Quintinhadalua

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We are documenting our journey; moving from Central London to Freixo do Meio (Alentejo) in Portugal, going off-grid whilst trying to integrate regenerative living with a modern lifestyle.

29/12/2025

We will be completely off the grid and able to look after ourselves very soon. To us, it sounds nice and romantic. But it’s easy to forget that the journey there is not always easy. For example, going around the 60 metres of the house with a ladder to do something every 3-4 metres isn’t a big job; doing so on uneven ground where you have to put pieces of wood underneath one or both sides and test it out every time becomes very annoying very quickly.

Also, we have a 3,500-litre water tank that we still have to fill by hand. This means borrowing a tank, going to the local well (which is 5 minutes away) and filling up the 1000 litre tank. We are lucky that the people at TTT are so kind. They lend
us their tank and pump. One full run takes 40 minutes and there is no need to rush. One tank lasts for about two months.

We still need to make our borehole work for its money and then we can fill the tank with our solar-powered pump. This is another example of how I like machines and things that people have made, especially when living off-grid.

20/12/2025

At first, we had planned to build a 3x3m ‘working kitchen’ for me. It was meant to store food and for me to experiment with fermentation and make a mess now and again. We even had a window put in.

However, once we had finished doing the inside of the house, we really liked the big, open living room. The idea of using up a large part of the 8x5m was no longer appealing. I settled for a 3-metre-wide space. It is still the place where we store most of our food and have all the electrical kitchen appliances; they are useful but not very attractive.

Bernd helped us with the drawers. We didn’t spend money on expensive drawer slides, but we did what he suggested and used wooden strips that you apply soap to once a year. If you have old cabinets you will know what we mean. We immediately loved the simplicity.

When everything is finished, we will think about how to cover the front. We can decide that once the room is done. We know the best solution will come to us.

One of the great insights of getting older is that you understand you don’t need to force everything. Things will happen and usually for a reason.

Building this working kitchen was a great way of experimenting and trying out different techniques. Next, we will build the open kitchen, which will be part of the living room. We’ve done all the planning, and I can’t wait to get started!

07/12/2025

Now that we can declutter by moving a lot of our stuff out of the yurt, it is becoming a very charming place again. The fireplace heats up the 19m2 room quickly. But I think I went a bit too far the other day when it was quite cold outside. It was nice and cozy though 🫣

05/12/2025

We had our first lunch on our main terrace. It’s the path that starts in the main room (the kitchen) and goes through the living room, all the way to our special cork oak tree, which we named ‘Tom’.

We have 4 decks in total (5, if you count the one in front of the yurt). We went a bit overbord. However, we experience an average of over 300 sunny days a year, with an annual total of over 3,000 hours of sunshine. In July, the sun shines for almost 12 hours a day (on average). In January, it only shines for about 6 hours a day (on average).

I guess we will be able to have more lunches here in future. I’m so excited!

03/12/2025

We’ve had lots of jobs to do recently. They were boring and not worth posting about. For example, we had to get rid of all the rubbish. We also had to protect the wood we have left and store it under the house. And we had to tidy up.

But now we’re focusing all our attention on the inside. We are on our own right now, and the dressing room is the first room that we both created from start to finish. It was a great job, and we are both happy with how much space it has. We don’t know if the shelves still need special wooden boxes and doors that are made to fit them. Not for now. We want to grow the house naturally and see what we really want and need. The basics are here now. I can’t wait to move all our clothes in from the container and be able to find my winter socks again!

28/11/2025

We are busy with everything that is going on and happy to be working inside the house now.

However, when a friend is in need because some dead trees can cause damage to her outbuildings, it is time to take a break from Quintinha da Lua and help.

After all, we have moved to a part of the world where people are truly happy to help and support each other. We are pleased to be a vital part of this community.

In the line of this spirit I cut the trees in a way that one can become a seat and the other the base for a table. A great way of getting people together; a meaningful legacy.

27/11/2025

We are in full season. Pomegranates originated in the region from modern-day Iran to the Himalayas in northern India. They have been cultivated for more than 4000 years.

These “superfruits” belong to the berry family, can live for over 200 years, and are rich in antioxidants, vitamins like C and K, and minerals.

The word “grenade” is derived from the French word for pomegranate, as the first hand-cast grenades were similar in shape.

What I love most about them is that the fruits turn into the perfect bird feeders. A single fruit can contain over 1,000 seeds, called arils. Fly away, fly away, fly away…

21/11/2025

We bought our water-heat pump a few months back. The box was so big it had to be parked outside and I didn’t think twice about it because it was tightly boxed in. When unpacking I found the nests in the styrofoam. It turns out they are from a Auplopus carbonarius, a spider-hunting wasp which is native to Portugal. Happy hunting 🕷️

16/11/2025

When you live on 19m2 for half a year, starting in the rain, followed but 40+ heat and then end in the rain again, work everyday on trying to figure out how to build your dream home whilst having to make a living with corporates and enjoying life… then you get a crash course in this and it isn’t always easy. However, together we can figure it out and grow together.

12/11/2025

They say “numbers don’t lie” but someone is 🤔

05/11/2025

We just had to remove all the electrical devices from our (temporary) outdoor kitchen and wrapped it all up again. 8 hours of wind were just too much for the cover. Everything else is still in place but looks like all our structures will be put to their first test very soon.

02/11/2025

There is more and more rain which the wildlife around us desperately needs. Living in a yurt is romantic and a bit like glamping. I am up for that but when it rains it js just not my thing; especially when you get wet as soon as you step out, can’t take your shoes off before stepping on top of the deck and having to move everything in and out all the time.
Olivier aka. “Mr Manitou” and his Cameroonians to the rescue. Now we have metal sheets on top and managed to cover the lower bit with jute. All good. Now that it is all nice again we can move into the house 😂

Endereço

Herdade Do Freixo Do Meio
Foros De Vale Figueira
7050-704

Telefone

+351913979818

Website

https://freixodomeio.pt/

Notificações

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