The Wasps Have Gone
I stepped out on to my deck today, and something struck me. The words arose in my mind – “the wasps have gone”, and I said them out loud in wonder. For the past four years I have experienced a wasp invasion in and around my yurt during the summer months. Usually at...
Listening to the trees
Listening It was year ago when I was here on the land in Portugal on my own for a couple of weeks retreat time from the Solstice into the New Year, that I received the message loud and clear to start making essences from the trees, ( “with the trees” feels...
Cork Harvest
This year we harvested some cork from our forest for the first time. Cork is widely regarded as one of the most ecological and sustainable materials available. Here in the Alentejo region of Portugal (the epicentre of global cork supply), it is part of a rural...
Waiting for Rain
This is my third summer here at Monte da Vida, and the driest and hottest so far. It is now early October and we have had one proper day of rain since May. Our stream only ran for a few weeks in the spring. I read that the local reservoir has dropped to 17 percent of...