Buying the Farm

So, a couple of weeks ago, we bought a farm. Okay, not really a farm farm. But a piece of land of about a hectare (2 1/2 acres) with some olive, cherry, and apple trees. It even has a small semi-detached house complete with exterior wood-fired oven and ground-floor stables/workshop area!

Guess where we're spending every weekend. Between blackberry picking and fig harvesting (and grapes and almonds!), I have been very happily employed. When that becomes too hot, I move into the house to do some work on that: it has the dilapidated chic aesthetic at the moment, with paint peeling off the ceiling in sheets. Since we intend to tear down several of the walls and the ceiling, I have no plans to repaint. However, we are working on scraping the paint to encourage it to come down before we put furniture in the place. 

This is all going to be done on a shoestring. Since there is no heating in the house, I managed to score a wood-fired stove for free from someone who never used theirs. Cost: 20 euros for transportation. We got the kitchen cabinets and all appliances for very little. We have already been given several cast-off items of furniture, including some chests of drawers and armoires which came with the house. All in all, we are happy with how that element is going. 

We are, however, dismayed by the current prices for basic construction items. There is a window in the master bedroom that has completely fallen apart, and is beyond repair. Replacement windows are currently going for about half the cost of a transatlantic flight. The chimney needs to be extended to improve the draw, and I shudder to contemplate the cost of the required scaffolding. 

That said, there is very little we need to do on an urgent basis. We can do most of the work ourselves, and that certainly takes us back to our roots as a married couple!

Michael is currently focused on creating swales for water retention. Given the slope of the property, water is sure to run off in sheets. We live in a climate where that is something to be avoided; our goal is to keep as much water on the property as humanly possible. 

Fun note: when a girl is born in a family, a walnut tree is planted with her name on it. When she gets married, that tree is felled in order to make the bedroom furniture! I don't think Claire will be getting bedroom furniture out of it, but there will definitely be "her" walnut tree here. That will be planted in October, most likely. In the meantime, I'm having fun sprouting all kinds of seeds: apricots, avocado, chick peas, beans, and so on. We'll see what takes!

Love,

Alexandra