Our Journey

Follow the land as it changes

In January 2025 we arrived at a house that had been empty for 35 years, and land that hadn't been farmed for a long time. Since then, we film what happens: the cleaning, the first trees, the water, the hail, the harvest, and now the rebuilding of the main house.

For sure, not everything goes to plan. We share the ups and downs of this beautiful and extreme process, unfiltered, while we transform a valley into a natural farming hub where young people can learn, create and experience.

Watch the latest episode

Start from the beginning

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Rowing on a new stream

We had to take down the roof and the whole upper floor, and rebuild the roof much lower. For more than six months the renovation stood still. Instead of rowing against the stream, we adjusted the plan, the materials and our idea of how it all “should” look, and started rowing again on a new one.

Right now, after the demolition and a bout of lumbago for Evi, we’re plastering the walls with lime plaster.

Next: very soon we move to the land, so we can be there every day and the project can really take off.

Help us finish the house

All episodes from the start

Fifteen episodes so far.

#15 Honest sharing – we had to take down the roof and upper floor

As most of you know, we had to stop our renovation project for over 6 months due to many bureaucratic things happening. We had to take down the roof and the complete upper floor, and rebuild the roof much lower. Finally, we feel ready to share our story, in a way that goes beyond the anger and grief, with a positive focus on the future.

We learned that choosing to let go served us better than being consumed by the injustice. We didn’t want to be drained by others. We had to keep going, in our own way.

Although this was one of the biggest obstacles we both ever had to deal with, we managed. We adjusted the plan, the materials, the whole ‘perfect’ concept of how we wanted the project to look. Instead of rowing against the stream, we started rowing again on a new one.

With even more strength we are taking on the project again, and very soon we will move there and be present every day, so the project can really take off.

#13 We built our own interior walls!

This first phase of rebuilding has been the hardest so far.

We had to adapt physically, face the freezing winter, and learn many new skills from scratch.

It hasn’t always been easy, but every challenge taught us something new. Slowly, we are becoming more confident, and the house is changing along with us.

This experience has shown us that we are capable of much more than we imagined when we are willing to learn, adapt, and keep going.

#11 We finally started rebuilding our dream

After waiting almost a year to get everything in order, we finally started the renovation!

We opened up the old house by removing walls and even a ceiling, revealing the natural materials and craftsmanship that were hidden inside this amazing structure.

Every discovery tells a story and reminds us how much knowledge was built into these old houses.

Once again, we're doing things we've never done before, learning as we go, and preparing our muscles for everything that is still to come.

Here we go!

#10 Summer update

We finally managed to finish last summer’s update video!

It was a season full of harvesting and processing fresh food straight from the garden — drying fruits and veggies, making juices to enjoy all year round, cooking up lots of marmalades, and even trying a little fermentation experiment.

All that while selling our house, moving into a temporary place, and preparing for the renovation of the new house.

#9 Hail and hope

In this episode, we had to get creative to irrigate the young trees using the existing water canals — with some unexpected challenges along the way.

We also welcomed a few lovely visitors — one of whom brought a surprising gift: a solar-powered tool to cook with the heat of the sun! ☀️

And just when we thought we had the rhythm down…
The skies opened up with heavy rains — and even hail — leaving a bigger mark than we expected.

Curious? Watch the episode and see how nature, surprises, and small wins shape the journey of FreeHive.

SOLAR COOKER
If you are interested in knowing more about or purchasing a solar cooker, send an email to urban_spirit@protonmail.com

#8 Water on the land!

Getting water on the land was quite a birth! That's why we celebrated eating together with all the neighbours and the guests that were helping us clean the water canals. Meanwhile, in the garden, the green manure was growing faster than the potatoes! And water in the canals is one thing, but how do we get it to the new trees we planted? At least they got some mulch volcanos...

NATURAL FARMING

Growing food by trusting nature

Natural farming means working with nature, not controlling it. Instead of forcing the land, we observe, wait, and let plants and soil life do most of the work.

It rebuilds the soil, it brings back life, and it makes us a little more self-reliant. And it changes you too: you learn to let go of control and to follow the rhythm of the land.

Now on the land - October

Making seed mixes and sowing green manure for winter, while there is autumn rain!