There was some doubt over the last few months about whether or not we would be able to buy the 6000 square meters of French agricultural land i've had my eye on since the Summer as it was not officially for sale but yesterday we learned that the landowner is in fact prepared to sell and has asked us to propose an offer. Even though we are not at the finish line yet this is a massive step for us and i spent the afternoon letting the land know the news and taking a few shots which will fit with the story i would like to tell you now.
The hidden treasure at our doorstep
Ever since building a mud & stone house in the woods four years ago the land here has been whispering to me.
Louder and louder it tells me to keep building. It doesn't matter what. Just keep building Sam.
So it was with great pleasure that i built this circular stone wall at the back of our Spiral Garden next to the animal enclosure last year.
As always i used only what i found there, in this case a broken stone wall.
The centrepiece to the stone circle was this throne, also used as a BBQ. But mainly it was a place where i could sit and meditate.
I tell you this story because at that time i had no knowledge of the land we are poised now to buy and yet i built this throne facing the exact direction in which the land sits, no more than a few 100m away completely concealed from our view on the other side of the bamboo forest.
What's even more interesting is the way in which the bamboo forest seemed conscious of what i needed to find behind it, teasing me at first to build structures with it before luring me down there to play.
How could i not? I'm from England where bamboo doesn't grow in the wild like this!
So it called me deeper and deeper until I eventually had to buy a machete type knife in order to keep going.
On the other side of the bamboo i found a clearing.
Complete with a little stream...
...and the feeling like i simply had to keep pushing on.
It felt like something calling me, something wanting to be built perhaps?
Had i found the old ruins of a stone house in here for example you can be sure i would have felt motivated to re-build it!
But there was nothing.
Only these old stone terraces which tell me the land was once agricultural, right alongside a river, now dried up.
I was invited around the corner of the old riverbed by the setting sun.
And there was something very wonderful waiting for me there.
The path i was supposed to take from here was evident. Follow the green basically!
When i reached the top this was the sight i was greeted with.
I was aware of this land before but it had been occupied until just recently by a man who kept his horse & goat there, so it never came up on my radar as a possibility for my family and i.
Until now.
Our village can be seen in the background of this shot, no more than a 5min walk away by road. Probably more like 10min if you go the 'jungle' route.
This land is special because it is both near our village and also quite isolated, nestled amongst other agricultural plots with a stunning 360Β° view of mountains all around it.
Spain isn't far away on the other side of this mountain.
I tried to get some panoramas but they look a bit weird.
Even weirder when i put my shadow in the shot.
Will get the drone up there soon and have a look from the air.
Below us is an apricot orchard.
Above us is a vineyard growing incredibly tasty red grapes for wine.
While off in the distance we can see the white lines of an apple orchard bird net.
The dirt track road access is decent enough for cars to get in.
The land itself is mostly empty. Which is perfect!
Though when i say empty what i really mean is full of edible stuff like dandelion, plantain, sorrel & chickweed.
I have been eating lunches composed of wild plants exclusively from this land in recent days and can feel myself filling up with all this wild energy, tuning in to the frequencies here.
It does have some small oak trees and a single sad looking apple tree which needs a good trim.
There is also a magnificent floxglove tree which will blossom in the Spring and provide shade in the heat of the Summer.
Best of all there are three kiwi plants which i intend to use as shade over a decked area, growing on a pergola.
These grape vines are massive already so will also be trained onto the pergola for extra shade and extra fruit, easy to access above our heads (rather than stuck up in a tree like this).
The pergola will cover this section.
Behind it we have a grassy view point for the forest valley.
It keeps on stretching back into an area covered in ferns.
All of it with this awesome view, soon to be filled with zip-lines and tree houses!
The animal barn from the previous owner will be useful to us.
Behind it you can see snow topped mountains.
Even this old pond we may bring back to life. Easily done because our village canal runs above this land.
This will be the entrance gate for vehicles, at the highest point.
Right at the back here on the north side of the land we will dig special 'earth pods' which will trap the sun and protect from the wind, permitting us to grow tropical plants like mangoes, avocados & bananas.
Something like this.
Depending on how the trees respond to these pods i may also add geodesic domes over the top for extra protection and extra tropical possibilites like coconuts & pineapples.
The Earthship shaped cherry on the cake
Turns out one can build houses legally on agricultural land when one has animals which might be desirable to thieves.
By chance i had already been thinking about getting some rare angora rabbits which can be shaved annually for their fur.
Have mentioned in previous posts that rabbits create the best manure for plants so if one can also make winter slippers and warm hats from their fur, it's a no brainer for me.
And so it has been decided. Somewhere in the middle of my food forest we are going to build a small home.
Specifically an Earthship.
For those of you who are not familiar, an earthship is a self sufficient and sustainable home made out of recycled materials, designed to catch rain water for filtering and greywater purposes while also trapping heat from the sun in the winter when the elevation is low.
Have seen a repeated vision in my dreams where i am walking out of my glass fronted home directly into a food forest rich with a variety of fruits, nuts & berries. My arms are outstretched and i can feel the densely packed trees brushing their leaves gently against my hands with the dappled sunlight in my eyes. And all things are gooooood :)
All of a sudden, i see now this vision will be a reality! This is why i felt so emotional when i learned the news a few days ago. It is i believe the most significant thing which has ever happened to me.
I will build a house of my own design, in harmony with nature and I will conduct my operations from here, at the centre of a food forest.
Plus i am keen to get away from all the wifi signals of the village and our newly installed (heat pump) heating system which i will tell you about in another post.
I just need space to breathe while i expand.
As all Dragons do.
Getting back to the land i want to show you a bit more of the forest which really has me feeling very excited indeed. So rich with potential!
This was the place where we found the dead pigs last year, right at the base of the land. Nothing left of them now, nature is so fast to consume.
The dry river is a shame and i am wondering now why it is dry? Will seek to find out.
But it isn't completely dry. There is at the base of this rock valley a small hole from which water flows.
It could even be drinkable and will need to get it tested.
So instead of a river we have this little stream.
Which is fine! I can work with that.
The old river valley forest keeps going in this direction and is calling me for another day, currently unexplored.
Just poking my head around the corner you can again see these really old stone terraces, presumably built to create flat areas for agricultural purposes.
My cats and i will return another day, likely with the children.
I will enjoy discovering the rest with them.
There is so much life where the forest meets the land, it's hard to miss.
In this section i can see the potential for an eco pool of sorts. Swimming pools are not permitted on agricultural land but if i can justify it as being for agricultural purposes this is fine.
That won't be difficult as the eco pool will be surrounded by vegetable terraces, all of them fed by the pool through a flowform system, keeping the water alive and optimal.
Final thoughts
I opened a four year old bottle of home made persimmons wine on the land yesterday and we shared a drink. Yes, i literally poured my wine into the ground! This felt right. Like we were drinking together something special from my heart.
What this land represents is a playground for me. A playground of opportunities.
Old dreams like the cloudbuster and the large copper frame pyramid can now be realised.
In addition i am going to build a small sauna (big enough for my family of 4) right alongside a cold waterfall connected to the canal. Am really into cold water showers now and being in a sauna before before the cold experience will take it to the next level.
It will be a playground for children because the forest offers so many natural adventures for them. Treehouses, zip-lines & eco-pools will of course be a big part of this adventure!
Ultimately we will open ourselves up like a school, holding education days for children & adults alike.
Beyond this we will create a business, producing vegetables and home made products initially. With the fruit, nuts & berries being adding to the list when they are ready.
Mainstream social media will become a 'thing' in my life again after a decade of mostly ignoring it and before the end of this month i will launch a new channel which will cover this project in entirety.
I have put out a Universal call for assistance and am getting some wonderful responses. Just yesterday an english man in the village who i've not seen for a year wandered in and told me he is going to build a small food forest in his garden, asking for my assistance. Naturally i told him about our project and suggested a work exchange. He agreed and that was that. I actually completely forgot about him, but my Universal Assistant thankfully rectified that for me!
Then we have the retired military helicopter pilot i met a few months ago who is experiencing an intense spiritual awakening and without any knowledge of this project he said to me on NYE how he feels charged and full of energy at the moment, keen to help us on our land if we have need of him. Learning he is a Rat (great friends with Dragons) and watching him put up a rain tarp in gale force winds was all i needed. This man will be an incredible asset to the team.
The main work will be digging the swales to catch rain water using the natural contours of the land.
Then we must plant a load of trees, using syntropic farming techniques.
I wonder if @eco-alex might even be interested to join us? Your experience with Reynolds and building Earthships would be invaluable to us Alex π With you on the team we can attract a swathe of students and get this job done with greater efficiency and finesse.
@thecogent who is currently in Mysore (India) doing yoga every day would like to join us for the building project.
@bee426869 in Romania is now a great friend and someone i see as being a valued member of the team.
@jin-out has expressed an interest and i look forward to welcoming him and any other London brothers he can muster.
Please get in touch if this project sounds interesting to you.
I would like for us to live on the land while we build there and may even look at buying a collection of yurts to sleep in.
No reason why we cannot create wonderful food on site, making sure everyone has a place to rest and rejuvenate, away from the mosquitos which are arguably the main pest in the Summer.
How much fun is this going to be?
With all of that said, it may yet take some time to become the official owner of this land, so i will remain patient and post no further on this subject until it is time.
For now i am just stirring up the intention pot!
What i want more than anything is for this project to somehow advertise this platform. While i will be posting in all the usual places soon, this blockchain is my true home, without which i wouldn't have all this knowledge and such wonderful contacts, so if anyone has any ideas about how i might best achieve this please let me know your thoughts?
Am thankfully booked in to do a BQH session with my wonderful guide Fina, this time visiting the Arcturian Healing Chamber where i intend to release unwanted energies and connect with my Higher Self as this most formative Dragon year draws to an end.
The time for significant change in my life is upon me as we enter soon into the year of the Snake and as always, super excited for what the future holds in store.
It is my great pleasure to share it with you π
Love & Light everyone π±
