Slinky

So this is how the story goes. There was this cat, who lived with a sweet family in Oleiros, together with their dog. The cat and the dog become pregnant at the same time. The cat produces her kittens a little while before the dog gives birth, but disastrously suddenly dies in a road accident a few days later. The dog, while still pregnant, (hope you are still with me) heroically takes it upon herself to nurse the motherless kittens from her own teats, otherwise they would surely not have made it through their first 6 weeks. Raquel gets wind of the valiant tale and leaps into immediate action, galvanising the support of friends and family to provide as many good homes for the kittens as she can find. And so it came to pass, that Slinky, with the milk of her adopted canine mother still warm in her belly, found her way into the home and hearts of this crazy gang of English people in the village of Amieira. Although Angel is taking a little longer to get used to the idea than the rest of us. Bless.

That’s the top news story of the month. Below is a video of the wee thing in action in the garden which Von and "Tom" created outside Harry’s house last week after our stuff and plants finally arrived from London.

Second news item is that Josh and I made contact with the emerging cricket scene in Portugal. And we both actually managed to play a game last weekend together for the first time, on a sweet ground on a converted field, bought 2 years ago by a nice South African guy called Sandy. The pitch is only 90 minutes drive south of here in the village of Albegeria near Santarem. The teams seem to be a mixture of Portuguese, Sri Lankans and other South Africans but I will let you know more about the other teams when the league (yes apparently so) starts later in the summer. Before the big event we obviously had to have a knock about practice, that as you can see from the picture was on a makeshift strip outside Kahn cottage. Didn’t do us much good as we lost the first game of the season. But at least there is a season here. We both can't wait til the next game.

For the last few weeks, Von has been sifting soil to create the optimum conditions for veggies in the ‘horta’ , and I have been working hard with "Tom" restoring Harry’s house. Which, I am glad to tell you is now complete. Well, the building work is done. Now we just need to paint the insides and make it our home for the next year or so. We’ve had so much fun doing this restoration work that Von and I have decided we will restore our houses down at Moses by ourselves as well, with a lot of help from "Tom" and a little help from local builders and carpenters when we need them. So watch this space.

"Tom" just went back to England at the weekend to kiss his mrs and bring her back with him in a couple of weeks. It will be so nice to have "Jerry" here with us all. It’s not been the same without her here. Kind of like watching “To The Manor Born” without Penelope Keith. Anyway, comeback soon guys, we don’t like squatting here without you.

Finally, some friends of Ian and Merle (the tipi people), Elisabeth and her friend Oriel, popped over to see us in the week, and stayed with Eugenia and Joao for a couple of nights. We really enjoyed their company. Elisabeth is a Emotional Freedom Technique practitioner from Hereford with a 12 year old daughter called Tara and they are considering moving to these parts as well - or at the very least spending their summers here until Tara leaves school. More lovely people. And English too. Soon we will simply have to raise a union jack somewhere. Or maybe not.

A Wedding, April 25th and maybe new English Tipi Neighbours

Ola! Tudo Bem?

We’ve had a busy couple of weeks here in Amieira land. 2 weekends back we went to the wedding of Sara (the local yoga teacher) and her lovely hubby Antonio Miguel, 10kms east of us in Estrieto. It was a delightful affair and a real privilege to be invited to be part of such a wonderful day. 270 people. All the bells and whistles. Food was lavish with awesome creative sculptures to fruit and meat, To’s old university fraternity mates playing guitars and singing at every available opportunity, dancing late into the night, loads of kids free to run round and be themselves. Everything was a treat to witness. Thanks guys we had a ball. Who's getting married next?

The following weekend was a big one here in Portugal. It was only 34 years ago, on April 25^th, that they had their last revolution. It was a bloodless one but like many other revolutions round the world, holds little real meaning for country people like those out here in the sticks. Nothing really changed for people here. Just a different regime with another name. But the date is still a good excuse for a party and I am sure over the years I will understand the significance of the strategic change that took place in 1974. Anyway we were invited by the inimitable Raquel and her hubby Francisco to spend the weekend with his parents at their family home in Gafete, in the heart of the Alintejo region.

It turned out to be quite an education (as well as a mighty cool weekend party). Francisco’s great grandfather had built a charming house for his wife Anna, with fascinating orange gardens and sculptures. But most interestingly for us, he also created a fabulous pleasure garden together with summer houses and irrigation systems on 250 hectares of nearby farm land. Now all the buildings are a little rickety and the irrigations systems no longer in use because Francisco mainly uses the land to raise 91 cows, but the place has heap loads of character and inspiration for us. If it was possible to do all that a century ago, surely we could do something equally as incredible today with our little 2 hectare patch.

Below is a sneek at part of the gardens with Moses loving the lake obviously. Coincidentally, when we travelled this bit of portugal last year, we actually stopped for a break outside this farm and Von marvelled at the land and wanted to go explore it. So when we arrived it was a bit spooky to realise we'd been here before - it was Francisco's farm.

Last Tuesday we had an email from an English couple, Ian and Merle, who said they were thinking of buying a place round the corner from us and would we be interested in meeting them. They currently run a tipi company in the UK and are thinking of relocating here in Amieira! Well, what a blessing they were. We had a fantastic day (which also happened to be Ian’s birthday) with lunch at our place and then being shown round their potential new home that has hundreds of fruit tree laden stone terraces and awesome views down the Rio Zezere valley, just 5 minutes drive over the hill in Eiro do Miguel. We really hope they buy the place and get over here as soon as they can cos they are proper lovely. There could be some interesting synergies between their tipi retreat plans and ours as well. Triffic.

David and Pam Pott came last Thursday (which also happened to be David’s birthday) to stay for a few days in the middle of their own trip round Europe. How gorgeous was that? Catching up on their travels and their emerging plans for their new life when they return to the UK, revelling once again in Nanny Pam’s story telling, and just their company has been a great blessing for us all here. We were sorry to see them go, but we know we see them again. Hopefully Pam caught the bug of this place and maybe she can run creative retreats here one day soon.

While David and Pam were here we explored a bit more of this region of Portugal. We went with them up to Santa Comba Dao on Mothering Sunday (a month later here than in the UK) with our neighbour Eugenia and family to see her mum as she had no transport to get there. Its only 60kms but took nearly 2 hours as it is directly north and we had to pass over 3 mountain ranges! And then on Tuesday we nipped over to Barbara’s Mount of Oaks retreat space near Fundao for lunch shared with 15 or so guys who had joined her from the recent Rainbow gathering in Portugal. A most hippy affair but we are really pleased we now know where Barbara is and we will be back many many times. She is a remarkable lady and doing extraordinary things with her land there (see her Shanti Pilgrim blog). It was a little bittersweet though as Vonny went with her to the Vet where her poorly cat actually died on the table. Barbara was totally gutted and our thoughts are with her cos she loved that cat something bad.

"Tom" returned from the UK on Wednesday and has been hard at work on Harry’s house since. I will post up some pictures of the work next week. It’s been fab to have him back with us. Sad "Jerry" is still in the UK but we hope to see her and maybe her mum in a few weeks when "Tom" plans to return to give them both a little break from caring for "Jerry"s pops.

So as you can tell, an eventful fortnight. Here's a little something before you go. After a typical hard days work in the sun last week, I saw a rare sight. There in the bush, exhausted from cutting brambles since dawn, was a Vonetta, asleep in a wheelbarrow. That’s all for now folks, will write soon.

we love you grandma!!!

Porco! And the loggers.

This is just a quick post today. Last weekend our lovely neighbours, Joao and Eugenia (who have fed us with lavish generosity at least one meal every day for the last 4weeks plus coffees and cakes and and and...), killed their 2 pigs early on a Sunday morning. It was difficult for us city folks with our vegetarian tendencies to deal with the proximity of the death of the animals we'd actually known, even if only for a little bit. But equally it was a remarkable occurrence to witness, because of the energy and life that the death of the pigs released to the family and wider community in the process. The meat will feed their family for a long time so it was a big deal. It was also both an impressive and exhausting biannual ritual for our neighbours. For the next 3 days, from morning til night, 6 or 7 people were in their house cutting and chopping and stuffing to make an enormous quantity of various kinds of chorrizo sausages, some with onions, some with bread, some just with the meat.

They are an outstanding family who we feel honoured to be getting to know. Joao has worked on this land his whole life and Eugenia knows all the medicinal qualities of the local plants here. They are teaching us so much every day, including, with immense patience how to actually speak Portuguese. They are a godsend in so many ways. Anyway, this is the video of Eugenia's incredible mother, Albertina, just minutes after gutting both pigs, shown in this clip with her 17 year old grandson Filipe. This little piece made all of us giggle, as I tried in vain to encourage Albertina to say a few words after the slaughter of the pigs. As you will see, she stoically resisted, saying nothing until the last moment when, with all her might, still waving a pretty sharp knife, she exclaimed just a single word. "Porco!" Or Pig, in Portuguese. Spectacular timing. Watch that knife. I was moving backwards the whole time, trust me.



And here's a brief skit from the kids too. Sorry for the swearing involved in this clip. Blame the home education for the exuberant levels of confidence beginning to be exhibited.



One final clip we had to take, as we drove on the winding road to Oleiros last week, we noticed these 2 huge machines chewing their way through the Eucalyptus forests. It was sad to see the trees destroyed so easily like this, but also somewhat amazing to see what machines in the hands of skilled operators can do. As you can tell we are learning heaps about rural life.




Next posts, I promise to update you with pictures of Sara and To's wedding and our 25th April Revolution weekend celebrations with Raquel and Francisco on his 91 cow, 250 hectare farm in Alintejo. Also met 2 new remarkable and delightful English neighbours yesterday just over the mountain top towards the Rio Zezere valley, Iain and Merle, who are planning to set up a tipi retreat there over the next few years. Will tell you more about all these adventures next time.

Spotty Salamanders, Deadly Lizards and Spitting Snakes. By Ellie.

Hi Guys!! I know its been a while since I last wrote, in fact, its been so long that we’ve been through 1 whole country of Spain so you’ve finally prompted me to writing a blog. So I thought just to make it easer I’ll make you a list of what we’ve been doing, and then write up about it. So here I go:

Seeing London, and my big brothers b-day!!
Hearing a meeeeeeoooooowwwwww under the deck of the plane
The trouble with caterpillars
Building a compost bin
Meeting High Hedgy the Hedgehog and Sir Sammy the salamander
Finding the snakes’ skin and Meeting the deadly lizard

Now I have a loooooot to write so I better get going!!

Seeing London town

When we got back all of our stuff was really dusty after 9 months of being in a loft and I’m allergic to house dust, so I had to sleep in my brothers bedroom and you must know how bad that’s got to be………for your brother.

Almost every day since we left grandma and poppops´s house to go and stay in a million pound yes, one million pounds rented by papas old boss, anyway we went into the centre of London and we saw: flat in central

The aquarium,T we played hide and seek in the trees in Hyde Park and went to the Princess Dianna childrens Park and saw the sights that you absolutely have to see.

#Happy birth day to you happy birth day to you happy birth day to Joshi happy birth day to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you guessed what day it is JOSHI´S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!

We had a great time speeding down the river Thames on a super fast speed boat!!

Then enjoyed sandwiches and cake made by my mama! Then we played tag in the top room of ahoy the Thames Sailing and power boating voluntary school.

The meeeeeeeeoooooooooowwwwwww under the plane deck.

Now you’re probably thinking what the hell is she talking about well if you would stop interrupting me I could tell you!!

It was a hectic morning the morning we were going to go back to Portugal, because we had had a party not a very big party but a party all the same. And we hadn’t seen angel for all of that evening so mama and papa though well we will leave her out to poop and then find her in the morning but dum dum dum duuuuuum

We could not find her and -because I had my shoes on- I went out to look for her.

But when I came in I still hadn’t found her! So mama got all hysterical because when she had left for England (bless her) she was a teenager and she had to leave her cat behind. So mama went outside and shouted at the top of her voice ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!! And o Meus Deus she came up and started meowing at mama’s feet. So we got her into her cat bag put her in the car on our laps and in time she crawled out of her cat bag and onto the window!! Oh my days she was mesmerised by the car and every thing rushing past her, her head going back and forth back and forth!!!!!!

When we had to say good bye to Moses and Angel as they were taken to be put in the heated hold.

(I need to go now but will finish this off after the weekend. And add more photos. Bye for now!!)

Our Big Back Garden

Hi everyone it’s been a while but it just means that when there is a blog you know there is going to be quality (I hope) and quantity.

We spent 4 months in London doing the things you do in many different places. We started off in Dulwich playing golf with my grandfather, baking cakes (nine months without apple crumble I could have died for a good oven!) with my grandmother, going to Dulwich village every other day for books and glasses and bread and… you get the picture. After our luxurious stay in Dulwich we moved uptown to a million pound flat (result) belonging to dad’s old boss just overlooking Hyde Park. We did the most obvious thing if you were to stay in central London, we visited London. I spent my birthday with my friends and cousins speed boating down the river Thames. We watched movies went to bed early (the next day!) went to the aquarium and just enjoyed the ten days we had of being in London town. After a few weeks in Dulwich we went back to being a Londoner, and Londoner means soufeast London blad ya get me. Spen’ a few days wiv me friends and loved angel to bits. Felt a’ bit strange bein’ home again as if we wasn’ supposed to be there as if i’ was time to move on bu’ we had to say goodbye. Living life as it was before is always kind of strange. It feels as if (you can’t feel anything physically of course) the past has come up and bit you on the bum and pulled you back a few years, it really brings back memories.

After a flight where mummy and I were positive that we heard a meow and maybe a whimper from the heated hold we stepped out stretched and were revitalised. I instantly felt that we were supposed to be here (that’s coming from mister ‘I want to live in Italy’). We went back and collected our stuff picked up a jetlagged dog and a catnip drunk cat and set off. After a long drive (involving two coffee breaks and an incident with the police (we went round the roundabout twice)) we finally got home for a midnight snack (or dinner) with Michelle, "Tom and Jerry" in our fweeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing house in Olieros, this felt like home and things to come (dumdumdum dum, dumdumdum dum). Olieros is great but we probably spent 500,000€ on petrol alone so we moved up to Amieira after "Tom and Jerry" had gone back to London.

My work so far has been shifting stones to make a step; helping build a dry toilet; helping build a brick s**t house; helping take down a brick s**t house; helping build a mimosa (highly flammable wood) and string s**t house (enough with the compost bin OK); cutting insane amounts of string (three blooming 5m balls); shifting more stones (for what purpose? I don’t know. WHATS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!!); shifting bricks (ha ha ha very funny); sorting out a grey water system; helping sort out a fresh water system (water is needed I guess); doing lots of lessons (that’s for any teachers reading) learning Portuguese; not shouting at Ellie (ha); putting up with Ellie’s shouting (ha ha); going to bed early (11 o’clock); waking up early (9:30); and being all in all a good little boy (when that happens we’ll all die and nine year old girls would invade our planet AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!). Every day (virtually) we’ve been going up to our neighbours Eugenia and João at the call, “MARIA, Anda Ca Beve Café!!!"

During the time we have been back I have saved a hedgehog from being run over (typical, you would think they would have learnt by now) and looked after a salamander for a day.

Hedgy the hedgehog was wondering along when suddenly a big mean car comes up the road. But luckily for Hedgy Super Josh comes to the rescue. Super Josh and his friends looked after Hedgie for the day and make him a house with food and water. Later that night Hedgy comes back to say thank you before wondering off towards the main road (yep they never learn).

Sammy the salamander was wondering along around his water mine when suddenly it began to rain. The rain flushed him out of the water mine and into a concrete irrigation tank. After a shout from his little sister Super Josh came to the rescue. He fished him out and made him a house by a bigger irrigation tank. Sammy stayed the day before going missing the next day (probably back to his water mine.
(I can see this becoming a cartoon. Super Josh dumdum dum Super Josh dumdududumdum)

We have been going to Calado (translated as shut up (one of the words that Eugenia has learnt along with “I love you”; “butt”; and “butter” (strange combination I know))) to catch up with everyone and play playstation 2 (I left my games there). Me and Ellie have started going to school on Tuesdays and Fridays with the class that I might be in (please, Faz favor, por favor, anything) and are learning Portuguese.

Can’t wait till I get some more stuff to write about but until then, Adeus.

Welcome to Moses

Welcome to our new blog all about the journey of our new life project in Amieira, a gorgeous and remote village in the middle of the hills and forests of Central Portugal. It is here that we - "Tom and Jerry", Michelle, Vonetta, Andrew, Joshua, Eloise and our accompanying pets (so far Moses the dog, Angel, Harry and Blue the cats) – have chosen to invest our lives in creating a place of outstanding natural beauty. We are inviting people from all over the world to come to this magnificent place in the hope they too can find peace and healing for their lives.

To find out how we found this place and came together, you can visit our previous blog at http://poopineurope.blogspot.com/ . We are still not sure what we will finally call this project. Several names are flying around including Zion among others but at the moment its simply called Moses, because that's what the first houses we saw and bought have been called for a hundred years. And its also the name of the winters dog. Which, providently, is actually the reason we are all here.

Over the next year we expect to be working unbelievably hard to prepare the land for self sufficiency, renovate our old stone xisto houses, build new accommodation and restaurants out of cob, and install the latest water and power systems ready for guests to stay with us from April 2009. Some people will come to practice yoga. Some might take part in photography and art workshops. Some could fish and explore the relatively undiscovered treasures of this part of the world by foot, by bike, by 4x4 or on horse back. Some will visit just to stop and deeply rest.

Below are a couple of videos to whet your appetite on our progress. Sorry 2 are wonky so you have to turn your head to see them; Andrew is a bit new to all this video publishing thing. We hope to get internet installed next week in "Tom and Jerry's" place so will be better able to publish our progress here every fortnight. Watch this space. We will be open for booking shortly, but in the meantime do get in touch by emailing itscalledmoses@gmail.com or to "Tom and Jerry" or Michelle's emails (we will add these on the contacts shortly).

Vonetta and Michelle putting the final touches on the new state of the art self build composting bins constructed out of mimosa trees:


Vonetta in Monsanto park at the top of Lisbon showing "Jerry" the stunning umbrella pines that she wants to introduce to land at Moses: