We moved out to our 'monte' four weeks ago, when R came
back from his apple picking in Gloucestershire and we are so happy to
be living on the land. The weather has been beautiful (between
storms) and we can sit out on the patio and let our eyes wander to
the far away horizon. I love to be able to spit apple pips. Or cut my
nails, and just let things fly out into the long grass and Bermuda
buttercup which is growing everywhere at the moment.
We bought five young hens and a galo from the market
last weekend. I had spent the previous day building a cosy capoeira
(hen house) out of scrap wood. It looks hideous but it will keep
them safe from foxes and dry and warm. I'm quite proud of it. I was
shocked to discover that all the bought food for chickens is GM!!!
Which makes me realize that probably all the meat we eat is grown
with GM feedstuffs... Oh dear. I intend to wean them off it as soon
as possible. Rob has been grinding wheat for them. Much nicer.
On Christmas day I got in the mood to build the patio a
bit. I went up to the old windmill, which is being done up to be a
holiday house. They don't need the old mill stones, which they had
to break in order to get them out of the mill room upstairs, so I
took some in the wheelbarrow and they are now on the ground outside
the front door. So I spent Christmas morning doing that and then Rob
cooked up the food and put on music and we had a lovely simple,
peaceful day.
Every morning when I wake up I look out the windows to
see what it's like. Sometimes the whole world is a sea of mist and
we are the only visible things. Sometimes all the surrounding hills
are only visible from near the top upwards. I rush out and take a
photo.
We don't have broadband internet up at the land, yet.
No 'facebook', no emails to check, no radio 4, just the sound of the
fire in the stove and the wind roaring around the house. We come into
'town' (Sao Luis) to wash our clothes and our bodies occasionally, as
I haven't got the washing machine up here, nor the hot water for the
shower, but everything else works beautifully. In the evenings I have
been knitting fingerless gloves, using homespun wool and handmade
knitting needles. As I finished a pair this evening I thought : These
could have been made five hundred years ago. I'm not sure why that
idea pleases me but it does.
