Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Pass the rubber gloves …
Many times over the past years I’ve marvelled at how much life has changed since coming to Casalinho. Sitting at my office desk ten years ago, the idea of pulling on the rubber gloves and sticking my hand up a goat to assist her giving birth would have been pretty alien, but that’s what I found more »
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Gift idea – and help us build a windbreak!
We’re planning a windbreak and privacy screen along the road. With our neighbour having clear felled his forest in the summer and the ‘improved’ road being higher than the level of our land this is becoming increasingly urgent. So what to choose? We’ve decided that the bulk of the hedge will be medronha (Arbutus unedo more »
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A Visitor’s Perspective: Laura
This is the first in a new series of posts where we ask one of our volunteers or visitors to say a few words. A Visitor’s Perspective: Laura I have just returned from my third trip to Casalinho, I planned this visit after finishing my Masters degree and feeling that I was expending much more »
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Les Scouts de Stembert in the Community
You could be excused for thinking, having read my last post, that the recent Scout camp at Casalinho was one big round of sunbathing and swimming. Well a lot of that did go on, but a lot of hard work too! The Scouts de Stembert, all the way from Belgium, were kind enough to donate more »
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Les Scouts de Stembert at Casalinho
It’s hard to find time and quiet to write this blog these days. So much going on here. Just recently we’ve hosted the first of this summer’s Permaculture Design Courses, more on that in future posts, and following that we’ve been joined by another Scout group for their annual camp. This group were from Stembert, more »
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New Year
So the wrapping paper has been composted, the duck bones have been boiled for every scrap of broth, we’ve baked cookies on the hobo stove and we’ve enjoyed many good times with our wonderful volunteers Jennifer, Brandon and Ste. I guess that means the festivities are over for another year. On Christmas Eve we more »
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Powerdown Blogging
Apologies to all, the blog is probably going to take a back seat now for the darker months. We’re really struggling with electricity at the moment, and given the choice of cooking dinner with the light on or updating the blog, I’m afraid dinner will win every time. I’ve been developing a bit of a more »
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Ronaldo, our Billy
We’ve had a new arrival this week, Ronaldo. He’s unbelievably stinky, and he’s our new Billy goat. When a friend mentioned that she knew of a male goat seeking a new home, having been abandoned once and now unwanted, I grabbed the opportunity. Until now we’ve been borrowing the services of a Billy from goat more »
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Calendula Hand Scrub
I liberated a couple of calendula plants from a pile of builder’s rubble in the springtime. I planted them in one of our soft fruit beds, intending to save some seed and plant amongst the veggies to confuse the pests with their bright flowers. They’ve done so well that I’ve got flowers aplenty. The petals make a more »
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Making Jeropiga
Phew! The last dorna full of fermented juice has now been transferred into the last barrel. So that’s the bulk of the wine making completed for the year. We can sit back now and dream of a merry new year. There’s nothing better than a glass of your own homemade wine infront of the woodburner more »
Got any book recommendations?