It's been a while since I last wrote as the journey of recovery from the brain damage (brain bleed from anti depressant Brintellix) has been tough, however...
Despite the many lows, I'm proud to report that my partner and I have
carried out our off grid project over these past months and created a
wonderful space!
Gabe arrived in Spain in August, leaving behind
his life in Denmark, coming to be with me at my family land on the
Costa blanca.
My parents
purchased the land back in 1987, an amazing story in itself, a 10
year project to build a family home from a ruin and create a small
paradise....
Pic below, Casa Bethany in 1987 and over 10 years later...
Six and a half thousand metres of almond and olive trees long abandoned which became a lush exotic enclave as my father sought to recreate a mini tropical paradise much like his Indian origins.
I've had a
love hate complex relationship with the land since my early teens for it dominated our
lives for decades and became the centre of everything for our family
despite many attempts by my late father to then sell it on. However, it was
meant to remain within in our family for some higher reason...
The property was once featured on a famous British TV programme over 20 years ago about ex
pats in Spain. An article about our life in Spain and how we got here (
related to my father working with Yusuf Cat Stevens back in the day)
was almost featured in the Sunday Times newspaper. There are many stories to
tell!
In the meantime,
if you've read my other blog posts, you will know about my various
experiences of caravan life in the mountains and beyond as well as at
a donkey sanctuary. I needed nature, simplicity and a healing space,
and finally my little caravan ended up on the family land...
The caravan I had
converted was fine as a bedroom but certainly not a living space for
2 people, particularly in the winter months.
So, on a shoestring budget, the idea was to create a simple living space, a base where to heal.
Some might say a project with a new partner while still unwell was a bit much and at times it has been, but equally creating something new and special has been part of the healing journey.
We looked at caravans for sale locally but the truth is they are very pricey in Spain compared to the UK.
In any case we
weren't sure about the living space: Two people who have not been
together long, living together in a small space was always
potentially a challenge!
We looked at second hand Yurts which I'd
been fascinated with for a long time, amazing but still pricey...
In the meantime my caravan had to be moved from one part of the land ( the car park!) to the spot where we would be living. This meant it being moved by a tow truck and then lifted by a small crane over the fence through our neighbours land.
This took days of
organising and preparing as well as help from friends!
Meanwhile
after much deliberation, Gabe showed me some of the bell tent research
he had done and prices that were much more accessible right now than
a Yurt. Of course the quality is not comparable but we needed to
start somewhere. The idea was for the bell tent to be the main living space, while the
caravan would be for sleeping and cooking until we created an outdoor
kitchen.
I'd always loved the 'Glamping tents' but I was still anxious about this idea.
We could sleep at my mother's sometimes but of course we need our privacy as a couple!
Any project requires planning and preparation but with my
troubled brain and his ( also had his own brain trauma) this was even more challenging!
We finally decided on a 6 metre diameter
bell tent from Germany.
We built a base which we made with
about 30 second hand pallets ( another exciting journey finding
someone to deliver what ended up being about 50 pallets!) all of which had to be placed in position, nailed together and the slats lined for minimal spacing between. We placed them on a huge tarp then covered them with another tarp and artificial grass on top. Multiple layers to protect us from the damp, though basically we just winged it! Making it up as we went along.
It wasn't quite as easy to assemble as the instructions led us to believe and much swearing ensued!
Fortunately we also purchased a fly sheet, a crucial addition, an exterior cover to protect the tent from both sun damage and damp and to prolong it's life span...
I was shocked when the tent was finally esembled:The tent is over 3 metres in height at the centre point! It looked like a circus tent!
So, what's it like living in a bell tent? I'm.not going to lie, when it was first put up I was at first in awe then thought, shit! What have we done? I felt closed in with no windows and instantly thought, I don't want to live in a big tent!
However when both doors are open ( also in hot weather all sides can be opened up) it is a very different sensation. Of course, as we began to furnish it, bringing in rugs and decorations the space was instantly transformed.
I looked at images for
inspiration.
A friend gifted us wooden flooring and a dining table
and slowly a home was created.
The timing was incredibly
fortunate as literally days later some of the worst weather in years
hit our region and we experienced what severe rains and winds felt
like in a bell tent!
It
was nerve wracking and went on for weeks.
We were incredibly
fortunate to not have suffered like those close by in
Valencia.
It was traumatic hearing what was happening there with the terrible flooding whilst being battered in our tent. The noise of the rain was overwhelming and the wind was frightening but the tent stood its ground. No damage!
That was the one
time we went to sleep at my mother's mainly because of my extreme
noise sensitivity.
Here you get a taste of it on my youtube video and this wasn't even that heavy!
Youtube:
https://youtube.com/shorts/xVBioy69bF8?si=qcSOfjx_ScBsTc9z
What is winter like in a bell tent?
People have often expressed concern about our wellbeing in the winter but I can honestly say heat wise we have been fine: we have a gas fire which warms the tent beautifully and fast.And anyone who knows Mediterranean winters know it's often warmer outside than in most Spanish homes! We have been warmer in the tent than many in their houses! One morning recently the temperature dropped below freezing! But we were fine.
We air the tent daily and no damp or mould has
appeared. We are 4 months in now during Autumn and Winter, so far so good!
We also decided to purchas a diesel
heater for the caravan which again works fast and efficiently to heat the small space.
We have one large solar
panel and two lithium batteries plus my old small solar panel and
battery to power the tent and caravan.
We did our
research though again it's all a learning curve as we then realised we need another panel in
order to work our fridge, though small, new and energy efficient but still more power needed!
In any case, we have lights, can charge our laptops and phones and use a TV with my laptop.
We then went on and built the outdoor kitchen; my idea
was to use the leftover pallets though we had to purchase roofing
and posts .We used
cheap plastic for the sides to keep wind and rain out, not the most attractive but does the job.
Even doing the project on a shoestring budget everything adds
up including minor essentials such as nails! The building materials have gone up in cost but the prices in Spain shocked Gabe even compared to Denmark.
Water is of course fundamentally important. The land has agua de riego =agricultural water. We fill up multiple water bottles
with the hose pipe but don't use it for
drinking of course. Again, much room for improvement at a later date...
Where is the toilet? The first thing the women ask!
We have 2 small camping portable toilets, one which stays permamnetly in the toilet tent adjacent to the caravan, we use this as a dry toilet basically using sawdust and a bag.
The other one I use as an overnight pee bucket in the caravan!
This has been my
only issue given I have long term intestinal issues, so running out the
caravan to our tiny toilet tent in the middle of the night with
temperatures as low as minus 5 degrees at one point or being battered
by rain as nature calls...well yeah...not fun! We erected some more plastic around the toilet tent and connected it to the kitchen area so I don't have to get quite as battered by the elements in moments of need but again, another longer term project, bathroom...
Fortunately we can shower at the house and outdoor
shower for the warm period will be easy to make. We've looked at ideas
using the large plastic water containers and pallets etc
For now we have a simple home base which has
taught us a lot.
We are both happy with the choice of the bell tent. Absolutely we would also upgrade to a bigger caravan at some point, one with a bathroom!
But the tent
works really well as an extra spacious living area. What would I
improve with the bell tent? I would love it to have windows.
For me being able to see
the surrounding nature whilst being inside is pretty important
particularly when the weather is bad and the doors are closed but so
far for the price vs quality we are pretty impressed
Now we are focusing on getting through the winter and recovering with some amazing natural medicine including lion's mane and
being grateful for the beautiful surroundings on this land that has
already seen so many adventures!
Here you can see my video on youtube explaining our off grid story:
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