A brief update on things we’ve been doing during what is now known fondly as ‘pup gate’ while the boy wonder was yet to return we did manage to try and keep some normality to life and though trips were short as we weren’t sure when / if he would come home we made it out to look at the castle next to where we are house sitting Castelo Novo (New Castle) which is a stunning ruin with a visitor centre that doesn’t seem out of keeping and yet is modern, it’s rusty coloured exterior and granite coloured walkways mean it blends in beautifully with the hillside surrounding it. We decided to head on up after dinner one evening just before sunset, the views were stunning and Tom loved running and jumping on the rocks and parts of the ruin, typical Portuguese health and safety meant long drops were unsecured and low open window spaces with nothing to stop 5 years olds having a go and jumping through them despite being heigh enough to make you dizzy, of course, he loved it! Photos of the views from the top are below.
We also today visited the Serra Da Estrela Mountains and Glacial Valley, only 35 minute drive from where we are staying to the top, absolutely stunning views and scenery, and a much welcomed coolness on a hot day, today was around 36 probably higher in the hotter part of the day, up in the mountains it was only 21 which was lovely, we stopped for a picnic in the shade of the huge pine trees, and (as seems to always be the way in Portugal) hardly any other people to be found anywhere despite it being the weekend and much cooler up there, a few cars only every now and then, and barely any people during the whole beautiful drive, we forgot to take the camera, below are some not so good pics from my phone, still you get the idea. When the snow comes we will be able to go tobogganing and skiing there, and next week we will hopefully be joining some friends who know a great swimming spot in the river too. The water is incredibly clear and clean, as the mountains boast the source for a few major rivers in Portugal it’s one of the few places where you can be near enough the source to safely drink the river water. All the way along the winding road up, up, up you pass fonts with beautiful, pure water flowing out of them, and about halfway around the circuit there is a thermal spring too, when the weather cools we will definitely be visiting this! Surprisingly for a mountain range which only has a short spell of true snowy weather the houses and villages you pass look every bit the way you’d hope them too, sweet little cosy looking houses nestled into the sides of the mountains, peeping out through the trees with cute wooden shutters on every window and wood piles almost as hight as the roof ready for the cold weather. We are hoping next year or the year after we will buy a small patch maybe 1/2 an acre or so in the mountains, just enough room to camp for a short while in summer when it gets too hot and with room to graze the horses so we can take them with us and ride and mountain bike and explore, maybe in time there will be space to add a log cabin so we and friends can go and stay in the winter, would love to be able to have Yuletimes there with the snow falling, how romantic, and to be able to guarantee a white Xmas! It all sounds too good to not try and do!
This week we’ve also managed to make a tipi and get it posted to the UK, am in the middle of making one more which leaves next Tuesday and then we can focus fully on the plans for the build on the farm! Some very exciting ideas coming to the fore, to be updates soon!
This coming week we will be starting to get camp set up at the farm, ready for our move there in another week or so, we need to get fencing up for the horses, clear the track so we can drive onto the fields and we will also be starting to build a chicken tractor for some hens which we plan to purchase once we are living there, all possible thanks to the kind monthly donations from a lovely lady who supports Enchanted Acres. The point of the chicken tractor and hens is to start building soil up, thanks to incessant ploughing so much soil has been lost, the soil erosion is glaring and horrifying, much as it is across so many countries now, we hope to start replacing and rebuilding it ASAP, and the chickens will be the first part of this plan.
Tomorrow we are off to Fundao which is about 20 mins from here to meet up with friends and a group of people we don’t yet know to discuss home school ideas, there are some really exciting developments spanning an area of 35k around where our farm is, including some portuguese families who wish to home educate too, its exciting to be at the beginning of such a movement, especially in a country like Portugal, this is all really a big deal, and for us it really means we can have a great input to the shaping of it. Currently we are considering having home ed ‘centres’ each one being a centre which is specific to the skills of the people who run it, yoga, dance, music, art, language, book groups, growing food, so many things. In time Andy and I hope we can offer space at the Enchanted Acres for a regular home ed group, though there is much more to come of all of this yet, its only early days, but updates will follow as soon as we know more. All in all very exciting times, so, so much to be grateful for, such a lot to look ahead too and strong feeling lingering in the air that things are just going to get better! Bring it on!
Castelo Novo
Serra Da Estrela
a.tipical.day 