Sunday Barbecue

Sunday is barbecue day! Dining alfresco in the gardens with the grill nearby is one of our simple joys living in the farm. We grill practically anything: meats, fish, veggies, bananas even! To enjoy this lifestyle though, you need a steady supply of charcoal. So... we make our own!

Admittedly, this is one that I really had no clue we could be able to do in our place. I don't need to share any longer where I first thought they came from, but it turns out the locals use plain firewood (the most common in our area being Mádre de Cacáo [Gliricidia sepium]) to be self-sufficient.


But it is no easy task. It is laborious, yes; but it is also imprecise and calls for much experience to flawlessly and efficiently turn your firewood to charcoal. 


So Mang Dimô, one of the better mag-uúlings in our bárrio, works in our place and makes it for us. He makes a pit in the ground for an on-the-spot, built-in earthen oven to put the chopped firewood and cover it with coconut palápas (fronds) topped with soil (or something like that, that's how I understand it). Then he lights a fire on one end and leaves it for some days until he sees a signal that it is already done.

Eventually, he'll block all the air by dumping dirt around the pit until the embers die and let the charcoal cool off. In the end, he shovels them out and sacks them for storage.


Home-made, chemical-free charcoal briquettes to grill our free-range chicken with veggies grown by us, for Sunday lunch in the garden, under the mango tree: priceless...

The Riverscape

The river below is lined with what looks like untouched tropical jungle filled with wild plants, massive boulders, mosses, and even a sandy bank, yet everything looks in perfect order and symmetry. It is a natural garden that has evolved through time and only the most appropriate plants suited to the climate and conditions have remained.

My trusted aide, May and our German Shepherd, Vitra.

Native fig trees lord it over the riverscape, hosting birds' nests and tropical vines. On the ground are an array of ferns and jurassic-looking alocasias, and of course, the river's cool, clean water (above) help contribute in making this a lush hideaway. And to think it was not until many months after I purchased the farm that I ever hiked down here!


The river meanders through rockscapes that seasonally creates small, clear pools surrounded by wild greenery (left), with occasional neon-colored dragonflies animatedly captivating us. And of course,  the running water dampens the air and creates a humid atmosphere perfect for ferns to flourish (below), including the edible fiddlehead fern that we pick to make pakô salad.


Someday, we will clear a path going down and perhaps make a small hut near the water. in the meantime, we will just go on having our summer picnics on the sandy bank.

More Terra-Cotta Pots

It's flattering that some people note we have practical yet attractive and unique plant pots; last December I've featured a collection of artisanal terra-cotta pottery and now, we have new pieces and want to share them with you.

The designs are forward-looking yet traditional, rustic in nature but impressively urban and sophisticated in lines and shapes. Moreover, they are never mass-produced and are always limited in stocks. It's not a problem to re-order previous designs but it also doesn't mean it's always readily available. Besides, it's more interesting to see how the craftsmen always come up with attractive finished products.


We have the pieces in the farm, come anytime to choose what would suit you.

Puppy Exercise

We don't just keep the puppies in their playpen/gym, but they freely run around too at some times of the day. This is incredibly good exercise for dogs, especially large breeds like working line German Shepherds. One reason why Vitra leads a fairly balanced life is because she is close to nature and has plenty of space to roam around and just be herself.

We take turns supervising the puppies' free time, in this case my staff May enjoys running around being followed by her sprightly wards. It's a great time to bond with them and make an imprint; their senses and memory are at its most impressionable during these months.


We're not naming those that we are not keeping; all the more it would be difficult for us to be separated from them when the time comes :c

The Puppy Gym

Bukíng constructed an amazing playpen for the puppies, using mostly available materials like bamboo and found objects that we use around the farm. When I arrived for the weekend, I was so delighted to see not only the playpen but even more importantly, that Buking has undoubtedly displayed an immense fondness for the pups.

He's made ramps and steps for the pups to exercise in, and he says that in the last weeks he's watched over them, they have bonded and developed a relationship already. He easily distinguishes one from the rest, and not just by physical marks but by traits and habits that are apparent this early.