BTW: This mail can be forwarded to interested people
Dear all, we have now almost completed the first 10 weeks with the new plot. The main paths have already been cleared with the trimmer and we have identified the first platforms. Then we widened some of the paths and created a new access and we completely cleared a flat area of bushes that were more than a man's height. We also had a small basin built, which is slowly filling up with groundwater. The current and hopefully future rain showers will fill it even more. Here you can see a video of the cleaning work: https://youtu.be/BPpjrwzxbYU We have prepared the construction of a wooden hut on the cleared area and are now waiting for the delivery. As this is not expected until the end of February, we have taken some time off and will be back on site at the beginning of March. Unfortunately, we are now receiving enquiries from newsletter recipients who want to come and visit us. We would love to introduce you to the site, but our return is planned for the afternoon of 10 April. Maybe friends who want to join us and are already on the site can show you around. In any case, it's better to wait until after 10 March, then you'll get first-class information at first hand. What comes next: We now want to build some small huts as quickly as possible so that we can also accommodate friends of the project and WorkAwayers and Woofers. The winter weather here in Portugal is pleasant. After a three-week period of rain, which the soil desperately needed, the sun was now shining almost every day and we had daytime temperatures between 17 and 19 degrees. They can still go down to 15° during the day and to 3° at night. Sabine and I and our new acquisition "Lucy", a border collie born on 22 August, are living right next to the property with a neighbour during this time, where we can also store some of our things. A small bathhouse with a shower and toilet helps us to survive until the warm summer. But due to the altitude and the westerly winds from the Atlantic, it doesn't actually get very cold on land. In the valley, on the other hand, there could be frosts. We will now also think about what we want to grow and what support we need and can get for it. The space is good for tropical fruits and maybe we will grow some of them. We have already bought a lemon, lime, orange and persimmon tree each and they are waiting to be planted. But first we need to build some places where people can live in. These will be cob houses and a neighbour already instructed me how to build them. And the we have friends like Stéphane who are really experienced in building with mud and straw. We are also already working on how to channel the water, which is available in large quantities, later creating an extra pond (also for swimming) by damming up the small stream that runs through the land. And we will install connections to the springs so that we will have good spring water to drink. Electricity is nearby and we already asked for connection. But this might take some time. And when spring arrives, we will be able to think about the other installations such as community rooms and other huts, tree houses or hobbit houses. Perhaps there will already be some of you who want to actively participate.
All the best, Sabine and Tom
A word about „community“:
We will be different in a certain way from other groups that call themselves a community. In principle, anyone can become a member. However, it is important that every potential member joins the "community building process" so that we can become a "true community". A true community consists of members being able to drop their masks and communicate from soul to soul. The goals of the community must come first for everyone and then comes the individual. Everyone will have their own place where they can withdraw and do their own thing, but when it comes to moving the community forward, it must be ensured that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Then there will be no differences between them. There are now a lot of groups in the Alentejo that call themselves a community. However, we hear of a lot of disputes between them and a high level of fluctuation. We want to improve this with the "community-building work", the "we process" (this is the name that the "Schloss Tempelhof" community has given to their way to form a community). We want every member to commit to taking part in it. It's about being able to be open and vulnerable, to bare your soul, so to speak, and communicate in an open way. It’s all about „epigenetics“: We all have traumatic experiences in our DNA, which we have either experienced ourselves or inherited from our parents or grandparents. In Europe for instance, we have had to experience two world wars and people have experienced a lot of negative things during this time. These injuries manifest themselves in fears, projections and other psychological changes that only allow some people to show themselves with a mask. The mask is how they want to see themselves or be seen. They only show an ideal image of themselves that does not correspond to them. This mask prevents others from communicating with the person's real self. However, this must be guaranteed in a community. We will actively work to ensure that all members can show themselves in their undisguised form and that the goals of the community are always at the forefront of our thinking. This will be the first priority for all of us.
