Portugal
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Hi, I am a writer and holistic therapist, working with sound, music, dance, and herbs. I live with my 3 children, who are home educated. We have land in a beautiful valley, with a great community, full of inspiring people! We built a shist eco home and lived there until it was destroyed in the big Portuguese firestorm, in October, 2017. We now have caravans on our land and also have a house in the village. We have just received funding for the rebuild of our house and this is currently in the process of reconstruction. We are also building a semi-ecological outhouse with a shower room, compost loo, workshop, and potential bedroom/healing room.
I have studied permaculture and assisted with teaching courses and like to implement this knowledge, in the creation of our project. We are working towards reviving our forest style, organic vegetable and herb garden. Also this year I would like to rebirth my stock of local flower remedies. Prior to the fire, I had a project to promote flower remedies (similar to the Bach flower remedies) as a therapeutic practitioner and wholesaler. In over 2 years, I had created 40 mother tinctures of local herbs and trees and was getting ready to launch the business. Almost two and a half years on, the land has recovered well, the herbs are abundant once more, and so I wish to restart this project, all the wiser for my prior experience.
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Babysitting and creative play
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Farmstay help
Help with Eco Projects
Help around the house
Animal Care
Language practice
Art Projects
Help with Computers/ Internet
Teaching
People visiting will get to experience the beauty of the interesting community and environment in which we live. The fire storm was far reaching and 30 local people just in our close community here, like us, lost everything. All others around lost outhouses, tools sheds income, etc etc. Yet here we are, two years on and what amazing community resourcefulness has been shared. We now have a community tool store, a new and thriving alternative education project, a community carpentry workshop is in development and much more besides. In the local village we have an international peoples kitchen that serves lovely food for extremely low prices every Friday and many other community activities and events, including a monthly artisans market.
There are beautiful waterfalls at the head of our valley and other interesting natural places to visit, including the Mata de Margarca; a small nature reserve, above our valley.
I am also happy to share my skills and experience in the various things that I do, such as making tree and flower essences, healing balms, raw chocolate, colloidal silver alongside the creation of holistic dance spaces and ceremonies for earth healing. I am also involved in alternative education within the community and am a musician and poet. Of course, my availability will depend upon the timing of what priorities are present, according to the seasons and commitments that I have throughout the year.
Currently we are preparing the land; which involves clearing wood, etc to create space for the building of a tradition swet lodge. Also, I would like help with the continuation of building an outhouse; which is a bathroom, come workshop come potential bedroom, involving mixed materials; such as, adobe and cob, with a lime and sand render and back holding wall, with cement blocks. Other potential tasks on the outhouse are painting, mosaic and tiling. Also, we need help with tipi construction, including cutting and preparing poles. Using the natural material of 'Shyst' we are making a slate paving base for the tipi. Also in the garden, I would like assistance with other things including, pruning, building an irrigation and grey water system, land design, planting and general maintenance.
My 3 lovely boys, ages 9, 13 and 16 are all an integrated part of this venture and positive input with them is essential and a pleasure, as many friends tell me. General support within the day to days of the life is also very much appreciated. Help is also required for the holistic produce that I make, such as gathering and planting and preparing herbs, so this is another option, for those with interest in these areas.
English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
Portuguese: Beginner
Currently, we have 2 caravans on our land that can be used as accommodation. There are kitchen facilities and running water. We have a usable bathroom in the outhouse, with a shower, sink, bidet and compost toilet. The bathroom is fully functioning, yet there is still beautifying work to be made inside, involving tiling, lime rendering, and mosaic. There is also a small river and a natural dipping pool, at the bottom of the land. Since the fire, the land is reviving amazingly and luckily is looking quite lush again.
The area where we live flows with beautiful rivers, streams and waterfalls, offering wonderful bathing places for the heat of the summer. Luckily due to this and a very wet spring the vegetation in the valleys are mostly lush once more. Yet some of the hillsides still show the damage from the fire.
So, other things of interest.. there are a lot of musicians around and artists . There´s also a wealth of community projects happening such as ajudas (communal work days), transition town activities, alternative currency, environmental awareness, holistic living e.t.c. The village is in walking distance of our home (20 mins), with a small shop for basic provisions and a lovely open air cafe, where wifi is available. There is also a river beach and a small community venue.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
More than two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
