I have been super busy these last few weeks, since I moved onto the land. Making the place more like home. It feels so good to have space to be creative and although I still have some work to do, I wanted to share what I have done so far. If you read the post I wrote when I first moved here, you would remember that I had plans for an outdoor bath.
I picked a lovely spot next to a young olive tree, situated between the truck and the caravan. I had already left the bath there, before I had even moved the truck on. First up, I needed to build a small u shaped wall for the bath to sit on. You can see it above. I need it to be U shape so that there is space in the middle, for the paella cooker. I also put a small wall surrounding the outlet as I want the outlet to be protected from the cooker.
I elevated the cooker on some rocks, as it is important for it to touch the base of the bath. You can kind of see that in the picture above. After that, it was time to be creative and make a nice area around the bath. This is where pallets come in handy. As the help to create a designated space and also work really well if you want some privacy.
I used 6 pallets in total, tying them together and also reinforcing them using poles which I hammered into the earth. I have a wonderful Yellow umbrella which acts as a sunshade and also for some privacy. I'm pretty happy to be in the bath under the open sky, but my two elder girls do like a bit more privacy. I recycled the wooden panels that are on the ground, which add to the ambience I think.
Top that off with some of my plants, Spider plants, Aloe Vera, Rosemary and fern and it is almost perfect. I love being surrounded by green and seeing all my plants surrounding the bath makes me very happy. It also makes it really easy to water them. When I was moving, a few people commented about all my plants, asking if I really needed them. Well, yes I do and look at how good they look right now. I plan, to add some bamboo to the back pallets once I can source some.
As I write this, my hands are a little sore after spending the day digging. This very impressive hole above is for our Compost Toilet. After chatting with a friend, who will come tomorrow to help me start the build, I decided to dig away some of the land on one of the terraces, so that the ground itself can act as a support for the building. This way I do not need as much materials to construct it. and also no steps will be needed to get into it.
Freya, was my constant companion as I worked on this today. I am not such a big fan of digging up the ground, but it is fascinating to see the different layers of earth, how they change in colour. I have moved the topsoil, over near the truck, so that I can us it in my garden, which is next on my list of things to do. I do enjoy digging though, it is such a wonderful workout. My body certainly feels well worked, that is for sure!
Tomorrow will be another busy day, but not so physical and in the evening I am having a wee gathering, to celebrate my move. Food and music, make for a wonderful combination and the perfect way to celebrate new beginnings.
