Oshosgarden's Blog

We were worried why this tree did not get a single leaf and it came as no surprise when our biólogo determined it’s death, probably already for several years. As we had more business to do in town we used the opportunity to look around in a hardware store and came home with a new toy. I want everyone to stay in one piece so don’t play with it, unless you are as careful as Sugit about studying the instruction book before touching this electric chainsaw.

Vila Nova de Milfontes is the residence of our accountant and also of Agrónoma engineers Bruno and Teresa. After being briefed about Portuguese accountancy yesterday we visited their garden centre to select some fruit trees and berry bushes and today Latifa is planting our new fig trees and plum,  pear, peach, apple, lemon, kiwi, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and more.

Leaving our land in southerly direction it is less than 10 km to the studio of Nazca Music and the house of Nartan and Harida. Appropriately for a visit to musicians we were singing like schoolchildren going there and again when we left a few hours later, after listening to his music in the well equipped studio. Don’t miss their OSHO festival in June: http://oshofestivalportugal.com/

Today Pembodhi from Maravilhas came visiting us with Navino and Mahadevi. After sampling my freshly baked apple pie they wanted to see The Land so we boarded O+ and off we went. After crossing through several rivers we arrived at this big Sobreiro (Cork Oak) and the woman formerly known as Kancha showered her affection once more on a beautiful being, this time hugging a tree for a change…

I used fragments of a former design by Alok Kumar (aka Bruno), our Graphics Designer to illustrate our mailbox but during his visit today he told us of a new logo in the making. Meanwhile he and our italian friend Davide helped us transplanting some portuguese bamboo from the riverside to Basho’s newly extended pond. We use local plants to protect our new waterways, they belong here and are abundantly available, by shovel and wheelbarrow.

Today more digging in the garden to provide for drainage, create a large pond and level the ground behind the house where we want to put up a big tent. Meanwhile our Cooperativa Agrícola received the Certidão Permanente, an official registration enabling to open a bank account and do business. Also the increase of the electric power was approved and yesterday Bruno came to connect it.

Today I recorded the sight and sound of the rapids in the Ribeira de Telhares behind our house and uploaded the video on YouTube. I enjoy the sound of water so much and especially in this secluded spot surrounded by a curtain of greenery even above, and I can imagine you might want to share in this meditative experience. Search for Telhares on YouTube or copy this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx3dS8I6FLs

Yesterday I went to look at a caravan in Evora, an area better known for its examples of megalithic culture, particulary the stone circle of Almendres. Since it was Easter Sunday it was fitting that Miguel’s caravan that we took over has a bit of an egg-shaped body. Back just in time for the Evening meeting, Oshomobile Plus (also known as Oddjob) parked his new egg next to his earlier trophy in our RV park.

My first Permaculture experience was a course with Sepp Holzer, organised by Tamera, an Eco-village with around 200 members in the same county (Odemira) where we are. They are also experimenting with water landscapes and solar energy projects and today we went to visit them on invitation of Silke, a landscape architect and Permaculturist who has lived there for the last 6 years. Contrary to the roads around the place which have suffered bad erosion like everywhere this winter, Tamera’s ecosystem just keeps getting more healthy and beautiful all the time and small rivers were flowing all over the place. We thank them for their hospitality and the opportunity to look around, learn from their experience and hear their stories.

Finally living up to our name. Started yesterday to prepare one corner of the big field and now the potatoes are in the ground, sunflower seeds, corn, peas and beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, carrots, leek, cabbage. And watermelon, sugar melon. Just a beginning. Feeling like real farmers now. In the early mornings it’s still freezing, but in the daytime it feels like summer.