Monday, February 25, 2013

The Varzea is a green and pleasant land - we've had  perfect mix of rain and sun so far this winter.  Look closely and you will see the lush areas where the swales - that's ditches hugging the contours and planted with legumes and grass - are bringing back the fertility and water-retention of the hillside soil.


Last week I finished tree plantings:  prepare the hole, plant the tree, mulch the tree, wish the tree bon-voyage.....   another 26 nespereiras - that's loquats to most people, or Eriobotria japonica if you like the latin.  Unusually, they love the heavy clay our hillsides are made of, and make juicy sweet fruits for eating, and fermenting and distilling!   They are all over the place - but here's one...


...on the green green swales.    Brings the total plantings for this winter to 92: mostly almonds, plums, walnuts and loquats, with one or two citrus and figs too.

Oh yes, by the way, we also get out once in a while - here we are on the beach....  myself and Megan, with Jenny and son Onyx, on a breezy day at Monte Clérigo.....





Meanwhile Kris (that's my wife, the other half of Chris and Kris) has had a freak accident with here injury-prone left foot, and can't get out much, but here's a pic of her, smiling through adversity, on a good evening in the tipi, a send-off night for our guests, a brilliant family, Andy, Hannah, and Rufus (13), Quinn (9), Django (5) and kamikasi Sonny (1 and a 1/2) - apologies to them for the dodgy photo - they are lovely cheerful people, honest! - but it's the best I have.  Andy and Hannah are in charge of litter-recycling at Glastonbury festival, as well as many others.


Finally....  we now have announced the dates of our late summer Permaculture Design Course here at the Várzea, which is:  September 2 - 14 -  that's starting on Monday, 2nd, and finishing on Saturday the next week.  And we will be welcoming back, to teach the course, our old friend and legendary teacher, Lesley Martin, coming out of semi-retirement to run her 7th PDC here.