sUmMeR tiMe...

It has been a really hot summer... one of my excuses not to write so often on my blog... it's really discouraging to write during siesta when it's too hot (that´s why siesta is practiced here), or in the evenings when I'm basically exhausted...

I just wanted to catch up with the last month before I have another bunch of things to share...
After my time in the USA I had lots of work to do here... mainly cutting grass to prepare the camping area for the permaculture course participants, and to open up the walking paths... I will use the same cuttings to mulch most of the trees...
I had lovely visits who helped me with that...

while Lyna was in Germany, visiting friends and going to the Freakstock Festival
Ulli, my "butterfly" sister from Germany, just passed by for a few but very full days...it's always nice to see her... chat about life, praying, and this time working together...

I also thought it was the right time for me to get a petrol strimmer... what a great help... it was already worth the investment as at this stage the land needs to build up soil, so the more I chop and drop, the better... it´s also very helpful with the brambles that are thicker and with the hand scythe it would take me forever...

I had a very short visit from Cate, whom I only knew by e.mail through Eric, an american rainbow brother... Cate lives between India and Israel, in different seasons  depending on the monsoon or the next rainbow gathering...
Not so long after she left, Miriam (who actually lives in the same community in India with Cate) came to spend a couple of weeks... it was such a lovely time... we had so many nice conversations... I received so much wisdom from her... It's a pleasure and a refreshment for me to be with older people... she is such a sweet and gentle spirit... I'm really thankful for the time she spent here... And by the way, the work you see around the orange trees in the first picture was done by her... while I was busy building the new compost toilet... and another investment, besides the wood, I also got myself a smaller and handier Chain saw... it does help!!! and it's going to be easy to cut wood for the winter now ...

Miriam also taught me some new worship songs that I'm practicing in my guitar... I'm particularly pleased with Indian Bhajans...
she left just the day before our 3rd Permaculture Design course (PDC) would start... I had 15 participants coming, plus Lesley, of course, the teacher... you can check here if you wanna read some more about it...

9 days hosting and hanging out with a nice group of like-minded people, but also a week of hard but pleasant work, cooking, collecting drinking water, filling the water tanks for the kitchen and bath house, etc... (I was on my own because Lyna went to Andrea and Zven´s wedding in Switzerland... Congratulations to you two !!!!!!! Many Blessings !!!

I was exhausted at the end, besides getting a flu, but I was content and I really enjoyed meeting each one who came...
everyone left on sunday, the 5th of September, and after that I had a few more visits...

Frauke and Dominik, with their 2 beautiful daughters... they were here for the first few months, 4 years ago, and Dhana, the oldest, was born in Castelo Branco Hospital... I was not in my best condition, but it was still nice to see them...

After them, other friends came over...they were here last year too (and friends for a while since I was in Lisbon), Carlie, Dane and Jilli (now married too, as they got engaged on our first PDC...) with some of their friends Mike, Nate and Becky with their 3 kids... it was such a lovely time...
Emma also came for a nice but very short visit for a week... she just left last tuesday... 

Now it's me and Lyna again... no more visits soon as far as I know... I do need a break now...I keep working on the compost toilet and Lyna keeps organizing her stuff... Nolan is now in the nursery school in Alpedrinha and he seems to be enjoying it...


That's all for now... sorry that I don't have many pictures, but I've been forgetting to take them...

Oh, how could I forget ?!!!!
we do have one more visit, that hopefully will stay many many years...
Simba !!! that's his/her name (still not sure about gender... it´s not so clear with cats)

s/he is a sweet and very active one... definitely brings a lot of entertainment ... and s/he is also our kitchen guardian...
It was so nice... I have been thinking and speaking about getting a cat to solve our mice "problem" in the kitchen, and when I went to pick up Emma, we decided to go out for a meal, and ended up in a place we've never been before because the restaurant we wanted to go to was closed... so, as soon as we parked and Emma opened the door, there s/he was, crying like a big dramatic one... I immediately knew s/he was coming back with us, but we did have to consider if it would be the best option at this moment, so we went for dinner and we would decide if she was still there crying

When we finished our meal and went back to the car, she was still there and we felt she wanted to come with us...

The Restaurant was called Leão (Lion in English), therefore the name "Simba"

 I'm glad Simba is here with us !!! I was afraid that Muxima wouldn't cope with it as well, but so far , so good... Simba is really brave and doesn't bother much with the dogs...
Welcome Simba !!!
S/he is really funny, and of course, like all cats, very curious... but s/he didn't learn yet that she should check it out before jumping straight into a bucket with liquids... it was borax!

yes, s/he did it !!! this was taken after a shower... the bucket was full of "Borax" that I was using the treat the wood for the compost toilet...  Thank God there was no sign of side effects...