It has been a relatively quiet summer here, although the heatwaves and wildfires have certainly made their presence felt. Despite these usually being our slower months, visitor numbers have actually been up on last year, which has been a really encouraging surprise.

The heat has affected a few things around the land. The chickens have been laying slightly fewer eggs than usual, which is not unexpected in such hot weather, but they are still happy, active and doing well.

The pool has continued to keep us busy in less enjoyable ways! We have had ongoing problems with pipes splitting, so as sections need replacing we are gradually changing them over to more durable hard pipe. Thankfully, we have managed to keep the pool operational for most of the summer, and it has certainly had plenty of use during the hottest weather.

We have also continued clearing and simplifying things around the site. A second caravan has now been sold, with a third being prepared for sale, which will free up more pitches. We have also been selling tools and leftover building materials that were useful during the construction work but are no longer needed.

The land has looked much drier this summer, but there has still been progress. Many of the larger bare areas have gradually gained cover, so the amount of completely bare ground is reducing. Hopefully, by next year there will be even fewer exposed patches and the land will continue to look more established.

Not everything made it through the heat. We lost a few plants and trees, and unfortunately the food crops did not survive either. Once the weather is suitable for planting again, we will look at replacing some of what was lost and trying again.

There have still been some lovely successes. The agave that flowered has now finally died back, as expected, but new pups are growing around it and will eventually take its place. One of our prickly pear plants has produced lots of fruit, and we have also enjoyed figs and almonds this summer. The grapes were less successful — the birds or wasps got to those before we did!

The rabbits remain one of our more persistent challenges. We have tried several natural ways of discouraging them, but so far with limited success. They are continuing to dig holes around the land and damage some of the plants, so that particular battle is definitely ongoing.

We did manage to escape the land briefly for something a little different when a stage of La Vuelta started in Vera. We went along to watch and cheer on the cyclists, which was a great experience and a lovely change of pace.

We have also taken another small step in making more local people aware of the project by placing a promotional advert in this year’s town Feria programme. We are hoping it will help people locally understand a little more about what we are doing here and encourage more of them to come and see it for themselves.

As summer winds down, attention is now turning towards the cooler months. We are welcoming more caretakers over the winter and slowly building a small team here, ready to look after the place and welcome our winter guests.

This summer has perhaps been less about big changes and more about steady progress — maintaining what we have built, learning what copes best with the climate, clearing what is no longer needed and getting ready for the next season.

The land has had a good tidy-up this month. All the self-seeded bushes that had been popping up randomly across the land have now been trimmed back, and the hedge plants have been cut down to the height we want them to grow at.

As the weather warms up, the land is definitely starting to look drier and a little less green than it did after the wet winter. That said, the plants themselves are looking healthy and seem to be growing well, so the winter rain has clearly given everything a strong start.

To make watering easier, we have run a hose from one of our rainwater containers down to the food-growing area. This should make a big difference as the weather gets hotter. At the moment we have a lovely mix growing there, including tomatoes, cucumber, onions, lettuce, garlic, basil, coriander, parsley and mint.

One of the real highlights this month has been the Jacarandas. Some of them are flowering properly for the first time, and they look absolutely stunning. It is always exciting when something that has been quietly growing in the background suddenly becomes a real feature of the land.

The rabbits, however, are still proving to be a problem. They are continuing to find ways in under the fence, and it feels like a constant battle trying to keep them out. At the moment, I am not entirely sure we are winning!

We have also managed to give three old tables a new lease of life. Their worn tops have been redesigned using leftover tiles from the buildings, turning something tired into something useful and full of character.

On a personal note, I managed to get away for my first proper holiday in years while Lisa kindly looked after everything here. I chose May because it is usually our quietest month, but we ended up having a few more visitors than expected. That seems to be carrying on into June too, which is a lovely surprise and a very encouraging sign for the season ahead.

We’re pleased to welcome our first caretaker, Lisa, who has now been happily living here for over a month and has made herself completely at home.

The pool is finally fixed and has already been enjoyed on the warmer days.

We’ve created a quiet corner among the trees as a place to remember lost loved ones, with a bench where people can sit and reflect.

One of the old caravans has been sold, and in its place we’ve invested in a professional strimmer.

The strimming is nearly finished now, the land is looking much tidier, and many of the plants are visible again.

We’ve also been experimenting with rosemary and citronella cuttings to see how well they take.

Some of the palm trees we grew from seed in pots have now been planted out in a line along the back pitches.

Gnomes and other ornaments have started appearing around the site too, adding little touches of colour and fun in unexpected places.

Our almonds and figs are nearly ripe, and we’re looking forward to harvesting and enjoying them very soon.

Around the firepit, we’ve cleared out all the old furniture and replaced it with pallet benches. One of the chairs has also been upcycled and given a new lease of life.

We’ve matched up four hammocks with frames as well, and they’re now ready to be enjoyed over the summer.

We’ve had our busiest start to a year so far, with two solid months of new arrivals coming in almost daily. Some guests stayed for a few weeks, and many left us lovely reviews. It’s always nice to see familiar faces returning—and even nicer knowing some new ones will be back.

It’s also been the coldest and wettest winter we’ve experienced here, with some saying it’s the worst in 20 years. The rain has kept the land very green, and on the drier days we’ve been back out strimming again. We’ve closed off our first line of pitches for now, as they’ve had the most use over the years and need time to recover. We’re giving the ground a chance to regenerate and strengthen. Fallen carob pods and olive leaves have been gathered and spread over bare areas, and we’re doing the same with most of the cuttings from the land. This approach has worked well in the past, with more grass and wildflowers gradually returning.

After many years of hosting volunteers, we’ve decided to move away from that system as the project evolves. Instead, we’re now looking for caretakers—people who would like to stay longer-term and take on some responsibility for the land. The aim is to build a small, steady community, while also allowing us a bit of time away now and then.

The agave has continued flowering over the past few months and is now starting to fade. A new pup has appeared at its base, ready to take over when the main plant dies back.

We’ve also been having a bit of a clear-out. Some old furniture has been recycled or donated, and we’re gradually reducing the amount of leftover building materials around the site.

One of our old table tops, which had been badly damaged by water, has been given a new life. We’ve upcycled it using broken tiles, and it now looks great.

The pool has continued to give us a few challenges since last summer, but things are slowly improving. We’re hoping to have it fully up and running again from April.

We’ve started planting some food and seeds again, and for the first time, we’ve used the spiral snail for growing herbs.

The olives have now been picked. We only had around 15 kilos this year, but it was enough to exchange for 2 litres of organic olive oil, which we’re very happy with. We’re now busy pruning the olive trees. The hedges have been trimmed and the carob trees pruned too. We’re just waiting for the other trees to drop their leaves before we tackle those as well.

We’ve planted three more false pepper trees along the hedge between the pitches, filling in a few gaps. They’re fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and should provide welcome shade for the pitches in just a few years.

With the summer fire-ban now lifted, we’ve been burning the weeds we’ve cleared. The ash is full of nutrients and will be spread around to benefit the plants.

We held our third seed swap social event recently, and it was a great success. It was lovely to catch up with others working on similar projects, and everyone went home with something new to grow.

One of our oldest agaves has sent up a huge flowering stem, and it’s slowly starting to bloom. The plant will die back afterwards, but for now it looks absolutely incredible.

We’ve covered the chicken coop with netting to prevent wild birds from mixing with ours, in line with current requirements in Spain to protect against bird flu.

We wish everyone a very happy festive season!

After a long, hot, and rather slow summer, it’s time to get back to work. The chickens, plants, and land have all been ticking over nicely, but not much else has been happening. We’ve had the odd bit of rain, which has helped keep the land fairly green through the last few months.

Now that summer’s coming to an end, we’ve packed away the outdoor furniture and started preparing for winter—our busiest season here. Most of our guests at this time of year come from Northern Europe, heading south to enjoy the milder temperatures.

We’ve also held our third AGM for the Association. Membership is open to everyone (€30 per year) and offers discounts on stays as well as access to all our facilities and events. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.

An old wheelbarrow has been given a new lease of life—it’s been painted up and now serves as a sign outside the entrance to promote our fresh eggs.

A few members have decided to store their caravans and campervans here for a while. It’s a service we’ve always offered, but not one we’ve really publicised until now.

The acacia trees we grew from seed—originally from one of our seed swaps—have outgrown their pots and been planted out in areas where other saplings haven’t survived.

And finally, we’re now enjoying our own figs and grapes, freshly picked and wonderfully sweet.

The chillies, peppers, lemongrass, and tomato plants are all doing well and producing nicely.

The whole site has had its first full strim, which made a big difference. Half of the land has already been done again, and the second round is much quicker—everything’s looking far more presentable now.

We’ve put up the sail shades and made up the outdoor beds to create two shaded chillout areas for the summer. The chickens have been given a bit of shade too, so they can stay cool.

We’ve been trimming back the hedges and bushes to give them some shape and help them grow better.

We’ve also had some cotton VerdeVeras t-shirts and bags printed to help promote the project locally, which we’re really pleased with.

After a long run of pool issues, we’ve finally managed to get it repaired and properly cleaned—so it’s now ready to enjoy for the rest of the summer.

Wild rabbits are still darting about the land, which can be a bit frustrating, but thankfully they haven’t managed to get into the fenced-off food growing area.

We’ve planted tomatoes on one of the horseshoe mounds, with some basil and comfrey seeds mixed in to keep them company. Last year’s pepper plants are coming back to life, and we’ve got asparagus coming up nicely in one of the raised beds.

A bell tent has been put up, ready to house any volunteers who join us over the summer.

Strimming continues across the land—we’re about halfway through now, and more of the plants are starting to show themselves again.

The wildflowers, though a bit overgrown, are attracting loads of butterflies, and we’ve noticed a big increase in bird activity this year. Some are pinching the chickens’ food, while others are moving back into the nests they built in our laundry room in previous years.

We’ve recently installed a few security cameras to help us keep an eye on things around the land.

We’re also in conversation with a local musician about working together to manage and promote a series of summer events. It’s an exciting new direction for the project, and one that we hope will be rewarding for everyone involved. Watch this space!

After several weeks of rain—and two bouts of flooding—the wildflowers have sprung up all over the land and are growing fast. Strimming the driveway and camping pitches is our main focus for now, so there’s space for guests, but we’re leaving the rest to the pollinators for the time being. Once the flowers have finished, we’ll cut those areas too. All the cuttings are left on the ground, and we’re working to cover bare patches so that something more permanent can take hold over time.

We were kindly given an apple tree, only to learn they need a second one nearby to produce fruit—so we’ve now bought and planted a second. Along one of our ridges, we’ve also planted some rosemary. If it does well, we plan to add more and form a hedge for extra structure and scent.

Our avocado tree, still in its pot, has been cut back to half its height. It’s responding well, with new shoots starting to come through. We’ll plant it out properly this spring. In the meantime, we’ve cleared a large, mounded area ready for growing tomatoes, and our chilli plants have been spending time outside each day to harden off before they go into the raised beds.

Last year’s chilli plants have been cut back, and new leaves are already starting to grow. This year, we’re keeping them shorter to help protect them from the wind and encourage a bushier shape.

We’ve planted two new fruit trees, a mandarin and a pear, both generously donated. The mandarin is already producing fruit, which is a promising start.

Just before the rain arrived, we managed to place some large stones in the soakaway and planted a mix of wildflowers in our little garden. Hopefully, they’ll establish well.

We’ve just had eight days of rain, with the land flooding twice and our electricity running very low. But we made it through, and now the ground is starting to dry out and turn bright green again. Before long, it will be overgrown and need trimming, which will at least provide more ground cover.

While the land is still soft, we’re taking the opportunity to dig more swales and enlarge the soakaway. This will help protect the most vulnerable areas by either holding water where it’s needed or diverting excess away from the land.