New glass...

... new mountain amazing view:

Scary times - evolutionary times

Did we think that this might happen?
No!

Life is a surprise... always.
These last times, after the fire and the strong winds and rain, made us question everything. Really everything.
But first things first. Just have a look at this and to what happened:

You can see the bit of land that just slided down!

Where the caravan is.

Where the Tiny house is.

The experience that I had was similar to the one after the fire: a gigantic fear that seemed to control me. That seemed to stop me from breathing (I had and still have lack of air in my lungs).  I couldn't sleep well and rest. I couldn't meditate. I couldn't write or read. Everything was stressful. Everything was intense. I would hear more rocks and soil going down and a big movie would start to play in my brain - thought after thought telling me that we were going to lose things again. That both the Tiny House and the caravan were going to fall down the mountain with all of our things. And worst, that we would be sleeping in the caravan and that the wind and the rain, would pull us down the hill. What a death!
My experience was that I couldn't live. That all of this was preventing me from living the life that I/we were supposed to live now.

We noticed that that is a need to be secure, to know that nothing is going to change, a need for stability, for everything being good with no problem or crazy situations. A need for everything to be flat and with no strong emotions.
But what is this need? A need that comes from a part of us that is not real, but it is experienced as so real and so alive. These strong emotions seem to make it real. But what is this "it" that I am refering to?
If you are a human being, I am sure you experienced this. All of these emotions and intensity is not bad at all! Everything is part of life, it is life. Everything is God/Consciousness.

After a while, and continuing to sit in the meditation cushion and to live in rainny and uncertain days, and with the help of Australian florals, a lot was revealed:

- Life is expressed in every moment and situation, no matter what the human experience is;
- There is no bad or good situations, but situations that cause different emotional experiences;
- There is nothing wrong in having emotional experiences;
- A human being is rich and there is a perfection in how one experiences different situations;
- Avoiding, denying and not accepting what happens (what is) leads to suffering;
- Accepting and embrancing what happens (what is) leads to reality and to a deep relaxation;
- Control or wanting to predetermine the future it's, not only a waste of time, but something that prevents oneself to be and live the present moment, and is actually an ilusion;
- One has the choice to respond in a liberated or in a constrained/conditioned way to any life situation;
- Every moment is the moment to make a different choice;
- One doesn't know what surprises life/universe/God/consciousness has for oneself and that's a relief;
- The peace that comes after the storm it's one's choice;
- The peace can happen during the storm or not happen at all, but that doesn't take reality or presence ever away!
- One is not victim of life situations, one is!

And these floral remedies were great to stay with the constant fear and the questioning why - why there is such a threat after the house survived to the fire and to the caravan which is where we are living now? 

That and knowing that everything is right, no matter what.

For now, and after talking with Sr. Ângelo and his visit here, everything is not only calm, but fresh and alive. Nothing is a warranty of anything! Except that consciousness is, no matter what. No matter if one is challenged, is suferring, avoiding or denying what is happening.

Life is so beautiful and full. 

One is beautiful and full, in the midst of intensity and in the possibility of a transformation or a strong challenging situation.

Right now, the days are getting bigger, sun is up and the light and calmness are big. Actually, lightness and relaxation are all the time, I was just distracted from it, which is fine!

With love,
Raquel

Taking baths and making a new window frame

Olá everyone!
Today started to rain, and we are very happy with that!
At the point that we are in the construction, is fine that the rain is falling, since the main work is inside, protected from the weather.
It has been sunny mainly, which it's ideal for working on the land. We have been planting bulbs and pruning the trees that were affected by the fire (all of them!).
We are planning on creating natural water deposits (well, it's more about helping the land to accumulate water in same places, since the land is very empty still). That work was supposed to be done already, but it's what it is.

We have been thinking a lot if the plans for the house would continue the same or if we wanted to change something of the inside design.
And things have changed!

First things first!
By living in the caravan now we notice how much humidity and mold can be created by only cooking inside and turning the gas heating on! By this facts and experience, we decided not to have a bathtub inside of the house anymore! A small shower will be enough. But we were still in love with the idea of having a bathtub. Inspired by our neighbours, we have now a, very beautifully created by David, outside SPA.
Our life style changed a lot! We don't have to go to the municipal swimming pool to have a hot shower anymore, we can just go outside and have a hot bath! It's a romantic dream that turned into reality.

 This is the one that we chose in Leroy Merlin

 With a discount because it has a small damage

Trying it out at the shop and David happy because we could fit it inside of the car!

Our neighbours lent us their "bailarina", so we can have the hot bath. David connected all the tubes, and we just have to make a small fire inside of the "bailarina" and voilá! Dream came true!

From bath situation to frames and windows now!

While spending an afternoon in a friends house, with a fantastic view from their living room window, it was clear to us that something was missing in our Tiny House. When the house was planned, before we brought it to the land, the door was supposed to be on the other side. But with all that happened at the time, the entrance door is now facing the mountain on the other side of the stream. Which is actually better we think. But that side has no windows where the living room is supposed to be.
We decided to put the sofa on the right instead of the left (when we bring it here in the future), so we need a new window where there is no one now! Better to do it now, before we do the electrics and close the walls with the wood. Daid has been fantastic with this, because this was all made in the middle of the insulation work. Yes, all this time, between other tasks not related to the Tiny house, cork insulation has been the main thing!
But not only!
The back wall was fixed and the roof as well, since water was coming in!

What to do now? David cut a new hole on the wall and we have a new window! Glass was ordered and we are just waiting for it so we can properly finish that amazing view to the mountain.
We keep imagining sitting on the sofa, looking out of the window to the mountain.
At first I was resisting to it, because I just wanted the walls to be finished, but this was really the right thing to do. The house gained a lot with it and I think we did as well. There is so much more light coming in.

David fixed the 2 bathroom windows; second hand windows with glass problems. We have new windows! Looking forward to have the bathroom done!

The new solar panels arrived. And we are very happy with it. Right now we are in Tábua, washing our clothes in a laundry self service and taking advantage of the car power to charge everything that we can, since it's rainning and the batteries run very low. But David will explain better the power situation and how it is set up. For now, just see us picking up the panels and the final structure that David created for them:

With very cold days here (and everywhere!) we decided that the cats needed a special and cozy house just for them. They loved it:

At the end of one of these days, we celebrated life and the way that we are living at the moment.

We need to re-design the plan of the house, and we are very much looking forward to it. We had to re-order the wood for the floor because they made a mistake with the order and because the previous one burned. They say that it will arrive this week. 

We are going to continue with the insulation work (just the roof missing), then the new window, then electrical cables and wood on the walls. 

I was almost forgetting to tell you about the dry compost loo that David built outside!
A final picture was missing here and after it was finished, I wanted to beautify it somehow, so this is the result:

(before the final touches)

After the final touches done by me:

 The litlle pot that survived from the BUS

I made this small bench so it helps me to poo in the most effective and healthy way!

And that's it for now!
A lot of rain is falling, but that doesn't stop us. It doesn't stop the love that we have for this phase that we are in. A lot of creation times are what moves us at the moment.
That are quite a few challenges as well, but nothing that we are not used to. And even if something is new, we just dive in!

With love,
Raquel