Friday November 25 th., 2011

It's been a busy Friday. Pepa and Kuba have been busy Almacen cleaning and tidying, fixing locks to the Almacenes, cleaning the outside work space, taping the North facing windows against rain, painting the inside widow in the lower room - good job as the wood had to be re-built owing to rot. Kuba has re-wooded with silicon and acrylic paint.! 
David gardening and collecting seed. 
Selene Spring Cleaning the library. 
Mihai cooking lunch and making up party play lists from our 12,000 song collection. !!. 
Now a great supper and "full tank. " 
Adios amigos. Hasta mañana.

Almacen lock up. !

 Guess what?. Both Almacenes locked up. This is a "first ever". !

This is pretty good for a "backyard" work space. !

 Rocket, Ice Lettuce, Mizuno, Ozarka, Mibuna ,Oriental Mix, Curry Parsley, Broccoli, Lettchuga Romana, Arctic King and Beetroot. Wow. !!

 Dave collecting seed from Amaranth.

The seeds of Amaranth.

A nice view of the house

Spring in Autumn. !!!

 Germination

 Succulent flowering in November

Agave and valley

Monday, November 21st., 2011

It has rained. !!!! Not much but something. Already we can see germination of the grass seeds which have been lying dormant for months. Pictures tomorrow. !

Today Felipe left for Granada. he will be back for a family Christmas here. He was a little late in leaving owing to the ever present "factor surpresa". This time it was Alie reversing into Selene's car - not much damage but delaying.

Mihai and Selene drove Felipe to Almeria as they missed the Sorbas bus.

Kuba and Pepa have finished "yessoing" the little room.

I have been doing a mega clean of the big room.

Irish Dave and Mihai have been planting beans, and Dave has also been working on the huerta.

Two pictures taken from Casa De La Realidad about an hour ago. !

On Nov. 18th, the active region hurled a bright CME toward Venus, and on Nov. 19th it produced the following eruption, recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory: So far, Earth has been unaffected by the action of this sunspot group, but this could change as the region turns toward our planet in the days ahead.

Saturday, November 19th., 2011

I guess the first news is that Dashinka gave birth to 10 puppies last night. Quite a lot. !!

Selene came back from Madrid today. She says it was cold and wet up there. Here it is still fairly warm and we are forecast rain for tonight and tomorrow. GREAT. We have had no "meaningful" rain for more than 6 months. !!

All is well and the "vibe" quiet. !!

Dashinka Friday night and Saturday Morning. !

 Puppies Inside Dashinka,  Friday night.

Puppies Outside Dashinka. Saturday morning. !

Flowers

Here we are, Mid November and beautiful flowers in the garden. !

David and Mihai planting seeds for broccoli, oriental salads, 4 types, parsley, lettuce, and beetroot.

Dave and Mihai on a weeding mission. !

Tuesday, 8th., November 15th., 2011

I went down to Almeria today with Frank and Irish Dave. We picked up Frank's amplifier after 3 years in the repair shop. This is Almeria. !

We then bought guitar strings, health foods, tools for the garden, a new chain for the chain saw and then had an excellent menu del dia in Leukanaena Del Torres.

The weather is getting cooler and we are still waiting for rain. !!

The Pita Escuela. The Agave School

 Note the rounded door and the stones we left in the wall to show the old roof line. Mira's jungle mural is painted on canvas. We used old roof tiles for light shades. Tim uses this room for music making and has a "jam" sessions here every Tuesday.

 On coming through the large front door this is the first room you will enter. Note the Kakelhoven fire. The stove heats the bedroom behind, by heating air in a hollow wall. There is another "hollow wall" upstairs. The door ways were originally rectangular and smaller, and the floors were made of Yesso. Notice Tim's Agave products.

Notice the Solar reflector. It is possible to boil water on this. We have connected this house with my other house "La Casa De la Realidad", running a cable down for electricity and two lines for water, one for the hot supply, generated in the house by a hot water heater, and one for the cold supply. The house has both the "feel" and experience of a "normally" connected house, whereas the reality is that the water comes from a 9,500 litre resevoir under the Casa De la Realidad, and the electricity comes from a 2 KW, (20 Solar Photovoltaic Panels), system, set up on the roof of the Casa De la Realidad.

Monday, November 14th., 2011

A good Monday. Dave and Mihai have been working in the garden. Selene and Filipe have been shopping and water fetching, Julio has been cooking and cleaning, Pepa and Kuba have been "yessoing" and tiling, and I have been sorting a water leak in the pipework to Tim's house and then doing some strimming.

Tim is having a workshop for a few days with folk helping him in the production of Christmas products, and Sunseed are having a Permaculture Workshop.A busy village. I need to get out with my camera, though tomorrow I am off to Almeria with Frank.

The Filabres Mountains, about 1,000 meters high.

No sign of snow this year. In past years we have had snow in the Filabres in November. See Paco's wood pile and truck on the right foreground

Kuba and Pepa Yessoing.

"Spirit Boy" and "Fluffy" having a "chill out". !

Sunday, November13th., 2011

Pepa and Kuba have started preparing the bottom room for painting, also, Felipe arrived from his European travels. 
Julio is also here and has been doing some good cooking. 
Dave is in a bit of pain from his back, however we have willing helpers for the garden.

Starting in on painting the lower part of the house.

Pepa and Kuba have been removing loose plaster. !

Inside the Kakkeloffen. !

Friday November11th., 2011

OMG 11 11 11. Irish Dave has arrived and we have 5 puppies from Shanti.

The Nest

Shanti and her puppies

Wednesday, November 9th., 2011

Kuba has finished painting the big room. We have a yellow fridge door handle and a yellow front to the washing machine. We are mellow yellow. !The room looks great - really well cared for, totally, how shall we say, "up together" puts it well.

Myself and Mihai went running with dogs this morning. It's very dry out of the valley. We have had very little rain since about last May.
Shanti looks as though she will give birth to lots of puppies very soon. !!

Mihai, Selene, and Ivi.

Tortoise

Nicky

Tuesday, 8th., November

More painting, terrace building, cleaning, cooking, shopping, watering and dog feeding. Really nice weather, sunny and warm. All's well. !!

This is a picture of the Weidersbergerhorn, Alpbach in Austria.I have skiid and snowboarded and walked these mountains for many years. Not much now though. !

The source of the display was a turning of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The IMF tipped south for a while, partially cancelling Earth's north-pointing magnetic field. Solar wind entered the hole and added power to the auroras.

This picture was taken by Joseph Bradley, last night at Whitehorse, Yukon, Alaska

I found this today on Facebook, entitled "Hippy Sky".

Monday, November 7th., 2011

Last night turned into quite a party. We were joined by Anna, Chabba, Almu, and Amie. We did loads of dancing and chatting and being merry.

Today Ivi has been doing loads of cleaning, Pepa and Kuba busy terracing, Peter working in the Filabres, so all is moving along well.

Terrace creators and creation.

Sunday, November 6th., 2011

We said goodbye to loads of people and said hello to Martina from Tabernas. It's been a "chill out", Sunday. We watched Pulp Fiction this afternoon -Now we are listening to Pink Floyd and super is cooking. This evening we are Peter, Ivi, Kuba , Selene, Mihai, Martina, Cesar, Pepa, and myself. Good team. !

Selene sowing a cushion.

Fot this ttle I must say "thank you Kuba - great painting works".

Friday November 4th., 2011

As I  mentioned in my last blog, things move and change at speed. We have had a very busy time with another 7 arriving yesterday evening, on their way to Germany and France. The two Journeymen left today on their way to Cadiz and then to the Carribean. We had some rain - GREAT.  Dinner is ready so I'm going to post this.. !

Mihai and the Pineapple

The Dogs

Alan Watering the Garden

Wednesday November 2cnd., 2011

It's amazing, everyday is full. There is always loads of "stuff" going on. It's a kind of non-stop movie. Somehow it all seems "normal", from driving with Dave and Alie to the emergency hospital department in Almeria in the night, to the flow of visitors dropping in and flowing through.

Tonight a couple of "Journeymen" dropped in, fully dressed in traditional "Journeyman" costume. We have had a number through over the years. It has to be one of the last mediaeval traditions still "on the go".

Kuba has started painting the walls of the big salon, and has washed down the beams too. Muy bien. We are getting very clean and fresh looking.

More sculptures

A good workshop. !

An Agave Sculpture

Nice One. !

A Fine creation

So nice to see such happiness.