dOcUmEnTaRy oN tHe LaNd…

As I said on my last post, we had Tiago here to visit us for 5 days to make a documentary about the community here…
It was really nice to get to know him and it was pretty relaxing the way he filmed during the days…I usually don’t like those things, but he made us all feel comfortable since the beginning…
He wanted to get an idea of what this community was all about and how would be a normal day spent among us…
Of course that was hard… I mean, to have a “normal” day… coz we don’t really have a strict structure of the day and they can all be very different… I guess he got that…
He also helped us with the works on the land…specially digging the water pipe under the ground and cutting the hay we have everywhere ☺…
I believe he had fun with us as well, and we all liked him as well…very special and sensitive person…
Everyday we had really interesting conversations at the table… actually, lately we’ve been having really cool subjects to speak about… I like that…
We’re now all curious to see the result of these 5 days in his documentary… This is gonna be only for him and for the producer of this Portuguese film… The movie seems to be a big production and it’s about 2 surfers, brother and sister, and somehow one of them goes out of the “surfing culture” and competition, to join a community where he’s somehow transformed… That’s why they came here, coz they heard about us through the Uhlers , the Christian surfers from Lisbon… they were also making some research with them some months ago…
So I hope this documentary will somehow help the production to know more about communities, and why some people still choose this way of living…
I believe in this land many lives have been transformed already, in many different levels… Some find out new things about themselves, some meet God for the first time, some meet God in different levels, others receive the rest they’ve been longing for, etc…I believe we’ve all been transformed in some way…

“So, does this community serve God ?!!”, it was one of Tiago’s questions…
“-yes ☺”, I didn’t hesitated in my reply …
I guess he understood the main reason why we chose this life style…☺

mOrE cOoL vIsItS & fRiEnDs…

We've been having many different visits lately, and that's also why I haven't been having so much time to post anything here...Now I have a lot of things to do online...and usually I feel overwhelmed just to think about it and then I'm always leaving it for tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow... :-/ does it sound familiar to any of you.. O.K, then lets go for it again... I did some yesterday, but I only have around 3 hours battery in the land, so I had to come to the village and I'm now in a cafe to charge it :-)...
O.K, but lets get back to the visits...
Soon after Miri, Willi and Angela had left, me and Danica
didn't stay by ourselves for long time...
Anne came from Dresden to spend some months and help us here...

But she also came to take some more time to be with God and get refreshed :-)

It's been a real pleasure to get to know her...I only met her once, early this year, in a "Connect Europe" gathering... she’s a painter and just finished her art studies… she also wanted to experience living in a community, and I believe she's having nice experiences already...it's so nice just to share life with others and grow together...

Danica is here already for a while...almost leaving :-/ ...we've been having so much fun... we really have a laugh together... I'm also so glad to get to know her...she's amazing!!! We've been having really cool conversations as well, not only silly times :-)... and really nice prayer times... I love to hear her singing to God :-)…

Two of Danica's friends, from her work in Duisburg, came to spend some days with us as well...Anke on the left corner, Sonja next to Danica on the right... it was really cool to meet them as well...We also had really nice chats about different subjects...

While they were still with us we got more visits… “Brother Tom” , the “urban monk” from Scotland… the pilgrim on The Way… in this picture he is next to a pack full of books we got as an offering by mail…

and here we all went to take him to the train station when he left…
Tabea also came with Tom, but only stayed 2 days coz she had to keep going on her inter-rail trip…but I don’t have any picture to upload ☺

In these last days we had a visit from Tiago (on the left in the picture, with the Sheesha), a very nice guy who is working with a Portuguese film production, and came to make a documentary about the community in the land… but I’ll write more about that in a separate post… we all enjoyed his time here…it was like meeting a new brother of the family :-)

And we also met 2 new friends who live nearby, Pedro and Marco, 2 amazing musicians of Irish music… the girls went to Castelo Novo that day to visit and on the way back they hitched coz they were too tired… then this guys stopped, and they came to the land for dinner… in the end they delighted us with their amazing music around the fire place ☺…

eXpLoRinG tHe sUrRoUnDinGs...rUrAl pOrTuGaL...

we've been having the opportunity to take some days out of the land and enjoy the beautiful places we have around us... it is really worth it to explore it and get to know more from the people as well...
This in indeed a beautiful part of this country, filled with history of ancient roman roads, villages with castles, beautiful lakes and rivers and amazing mountains ...
When Willi was here we had the chance to go with his van, but we've been invited often by Nuno, our neighbor friend who is now used to come for the weekends... he loves nature and he's so glad to show us the places he grew up in...we also met some other guys from Fundao, Pedro and Marco...they play really good Irish music and also enjoy the nature, specially fishing...
Enjoy the pictures :-)

getting ready for the trip up the mountains of Serra da Estrela... the water is so nice here, and we can find springs everywhere...

going to the top of Serra da Estrela, almost 2000 meters high to spend the night after watching a nice concert with Terrakota , some of my friends from Lisbon...

nice sleep :-) in front of the beautiful lake... :-)

Having a nice breakfast with a wonderful view over tha landscape...

Monsanto, the oldest portuguese village...



On the shore of another nice lake where we went to swim and fish with Pedro and Marco...in Idanha-a-Nova...


Tom was having a hard time getting this fish...

Then we found out why... it came together with a tree :-) Do fish grow on trees now ?!!! :-)

And how good they tasted later, on the coals at our fire place in the land ...

And finally this was last night in ALPEDRINHA, one of the villages nearby...it was amazing to participate in the local party, with many street artists and lots of food and music traditional from Portugal...




So much richness in this little country ...
but still the young people complain that there's nothing going on :-/ I wish we could do something about it ...

MiScHu'S KitTiEs...

look at them !!! sooooo beautiful !!! I have to thank a special friend, my little sister Heather who named 2 of the kitties...
So the white one will be called "PULA" ,which is the name the angolans give to white people:-) ...
The stripped one will be "SAMBU" which is the name the Masai call anything stripped which has no specific name...
And the black one will be "DUMA" coz Heather like the name and means Cheetah in Swahili...
I got worried some weeks ago, coz Mischu took the kitties out of the first place...but Danica found out the new place which was cool as well...it was the "tipi" Juran built to smoke his goat skins... I guess Mischu might have some sympathy for rainbow people as well :-)...

And the funniest thing was that yesterday, as I was coming back to my house to sleep (past midnight), I heard this little kitty cry behind my bed... It was one of the kitties, Duma... But what about the others?!! What about Mischu ?!!! The kitty was desperate... hungry I supposed... and I started to be worried as Mischu was not answering my call... so after a while I decided to get some milk from the kitchen and check for the other kitties... They were at the tipi... But Mischu was still gone... I got worried, and as I tried , not so successfully, to feed the kitties who were screaming in my ears and desperately trying to suck any milk from my hands, I was getting really worried about Mischu...finally I gave up waiting and tryed to put the kitties to sleep in my sheep skins...I guess they gave up as well... around 4 or 5 in the morning I woke up again with their desperate cries and I could do nothing more than praying...so I just asked God "please, you know where Mischu is now...tell her to come here..."
...and it didn't take 5 minutes, Mischu came running :-) ... I was soooo happy and relieved !!! Mischu ate some food and fed her children...and they all end up sleeping next to my head on my bed :-)

mOrE aBoUt tHe vAn...

Well, we're just trying to solve practical problems, like insurance and so... and I guess it will take more time than we thought, so Emma will not be able to drive it as she wants to come as soon as possible to Portugal...
But maybe later we can see who would like to drive it down from Orkney, and how would we like to do it...
We're open to suggestions...and I'm in touch with Andrew to figure out how can we do the paper stuff...
Step by step...things will work out the best way...as always !!!! :-)

wE 'rE gEtTiNg a vAn :-) aNd eMmA iS dRiViNg iT dOwN 2 pOrTuGaL...

We got offered a van...it was so funny, coz I just had send some e.mails to ask people if anyone could help some friends from Italy to move their stuff to Portugal...by the way, I think they still appreciate another option instead of just hiring some company to "make the move" for them... If you know of anyone with a truck or something big let me know:-)... By the way, for those who know who's been runing the Rock on The Rock Fest , those are the guys :-) I'm so happy the Hurst's will come to live in Portugal...They are amazing people :-) sorry Italy !!!! just kidding :-)...
Well, I got an answer from Andrew Jones who said that if it would be useful they could have a van that he is no longer using... the only detail is that the van is parked in Orkney, north Scotland :-) ... and also the Hurst's said they really need a truck or something big...
so, with all this, Andrew said we could also have it for the land !!!
Wow !!! So cool !!! and the van is so cool !!! Using Miri's words here I would say this van is "soooo fucking cool !!! "
Thanks Andrew !!! you're fucking cool too :-) !!! Bless you so much !!!
We were praying for some way of transport since we came here coz it's so needed !!!
Thank you God !!! Your ways are perfect !!! You are soooo fucking cool as well !!! Eh, eh...I know you don't mind !!!


Anyway... EMMA WILL BE DRVING FROM ORKNEY AROUND THE 13TH OF AUGUST DOWN TO PORTUGAL... RIDES ARE AVAILABLE, AND SOME SUPPORT FOR PETROL IS VERY WELCOME :-)
For now I think Anne, Jonathan and Judith will be picked up in Germany or somwhere on the way...

LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED OR SHARE IF YOU KNOW WHO MIGHT BE !!!

gOod-ByEs :-/

Miri left yesterday, after around 9 months here at the land... And also Willi and Angela who were here the last month...
I'm often used to people coming and going, but this time was a bit more sad...










(here's Willi, he took one kitty from the neighboor's cat, he was so excited with it :-) )

It's a good, but sometimes sad part of community, coz we really get close to some people and it gets hard to say good bye !!!
But well...I'm here with Danika now and Anne from Dresden will come tomorrow... Also Emma will come around august, hopefully with a van full of nice friends :-)...but I'll leave that for next time ...my battery will die soon ...
Bye !!!

Mischu had kitties !!!

They were born on the 7.7.7 :-) Look at them !!! sooo beautiful...one totally white, one totally black and one with kinda green stripes...
I am so proud of Mischu :-) ... she came to show me where she had the kitties !!! I was so excited !!!




and she chose such a cool place to have her kitties...

a nice, cozy, higly protected cave... she even covered it with straw...Miri said it's my style :-) I loved it !!!

I gave a name to the white one, Pula , that's what angolans call white people :-)
the others I will ask a special friend to name them :-) my little sister Heather (Lisa 's daughter) who is now is Tanzania !!!
So Lisa, I'd like you to ask Heather to name the black one, and I'd like you to tell me what's the Massai word for "Tiger", if that would be a nice name for the stripped one... :-)

jam&wedding

Yep, I'm in Lisbon now, just came for the soooo expected wedding of Maya and Miguel :-)
For those who know them, they know what I mean... they dated for 4 and a half years till they finally stepped into this beautiful union...
It was so nice to be with them and lots of other people I haven't seen for so long...
It was a nice and relaxing wedding, with some cool surfer's traditions as they are both from that "tribe" :-)
The picture is not that great, and I usually don't like to take pictures on those ocasions...silly me...don't ask me why... but I guess it must be because I think it must be so tiring for them to have always someone taking pictures of them all the time ...
GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR NEW LIFE TOGETHER MAYA AND MIGUEL...

I took some nice peach and plum jam that Danica made the day before... they're delicious I have to say !!!