Casalinho

Category: Courses

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary (part 6)

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. Serge has been volunteering with us for some time, and this is the final part of his diary. This instalment covers Serge’s last days as a volunteer, and his participation in the recent Permaculture Design more »

  • How to: Make Compost in Just 18 Days

    One of the practical sessions during our Permaculture Design Courses is often the building a hot compost heap. Pretty much any organic materials left in a pile will compost eventually, but by carefully shaping a heap with the optimal mix of ingredients we can ensure that it creates heat, speeding up the composting process and killing weed more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary (part 5)

    This is part of a series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. Serge is one of our longer staying volunteers, and has kindly agreed to share his diary.   A Visitor’s Perspective: Serge’s Diary  A week has passed since my latest trip back to Lisbon more »

  • A Visitor’s Perspective: Laura

    This is the first in a new series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words.    A Visitor’s Perspective: Laura I have just returned from my third trip to Casalinho, I planned this visit after finishing my Masters degree and feeling that I was expending much more »

  • Straw Bale Building course

    We were recently asked why our new communal area / training room is built using conventional building techniques. If I’m honest it’s simply because it was quick and easy, the materials were easily available and will fit in with the existing house. But Jeroen is very excited to be soon attending a Straw Bale Building more »

  • Permaculture Designs

    Our recent Permaculture Design Course culminated in a design exercise, taking the lower part of the property as the focus and me as the ‘client’. The designs were full of innovative ideas, and it was really interesting to see how closely some of the ideas matched my own. Here they are, group by group. Group more »

  • Life post-PDC

    It feels like a long time since I’ve sat down and written anything for the blog. My apologies, we’ve been so busy that I’ve been falling asleep every time my bum hits a chair! With the assistance of an absolutely fabulous bunch of volunteers we managed to get our new Volunteer Space / Training Room 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 »

  • SLU update – It’s all over

    It’s over. The focus of my life for the past six weeks, the Sustainable Land Use course, has finished. I’m not sure whether I should be whooping with delight or weeping that it’s all over. Certainly I’m happy to have my Permaculture Design Certificate in my hand and a head full of ideas. But I’m also more »

  • Casalinho’s Permaculture Design Course Announced!

    Jeroen and I are really excited to confirm the dates of the first official Permaculture Design Course to be held at Casalinho e Escabelado. It will be held from the 10th to the 19th of June 2011 and be taught in English by Lesley Martin. We’ve had some interest already, particularly from volunteers in what more »