The first thing we notice is how hard the land was strimmed: a proper 'short back & sides'! We haven't had any kind of control over the land like that, since!
It is amazing to see the land through our fresh eyes at the beginning, and to feel how strongly it immediately called us. That is reassuring.
As is the amount of work we've done; the quantity of nutriment that we have returned to the land; the places in which we've tweaked, built up, made harmonious.
first fitting of the bedsheet dress that I'm working on
I remember my first impression - falling in love with the tight, winding, wild, sweet track that led us to the land: being escorted by the previous owner, Raffaele - bumping along like excited children going to a birthday party. Trying to take in every tree, curve, rock, flower - wanting to be able to find our way back there!
My very first thought when we arrived at the casetta was "Aww, if only it was the other, cuter, stone cottage next door!" Yes - the one that we're currently trying our best to renovate (with zero budget and some very old tools)!
It is working out incredibly, magically, fortuitously and beauty-fully. We are tired often, but less full-burn-out than in our previous lives! We feel all The Feels. We're returning to natural rhythms and natural wealth, we have more tanned skin and more muscled bodies (okay: Vincent does!), a better immune system, thicker hair, a more stable digestive system, a calmer demeanour (for the most part; I haven't lost my very Scottish habit of yelling at inanimate objects when they don't behave how I want them to).
It is a day to celebrate: we bought meat! I cooked a glorious mince 'n' tatties dish - absolutely perfect, even if it is too hot for hot meals, but a wonderfully heavy, rich dish to prep us for the next hay-heaving (or hand-sewing) session.
vincent looking up at the caper which I just planted in the wall
Tonight we'll have an early rest in our tent - we're up at 5 am these days - and will reflect some more on what we've achieved: we are still rather far from self-sufficiency, but a whole lot closer to it than we were last year.
This weekend I have two meetings nearby - our women's circle, talking about gift economy (a subject that I proposed this time), and a meeting about autonomy in food production... We're getting more connected every week, with the kind of good folks that also want to cocreate the New Earth. Life is expanding exponentially!
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