Zeberdee time!!

The suns out and there is a whiff of spring in the air

Working hard at Quinta Stuart, we have finished Casa Kiki, the eight berth dormitory which we are only going to furnish with four beds this season. The tipi has a marble floor, Cosy Cabin has new beds (and no woodburner which gives more space), Villa Ganeesha has weathered the winter well and we have fixed all the shade net over the Owl House. Lots still to do and now only five weeks until we open for the season.



A touch of Bali perhaps? Look forward to another shady terrace for the summer



Thanks to Ben for the super cool airstream roof. We will be building models of these for Outreach and The Project.


Inside Casa Kiki, set up for a honeymoon, but also can be used as an 8 bed dorm. or a classroom or yoga studio.

Time now to tidy the whole site and rebuild irrigation. As a lot of the fruit trees are now three years old, we are going to remove the individual points and just leave irrigation to the younger trees and raised beds and even then as little as possible.
We have to water save and mulching the trees, adding shade and removing poor trees seems the way - whilst most trees have rocketed, a few miserable ones deserve to be removed or replanted.



Martins Zub zub - our Polish volunteer removed the washing board and filled it with our own compost. The seedlings are a mix of wild flowers and Basil.



This years Apricot crop is going to be good!

So with plenty of volunteers, lots of enthusiasm, lots of friends, her's to a great summer! Keep watching, Stu and Owl x

Enter the Polish Trojan

Thought it might be tough to beat Ben the roofer and Sam the - magic - chef, but might have just pipped them with Martin "The Machine" Krolsky!!
Not a man who believes in coincidences, three people this week have described Quinta Stuart as a bit of a hippy retreat... great, it is our hazy lazy laid back low carbon shady snoozy woozy cheap clean economic eco hostal. With prices from 10 euros per person per night, come see at

www.ecohostalalgarve.com



Martin The Machine, constructing a thermal batch heater. After two days chain sawing, moving tonnes of compost and making drylene, this was his day off job!!



Not having the cash for a deck, we decided to raid the recycle bin for some marble. The sand came from a friends over order... still a few sacks of high energy cement though... Change from 100 euros and so cool!!



Starting to clad the insulation layer on Casa Kiki, getting a bit distracted with abstract bottle windows (photos to follow!)




It never rains around here, it just keeps pouring... 355 mms so far at Quinta Stuart this year. This was the day after The Poland Trojan left.. spent all day cooking with Jamesons...

So now back on our own, but awaiting an Irish couple in a vintage VW van. Great to see Paul, Robin, Ole, Ben and Sam at Pura Vida near Odeixe, west coast. We are going to catch up them at the free festival , central Portugal 15th April... check out www.freekuencyfestival.com for directions and line up.
Oh yes... need to promote my website and bookings for all our shelters - any ideas readers?

Life on the farm

Full steam ahead!!

Now the volunteer season has started, we have notched up a gear and hope to finish the eight person dorm within the next month.



Sam and Ben, modern day superheroes posing as volunteers. Ben is a specialist roofer who just happened to arrive as Casa kiki needed a beautiful roof. Sam is responsible for the most fantastic vegetarian food on the planet. Sadly moving on to Robins at Aljezur tomorrow!! Thanks a million guys xxx


Sam and Stuart's sourdough loaves... wow!!!!



Casa Kiki, stepfour. Main trusses on, looking good


Casa Kiki, step five, roof on - think Airstream but sexier!!




Step six, supports for the cladding and the electrics, getting there now!!

So it is progressing really well, might take a break after this project is complete. Until volunteer number three arrived..... Martin, the Polish Machine!! See next blog..

The New Human Race

Speed Capitalist

If there is time to reflect, speed becomes imperative. Internet connections or six speed gearboxes, we have to get there quickly. If I'm caught in traffic or stuck in a supermarket queue, I'm snapply, tense, gnarled. I whistle through gritted teeth. I'm addicted to a way of life. Like all addictions, the longer it goes on, the worse it gets. The joys are intermittent, the sorrow always increasing. I'm spending too much money and worker harder and longer hours to keep up so we can travel further and faster and beat the neighbours.
Wrong. And it's not me, but it was. The new WWW... world wide wrecession is giving me a bit more thinking time - think Portuguese, slower, more thinking time, more time for foraging. Whilst an unemployed pal of mine asked me to organise a ton of firewood, I have been pruning my absent landlords non blossoming Almonds and ended up with four tonnes of wood for next winter.
We need three things to survive. Box wine, water and heat. Not necessarily in that order.




Best Almond blossom for years - Owl's new tattoo!!

We have been working hard at Quinta Stuart, now firmly heading for our opening on May 1st. Singing Jacks is now finished, two compost toilets, two bathrooms and the HqO (Headquarters Owl) are now finished and we have started on Casa Paco, the eight berth Goan style dorm.


Singing Jacks, the eco toilet and shower block


Step two on Casa Paco, main supports for the floor


Step three, 1220 screws used to fix the floor boards



We used a mop and all the old tins of Cuprinol mixed in a big bucket to stain the floor in under half an hour!!

I have been out this morning and sourced enough second hand poles for the roof, and we have Sam and Ben arriving this week end to help us finish this and possibly start a small swimming pond. Bring it on!

Triple Dip

It's really a no brainer...

Regardless of government spiel, it is not a douple dip, an economic roller coaster or some Irish guys fault for building 600,000 houses too many (yes that's right, an extra house for every seventh person in Ireland.....). We are on a flat line of zero growth, zero investment, zero interest rates on savings, hidden inflation rates and new uber taxes and secret tax police (remember them from the seventies?).

Time to shine fellow humans! Time to ignore Saddam Bin Borat Obama - whilst he announces cuts to recoup their trillion dollar defeceit, remember the esteemed Americans are well into their third trillion in Iraq and Afganistan. No war no problem eh? Cheap finance, loads a money!!!




Whilst trashing the Americans, here is a good one. General Motors have announced that they will be producing the first commercial hydrogen cell powered car. Whoopee, hurah, take the day off. Take the day off and buy / download "Who killed the electric car". Any guesses? Phone a friend? The same company who ganged up with Firestone and bought up suburban rail lines to ensure you needed to buy a car?
Good old General Motors of course..



Foraging for mushrooms, wood and green compost



Villa Ganeesha, weathering the winter rains



Sooty, in winter shaggy pose



This January's almond blossom was the best for years

So lots of hard work at Quinta Stuart, Singing Jacks, the new shower block is finally finished, our new website (www.ecohostalalgarve.com) launched and a few volunteers about to arrive to get everything ready for our opening on May 1st - come and see!!

The Green Movie Season starts Saturday 4th June 2011 with the licensed screening of "Who killed the electric car" at 8pm. Relax in a Goan hammock or comfy chair in the Theatre of Dreams. Tickets are 5 euros each limited to 20 guests including a free drink. There is an honesty bar and free nibbles. Pre booking only via e mail stuartmerelie@gmail.com Check our website (www.ecohostalalgarve.com) for our full list of The Green Movie Season films and dates.

Swimming in Paradise...

New Year, same rain...

After 102mms of rain in November and 187mms in December, I think we've had enough... this time last year we were headed to Goa, this year we are staying here to get the hostal open!! We took the camper on a quick trip to Seville, Cordoba, Ourique and Silves to celebrate New Year and are now dodging showers to finish off Singin Jacks and the HqO.


Sunrise sunrise over Quinta Stuart


The HqO... Headquarters Owl, our new office at the front of Singin Jacks, our new eco loo and shower area.


Bagged this bugger spilling my drink in Seville


The overflow at Sta Clara dam... about 20cms to go!!


Villa Sheeva, step one. This will be an eight person dormitory. Used greenhouse poles sponsored by www.tipialgarve.com


New swimming pond at Quinta Stuart.... I wish!! This is a fabulous eco pool near Sta Barbara de Nexe - we will be creating something like this later this year.

From Barter to Bath

Not so far in a dictionary...

There's nothing like a wet week and a determination to get a few things done. Nearly 70mms of rain Monday to Thursday was enough to see off most landscapers but not moi. Nao n'este pas. Niete. Never. The James Bond of Landscaping will not be stopped, even by the evil rainman. Business is slow so don't get even - get inventive. I invented the green suited BARTER BOY.

Stuffed into aforesaid tight green suit, a mornings mini digging was swapped for a really big hobby table now set up in the Cheeky Chapati Cafe




Thanks E. Nice big table to hold court!!

Still with time spare in between showers on Monday afternoon, 12 free range eggs were traded for half an hours welding on the air vent of our nearly complete bread oven, bring it on!!



Tricky little job.. thanks Rick. Rick is one of those rare cookies who will weld even the smallest broken hinges or right up to a complete house full of window bars or ornate archways... ring him on 968636421. May cost more than a few eggs though..

Still not satisfied, and with my blood ceasing to circulate in my lime lycra layer (shrinks in the rain, all superheroes have there nemesis) I moved two lorry loads of tree trunks in exchange for a cooker.



Yes it's a cooker...... what did you want? A picture of Barter Boy?

Barter Boy is now retired - until the next rain...maybe
Now that I have three old baths, the second one was planted up with strawberries in my green house and the last one is being used as an experiment in capillary gardening.



A short tube with elbow is glued into the plug hole. The bottom of the bath is then filled with gravel to 5cms above this tube



The water will then stay in the bath and naturally evaporate back up watering the vegetables again. Any excess water will run through the tube attached to the plug hole avoiding stagnation.



A hundred onions later.

Now has anybody an old bath? You might be able to persuade Barter Boy to slide into his emerald zoot suit one more time...