Basics for Life - Light, Heat, Water
Water
The Peloponnese has a hot, dry summer climate and, while towns and villages have a water supply, farms and outlying houses rely on wells or tanked water. Public springs, wells and taps still exist. Pictured is an unusual source, spouting from a tree trunk in a village close to Sparti. The pump in Methoni is no longer in use but there is a tap by the pier.The main groves of Trigono-Lamda are bordered by streams and have wells; however, the streams are dry in summer, Lamda olive grove well has been silted up and the lemon grove drilled well is broken. The olive trees cope well and the shrubs on the upper land are hardy, but plants have been lost to drought at the Lemon Grove and Triangle. Tanked water and collected rainwater have been used domestically and drinking water either bought bottled or taken from local springs or village taps.
Types of Water wells
Dug wells
The oldest and simplest type, dug by hand and lined with stones or bricks. This one at the olive grove was probably built in the late 19th/early 20th century.
Wide bore wells
The most common type of well in the Methoni area; these are usually lined with concrete and are deeper than dug wells and more durable.
We drew water from one on a neighbouring property for use at the triangle. In winter it was warmer than water left out all night!
Drilled wells
The photo shows the head of the drilled well at the lemon grove. More expensive to make and operate as it is mechanically operated. The bore hole is very narrow but deep - 50 metres or so. Unfortunately this well has broken and is expensive to repair.
Light
It is natural to live by the sun and seasons rather than the clock. The need for artificial light diminishes, except in the long winter evenings. Work is from dawn till dusk in winter, followed by an evening at a local teaverna or by a stove at home. The Night Sky is beautiful and Full moon on a clear night gives a surprising amount of light.At the Lemon Grove and Triangle we used bottled gas, battery torches, candles, or olive oil lamps. Olive oil that is past its best gives steady light when floated on water in a small glass, using a wick set in a cork (sold locally).
For the future, solar panels would be helpful. Solar power has already been used to heat water, simply by placing a bowl of water in the sun or water in a black container.
Heat
Winter can be cold, but more to the point- very damp in the Methoni area. Some homes manage without heat, especially those with solid stone walls; however, a more usual solution is a black iron wood-burning stove. Olive wood burns well, and an important part of the olive harvest is the collection of sawn wood from the trees for winter use. A nicely stacked wood-pile is a pleasure to see, older (seasoned) wood being the best fuel. I once saw a wood-pile which included every size from large branches to the tiniest twigs. The twigs would be used as kindling.In Winter at the Lemon Grove, a calor gas heater provided sufficient heat for the farm building. Power can also be provided by a generator but it is noisy. The lemon grove building has thick walls which retain the heat and it seldom gets too cold there. For the future, it will be worthwhile to invest approximately €300 and install a wood-burning stove with a side oven and top plate for heating water.
Sewage Disposal
Cesspools have been installed at the Triangle and Lemon Grove though in winter the Triangle one is vulnerable to flooding and is no longer used. Waste water from washing activities was used to flush the toilet so that clean water could be saved.
Machinery and Tools for Smallholdings
The "agria" was still very common until recently.
Consisting of a diesal engine on wheels with handle bars and an attachment for a cart,
it was a useful carrier of wood, olive branches, fruit crates etc. it was preceded
by the donkey and has been superceded by the pick-up truck. At Trigono Grovese groves,
we used a car for transport and hired larger transport at harvest time. The small Kubota tracor originally
purchased has been sold and tilling is now contracted out.
Generators were used in the renovation of the farm building and briefly as power for the newly inhabited house. However, the need to carry fuel for the generator and the noise as it echoed through the valley, made bottled gas a better option.
The most commonly used tool is the Axina, with a wooden pole handle and a head shaped like a large, deep, unrounded hoe. It is still used at Trigono-Lamda as the clearing tool and is very effective, with a chopping action which can rapidly clear undergrowth. Elsewhere it is being replaced by strimmers, but they don't get to the root of plants as the axina does, and are less effective against tougher stems.
Other traditional tools are the long-handled scythe and the simple saw. Most work at Trigono-Lamda can be done using the axina, a hand saw and strong leather gloves which guard against brambles, thistles and lemon tree spines. It has to be said, however, that the noisy chainsaw makes harvesting olives and pruning considerably faster.
Traditional tools and crafts are similar throughout the world, but their use is declining as speed is increasingly important in order to keep labour costs down.
We can't do without modern machinery but working the land by hand can be very satifying, when it is a hobby and not essential.