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John, you are not the first man to put a screw through a water pipe, and certainly will not be the last. Love to you all❤❤❤❤❤

I so appreciate how you handle disappointments and also criticisms from your viewers. You handle both gently and with grace. I watch other channels and have to listen to rants about being criticized for what they do in their renovations. The criticism is unfortunately the price you pay for showing everything you do on line. I, personally, don't enjoy the rants from the youtubers. I try to fast forward through them. You, on the other hand, handle them so gently and quickly that I don't need to fast forward through it. Thanks so much for that! You work so hard and cheerfully through each challenging situations. You are an inspiration to all of your viewers!

I don't have ducks and I don't have a row. I have squirrels and they're everywhere 🤣🤣

John - you work so hard and you are actually a perfectionist but remember: everybody makes mistakes.

As a parent of 4 adults children and their spouses. We just want to spend time with our kids and especially the grandchildren. We don’t care if we’re in bunk beds, or floor. Time is a thief, so of course we want quality time and adventures. Love and hugs to all. ❤❤❤❤

Please never ever leave this piece of heaven on earth! You have come such a long way and remember the road to perfection is constantly under construction 💪🏻🥰💪🏻

Ohhh, for us plums are pure gold! We put them in big barrels to ferment, then boil the result two times and - by condensing the steam - get the best plum brandy, which we call ”palinka”. It's famous in Transylvania and 4-5 countries around 🙂. And when our wives or mothers turn a part of the plums into plum jam we, the men in the house, are mourning in sorrow, because it means less brandy 😀.

A good thing to teach the boys is how to tell the difference between a butterly and a moth when they are resting. The butterfly wings will be folded back and vertical and the moths wings will be spread. There are also antennae differences. A good biology lesson for them.

Awww. John, please don't fret. You are doing such a great job and are so visionary in your renovations. These things happen when a person is brave and has a positive attitude. Sometimes things go pear shaped, but we move on, right? In the end, it's all beautiful. I'm so happy to see all the progress.

So funny to watch and listen to John speaking in English to Carlos and him answering back to John in Portuguese.😂😂😂😂somehow they understand each other 👍👍👍

plumb trees are really aggressive growers. They need constant pruning. You might get less fruit but they will be bigger. If you bring down the height, it will be easier to harvest.

John looks really good in glasses🤔

Not to worry about the air gap under the roofing. It is intentional and necessary to allow moisture to escape.

John and Tara, You are both amazing!! No fretting. Just enjoy the beautiful life you are building for each other and your darling children and sweet furry and feathery friends.❤

Entropy is my new word of the day. I also agree with one of your viewer comments about how you handle disappoints and viewer criticisms in stride and with grace. Personally I would never criticize because I think you guys are doing a fabulous job and taking on projects that most of us would never be able to do. The new roof is looking good.

John, don't fret about the screw in the water pipe. Your not the first and won't be the last to do it. I do feel for you, though. You have been going nonstop, really, and I, for one, applaud you. It is wonderful that you got time with your parents. Tara, look up plum chutney. It is delicious and keeps well canned. This would be great for the sour cherry plums or any plum. My, how fast the boys are growing! ❤

So good to see your RHIDIE /ZIM folks with u ❤❤❤❤❤how I miss my birth country here in SA /JHB 😢😢❤❤❤❤❤❤ENJOY THE PRECIOUS TIME WITH THEM ❤❤❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💋💋💋💯💯💯

Even with the building work your farm is truly beautiful

Loved watching your video. Especially the plum picking. Brings me back to my days with my grandfather. ♥

Thank you for being the sunshine in my day. With all the moving part's in your life, take a moment to breath deeply and hug your family. You got this!! 😊

John … a frustrating experience… but a learning experience . You will never forget the lesson . And what’s past is past ✔️ Tara - how nice to see your parents !!! Love love love seeing grandparents enjoying their grandkids ❤ And having Dad for the ladder is very comforting !!!

Enjoy your parents visit because we are just with them for a short time….. ❤❤

Classical music, I loved it. ♥♥♥♥♥♥ I've never seen a home repair that was 100% done, that's part of it. But what's good is that you do it calmly and patiently... That's why I imagine that the classical music was to calm the atmosphere. 😇

Your spontaneity is what makes your vlogs magical ... You are a very beautiful family. Your story has become a part of my routine and it makes me forget my illness. I dream of one day traveling to Portugal, the birthplace of Magellan who brought the Spaniards to my country. My DNA has, I am sure, would place some of my ancestors from Spain. Dreams don't cost anything. See you guys in the future.

Yeah that’s something that had to happen I’m afraid. Things were going too easy for you John. So hitting the pipes once.. not so bad. 😊 I am really looking forward to what you will do with the kitchen. 😊 hmm plums. Must be so special to be able to share such a lovely place with your entire family. Have a lovely evening and thanks for the episode 😊

John it’s all coming together 👋👋👋🫂

When we were doing one of our renovations - the electrician drilled and cut through the soil pipe ! In the middle hallway, it took us many months to find out where the water was actually coming from, after cutting open lots of access holes in the newly plastered walls and ceilings - we finally managed to locate the culprit ! Don’t beat yourself up about it it happens, at least you found out why ! Very quickly 😊

John don’t pay no mind to how others do things this is your story of life so that means it’s the right way for you. How how wonderful that you are harvesting your plums with the fantastic help from mom and dad. Crusoe and Sawyer will miss having grandparents around but it is nice to have a break without guests no matter how lovely they are. Take care.

Your resilience and creativity during the unexpected challenges of the Portugal stone house renovation are truly admirable. Your ability to adapt and overcome obstacles is inspiring. And I am Floating Village Life

I always love your choice of music. Joao is always a great silent partner in your videos, and obviously a helpful neighbour, but I'm not sure I'd trust his home made family heirloom ladder. Can't wait to hear your kids grow up speaking Portuguese as well as English. The barefoot boy team will pick up a different language very quickly, and naturally, once they are in a local school and with friends their own ages. John's new glasses suit him.

Everyone makes mistakes John ,no one is perfect but you are very very close to being absolutely perfect!! How nice to havd do many family members visiting. That’s so wonderful!! Tara you could make dumplings w the plums ,that would be drlivious! I hsvdng make them in years big sometimes I used to make it w apricots too and make a sauce e butter and bread crumbs to put over the dumplings it’s so delicious!! K don’t really havd a recipe I learned by watching a lady I knew from the old Yugoslavia make them !❤

Ive been making wild fermented country wines for about 6 years now almost weekly, you can use anchor bread yeast, the purple packet or any other bread yeast, brings ABV to about 8%. If you want to wild ferment you will have to make a starter in a 5l tub, just plums and about 2 cups of sugar, I use brown sugar. Squash the plums, the white powder on their skins is yeast, add water and sugar and put cheesecloth over tub, stir regularly and in about 2 days you see it foaming, then take a 25l bucket and add more plums squashed and 12 cups of sugar and 4 packets of bread yeast, stir well and leave about 3 days, strain and bottle in 2l coke bottles, leave bottles at room temp for no longer than 2 days and put in fridge, if you do not put in fridge you have to breath the bottles or they will explode. Enjoy. Also I would dry most of the plums, you can make wine and jam etc with dried plums also

hey, nice to see parents settled.. despite construction issues.. ❤

I can understand John's frustration with the screw through the pipe mishap. But life marches on and you all march along really well with it. The project is still coming along nicely and the plums look delicious! 😋 See you on Sunday!! 😊

😂😂😂 been there, done it, got the tee shirt, well done John, you are now a member of the “if it can be fu**ed up, i have club” 😂👍

Work is going like clockwork 💖 John baby, I`ve also done the drilling through a pipe in the bathroom! Welcome to the Jester club (only for us Marillion fans)

Lovely to see your parents Tara and John and I'm sure you enjoyed the time spent with them, even though the tiny house was not finished before their arrival. I have plum trees too but not a sour one.☺♥

Hi Newbys it's good to see your family enjoying the farm with you. The extension is coming along nicely all your hard work is paying off John.

Tara, you look wonderful and John , love the glasses! The garden looks fabulous, especially the lovely pink Dahlia, and your velvety lawn. Don't feel bad about the water pipe mishap, as our son said to my husband one day- he was grown up with his own sons at the time- " Dad, s--t happens" ! The shock at hearing this from our son rendered us speechless for a while. Proof that children grow up and life is on a different level. The plums look so appetising, have you looked into any Portugese recipes? Joao's mum might have some good recipes, and also Carlos wife? Obi is a sweetheart muddy or not. Hope you have a good week, and look forward to hearing more tomorrow. Thank you both.🌹

If you were any different then you are….i wouldn’t have watched the same way….your candid , a very interesting genuine enthusiast….cheerfully press on, make mistakes and fix them!

In the " More than Farmers " video, she is using an apron that fits a bowl, kinda like a kangaroo pouch to pick raspberries or whatever you need two hand to pick. You might want to check that out. There's also an apron with lots of pockets to place eggs in when getting eggs 🥚 from the hen house. 😅😂😊❤

The red roof looks so good. Great you have Carlos to help and language doesn’t seem to hinder you!

So cute one speaks Portuguese the other English I so enjoy you all so thank you ❤❤

When you said John drilled a hole in the pipe, I said John, John!! Then I saw the frustration on his face and immediately said, it's all good John! You're doing a great job John, keep your head up!!

I loved the Bach opening. It was fascinating to discover you can get panels that look like an old, well established roof. That was a huge transformation in the space of a few hours. Credit to Carlos. Cherry Plums (as I understand) were grown to attract birds away from the desired fruits. The birds prefer them but they can be a bit tart for us. Then they turned out to be one of the first trees to blossom in early Spring. I think most people acquire them for that. My Mum used to preserve plums - I wish I’d paid attention. They make plum pudding (the old traditional Christmas pudding). Thanks for highlighting the word ‘Entropy’ I imagine it’ll come in useful as I’m about to go off on my annual adventures. Won’t be around for a bit, but will enjoy catching up when I am back.

Plum chutney? Maybe you've already made that. They look delicious! So nice to see your Mum and Dad joining in.

Thanks for sharing a bit of your parents, Tara. Being a grandparent is one of the most wonderful life experiences. Your boys are both delightful...Sawyers curls are cute. ❤ from Canada 🇨🇦

We had plum trees on our farm as a child and there were so many delicious plum dishes. We had stewed plums over icecream, plum crisp or crumble, plum pies, plum tart, jam etc etc. My mum even made a plum drink but I don't remember what it was exactly. I envy you all of these delicious plums. John...don't be hard on yourself...we have all had disasters. I had not one but two today which I won't even go into. This is one of the most beautiful properties I have seen from all of the off grid, renovation type shows from Portugal...and that is not saying anything bad about the others...this is just the most delightful. (I think I watch 6)

Growing up we had a plumb tree in our back yard. My oldest sister and I used to pick the plums when they were hard and green. The more sour the better. We were the only ones in the family who would eat the plums this way. It was our bond. We were the two outliers. Rebels with a cause! Never had better plums to this day.

That happens. It's usual. I don't say its not a nasty problem. But it happens. Specially when you are remodeling. I hope you have a great time with your parents.

Both of you do such amazing work; building,farming and most importantly being such wonderful parents. 🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦

Family time is always wonderful. Tiny house is going great, learning me a lot to. Thank you.

Glad to hear all the visitors enjoyed their time in your home. Hopefully, John took some well deserved breaks to also enjoy the visitors. Taking on the build is no small task and it is looking really good. Yes, lessons being learned but it's how we all learn :)

So nice to have family visit! My parents are no longer with us, but the rest of my family lifes in Germany and Slovenia, were i was born, I've been living in Michigan now for 30 years! Its hard sometimes living so far apart! I am glad you guys had a great time with your family! Until Sunday, greetings from Michigan!

What a lovely family you have Tara everybody helping out with the plums. John and Mario have been busy getting the roof on and Crusoe is busy helping with everything.❤️❤️

Ack! I hate that moment when you realize such a small mistake became such a big headache! It's great you guys have so much wonderful help these days to support you when things go wrong. So looking forward to seeing how you use up your plums!

Those roof panels were great. My heart went out to John for drilling through the water pipe... it happens xx. the plums look delicious. Thank you for sharing. xxx

Family and friends are so thrilled to be with you, any inconvenience with bathroom build doesn’t bother them at all. They’re happy to be there❤. And we all love you too for including us on your journey. I never miss watching your videos❤❤❤

My nerves...watching John and Carlos on the roof! Well done guys. Lovely piece with so much; bits of family, a drive in the surrounding area, harvesting, construction and farm life. Love lives there❤

Happy Wednesday Newbys!!! Don’t be hard on yourself John, you are doing an amazing job on your build! These things happen to the best of us! Your families are fortunate to have such a lovely place to visit!

John do not be so hard on yourself you did a wonderful job remember you said that you've never built the house before so there you go you know where our learning nobody does anything perfect the first time except for your garden your garden is beautiful I would just love to walk around and just look at every flower thank you for all the flowers

The garden looks fabulous, rich in colour and variety, John I love the glasses, and Tara you look wonderful! Lovely to have your parents with you Tara, but how sad the bathroom pipe sprang a leak! Yes, I know, it had a little help. The saga of the roof was very interesting, and pinpoints well the frustrating difficulties of life in a second language. It looks really good though, so was worth it. Regarding the plums, Tara, have you asked Joao's Mum for possible recipes, and other Portugese friends? Meanwhile Crusoe can have his fill of tasty plum juice. Look forward to the next video. Thank you both.🌹

Ola beautiful Friends wonderful morning the children’s Obi playing in the lawn. Tara beautiful clams lots to do.John every body makes mistakes, you doing a good job. See you Sunday 😅

I love eating fruits straight from the trees! You can make plum jam/jelly, it will last you through winter! Plum cobbler is good too! ☺️☺️ Plum ice pops for the kids! (And adults 😁)

You should make some plum jam for your morning toast. It was always my father’s favourite breakfast topping. It makes a wonderful jam for bread or toast. 😊😊😊

You need a sky hook to pick your fruit. A sky hook is made of hard wire. With 2 hooks, one on each end of wire. One hook is on a strong limb near you. The other end is for your basket. Now your hands are free for picking. I hope you can have one made and like. Wire about a meter long, 2 strong hooks.

Thank you John (and Tara) for being fallible and not getting everything right first time! Makes you relatable and more entertaining and most of all, doesn’t make me feel inadequate! 😂 Remembering nailing loose floorboards down on the landing as carpet fitters worked through our first house only to puncture a pipe. I learned very quickly how to cut and rejoin copper pipes that day!!! 😂

We pick high up plums with a piece of drainpipe with a notch in the top, put the pipe over a plum and turn until the stalk is in the notch give a twist and the plum comes down the pipe.

Your channel has grown so much!! So deserved - you do such an incredible job on editing and thinking about all your shots. And your narration is so great and just everything, really. I bet you have, but just in case, have you considered an outdoor shower? The thing that's so wonderful about them is you don't have to plumb a regular drain and you don't have to wash the walls. You can build as much privacy as you want for them, even with a little latching wooden door. Whatever you build will last as long as it lasts and easy to rebuild in a few years if needed. They're super fun and they help take the pressure off your indoor showers when you have a lot of guests. You can get these little water heaters that are on demand and place it right by the shower. They can be solar or propane. Max of Max and Occy, and Tyler and Todd both built outdoor showers within the last year or so, so you could watch their videos if you want to get some ideas. So did Martjin Doolaard during his first year of fixing up a stone house in the Italian Alps. ❤🤸🏽‍♂️🤸🏽‍♂️🤸🏽‍♂️🛀🏽

Don’t beat yourself up John, you work so hard and create such magic, this sort of thing has happened to lots of people. The bathroom is looking gorgeous. So glad you managed to spend special time with all your visitors I am sure they will all have been so impressed in what you have achieved so far. Wow Tara, those plums look amazing, lots of plum jam yummy ❤xx

We can’t stand chaos in our family and my husband always gets all his ducks in a row beforehand. And we’re blessed to know our limitations and are able to hire expert professionals to do plumbing, etc. That said, I myself as a middle aged woman did reroof our house, once upon a time and it turned out fine, cause my dad showed my how to do it. 😅 We have ornamental plums in California with leaves that reddish color, but they don’t produce plums, since they’re only ornamental.

Oh My Dear John you are not the only one who has ever made that kind of mistake and you are doing the most amazing job building never having done it before. Do you know how amazing you are? Your farm is so beautiful when you drive into it amazed at its beauty what a wonderful place for you to raise your family . I hope the biggest problems are over now and things will be smoother for you. Blessings and love from New Mexico

The stone house and raised planters filled with flowers is absolutely stunning. ❤ Great Job 👍

These things happen just when you don’t want them to! I once put a garden fork through our gas main! The plums look amazing. Back in the day I used to make bottles and bottles of spiced plum sauce when we had a glut of plums. Sadly the plum tree died but we still have a damson, greengage, and cherry tree plus two apple trees, a vine and a fig tree! Not bad for the north of England!

I've not seen many comments about the Broody hen, but if she is in where the other chooks are then you need to mark her eggs. The other chickens will continue to lay on and around her. Also if she gets off the nest to feed herself, one of the other chooks may take over briefly to lay, she will go sit somewhere else and then all eggs will cool down when other chook goes back outside after laying. All stuff learnt the hard way. 😒 If you want her to raise babies you are better to isolate her from the rest. 😊

We love plum crumble plum jam and plum sponge well done guys regards Andy from Felixstowe.

Have you tried making a plum jam or jelly? You could make a plum wine or cordial, a cobbler which is like a tart. A Danish or pastry with a plum filling would be a wonderful way to start or end your day. We had a purple plum tree in our front yard of our childhood home ever since my parents purchased the house in 1968. The summer that my parents sold the house and we were moving out in August of 1986 was the first year that it actually had plums growing on it. They were the best plums we had ever tasted and it was a bit bitter sweet that they grew right when we were leaving. I still miss that house and the neighborhood because it was a very close knit community. We had a clubhouse that had a Olympic size pool, tennis courts and basketball courts. Down the hill was a stream fed lake that was stocked with fish that you could use a canoe or kayak during the summer. Each winter it would freeze and once the ice was 10-12 inches thick we were allowed to ice skate or play ice hockey on the lake. There was a small stable that could hold up to six horses. Further back there are a baseball and soccer fields., As a neighborhood we had celebrations for Christmas, New Years Eve, 4th of July complete with a parade and cookout down at the clubhouse. The neighborhood theater guild put on plays and you could rent the clubhouse for parties and family reunions. The elementary and high schools were in walking distance. Because of the location as children we could safely ride our bikes most places and we would act ride close to 6+ miles to the next town or go down into our town to visit the library and different stores like the local fabric store and various clothing stores. I can't even imagine letting a child in elementary school do any of that without an adult with them. The church we attended was literally only a few blocks away and we could walk or ride our bikes to get there in nice weather. The land that our neighborhood was built on had once been a larger farm and there were still some smaller family farms in the areas around the neighborhood. It was sad to see them sold and new houses being built.

Glad you are getting professional help. That cuts down on the mistakes.

Yumm plum season. I remember your first. I got my first peach harvest off my 3 yr old peach tree my son bought for my little F l garden and we actually made jam and pies

That ladder is magnificent. Here in the US it would have seen the fire pit long ago. I love finding and using older well made tools as long as they are safe.

Happy Wednesday Newby family, no one is perfect, we learn from our mistakes, hope you used the outdoor shower you installed on the farm the first year, at least the men could have showered there. Anyway, John looks good with glasses. Would have loved to see your parents, family interact more with you all, with Crusoe and Sawyer. Be well, enjoy your togetherness, lovely to see you endeavouring throughout your ups and downs. Hugs to you all 👶👱‍♂️🐶🐔🐓🐸🐣🍇🦋🌺🥰💖🙏🙏🙏🙏 🇵🇹 🇿🇼 🇬🇧

What a bounty of plums. I am terrified of heights so I would never climb that high for fruit. 😂 I recently had my dear husband prune the fruit trees a little on top. I think arborists recommend pruning no more than 1/3 of canopy. But perhaps when your trees are dormant you can have it done and next year you won’t have to climb so high to gather the fruit. 😊

John, even if you have the insulated shingles screwed on, get some polyethylene foam/mesh and stuff at the ends of the air gaps, on both ends, to allow air/condensation to flow and keep bugs out. You can cut the plums in half and put them in the sun to dry. If you are worried about bugs eating them, make a clear glass cover so they can dry for days.

Love the two little purple hand prints on the back of the chair! Tara, plum preserves or jam! 😋 And have you guys tried making some plum wine? I bet that would be amazing! Hello, Mum and Dad! 🥰❤❤❤❤❤❤

Amazing progress you two have made! ... Sorry about the waterpipe accident, John.🔨 I could almost hear your thoughts as you realized what happened! Frustrating, yes, but you guys always take things so much in stride. That is what I love about this channel! Your positive acceptance of things that are out of your control. What an incredible gift to teach your children ....so many people, including myself, have spent so much of their lives fretting in a negative space about things that they really have no control over....! Accidents happen, the unforeseen happens, things can change on a dime....but you have to go with the flow and have a Plan B...and sometimes, even a Plan C! lol I didn't learn that lesson fully until late in life! ....Glad that you guys had a lovely visit with your parents, and that you were able to get things sorted for their visit. The plum trees are magnificent, and I hope you are able to harvest them for the winter larder, and perhaps give as gifts to your lovely neighbors. Can't wait to see Tara's tart! There is s German recipe I have for a Pluma Platz, that is like a coffee cake with half plums baked into it....yum! The roof looks super and it's a good thing that Carlos is there to help and offer advice. ~~Much love, Louise in Canada🍁💕

Those insulated roof panels are fabulous haven't sent them in the stores down here in Beja before only plain white ridged or flat they look great...isn't Obie growing so fast he follows Crusoe everywhere...❤

Ask Mario to make you a “vara ladra”: 1 thick bamboo, 4 cuts and a stone to keep the cuts opened! Easiest way to pick up fruit!

Oh my goodness Obi is growing as quick as the boys 😁 here in Wales we call a butterfly a Pili Pala 🦋

Hi guys The roof looks great. How fortunate you have such a helpful family to harvest and prepare your plums. I made freezer jam with my plums. You add orange peel. Easy to make. Crusoe and Sawyer are always fun to watch. It looks like the puppy really enjoys the boys.

Sorry about the leak, easy to do when you are under a time crunch. 'Frankie off rid' channel that have an off rid property in Portugal used those panels and the white surface on the back is their ceiling, so using it as their roof rather than putting on top of a roof cover x

You are my heroes. You work on so many fronts with immense dedication and despite all the setbacks, you continue courageously to work hard, welcome family and have fun.Love for you all ❤

Ohhh yum love to eat my Mum plum dumplings. In Hungary where I grown up we use to have it in summer time and then in winter we bought it frozen from the supermarket. My Mum also put them into alcohol (rum) to preserve them. Love the new fast roof but for the new house should be the old fashion tiles I think. Glad you all had a great time with family. Happy Summer🌞🌞🌞🌞

Plums Ahoy!!. John i`ll never forget flooring my first house all the finishing touches and 2nd to last floor board BOOM! Splash ooopps- Nailed the water pipes lol :). Great adventure folks see ya soon for more....

It’s nice to see the first stage of building is almost finished!!! I plums look so good!! Plum jelly is one of my favorites! 💜👋🏻

John tu trabajo es maravilloso tal como este video con ese final de cerezos y árboles!! Y más con tu Papá Tara, Crusoe y 🐶!! Que Paz ver los árboles sus frutos y lo que se puede preparar! Pensaba en mermeladas 😋, un abrazo

The most important tool in my toolbox is the cable and pipe detector, also locates the studs in stud walls.

The plum tree with the purple leaves reminds me of the ornamental plums we had on the farm. They were more sour too. Grandma always told us not to eat them, but we did anyway. We also had 2 varieties of cherry plums (red and yellow), but the fruit off them was quite a bit smaller than yours. Enjoy your plums. I miss our orchards.

Wow, that must have been so frustrating when that screw went through the water pipe. Hang in there you guys and great seeing the roofing and plum adventures.

It's something that will make you laugh for years to come lol. Even with your booboo I admire your heart to do things that you are sure about, giving it all a go. Love you guys.