Quinta das Abelhas

I decided back in January I needed to get away, and I mean get away, from life as I knew it. Away from my family, my house, my town, my work, my country, my language, my everything I knew.I went on the web site and looked around for some place I could go and be with the land and hopefully the sun. I came across several web sites offering help exchange and work on organic farms, this appealed right away. I liked the idea of Spain or Portugal and so wrote several emails offering help in exchange for food and stay, Sophie wrote back within two hours and said yes they could offer me two weeks at Easter. I was on my way to Portugal and a very new experience.

The Journey from home to Quinta das Abelhas was very sraightforward really with waiting times in between each stage so no stress apart from communication and wondering if was on the right train! As agreed Andy and Sophie were there waiting for me at Santa Comba dao railway station which was a relief.We arrived at Quinta das Abelhas about four o’clock, it had taken me about 18 hours from doorstep to doorstep. All the journeys added up would probably come to only half of that time the rest waiting time. If you are concerned bring a book or ipod, or if like me use the time to look and watch life in another culture.

I had come well prepared for changing weather, and was well equiped for camping. After putting up my tent and getting all ready for bed I wondered up to the terrace and enjoyed a cup of tea and sat outside overawed by the views. I have been here for over two weeks now and still several times a day I will make tea and sit down to take in the views to the distant mountains, the colours are just amazing. If you paint or draw bring your kit as you will not be dissapointed.

So thats how I came to be here at Quinta das Abelhas with Andy and Sophie, I had come for Easter break to get away from it all and here was the perfect place to get away from it all. First of all there is the compost toilet, a ‘loo with a view’to be reckoned with. Not many of these in the west midlands I thought as I sat on this throne the next morning. Not even the rain could make my first days miserable, as the showers did not last long and inbetween the sun shone and was very much warmer than when I left England. This was after all one big reason for coming here, to get some sun. On a hot day the outdoor shower or bath are fantastic, need a hot bath? then light a fire under the bath and hey presto one hot bath with the sky to look at as you lie back and relax.

During the first week it rained on and off several times a day, one minute I was in waterproofs and the next with shirt off! yes the daft english had arrived. Even Andy and Sophie were well made up for the ‘cold’ the locals never appeared to take coats off. Me I was just glad to take my shirt off and feel the sun, it was a lot warmer than England so for me it felt ok, anyway I was learning to be a ‘trencher’ with a new style of spade and a enthusiasm for getting stck in and putting UK well behind me. A few hours of graft certainly helps to leave all behind and soon the journey, home, work and England were well in the past.

Most days I have been diging trenches to help with the laying down of pipes and cables for the water system. The current one is to take several 5 litre bottles to a neighbour of Andy and Sophies to fill up for the drinking water. These neighbours are Dave and Suma who have lived here for several years now, and who I got on well with especially when I found out they enjoyed drumming and didge playing as well as chanting Prana chants, Prana were a group from nearly 20 years ago that they were part off! I bought the tapes in those early days and most family outings were spent driving to the tapes while all of us sang along.

Dave is working here also installing the electrics in the new house for Andy and Sophie. Currently I am sitting in the old house sat at the computer this house is really one room which acts as bedroom/office/sitting room/TV room. This is how hospitable this couple are, the development of the land is top priority and one day the rewards will be reaped when they have a seperate bedroom seperate office and the sitting room where the Wwoofers can be part of this family, even for just a short period of time, especially late in the evening when its time to sit and eat.

Now to this eating! I will very much recommend Andy’s cooking to all who venture here. This is organic wholesome food at its best, the daily salad is picked less than half an hour before its eaten. Andy cooks dinner every night for whoever is at home, there is always Andy and Sophie of course, but then there could be Max or Sid the boys, also their friends are often in need of feeding and then there is us of course the Wwoofers, hungary from the days work and thirsty for a glass or two of local red wine! At less than 5 euro’s(£3.50) for 5 litres even a budget holiday can accomodate the odd glass full.

When I arrived I met Raegan and Bree two young Canadian Socialists who enjoyed a whole month here and now have left to continue their european journey. We got on great and it was with them I ventured into the village and had a lovely meal of omlete and chips with some red wine at a local hostillery, we had two bottles of wine, three meals, three large cakes, three spirits to see us on our way. The bill came to 24.50 euro’s, I gave 25 euros and waved the lady back when she offered me the change. At first I thought I must have offended her as she raised her voice and spoke to the barman in an excited voice, next thing out comes the bottles of spirits and we all have another round on the house! and all this after everyone else had left.

A guy called Lester was staying at Quinta das Abelhas in the yurt as a paying guest while he looked around for some land to buy. Andy and Sophie are great help in this respect as have a lot of experience and information available, it was not long before I also got interested especially when I was told of a small parcel of land available in the village but that had no building permission. Just great for me as I have several yurts I want to live in and use alternative power. So now it looks like I am going to be joining this growing community drawn from all over Europe mixing with the local Portuguese people. Lester will also be a close neighbour as will be Conny a woman from Germany who teaches djembe and West African rhythms. I have played with them a couple of times now and can say that Conny is a very accomplished drummer, her style of teaching is good and her playing is awsome so if you are into drumming African style then spend some time with her. She also has a very beautiful place down by the river and hires out canoes, and not to forget horses if you are into learning to ride. All of this only 20/30 mins walk from Quinta das Abelhas.

Back here at Quinta das Abelhas its the day before I leave, I am winding down now writing this blog as a thankyou for a great Easter break. Tommorrow begins the return journey and after watching Newcastle the other night in the local cafe beat Sporting Lisbon, with most fans wearing gloves and hats I cant say I am looking forward to it. This last week has seen the sun shine in abundance and I have tanned very quickly so the change wont be enjoyable. I have finnished digging out the platform for the water tank, the trenches are dug for the pipes. So if you are the next Wwoofer coming here then the tank needs building the pipes laying and then there will be running water for humans animals and plants!

In saying fairwell, I knew I will be coming back so it is just for now. I recommend this place for a good break, you can design your own break with work rest or travel depending on what you need. I have enjoyed several days when I did not want to stop working as had got so engrossed in the job and was working with nature. Night time comes though and so does the need to eat. Other days I have worked less, but have gone to market with Andy and Sophie or walked around the local area.

If you are coming here and have some space for old tools, nails or screws etc that need recycling then bring them as they will be used or passed on to others who need them. Andy like his music and has a growing collection in the kitchen of tapes from just about every genre so dont throw old ones away give them a new home. Books are also a great gift as Wwoofers and family alike would make use of them. Its good to give and you will recieve a lot by coming here, its good to know people like Sophie and Andy are out there keeping old values and ways of life going. They offer you a chance to join them even for a short time, in exchange for a few hours of working on the land.

If like me a first time Wwoofer take the opportunity like I have and reap the rewards and benefits, if you are a experienced Wwoofer then you know all this anyway so continue to enjoy. All the best Rod

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sophie has been suggesting i should write a blog for months… but i’m always so busy, either working hard or playing hard to relax…
anyway, a few weeks ago my mate harry, who has kept bees before and lost his over this very cold dry winter, came over and suggested we go look for a local beekeeeper who can sell us a nucleus [small box of bees with queen]. We’d ben to visit Joao [who had been helping with our well, and had told me come in february] several times, he was never in. Harry had heard that the agricultural shop in Midoes sold bees. so we went there. They said ’sorry, no, try Fernando down the road’.
Fernando couldn’t help… such a cold dry winter the bees arent breeding. He said he’d ask his friend, and we should come back tomorrow [amanha].
When we returned, no joy. But he said he’d heard a man called Jose in Andorinha has bees for sale. Bear in mind all this communication was in portuguese… talking about bees and nucleuses, and hives etc was not simple.
I mentioned to Heinz a Swiss friend who is building for us about Andorinha and bees, and he said ‘i’ll take you’. so we went, me Heinz and Sophie, taking our car for some repairs on the way. We found Jose quite easily, having asked his wife if she knew who he was! He said come back in a couple of weeks, it was too cold to put a 5 frame brood into a 10 frame box.
So we went back after 2 weeks, me and harry. Jose said we had to come back in the evening with a hive to swap for his hive full of bees and new queen.
We did so. But we’d taken an old hive of Harry’s and Jose was having none of it! He said it was ‘infected’. He said we should come back the next day with a ‘clean’ hive.
Next day, I reluctantly turned up with a brand new brood chamber. After a ‘copo’ of red wine each, we were taken to his Quinta, and had to wait for nightfall, when all the bees would be in. After an hour plus chatting with him about his land, chickens, geese, ducks…. he called me over. While he placed a wet newspaper into the doorway of the hive, i stood and watched, trying to ignore the bees landing on my head, climbing up my sleeves, down my collar….
then we placed the hive in Harry’s car… 40 euros and my new hive… seemed a fair deal really after about a month of searching for available bees.

So, we now have bees here. I go over everyday, at least once to see if they are ok. I fed then sugar syrup initially, as the flowers weren’t out, and it was very dry & cold. But now they are well happy, expanding into another full size box above their brood chamber. Its exciting to see them so busy, and already it is obvious that our fruit trees have more activity than before. And, I now have another area of knowledge to learn…

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render, originally uploaded by pureportugal.

new render - still wet!

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shed-door, originally uploaded by pureportugal.

the new door on the new chicken shed, with my little bro who carpented it for us

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Spent all day today (after arguing about where to put it and the best way to do it) digging a big drainage ditch behind the house, after our room has flooded again in the recent rains.

And lots has been going on since the last blog entry: my brother & his girlfriend came to stay for a week which was great and we’re hoping he’ll come back and stay for longer in the summer. He made us a fantastic door for the chicken shed - which our last wwoofers, Reagan & Bree built along with Lester (who’s been staying here whilst looking for & buying land).

The new house has a roof and has been rendered, and the electrics are almost in.

The gardens have been growing incredibly fast since the rain, and i’ve planted onions, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflowers, sweet peas and transplanted my asparagus.

Reagan and Bree have destroyed a huge patch of couch grass for which I will be eternally grateful. The boys have planted 4 sacks of potatoes into trenches which andy dug on the ‘other side’ of the quinta on terraces that we got the tractor man in to plough.

Well, that’s it for my quick update. Will ask Rod, our new wwoofer, if he wants to write something here. He’s a star and has been digging trenches for most of his time here, for pipes coming from the well to a water tank and then down to the house - we’ll soon have plumbed in water. Water that comes out of a tap. Such luxury!!! And I have plans for a washing machine, yes, oh yes, yes.

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