperatures in July reached into the scorching 40’s in some afternoons. Now it’s topping out at 30 and much cooler in the evenings, dropping down to a chilly jumper wearing 15 or so and was even 11 degrees this morning. But the sun continues to shine gloriously on lifting our spirits every single day.

Restoration work has been progressing at both Moses and Bacelo at quite a pace now we’ve found a rhythm for our work together. Sunshine, River and I spend our mornings at Moses, come back for lunch, rest in the afternoons and help out Moonbeam at Bacelo in the cool of the early evening before dinner. Blues boudoir was finished off and we all decorated it in a TV Makeover show style in just a few hours in readiness for the Purdays arrival. It’s a magical little guest room created in the place where this estate had their bread oven (‘Forno’) in years gone by.

The chicken shed roof is on too reusing the old tiles from a fallen down roof on another building on the property. After rendering it this week, the already ginormous ducks (I know they’re not chickens) will have a new home. Both projects were most satisfying to see completed finally.

Down at Moses, we’ve covered both houses with black plastic in preparation for the Autumn rains that could begin early this month. Next we will turn our attention to the renovation inside – installing joists and lintels for taller doors (you should see the scars on my bald head!) and removing a couple of internal walls which will increase the space available in the kitchen and living room. We also want to start experimenting with earth renders and plasters. The company who landscaped the massive 5 new terraces have also now finished and we’re ready to start building the yoga sala, grey water planting system, the tennis court and earth ship greenhouses. We hope Oleiros council will be able to support our project by covering the new winding road with bricks. Yellow bricks. A magical yellow brick road!

Cuppa tea geezer?!...

First week in August saw the onslaught of the summer festival week in Oleiros – the Feira Pinhal. Hundreds of very cool exhibition style stands in the town square, including a Brazilian percussion stall where we’ve equipped ourselves with maracas, shakers, wooden frogs, a small jembe drum and a didgeridoo. The festa also had a program of entertainment every evening until the small hours. And fireworks, wonderful fireworks. Here a just a couple of short film clips from the night time. An amazing drum extravaganza from an energetic and often comical Portuguese teenage drum corps with accompanying synchronised fireworks, and secondly a more sedate traditional cultural dance for the oldies.

Go on! Bash dem bongos youngstas!...

Take your partner by the hand….

On the final Sunday, the Purdays flew in. Just in time for the biggest firework display of the lot at 2am on Monday morning called “and the winner is….” Brilliantly choreographed to the music from famous oscar winning films. Truly spectacular from the firework factory based here in our own sleepy town of Oleiros. A great welcome to Portugal for the John and Caroline and their kids (this pic is their eldest Maya), and an apt celebration of how we all felt because they had, at last, come to see us here.

Everyday Ellie and Josh have been superbly looking after and playing with 20 month old baby Violet and our 5 year old god daughter Maya. Swimming in the wild river, the open air pool and down by the river beach. We’ve had a week of late nights talking and sharing over bottles (or more accurately boxes) of wine, port and another sweet local brew made from a

type of cherries grown here called Ginga (‘jeanjer’) made by Laurinda who runs the café in the next door village of Abitueira. It’s been such a blessing to catch up with these cherished old friends and watch them visibly relax and soak up the abundance of this place. We’ve even showed them a few properties around the valleys here to whet their appetites for the possibility of perhaps joining us in our endeavours in Zion one day. Watch this space. But just in case they do make the jump with us, we have given them new Zion names too.

John is a talented artist who’s been

teaching in London schools for the last 4 years. As everyone knows it’s difficult to both teach and paint. In just one week here though he’s already drawn or water coloured over a hundred pieces in his scrap book. His eye for detail and panache at capturing the essence of things and in particular portraits of people is astounding. So his Zion name is Hawk-Eye Millions. The insightful eye of a peregrine mixed with the prolific potential of having a million ideas inside him. And to us, he’s already worth millions of pounds whether or not he ever sells a single one of his paintings in the future.

Caroline is a professional photographer and like all mums with small kids trying to eek out a successful career in a big city, is experiencing the pressures of that kind of life. We love Caroline for the mixture of her softness, her compassion, her creativity and her toughness. She is like a fine, expensive tactile fabric, but one that can be destroyed if it is not cared for in the way it deserves. Like Cashmere. Cashmere Snaps. Cos she also has a prolific potential awaiting her in the place that one day we hope she will, like us, call home.

Tomorrow they leave us, and with them they’ll take a piece of our hearts, and likewise leave pieces of theirs until we can be together once again. Oh Lord, hear our prayer.

Finally a promo for mum and dad who fly out to us on Sep 2nd. Hope you like the accommodation folks. Kids are ecstatic with excitement at the prospect of your arrival. Us too, obviously. Travel safely to your new bolt in Europe. Sorry it took us so long to give you your first one.

The new log cabins by the river beach Campismo in Oleiros...

Wishing on a Wind Turbine

Just a quick video this week from River, shot on top of the hills on the road to Madeira that we took returning from Serta yesterday after completing on the purchase of the house called Moses originally bought by Michelle last year. River's excitement expressed is mainly in part because the new road and terrace project is almost complete on the land at Moses. It's been an absolutely massive landscaping adventure, carving out huge chunks of the hills to make 5 terraces and an interconnecting winding road that will form the bold sculptural structure for the breathtakingingly beautiful gardens River is planning to create there pver the next few years. Next week I will ask Falcon to take some his fab pics. The views are resplendent and the potential feels boundless. Tonight we are off to celebrate with thousands of others at our town's local summer Festa in Oleiros. So, enough from me. Over to the one who still never fails to make my heart skip. What a privilge to share this life with such as she. Speak River.

Wish upon a star (or at least every time you find yourself under a windmill)...