The rounded contours of the limestone hills of the Serra da Lousa and the thick woodland slopes of pine, eucalyptus, oak and chestnut creates a gentle quite valley with a sense of remoteness and seclusion whilst being only a 20 minute walk from the local village of Pedrogao Pequeno. The organic beauty of the region helps us stay rooted in the natural world. Spending time here, helps to heal the alienation we experience from the urban commuter lifestyles so many of us lead.

Our lifestyle here is simple. We live on fresh mountain air, clear crystal clear spring water and organically grown and harvested seasonal fruit and vegetables. At night we have the stars and moon to guide and entertain us as we have no street lights to pollute the darkness. Owls calling are our constant companions.  We enjoy the simple pleasures of cooking with wood and carrying water and are not seduced by the shiny gadgets of consumerism.  As each day passes, we try to remove clutter from our lives to free up time to enjoy the wealth that nature provides for us. We share our space with many other species of wild birds, foxes and the occasional wild pigs, eagles and red-tailed kites soar overhead.

The winter months here are dramatic and beautiful, marked by anti-cyclonic weather systems sitting around us from November to February bring us deep blue skies and warm winter sun as well as heavy torrential rain and strong winds driven in from the Atlantic. We frequently wake up above the mist in the valley in what feels truly alpine with the fresh perfume of pine and eucalyptus in the air.      Although the winter days can be warm, the nights can be very cold and a good stock of fire wood and efficient stoves ensure enough comfort. February the weather usually changes creating the hardest and wettest month in terms of cold and grey days.

Spring brings a burst of flowers and fragrances, as wild herbs and fruit trees blossom with the lengthening of the days and the growing warmth of the spring sun. We have a small apiary of honey bees and they begin their work in earnest whilst the migratory birds make themselves known once again. Last year we had several months of night time serenading from a family of nightingales and the early call of the cuckoo tells us that summer is on its way north again.  Spring is a beautiful season when the garden begins to deliver fresh salad leaves and early wet garlic. Our water mine and spring are at their highest levels and our ram-pump gets to work pumping water up to our storage tanks and newly completed high-bed swale. Retaining water in the swale with its slow absorption release will ensure our animal feed vegetables have a good supply of water throughout the spring and into the summer. Our stream runs downwards towards the Rio Zazere, flush with the spring rain the first swim of the year is irresistible,  even if the water is still rather cold.

 

Summer comes with flowering rosmaninho, cherries, plum and peach blossom. The gardens are now beginning to overflow with produce and our goats and chickens have some deliciously rich pickings to choose from. The sun gets stronger and long walks in the middle of the day start to be unwise. The longer days, early morning sunshine and extended evening light make up for this. Most of the time there is a gentle breeze off the Atlantic and the shade of the trees gives respite on even the hottest day. Just six to eight minutes away is the crystal clear Rio Zazere and Cabril Lake always a strong allure on those really hot afternoons.  With the heat of August come the strongest storms of the year which tend to erupt in the late afternoon perhaps at least once a week during that month. With the crashing of thunder and the bolts of lightening comes the risk of forest fires. Luckily for us, Portugal prides itself in its talented and dedicated fire service whose worldwide reputation is justly deserved. Our local station is well equipped and offers 24/7 surveillance and response to any threat. Sudden storms can turn every path and track into a turbulent torrent of silt, fallen branches and leaves rushing down towards the river.

Autumn arrives slowly and then seems to be with us for a long time. Everything seems to ripen at the same time so we are always busy conserving, salting and bottling our abundance.  We hope for gentle rains to saturate the ground after the long dry summer, too much rain, too quickly just runs straight off taking with it valuable topsoil and nutrients. The gullies cut and cleaned during the summer now direct the water towards the swales where it will be held up by rotting organic matter to supply moisture and nutrients over the spring and summer months ahead. The rockrose that is so abundant here now comes into bloom together with the nispero trees giving the bees and insects some late nectar and pollen stores for the winter months ahead. The owls return from their summer holidays to roost and hunt in the woods and adjacent farmland and with so many abandoned ruins dotting the landscape there are plenty of places to roost out of the wind and rains of autumn and winter. Every-so-often late at night we can hear the rooting and squealing of the wild pigs as they forage the acorns and chestnuts in the surrounding woods and down in our meadow below the house and yurts.  

We are trying to implement sustainable living systems in our approach, learning to apply permaculture and bio-dynamic principles where we can.    Almost all of our power here is generated through renewable sources. We have a medium sized solar energy system to supply our hot water and we use solar powered lights in our three yurts. The house and cottage is connected to the grid but we have opted for the green tariff that draws our energy from the wind turbines and hydro-electric system.  In future we are looking to switch over to a due system and integrate a 12-volt solar unit for our basic electrical needs. In winter all our living spaces are heated with wood burning stoves. We have a general policy of cutting our wood sustainably and working with a local woodsman Jose Paulo Antunes Fernandes whose policy is to cut fast growing eucalyptus and mimosa and replant with indigenous chestnut, oak and sycamore.  We have so far planted forty-eight different fruit trees to compliment those we inherited when we purchased Fonte de Baixo back in 2008.  Our aim is to try and purchase some more land gradually working towards more and more self-reliance in food and fuel.

We are developing in a slow organic fashion, keen not to rush ahead, we did that when we first arrived but now we have the opportunity to slow down and study our land and its beauty in leisure. Finding the balance between convenience and simple living is not easy and there are never plain simple answers. Finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint - reduce our consumption and provide a warm and rewarding place to live and work is our long term aim.  We want Fonte de Baixo to grow out of needs, not a grand master plan towards greater efficiency just for the sake of it. We believe it is very healthy at both the physical and spiritual levels to have a reasonable amount of time dedicated to the simple tasks that are essential for life. These tasks connect us to the land in both a physical and spiritual dimension and to the basic rhythms of life.