013. The Letter F

2 May

A much belated entry, owing to the fact that there’s been an awful lot on, and at the weekend I was so stressed I could barely form words at certain points, let alone sentences (family concerns at home; the first F).

Our last week formally off-grid coincided with a frío (cold) and wet snap in the region; great for the plants, less great for us. Effing frío at some points actually, and thematically.

In terms of graft, we mulched, dug, chopped, lifted and walked. We’ve learnt about looking after saplings, heard the ins and outs of the land-buying processes in Spain, heaved rocks for dry stone walls and been taught the subtleties of effective guttering. We also had a walk-through of Julie and Simone’s rain database, and the importance (and practicalities) of keeping water in the soil.

And lest I forget! The big F! The foundations! The tank men arrived……and reportedly declared the foundations some of the most level they’d ever encountered. We’re not sure if this is the truth or whether J and S were being sweet to us due to the blood, sweat and tears shed on that site, but seeing the tanks in place (and staying in place) was hugely gratifying. A hopeful 50,000 more litres to act as water reserves for the land, and people on it.

In and amongst the stresses of the weekend, we met some very nice Finns - friends of J & S, GPs who also live off-grid, and were visiting for cake, a chat, a walk with the dogs, and to catch up on TV with Julie. Who knew? No running water, but reality shows remain King.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the week - we found a finca we might’ve fallen hard for. 6 hectares of overgrown jungle, with terraces, former grazing pastures, brambles everywhere, a goat cave and your very own cliff faces. As it’s a valley (technically, a barranca) the land holds more water - there are mature almond, olive, walnut, and cherry trees, wild fennel, lavender and rosemary, and compared to the surroundings it is GREEN. We’ve visited four times now. Watch this space.

I write this now, back on-grid, from Peníscola, a coastal town where - apparently - Game of Thrones was filmed. We’re staying in the Old Town for a few days of rest and recuperation (and work and laundry) before heading onwards to Valencia. The Old Town is very pretty but our AirBnB is a bust - no wifi, and towels and sheets cost extra. Should’ve checked the fine print.

¡Luego!