Casalinho

Author: Andrea

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Joe

    I normally use this section to give our visitors a voice. We’ve received such a lovely reference from Joe, who offered us invaluable help as a WWOOFer during July’s Permaculture Design Course, that I thought I’d share it here. ”I hugely enjoyed my time at Casalinho! As a slightly nervous wwoofer (being the unskilled city more »

  • The Mystery of the Disappearing Guinea Pig

    Last night there should have been 5 baby guinea pigs in the hutch when I went to lock up. But there were only 4. After emptying the hutch completely then meticulously sifting through the deep litter on the floor by hand, I eventually concluded that it had fallen out and been nabbed by a hungry more »

  • Welcoming Bambi

    I’ve been searching for the perfect Billy goat to join our little goat herd for some months now. My requirements were that he should be horned, and that he be large. Let me introduce you to Bambi, on the right. OK, maybe he’s not very large yet, but he’s only three months old at the more »

  • Thankyou Silvia & PDC crew

    That’s the sixth full Permaculture Design Course at Casalinho now complete, and another group of participants have dispersed back to their ordinary lives with a lot of new knowledge and ideas to incorporate. Huge thanks have to go to Silvia Floresta who provided a fantastic course, along with her partner Orlando. Thanks too go to more »

  • Dam It (again)!

    Following my previous post, where I showed the creation of our summer bathing pool, it was pointed out that I didn’t show the competed project. Ooops! What do you think? Anyone fancy a paddle?    

  • Dam It!

    With just under three weeks remaining until our latest Permaculture Design Course kicks off, it’s all systems go here at Casalinho as we prepare. The job we’ve been looking forward to the most has got to have been installing the dam which we put into the stream each year to create a wonderful, natural bathing more »

  • In the Kitchen: Carqueja Cordial

    Carqueja (Genista tridentata) is currently colouring all our hillsides a glorious yellow. It’s a relative of the spinier gorse which those from northern Europe are probably more familiar with.   As well as making great goat fodder, the flowers can be collected and dried to make a fabulous tea. My neighbours have told me it’s more »

  • Tolerance 2: Goats Speak Up

    Living with the chickens is all very well. We can put up with being used as perches. But we really, really wish …. … that they wouldn’t crap on us!    

  • A Different Date for your Diary – PDC 1st-9th July

    Plans are meant to be adapted huh? Our Permaculture Design Course this summer with Silvia Floresta has had to be rescheduled. The new dates will be from the 1st to the 9th July, and I hope that means that you’ll be joining us! Please let your friends know, and help us make this another course more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Alison Gets It

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our visitors to say a few words. Alison is a close friend of mine and long term supporter of the Casalinho project, but sadly when she chose to visit us the weather was not on our side … Last time I visited more »