Shared Earth Living

Co-creating a More Beautiful World

Category: Back to the Land

starting a rural project

Back to the Land / More Beautiful World

Saving the Soil in The Garden of Gaia – Part 2

Starting a Rural Project This post was written in collaboration with the Conscious Planet and El Jardin de Gaia   In this post we return to El Jardin de Gaia, where I was part of a guided tour organised by Save Soil volunteers. I was eager to find out more about how this pioneering rural project first came into being....

Back to the Land / More Beautiful World

Saving the Soil in The Garden of Gaia – Part 1.

An Adventure into Regenerative Agriculture    This post was written in collaboration with the Conscious Planet and El Jardin de Gaia In this post I report on a recent visit to an inspiring and pioneering place not far from Madrid that is proof that a more beautiful world is possible. From regenerative agriculture to the ins and outs of growing...

Back to the Land / Permaculture Studies

Earth, Wind and Fire: The Reality of Following Your Most Radical Dreams

From the earth elemental energies to the fundamental permaculture principles, I reflect on what I have learnt so far about the reality of following our most radical dreams.   If you have been following this blog since its inception in 2020, you may be surprised that after so much energy and movement of the first few years of this journey,...

Back to the Land

Mountain Climbing Our Way To Our Off-Grid Dreams

Having a great dream in a lot like mountain climbing. You have to descend before you can ascend.   I can hardly believe that three years have passed since I committed myself to this dream of moving from the city to the countryside. If you had told me then that in three years time I would still be writing about...

Back to the Land

Dreaming of Community and Camaraderie Outside of the City

There is one missing ingredient of this journey from the city to the country so far: community.   In this post I explore some of the contrasts that I have experienced as it relates to friendships and communal living over the last few years, and what this has shown my about my true desires about moving to the countryside. As...

Back to the Land

Moving from the City to the Countryside: Why is it Taking So Long?

  3 years have passed since I first started dreaming about moving from the city to the countryside. In that time, I have made a lot of progress in the direction of my dream. From my explorations of off-grid projects in empty Spain and my involvement in the community garden, to completing my first permaculture design certificate, quitting my 9-5...

alternative rural Spain

Back to the Land

Searching for ‘Alternative’ Rural Spain 

Further Explorations of Rural Spain II    This is the final installment of our trip to our trip Gredos, Extremadura at the end of 2021. It was a short trip- only five days!- but big dreams need nurturing and that’s exactly what those five days seeking out alternative rural Spain did. In this post I share about some of the...

Back to the Land

Hanging Out With The Locals in Rural Spain

Further explorations of rural Spain I Months have passed from our trip into rural Spain over Christmas. Already the memories have faded into the distance. The feeling of inspiration I felt then has given way to the mundane; the city, with its concrete blocks and asphalt streets, makes it seem like this is the only reality possible. Our stay in...

rural Spain

Back to the Land

Explorations of Life in Rural Spain

Revelations from the Heart Cave: Part 2   This post continues the story of our short Christmas trip into the countryside of rural Spain, where we stayed in a little eco-house on the edge of the Sierra de Gredos, around one hour and half from Madrid.  From ancient Roman roads and crumbling buildings of ‘empty Spain’, to the idiosyncrasies of modern...

Volunteering in the Azores

Back to the Land

Volunteering in the Azores: Adventure, Magic and Reality Checks (part 2)

  This is the second instalment of the summer I spent exploring alternative ways of living in the magical islands of the Azores, where my dream of living a sustainable life in harmony with nature first started. We begin where we left off in part 1, at the moment of crisis at Quinta da Canada, the young permaculture project on...