Casalinho

Author: Andrea

  • Dying your own Easter Eggs

    Easter is this weekend, so in an attempt to avoid chocolate eggs I’ll be decorating some of our own with the kids this afternoon. The chickens are producing 4-5 per day at the moment, not as many as they might but acceptable. They’re loving the extra protein in their diet I’ve been offering care of more »

  • Did I say Spring?

    It’s absolutely my own fault. I should never have mentioned nice weather. The weather gods must have been checking out my last post! Since then I swear the whole Atlantic ocean has landed on our place 🙁 Our damp but good spirited bunch of volunteers have been soldiering on regardless and have been doing a more »

  • Spring has Sprung

    Let’s hope it lasts! We had our first evening without out the stove on a week or so again, then our first volunteers braved a dip in the river. Now we’ve got to the stage where the sun creams are out and we’re spending the afternoons wishing we’d started work earlier in the mornings! The more »

  • Live in Vehicles Welcome

    The local council are ‘improving’ the track leading to the farm. It’s a bit of a painful subject, as the rerouted road goes through the corner of our orchard. Staying positive though, it means we’ve been able to create an area specially to park up live in vehicles. When we’ve parked these up before we’ve more »

  • Volunteer Space pictures

    I couldn’t load these last time I updated, but I know you’ll have waiting with baited breath. So here is the volunteer space today, complete with a shirtless Nelson. It doesn’t take much to separate him from it!        

  • Hold the Press – Nelson seen on farm before 9am!!

    Nelson is working flat out. I know that doesn’t seem in character, but I actually saw him with my own eyes here before 9am last week! We’ve been planning a common room / dining room / shower area for volunteers and visitors for some time, but the Permaculture Design Course we’re holding here in June more »

  • Animal Update

    Firstly, a sad lament for our last pigeon who escaped and went searching for a new mate earlier this week. I hope he finds one. Our other pigeons were taken one by one by what we think we identified as an Egyptian Mongoose about 6 weeks ago. This one survived because Jeroen caught the murdering more »

  • Eco-Friendly Corga da Periera Toilettries now available in Danny’s Shop

    I was really excited to pick up another batch of Em’s wonderful products on Saturday, so these are now available for volunteers and visitors to purchase from Danny’s shop. The Corga da Periera range is all home made and ecologically friendly, so it’s exactly what we need to avoid polluting our wonderful life giving water. more »

  • New Poultry Run Open for Business

    It’s spectacular …. it’s spacious …. it’s the new poultry run! After the difficulties we’ve had with stray dogs and our chickens, we’ve made the rather sad decision that the poultry can’t be routinely free range any more. They’ll still get for out for a scratch about when we’re working on the big veg fields, more »

  • Thermal Mass Rocket Stove Workshop

    We’ve just come back from a Thermal Mass Rocket Stove workshop over at Corga da Periera, where Jeroen was helping to build a rocket stove in their tipi. The flue from the stove passes  through a cob bench (the thermal mass) as it exits, so the heat of combustion is retained and can be utilised, more »