December already!

It's an unfinished picture.
From a beautiful day of clouds and Jacob's ladders streaming out from silver lined clouds and shots of blue.

December is upon us, cold like a knife, in the early morning. Frosty leaves in the garden. But nothing damaged. The greenhouse stays at least four degrees warmer and yesterday I sat in there and relished the 25 degrees of captured warmth and thought about passive solar heating for my studio, which I intend to build nearby. With a bit of careful planning you can get the sun to warm your house in the winter, when it hangs so low in the sky it can reach in.

The Man is back and tackling the bramble regrowth and making me a work table. Something solid to put the wool carder on, or the sewing machine, etc. and I have invested in a Jotul woodburner. What a difference!

Suddenly, It's Winter

The other morning When I got up, it was 4 degrees outside! No frost for us, but other folk in deep dells got frost. It has warmed up a bit since then, and during the day it's between 10 and 15 which isn't too bad. Today, it stayed cold and it rained, so Bonnie and I just stayed in bed til 11 am! That is quite rare for me.

Still, when it's not raining and cloudy you get days like this

I took Bonnie to the sea side.

On Thursday I went for my second day of a horse and human workshop... I don't quite know what to call it, but it was great! Gail was using me and Naomi as guinea pigs for a course she will do next year. The intention is to get closer to the horse and yourself. It's not about 'let's just get up on one and ride off into the sunset.' We did some exercises with blindfolds which I found really exciting and eye-opening.

Naomi did get up on her horse, in the end. This was for the first time. My horse, Mr T, is a Shetland and I didn't think it would be appropriate... and he is only two so still a bit young for hefty grannies!

I've been doing a bit of drawing, using my favourite medium, pastel.

And finally, I go to Faro to pick up the man! After three months away. I have swept the floors and tried to put away the build up which happens in solitary living.

Autumn Chores

I finally went down to the chestnut trees and found the floor covered in chestnut husks holding onto their nuts... Ouch, they are prickly. I picked a bucket full. I think that a lot of them have been invaded by a worm, but I will try and preserve some. It is very lovely down in the trees. They are so tall, you wouldn't believe it looking from the top. The sun was low in the sky and slanting through the brown
ing leaves. 

Of course, Bonnie came too. She slept on my jersey and I carried her up on top of the full bucket afterwards.

The greenhouse, with Laura modelling her baby wrap. It's a long strip of stretchy stuff which you wrap around yourself and then pop the baby in. It's very comfy, I had a go the other day.

The plants in the greenhouse seem to like it in there. I have put in a stray tomato seedling and a small pepper plant.  I have also put in lettuce seeds in some potting compost cos it's 25 degrees there, everyday. Surely they will grow?

I have been digging and putting in cabbage seedlings, and spinach, and lamb's lettuce, etc. The weather has been delightful.

Meet Bonnie!

Here is the latest member of the family! Bonnie, six weeks old and so sweet and bonnie. She already keeps the chickens off the patio. She comes from the cafe at Ribeira do Salto so she is a local dog.

This is a very happy dancing carrot I pulled out of the ground!

Along with all the excitement of getting a dog, I have also been building a green house. It is the structure furtherest away. I used up old bits of rebar and chicken wire and bought some plastic sheeting to drape over it, then put shade netting over it . The door that I had made for the first bender fits for this structure. The cost for this green house - 20€. The temperature during the day in side has been about 27 degrees C when it has been 18 outside. I have put my house plants and other heat loving plants in there, like the coffee plant, some banana trees, a pineapple that has got a new shoot on it (Yes, that's exciting, too!) I want to be able to walk in there and inhale that glorious smell that green houses have, of plant breath!

I never get tired of watching the beautiful unfurling of the day, up here on the hill top, so here is another misty sunrise. Look how green the land has become.

In the garden I have peas and broad beans coming up. And garlic, red onions, leeks, cabbages, and a few potatoes. The guava bush has lots of fruit which I have to get to before the birds do if I want to eat the fruit! The strawberries are still producing and I shall make a much bigger, more fertile bed for them as they obviously do very well here. The carrots continue to amaze, but I haven't had much luck getting more to germinate.

Laura is looking so well and being a great mummy to her two lovely girls.

R will be back by the end of the month. I'm looking forward to that. I hope he likes my little 'rug rat', Bonnie!

Some photos, few words

This is where the chickens have their midday snooze.

I laid some old floor tiles out side the front door. It's a bit wonky and sloping, but anything else would look out of place!

They don't look very appetizing in the flash light, but these are biggish carrots from the garden.

Dawn, this morning.

Proud avo, Lucilia, with our lovely girls.

The waiting is over!

Welcome, Olivia!

And welcome, Toffee!

Yes, Laura was safely delivered of a beautiful baby girl and we are all in love with her! She is perfect and her big sister is proud to be able to help.

Another new comer, Toffee, AKA Mr T, is a very sweet tempered (yes, it seems possible) Shetland pony. He's two years old and ready to learn a few useful things to help around the place. My friend and nearly neighbour, Gail, and I have gone halves in this sweet little horse, for our grand children and for hefting stuff. He is very strong. And very cute!

The days have been hot and humid and finally some thunder and lightening, bringing some rain. The hills are greening up and the brambles are beginning to amass once more. Also, the olives are ripening.
some have fallen to the ground already. Not sure why, perhaps it's the heat. I have begun to pick them, but not in earnest. Another week, I think.

Armed with some more old straw and estrume, I have been digging over some beds, and it is very satisfying to notice that the soil is really improving. Where there has been peas, the soil is really good, so I have sown some more as green manure over the winter months. Also sown fava (broad beans), and cabbage, lettuce, pak choi, etc. The carrots are doing very well. The thinnings are not too mean. I must sow more and hope that they do as well as this lot. The red onions and leeks have been transplanted, too, so the showers that come with the thunder and lightening will settle them in.

The compost heap is still producing heat. I am very happy with how it chomps up the 'waste' so actively.

The chickens are back to free ranging. There is more for them to scavenge, now that the ground is looser and the grass is coming up, so the patio doesn't get so abused by them. They lay wonderful eggs when they are free to wander.

Soon be time to plant trees!

Mini Spring in Autumn

A view of the village (I used the zoom, it isn't so close), but look at those clouds! The first clouds in months. It was so delicious to feel cool during the day. Already, since the rain, the fields are turning green.

 This overhanging tree on the road suddenly reminded me of Ginger. It looks like a dog's head, and it nods as though barking, when the wind blows through it.

Hmmm... I settled into the idea of rain and autumn and mellow fruitfulness. And then the rain stopped and it got hot again. But not as hot. In fact it is lovely. The perfect temperature, around 25 degrees. And beautiful, blue skies, rosy sunsets and new green grass coming up like living velvet.

The rain mashed up the figs which are all falling to the ground in a soggy mess. No dried figs for us this year. I hope that the figs in Algarve are more successful as they are delicious and people try to make a living from them.

I have pulled out all the tomato plants and have started digging up the beds to make way for the autumn planting and sowing. The ground is looking very good. All that manure, mulch, and compost that I have dug in, and also the growing of peas and beans, has really improved the soil. It is no longer just heavy clay.

I had put a few raw peanuts in the ground a few months back and today I pulled one up, and hey presto! it had a cluster of peanuts, in their shells, hanging from strings. Next year I will definitely grow more. They are easy to grow, and easy to harvest.

In the mornings the compost steams as it cooks up all the good ingredients. It only takes a few minutes at 50 degrees to kill of pathogens in the compost, so it's definitely working!

I explored the hugelkulture bed and found it to be rotting down quite well, but needs more time, and perhaps to be covered with earth. I will either plant more stuff on it, or even put the next compost heap on top. That should sort it out.

Mostly I am on stand-by for a call from Laura. The baby is due any day now. We are all excited.