I have moved to a house with an acre of land in the north of Lanzarote, on the Canary Islands, as a permanent home.
It is "off the grid" - with no running water, nor electricity - and located on the foot of a mountain.
There is a lot of wind, causing cooler temperatures than Lanzarote has generally.
Solar collectors supply power and hot water. In this climate, it works really well. While we have to be mindful of our consumption, everyday appliances - lights, washing machines, computers, cell phones - work great.
One exception is anything to do with heating: water boilers, electric stoves, and such. For those, we use natural gas.
There are several buildings, enough to house a large number of people.
Currently, a dear friend and myself live and work here, with visitors on and off.
There is a lot of work to do in every corner of the place, enough to last for years.
A gravel path needs fixing, roofs are to be re-coated, walls to be plastered...
None of these things are my strong suit, and there is a lot for me to learn.
I had originally planned to grow a lot of vegetables and herbs here, but it turns out to be more difficult than expected. There is plenty of sun, but the strong wind and dry climate make any kind of agriculture a challenge. Water is delivered by truck, and is not cheap. There is no rain during the summer months.
I'm going to try out different methods and plants in the winter, the main growing season on the island.
What does grow without any problems is delicious figs from five trees.
This is just a half a day's harvest!
Moving in is slow, as there is so much to do.
A place with many possibilities - a real gift from life itself!