Flores Permaculture

Chris and Bronwyn did a fantastic job turning our steep mountainside into a functional and safe pathway using Eukyliptus logs and iron stakes. First they removed the top layers of soil from the mountain to find the clay layer that would support the new pathway. Then they used the branches from a tree on our land to make the steps. Odin and Mitra tested the steps out and give them their full approval.

We had to expand our drainage system to accommodate the heavy winter rainfall.  This resulted in quite a large gully in the middle of the primary pathway to our house. We used saplings and off-cuts of lumber to build a simple, yet strong bridge that spans the spillway comfortably . The new bridge makes it much easier to carry the 50kg sacks of cement that we need to continue building inside our house, as well as groceries.  

 I have been working steadily to build my two boys, Odin and Mitra, a bedroom all of their own. Their bedroom is the same beroom that I stayed in when I visited my father in this house 30 years ago !   As I was an only child, a single bed was sufficient for my father to build.  However, with two growing  boys on my hands, I needed to build bunkbeds to maximize the space and get them their own comfortable place within our family home.   I chose to use the locally grown and milled wood from our island. The Japanese Cedar is a very solid  material  and does well with the high humidity. And I personally think it’s very beautiful.  I installed safety lights above their bunks, so they will be able read in bed.  I also installed safety electric sockets, so they will be able to charge their phones in the future. I purchased plastic bins for them with lids, to keep their clothing dry and moth free.  Th...

I have finished installing the windows and shutters on the boys new bedroom.  Not an easy task, as the wall is not straight in any direction.  But after cutting out some concrete and the use of silicone sealant, the job is functional and attractive. Odin tests out his new shutters below. After the rain and wind were excluded from the room, the wooden floor got installed using Japanese Cedar wood. Odin and Mitra are so excited to finally have their own space that they insisted on sleeping downstairs in their new bedroom this last week at my house.   They brought all their favorite books from my upstairs bedroom, so I can read to them before bedtime. Next, I managed to get their bedroom door installed, it too is made of Japanese Cedar. Odin is seen leaving his bedroom and entering into the Family Room. Mitra loves having his privacy now, with only his brother to share the space with.  Next week, I hope to finish the ceiling...

My relationship with my house began in 1983, when I was a boy receiving an odd gift from his estranged father and seafarer. I spent my summer break with my father in my "new house and farm", and became familiar with the land, the village of Fazenda and the Island of Flowers.  The trip made quite and impression on me. Above the original stucco can be seen intact. As my father took a break from the familiar Atlantic Ocean and  began sailing the Pacific, he stopped visiting the house regularly and my little house fell into disrepair.  Above is my boyhood bedroom and my boys future bedroom as of 2007. I employed the help of friends to aid me in removal of the old stucco that was full of fungus and vegetation. The bare stones were exposed and allowed to dry. My father had painted on my bedroom wall a picture of his journey to the island.   I did my best to preserve it, but as the old stucco dried it fell from the stone...

Thank you Nouria and Philip for all your help and carpentry skills. The Wwoofer Cabana now has another wall to keep the elements out, but to allow the sunlight in. The view from inside, as the wall is finished and the door is mounted.  The final product.  We used all recycled materials for this job.  Only the nails and studs were store bought. The Wwoofer Cabana  is nearly a fully functioning house now, ready to host all of our wonderful volunteers.  Thank you all so muh, the farm would not be possible without you!

We got enough rain to turn up the hydro turbine and use the electric sander for a few weeks. Our wwoofer, Luka, did a great job sanding the beams that will be installed in the children's new bedroom that is under construction. Very dusty work, but great fresh air and sunshine with an amazing view to keep morale high.

After another heavy rain, we nearly had another disaster like the  2015 disaster. We had already built a spillway to accommodate the thunderstorms that seem to be increasingly frequent in the last 3 years. However, this was not enough to keep the rising flood waters away from our gardens and home. With the help of Fiona and Elisa, our two young wwoofers from France, we increased the drainage systems downhill from the spillway. After the soil is piled downhill of the new trenches, we planted the new berms with Taro for both erosion control and edible functionality.

We were lucky to have a strapping young lad stay with us for a few weeks.  We put him to good work helping to fill bags with sand and gravel and then send them down the zip-line to the concrete mixer. Odin and Mitra had a great time wheeling the line back after the load was removed at the other end. Frank was a huge help in bringing the concrete blocks (CMU) from their drop off location to the building site. Thank you very much FRANK!!

After expanding the farm for the last five years, I am finally satisfied that Zones 2 and 3 are producing well enough to feed us through the winter!  This summer I turning my gaze again to Zone 0. The first step was to install a new zip-line to get materials to Zone 0 from our Zone 4 drop-off point.  The limitations of our summer-only dirt road dictate that heavy construction be done in the dry summer months only.  I asked my good friend Augusto to build me a new and improved post with a return wheel to bring the empty wheel and hook back after sending down a batch of building materials.  He used a recycled trike wheel as the base of his design that includes a brake to control the speed of the descent down the mountain.  Odin and Mitra love to help operate the brake! The first job is to build my boys their own private bedroom.  The original stone house had two dividing walls inside to create two bedrooms and a kitchen.  Those wall...

Our off-grid home is powered by a Hydro-Turbine.  In the winter months we get more than 500 watts of output non-stop.  During the late summer months we start to get less rainfall and therefor we get less wattage.  As global warming shifts our system of winds and ocean currents, we anticipate drier summers.  As a result we are adding an additional 1,000 watts of power to our  system.  In the winter we will have more hot water and heating during the day and we will maintain our current standard of living in the summer when the rains stop and the sun beams down. The tracker is designed to maximize yearly output of solar power by following the sun's path from East to West daily at  a constant 23 degree angle. The first stage of the project is to accrue all the building materials and get them to the site.  Not a simple task without a 4 wheel drive truck. All the sand and gravel must be bagged up and then hand carried to the top of th...