Hacienda Los Olivos

Lecrin Valley Sundays

2012-01-25T17:00:00.002Z

Lecrín Valley Sundays
A new way to help you grow in your spiritual life and make new friends in the Lecrín Valley.
For more information: www.haciendalosolivos.org/lecrin

Thinking of bringing a group to losOlivos

2012-01-17T08:52:00.000Z

We just created this small brouchure to show you how easy that could be!

Click on the pdf symbol to download it to your computer.

http://www.haciendalosolivos.org/Documents/Bring%20a%20Group.pdf

Feliz Navidad y un 2012 lleno de bendiciones

2011-12-23T12:37:00.000Z

Desde Hacienda Los Olivos queremos desearos una muy feliz Navidad y un año nuevo lleno de bendiciones para tod@s.

Al acercarnos al final de nuestro primer año abiertos como casa rural y centro de retiros tenemos mucho por lo que dar gracias. 2011 ha sido un año lleno de buenos momentos, pero también con sus retos. El primer reto fue acabar la obra a tiempo para la apertura, el segundo descubrir cómo dirigir la casa y el programa de cursos y retiros para que todos los huéspedes disfrutaran de su experiencia con nosotros. Nos hemos sentido muy bendecidos por el apoyo de nuestra familia y amigos, y por conocer a tanta gente nueva que ha pasado por la casa. Hemos recogido algunos de los momentos más especiales de este año en el documento adjunto (pinchar abajo).

Los mejores momentos 2011

Con cariño desde la Sierra,

Dani y Guy

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2012

2011-12-23T12:35:00.002Z

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2012.

As we finish our first full season of guests at the hacienda we have much to relect on. It has been quite an exciting time as well as a massive learning curve for us. First, getting all of the building project finished, and then discovering how to actually run losOlivos as a retreat centre and ensuring our guests enjoyed their experience with us. We have been very blessed this year to have met some great people, who whilst relaxing in the Sierra, have also helped us learn more about our calling here. We have captured some of the highlights of the year in the attached document (around 1MB) which we hope you will enjoy.

Reflections on 2011

Greetings from the Sierra,

Guy and Dani

New course descriptions added to "Retreat&Courses"

2011-12-19T16:09:00.001Z

We added more detailed descriptions to most of the retreats and courses listed - if you click on the title on that page on the main website, it should open up a pdf file for you.

losOlivos featured in the Europrean Anglican Magazine

2011-12-15T09:40:00.003Z

Bill Weston, a guest at losOlivos in September has recently written an article for the European Anglican about his experience here at the centre. You can click on the picture to enlarge and read . . .

Updated website just launched

2011-10-06T15:16:00.001+01:00

with new content to let you know what will be happening here in 2012. You can see it all at:-

http://www.haciendalosolivos.org

Hope you are all well

Poems in September

2011-09-28T07:11:00.001+01:00

below is a taster of some of the poetry created here at losOlivos in September, if you'd like to see more follow the link!

http://www.archdeaconkaren.blogspot.com/

Come fly the river.
Be mad from flood storming loss.
Cry glory
and play, dancing along
the milky soft night sky.
Enfold the jewel gift
of butterfly.
MC

A thousand
time rich trees
Smell the vale
Sing sweet green
and lazy the sun
MC

Silvery Sentinel
You do not die
North faced lichen stumped tree.
From gentle knarledness
comes slender youth.
Branches bearing the potent fruit
To be ripened
then crushed to malleable flow
or to fall
received to decay.
To be absorbed
by the life of the root
or lost? MC

I walk wise
in Paradise Park
Soul alive and free
above the silver mirror sky
beneath the diamond tree.
MC

Have a great Greenbelt

2011-08-26T09:53:00.001+01:00

If you're off to Greenbelt this weekend - have a great time.

If you're there make sure you go down to the Northern Lights tent, and meet up with the Iona Community who will be there. And if all has gone to plan they will have some of our 2012 programmes !!! You can get a preview before we send them out in the next couple of weeks.

love to all

August News / Noticias agosto 2012

2011-08-15T16:36:00.005+01:00

August has been a month of rest, holiday and work. The hacienda has been closed to guests, so we've used the time to make improvements in the house (setting up a new irrigation system and introducing new plants in the patio), to finalise our 2012 Programme of retreats and courses (which will be published online in September – less than a month!), and to take some holiday.

Patio de S. Juan de la Cruz

Agosto ha sido un mes de descanso y trabajo. Hemos instalado un sistema de riego por goteo para los jardines y el patio de san Juan de la Cruz, y nos hemos podido relajar tomando unos días de vacaciones. También hemos ultimado el programa de retiros y cursos para el 2012 que se publicará en nuestra web en septiembre.

Summer at losOlivos / Verano 2011

2011-08-15T15:42:00.016+01:00

It's been a sunny, warm and enjoyable time at losOlivos this Summer, with plenty of laughter, good food, swimming in the pool, and spiritual refreshment through open air worship and amazing retreats.

Este verano en losOlivos ha sido soleado y caluroso, lleno de risas, buena comida, refrescantes baños en la piscina y renovación espiritual mediante unos retiros maravillosos.

June was a month dedicated to exploring the poetry and spirituality of John of the Cross through flamenco, sculpture and literature. Colin Thomson (Oxford Univ.), Daphne Tengbergen (Paris), Carmen Alvarez (Granada), and Dani Muñoz (losOlivos), led a series of really interesting and creative retreats. It was a truly special and unforgettable month!

Junio estuvo dedicado a san Juan de la Cruz. Colin Thomson (Univ. de Oxford), Daphne Tengbergen (París), Carmen Alvarez (Granada), y Daniel Muñoz (losOlivos), dirigieron una serie de interesantes retiros llenos de creatividad (flamenco, escultura y poesía).

More Spring shots from losOlivos

2011-06-02T15:24:00.000+01:00

What a year for the natural environment here. After the rains come the amazing sights in the area

Best photos from the Sea and Sierra photographic holiday - May 2011

2011-05-20T09:24:00.001+01:00

A poem written by one of the guests at losOlivos last week during the John Bell retreat

2011-05-11T09:50:00.000+01:00

Soundings in Sierra Nevada

The Lord brought me Champagne this morning

in a silver bucket.

He lifted it high and thumbed the cork,

exploding gold heavenwards,

a filigree of Celtic harps against the sky.

Or is it the other way round...

earth’s blue splodged against the heavenly temple ceiling

Shekinah with angel harps?

Is it the sun warming the wine,

the bottle so hot, it must

must, must

break forth in effervescent twice-fermented fountain of praise,

breaking the green glass neck

and shouting with all its breath,

in every drop of music it can muster:

a never-ending bubbling

of lovesong language,

utterances never heard,

yet utterly understood.

Like the mountainside of birdsong in Sierra Nevada

where eagles watch

and grasses wave,

the broom nodding agreement;

where God paints purple, blue, scarlet

with vetch, speedwell, poppies;

and people from all nations

hear their own language in the scriptures,

and laugh

and cry

and glimpse the Lord Almighty

in bread and wine and water,

in Holy Spirit communion,

in ...

union.

Anon. Hacienda Los Olivos

Open-air communion, Friday 6^th May 2011

Inauguration - 30th April 2011

2011-05-05T14:25:00.003+01:00

On Saturday we celebrated the inauguration of losOlivos as a centre. It was a great day, not least because the weather was good. We had had quite a bad run of cloudy and rainy weather all week, and were quite anxious about this, but 2 hours before the start of the event the sun came out, and we were able to hold most of the afternoon/evening outside which was always the hoped for plan.

Bishop Carlos visited us from Madrid and dedicated the chapel. This was followed by the unveiling of the St. John of the Cross statue with the sculptor Daphne Tengbergen. The afternoon was completed with 2 flamenco performances by Dani Muñoz and also Carmen Alvarez.

We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Holy Week - Retreat and Parades

2011-04-24T11:24:00.002+01:00

This week has been a reflective one at losOlivos with a retreat based on the book "Can you drink the cup", as well as visit to some of the local Semana Santa parades in Lanjaron and Padul. Hope you enjoy the photos .. .

losOlivos - Getting ready for the Summer

2011-04-02T17:05:00.001+01:00

We've been enjoying amazing weather recently, with the temperatures here today reaching the mid 20s, which has inspired us to start getting ready for the summer. This week we have had all of the outside terraces laid, which has allowed us to start getting some of the summer furniture out (more to arrive during the week). We think it's looking really good!

Al Andalus - March 2011 - Photography course

2011-03-11T10:29:00.000Z

Some of the great photos captured by the group here this week.........

losOlivos - in the news - Church Times article

2011-01-23T12:34:00.003Z

We were very happy to make the front page of the Church Times recently, and also have a feature article in their "retreats and holidays" supplement.

Text of the article is attached below:-

Church Times - 21st January 2011
The sunny side of the retreat (by Sarah Meyrick)

"IF YOUR idea of going on retreat involves a cold cell, a narrow bed, and institutional food, then LosOlivos, in southern Spain, may not be for you. If, on the other hand, warm sunshine, comfortable bedrooms, generous hospitality, and an intriguing programme appeals, then LosOlivos may be just the thing.

LosOlivos is a brand-new ecocentre, set in 20 acres of glorious national park in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, in Andalucia. It is the first Christian art-and-spirituality retreat centre in Spain, and it formally opened for business this month. LosOlivos is the initiative of the Revd Dani Munoz-Trivino, who left his post as Team Vicar of Marlow, in

Buckinghamshire, a year ago, to set up the centre with his partner, Guy Wynter, who has a business back - ground. They spent four or five years researching and planning the project, and moved to Spain at the beginning of 2010. The past year has been spent meticulously restoring and fitting out the 200-year-old hacienda, and devising the retreat programme, which includes photography and flamenco, and stone-carving and cookery, as well as more traditionally themed weeks.

Course leaders include the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, and John Bell, of the Iona Community. Visitors are welcome to sign up for a course or retreat (which generally run from Monday to Friday), or to come on an open-house basis and do their own thing — which might include walking, bird-watching, sightseeing, or taking part in the creative activities on offer. “One of the things that triggered this project”, Mr Munoz-Trivino says, “is the fact that both of us have been involved in art and spirituality projects in our churches in the UK, as part of the emerging church scene. “I’d been on retreat a couple of times to lovely places, but they were fairly basic. We found ourselves thinking, wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a really comfortable place people could go and have a more holistic experience, and explore their faith through creative courses.”

THEY turned to Spain for the perfect location — somewhere beautiful, reasonably accessible, and close to cities of historic, religious, and artistic interest. “When we found this place, it just somehow fulfilled all those criteria,” he says. Indeed: drive north for half an hour to reach Granada and the spectacular Alhambra Palace, or half an hour south for the Mediterranean. Córdoba, with its stunning Mezquita Catedral, is a little further, but still in reach; and so is Seville, at a push. Throw in a climate that offers 300 days of sunshine a year, and it is hard to imagine a better spot for a break. The vision was always to create somewhere carbon-neutral. All heating and power is generated from renewable energy sources: photovoltaic panels, windmills, and a biomass boiler. To minimise the impact, the centre takes only small groups (no more than 20 at a time), and works in partnership with Climate Stewards, part of the environmental charity ARocha, to offset the carbon generated by guests’ travel. Some of this has been made possible through EUsponsorship, in recognition that the project is both innovative and brings

something of value to the community.

That relationship with the community is part of the vision. “It’s good to bring back life to this bit of the mountain. This place has been derelict for the past three or four years,” Mr Wynter says. They hope to attract both English and Spanish guests, and are working hard to get to know the local Christian communities.Last autumn, a handful of people were invited to spend 48 hours putting LosOlivos through its paces, ahead of the opening. My husband

and I joined a small group of expatriates from nearby Anglican churches.

The experience began with a warm welcome and pre-dinner drinks and a fabulous Spanish dinner — wonderful food, it turns out, is a hallmark of the LosOlivos experience. Its hosts are determined that the centre should

be as comfortable as a boutique hotel, but feel more like staying with friends. The nine rooms are simply furnished, but individually decorated and extremely comfortable. There is plenty of privacy, if you need it (and my husband did, having recently been very unwell). But there is also the chance to relax in common areas, such as the comfortable sofas set around a wood-burning stove — very welcome, as the temperature in the mountains in October suddenly plummets at dusk.

In progress outside are a quiet garden, an open-air chapel, and an art-tent workshop. For now, if you want peace and quiet, there are 20 acres of almond and olive orchards to lose yourself in. A few metres beyond the boundary lies one of the “grand routes” of Europe, and a walk up into the snow-capped Sierra Nevada.

THE days are framed by morning and evening prayer in the chapel, and afternoons are designed to be quiet. Guests are expected to respect the rhythm of the centre, even if they are not taking part in a programme. For

us, Messrs Munoz-Trivino and Wynter had put together a taster programme so that we could sample some of the activities from the courses on offer. The first activity was a taste from “Sea and Sierra”, a photographic workshop and walking week. Our photography tutor was Mr Wynter, who took us through some basics of composition before leading us into the mountains with our cameras. Later, we downloaded our pictures and compared notes. It became clear that not only had our skills improved, but we had gained something by considering the landscape so carefully. We had noticed more detail over the course of the morning: changes in the position of the moon, a whiff of cloud, the fall of a shadow. Later in the day, we spent some time getting to know San Juan de la Cruz (St John of the Cross), the mystic who is an inspiration for the project. San Juan de la Cruz — whose works hold an importance for the Spanish equivalent to Shakespeare for the English — spent an important part of his life in Andalucia, and it is where he completed one of his bestknown works, Dark Night of the Soul. There is a stunning statue of the saint in the central courtyard of the centre by the sculptor Daphne Tengbergen.

On this occasion, we had time only to hear a little about the saint and his works, and, under Mr Munoz-Trivino’s guidance, to contemplate one of his poems, which has a strong resonance of the Song of Songs. But June has been declared “San Juan de la Cruz month” at LosOlivos, and there are three four-day courses on offer then to explore his works through flamenco, through sculpture, or poetry as spirituality.

THE next day, our small group was set to work harvesting almonds. The land has been neglected in recent years, and will take some management, but for now the trees are laden with nuts. The process involves spreading nets

beneath the trees, bashing the branches, and gathering up the nuts in baskets — a recipe for much hilarity. A two-fold purpose lay behind this: LosOlivos offers low-cost eco-weeks, harvesting olives (in February) and almonds (October); so we were piloting an activity; but we were also gathering a vital ingredient for lunch.

The final activity involved a cookery lesson: how to make an authentic Spanish paella for lunch. The almonds needed shelling, blanching, and peeling for the accompanying salad. We had already discovered that our tutor (Mr Munoz-Trivino) is an inspired cook, and the paella was delicious. It took a while, of courseall that choosing, chopping, and stirring is time-consuming — but in a soothing and satisfying way. There is something about cooking and sharing a meal together that is wonderfully restorative to the soul. As members of the group dispersed, they had a visible spring in their step. My husband felt stronger. In just 48 hours, we had all slowed down to the tempo of the centre. We had laughed a great deal, alongside the quieter times. “Our hope is that a lot of people can come and enjoy this place, and be refreshed and re-energised,” Mr Munoz-Trivino says. “We’ve got a brilliant team of course leaders from lots of different backgrounds, but the great thing about coming here is that it is not like going back to school when you come for a course. It’s about having afun time and enjoying it.”

losOlivos - in the news . .. .

2010-11-21T21:34:00.001Z

This article has just come out on the Oxford Diocese website, and will shortly be available (with pictures) in "the Door" - which is the Diocese of Oxford newspaper. We hope you enjoy it!

http://www.oxford.anglican.org/the-door/features/spotlight-on-spiritual-refreshment.html

text:-

Spotlight on Spiritual Refreshment

If your idea of going on retreat is a cold cell, a narrow bed and institutional food, then LosOlivos in southern Spain may not be for you. If, on the other hand, warm sunshine, comfortable bedrooms, generous hospitality and an intriguing programme appeals, it just might be.

LosOlivos is an eco-centre set in 20 acres of national park in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalucia. It is Spain’s first Christian Art and Spirituality Retreat Centre, and formally opens in January 2011. LosOlivos is the brainchild of the Revd Dani Munoz-Trivino, until the end of 2009 Team Vicar of Marlow, and Guy Wynter, who has a business background.

They have spent most of this year restoring and fitting out the 200-year-old hacienda and devising the programme, which includes photography and Flamenco, stone carving and cookery as well as more traditional retreat weeks. Some of the course leaders will be familiar to readers: Bishop Stephen Cottrell, Archdeacon Karen Gorham and the Revd Ernesto Lozada. “One of the things that triggered this project is the fact that both of us have been involved in art and spirituality projects in our churches in the UK, as part of the Emerging Church scene,” says Dani. “I’d been on retreat a couple of times to lovely places, but they were fairly basic. We found ourselves thinking, ‘wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a place people could go and have a more holistic experience, and explore their faith through creative courses’.”

They turned to Spain for the perfect location: somewhere beautiful, reasonably accessible, and close to cities of historic interest. A retreat offers a wonderful opportunity to step off the treadmill. After a personally difficult six months, a few days’ breathing space and spiritual refreshment was just what the doctor ordered. So using up the last few days of my annual leave, I joined a short taster programme in October to sample elements from the programme.

The experience begins with a warm welcome from our hosts. The nine rooms are simply furnished but individually decorated and extremely comfortable. If you want peace, there are 20 acres of almond and olive orchards to lose yourself in.

LosOlivos is designed to be carbon neutral, and all heating and power is generated from renewable energy sources. The centre works with Climate Stewards to offset the carbon generated by guests’ travel. The days are framed by morning and evening prayer in the chapel, and afternoons are designed to be quiet. Our first activity is a taste from “Sea and Sierra”, a photographic and walking week. The tutor is Guy, who takes us through some basics of composition, before leading us into the mountains with our cameras. Later we download our pictures and share the fruit of our morning. It becomes clear that not only have our skills improved, but we’ve gained something by so carefully considering the landscape (which is stunning).

We’ve noticed more detail over the morning; changes in the position of the moon and the fall of a shadow. And we’ve slowed down. Later in the day we spend some time exploring the spirituality of San Juan de la Cruz (St John of the Cross). Dani explains that, for the Spanish, his writings hold an equivalent importance to Shakespeare’s. He spent an important part of his life in Andalucia where he completed one of his best known works, The Dark Night of the Soul. Under Dani’s direction, we contemplate one of his poems.

The following day brings the most hilarity, when our small group is set the task of harvesting almonds. The process involves spreading nets beneath the trees, bashing the branches and gathering nuts in baskets. There’s a two-fold purpose: LosOlivos offers low-cost eco-weeks, harvesting olives (in February) and almonds (October), so we are indeed piloting an activity; but we are also gathering a vital ingredient for lunch. Playing we might be but it’s satisfying to be so close to nature.

The final activity involves a cookery lesson: how to make a Spanish paella. The almonds need shelling, blanching and peeling for the accompanying salad. Our tutor (Dani) is an inspired cook and the paella is delicious; we find that here is something about cooking and sharing a meal together that’s wonderfully restorative to the soul. Overall, the time has been inspiring, enjoyable and refreshing – and a chance to delight in God’s goodness.

To find out more about LosOlivos, see www.haciendalosolivos.org or phone 01865 600698 (UK rates).

As a special introductory offer, the first ten people to apply can have two FREE nights in addition to any four-night booked course or retreat. Just quoteLOSOLIVOSDOOR when booking.

Sarah Meyrick is Director of Communications for the Diocese of Oxford.

ALL DONE! // ¡TODO LISTO!

2010-11-02T14:43:00.000Z

El mes pasado fue un mes muy especial para Hacienda Los Olivos. Las obras finalizaron el lunes 25 de octubre y el resultado es espectacular. San Juan de la Cruz aterrizó sano y salvo el 22 de septiembre. Su autora, la escultora Daphne Tengbergen, estuvo aquí para presenciar el gran momento. Los jardines de alrededor de la casa, gracias a la ayuda de familia y amigos/as, han quedado muy bonitos y el césped ya está creciendo. En el interior, las zonas comunes (salón, comedor, capilla, recepción) tienen un aspecto moderno y hogareño. Los dormitorios también están amueblados y los baños completos, listos para recibir huéspedes

Last month was a very significant one at Los Olivos. The building works were completed on the 25th of October and the result is amazing! John of the Cross arrived safely on the 22^nd of September. Its creator, the sculptress Daphne Tengbergen joined us here for the big moment. The gardens around the house, thanks to the help of family and friends, are looking great and the grass is growing on the front lawn. Inside, the common areas (lounge, dinning room, chapel and welcome hall) look modern yet homely, with a variety of artwork in display. The bedrooms are also fully furnished and the bathrooms fully kitted, ready to welcome guests!

Special Retreat-Course // Curso-Retiro especial

2010-11-02T14:40:00.000Z

The last week of October we welcomed a small group of friends to take part in a short taster course. Between Tuesday and Thursday the group participated in a series of seminars and workshops: a photographic walk in the sierra, a mini-retreat on St. John of the Cross, an eco-holiday session (everyone had lots of fun bashing almond trees and gathering over 30 kilos of crop!), and a Spanish cooking workshop. They all had a great time and found Los Olivos “truly special and inspirational”.

La última semana de octubre fue además especial porque en ella recibimos a un pequeño grupo de amigos/as que participaron en un curso-retiro de degustación. De martes a jueves, la Hacienda sirvió de escenario de un taller de fotografía, un mini-retiro sobre las poesías de San Juan de la Cruz, y una sesión de agroturismo donde el grupo se divirtió vareando almendros y recogiendo más de 30 kilos de almendras. Todos los participantes coincidieron en lo especial del lugar y del tiempo que compartieron en Los Olivos.

losOlivos in moonlight / losOlivos a la luz de la luna

2010-10-23T22:18:00.000+01:00

San Juan - Just arrived / Llegó el momento

2010-09-23T20:11:00.000+01:00

Llegó el momentoLa escultura de San Juan de la Cruz ya preside el patio central de Hacienda Los Olivos. La escultora Daphne Tengbergen asistió a la instalación de su obra en uno de los momentos más especiales del proyecto.
Just arrived!The St John of the Cross sculpture now presides Los Olivos´ central patio. The scultress, Daphne Tengbergen, joined us from Paris for the instalation. It is a really significant landmark in the entire project.

Building progress (September 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Septiembre 2010)

2010-09-07T09:15:00.008+01:00

August is traditionally a slower month in Spain, with many people taking holidays, but during this time the works have progressed. The building is now nearing completion, with doors and windows to be installed in the coming weeks and then painting & decorating along with other infrastructure installations (e.g. hot water . .. )

Aunque agosto es un mes tranquilo cuando se trata de obras, para Hacienda Los Olivos ha sido un mes de progreso a buen ritmo. Las fotos siguientes muestran el estado actual del patio interior del edificio.

Here are some of the latest pictures:

Building progress (June 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Junio 2010)

2010-06-21T10:46:00.012+01:00

A lo largo del mes de junio se ha avanzado bastante en las obras. Se han completado todas las pre-instalaciones (eléctricas, de fontanería y de calefacción). Además, el patio central (claustro) de la hacienda y la terraza de la planta alta ya han sido ensolados, y en esta semana comenzará a darse el yeso de las paredes, en antelación a la instalación del suelo radiante.

There has been good progress on the building in June. The preinstallation of the electrical and plumbing systems have been completed. In addition the central patio of the building has now been laid (although not yet polished), and the upper terrace tiling has started. In the next couple of weeks the building will also be plastered inside.

The tiling in one of the bathrooms

Drinking water results / Resultados del análisis del agua

2010-06-21T10:36:00.007+01:00

We had the excellent news, last week, that the water that comes from the springs higher in the mountains to Los Olivos is of excellent quality.
The water that is available to us comes from the local water association, and is nominally provided for land irrigation. As part of the preparations for getting all of our relevant licenses to open, we have had to test the water to see what level of filtration we will need to make it drinkable. It turns out we don't need any filtration, and although by law we must add a small amount of chlorine, we could actually drink the water without this being added.

La semana pasada recibimos muy buenas noticias del laboratorio que ha hecho los análisis del agua que nos llega a Hacienda Los Olivos: el agua es de excelente calidad.
No necesita ningún tipo de tratamiento de filtración. Tan sólo una dósis mínima de cloro para que legalmente sea potable (aunque al parecer podría beberse directamente como agua mineral).

World Cup Blog

2010-06-04T17:15:00.003+01:00

One of our speakers at Los Olivos for next year, Archdeacon Karen Gorham, has started a "World Cup Blog", where she will be focussing on some of the issues in South Africa, and in particular in the Kimberley and Kuruman diocese, which is twinned with Oxford in the UK.

Take a look!

http://www.archdeaconkaren.blogspot.com/

Building progress (May 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Mayo 2010)

2010-05-20T15:50:00.002+01:00

The Cordoba Connection

2010-04-28T16:15:00.004+01:00

Last weekend we were able to get to Cordoba to visit the amazing mosque/cathedral, which gave us an opportunity to meet up with Jorge, a young and talented artist who will be running courses at Los Olivos. He was able to show us some of the local sites, and also his sacred art workshop. You can see the pictures here.

(On the journey to Cordoba, we stopped by San Gabriel's Church, a beautiful 16th century building, currently under restoration, where many of the roof tiles removed from the old Los Olivos building will be used).

El pasado fin de semana fuimos a la bellísima ciudad de Córdoba, no sólo a ver la mezquita, sino a encontrarnos con Jorge Dominguez, un joven artista imaginero andaluz que impartirá cursos en Hacienda Los Olivos. Con él, visitamos enclaves preciosos y su interesante taller de arte sacro. Podéis ver algunas fotos aquí.

(De camino a Córdoba paramos en la Iglesia de San Gabriel, en Loja, un bello templo renacentista a cuya restauración se han dedicado muchas de las tejas extraídas de la antigua hacienda Los Olivos).

NEW website from Daphne Tengbergen - the artist and author of the St John of the Cross sculpture NUEVA pagina web de la artista y autora de la escultu

2010-04-21T19:52:00.002+01:00

http://daphnetengbergen.webs.com/

Building progress (April 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Abril 2010)

2010-04-17T10:35:00.015+01:00

The last month has been busy, and apart from a small break for the Holy Week celebrations here in Spain, the building work has been carrying on at a good pace. Most of the walls, roofs and foundations are now complete. We are really pleased with the result and feel that Los Olivos is really starting to take shape. It is very exciting to finally be able to get a feel for how it will be when completed, which is much easier when there are some walls to give definition to the building. Here are some of the latest pictures of the build.

Este mes las obras han avanzado a buen ritmo. La cimentación, tabiquería y cubiertas están casi acabadas y el edificio está empezando a tomar forma. Estas son algunas de las fotos más recientes de la obra, en las que se empieza a vislumbrar como será la hacienda una vez acabada.

The front of Los Olivos

One of the bedrooms coming together

The water connection.

A birds eye view of Los Olivos

Holy Week - Semana Santa

2010-03-29T11:20:00.006+01:00

........... they start them young here!
............ empiezan desde muy chicos

The Latest ...... Lo último

2010-03-20T11:13:00.006Z

Some recent photos for the build - despite the rain it is going OK. Unas fotos recientes de las obras - a pesar de la lluvia sigue adelante.

2010-03-05T17:16:00.006Z

Ring beams and Roof / Forjados y Tejados

2010-02-16T17:02:00.006Z

This week the builders have been busy putting on the roof above the "new build" part of Los Olivos, and also making sure that the old walls don't fall down, and are in good condition for the new roof that will be put on in the coming weeks.
Esta semana los constructores han estado ocupados creando el forjado de la nueva buhardilla y preparando el anillo de hormigón para el tejado de uno de los cortijos. Esta estructura perimetral sirve para reforzar los muros antiguos que se van a mantener.

A little light pruning!

2010-02-07T20:05:00.004Z

Out for a drive / En coche por la sierra

2010-01-22T13:22:00.003Z

Now arrived in Spain / Ahora en España

2010-01-13T20:18:00.006Z

We have now made it to Spain, away from the snow in the UK and at the moment waiting for St John and furniture to arrive from the UK. We had the opportunity to visit Los Olivos today, and see progress. Here are a couple of photos that show what is going on.
Por fin llegamos a España y dejamos atrás la nieve en Inglaterra. Mientras esperamos la llegada de la escultura de San Juan de la Cruz este fin de semana, hemos podido ir a la finca a echarle un vistazo a las obras (que han estado paralizadas desde la navidad debido al mal tiempo)... las fotos lo dicen todo... esperamos que comiencen de nuevo la semana próxima.

Amazing work completed on Ian's sabatical / Increible restauración de la segunda hera

2009-12-06T18:03:00.005Z

On a visit to Los Olivos this weekend, I was able to see first hand the work that Ian had completed as part of his sabatical - we had no idea that the hera that he had restored was this large, or in this condition. Quite a find, the second hera on the land.

Este fin de semana he tenido la oportunidad de visitar Los Olivos y ver el trabajo que Ian ha realizado durante su sabático. No tenemíamos ni idea que la segunda hera era tan grande o tambíen preservada.

More Progress / Más progresos

2009-12-02T11:18:00.002Z

Los Olivos: Revelación en Inglaterra

2009-11-17T17:28:00.007Z

Más de 250 personas se reunieron en Marlow (condado de Buckingham) el pasado 7 de noviembre para la presentación oficial de Los Olivos en el Reino Unido. Este evento especial, patrocinado por la diócesis de Oxford, tuvo como anfitriona a su arcediana, Karen Gorham, y contó con la presencia de Daphne Tengbergen (autora de la estatua de San Juan de la Cruz que presidirá el centro de la Hacienda) y del Padre Geoff Johnston (párroco anglicano de Nerja y Almuñécar). Dani Muñoz y Guy Wynter compartieron su visión para Los Olivos y dieron las gracias a los socios institucionales de la casa rural: Christian Arts, Pelagos y Ph15, y al equipo de directores de cursos y retiros (artistas y teólogos internacionales) que dirigirán actividades en Los Olivos a partir del 2010. El exitoso evento finalizó con tapas y sangría para todos.

Los Olivos unveiled in the UK - On Saturday the 7^th of November Marlow saw a large gathering of around 250 people for the unveiling of Los Olivos. This was a special “Sharing the Vision” event, introduced by the Archdeacon of Buckingham, Karen Gorham, and with a number of guest speakers, including Daphne Tengbergen (the author of St John of the Cross sculpture) and Fr Geoff Johnston (Anglican vicar of Nerja and Almuñécar). Dani Muñoz and Guy Wynter shared their vision for Los Olivos and thanked both, the partner organisations they will be working with (Christian Arts, Pelagos, Ph15), and the team of course and retreat leaders (artists and theologians) who will be leading activities at Los Olivos from 2010. The event concluded with tapas and sangria for all.

Ian - restoring the "era"

2009-10-01T16:58:00.002+01:00

Ian hard at work . .and starting to find the stones where the
open air chapel will be on the land.

The workers arrive . .. ..

2009-09-30T09:02:00.004+01:00

At least Ian, who will be spending some time working and restoring parts of the land during his sabatical. We have also started to harvest some of the almonds this week.

here is a small video

2009-09-23T10:19:00.000+01:00

September 22nd - more construction progress

2009-09-23T09:45:00.003+01:00

Work continues on the restoration - these photos taken when we arrive for a 2 week trip . ..

Comienzan las obras... The works begin...

2009-09-14T14:31:00.008+01:00

Estas son algunas fotos del comienzo de las obras en la semana del 7 de septiembre. La primera fase ha sido la limpieza del terreno alrededor del cortijo y el desmontaje de la cubierta de tejas arabes de las cuadras en el patio interior.

The works started on the week of 7 Sept. In this first stage, the surroundings of the farm house were cleared, and the arab roof tiles over the stables were taken down. These are some of the pics.

Join us in Marlow on 7th November - Sangria and Tapas!

2009-09-12T11:26:00.005+01:00

You are invited to come and join us in Marlow for Sangria and Tapas, at a "Sharing the Vision" event, where we'll have lots of special guests. To find out more click: http://www.haciendalosolivos.org/novemberevent.html

Please make sure that you RSVP .. . .

Saint John - On the move // San Juan se va de viaje

2009-08-29T11:42:00.007+01:00

On the 12th August St. John was finally moved from his location in London, to be stored by art removal firm Maxtrans in their base in the west of London. The City and Guilds college of course need the space for their new intake of students who will be arriving shortly. The move went well, again with the kind permission of BT to use their office site next to the C&G location.

The next step in St John's journey will be his move to Spain in January 2010, for his installation at Los Olivos.

San Juan de la Cruz fue trasladado de su residencia en el centro de Londres a un hogar temporal, al oeste de la ciudad, por una empresa de transporte de obras de arte. La Escuela de Bellas Artes donde fue creado necesita el espacio para los nuevos estudiantes que se incorporarán en septiembre.

El siguiente paso será su traslado a España en enero del 2010, para instalarse definitivamente en Hacienda Los Olivos.

Planning Permission Update

2009-08-04T20:24:00.003+01:00

Planning Permission

After nearly 2 years of waiting we have received our planning permission to start the works at Los Olivos. We were finally able to pick up the paperwork from the Town Hall on a recent visit to Spain. This has been a long journey for us, and we are very thankful that we have been able to put through the plans that we wanted without any major changes.

The plan is to begin the restoration and build iin September.

ph15 - Coming to London - Soon

2009-08-04T12:41:00.008+01:00

ph15 will be holding an exhibition in London - soon. Details are:-

Exhibition dates: 23rd September - 14 October
Exhibition times: Mon-Fri 8.30am til 9pm (Sat 9am-4pm)
Location:
Lower Street Gallery
London College of Communication
Elephant & Castle, London
SE1 6SB

ph15 is a local Argentinian NGO that seeks to promote social transformation through education in photography.

Los Olivos plans on working with ph15 when we are up and running

San Juan de la Cruz - exibition ths week

2009-06-20T11:36:00.005+01:00

This week we were invited down to the City and Guilds prize giving and graduation ceremony where Daphne collected her post graduate certificate. A large part of her work in completing this qualification was the St John of the Cross statue, which is now finished and looking amazing. The statue will be the centre piece of the interior patio when building is completed at Los Olivos.

Esta semana asistimos a la exhibición de graduación de la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Londres "City and Guilds", donde se presentó la escultura ya completa de San Juan de la Cruz. Daphne Tengbergen ha estado trabajando en la creación de esta obra durante los últimos 12 meses y el resultado es espectacular. Juan de la Cruz viajará a Granada en enero del 2010 para presidir el centro del claustro andaluz de la hacienda.

Hacienda Los Olivos - now on Facebook

2009-05-08T13:43:00.007+01:00

Hacienda Los Olivos now has a page on Facebook - so if you use Facebook, why not become a "fan". We will post photos and other pieces of news there, as well as events.

Click here to visit the page

Hacienda Los Olivos ahora tiene una página en Facebook - si utilizas Facebook, ¿por qué no te unes a nuestro grupo?

Conexión Argentina: Ph15

2009-04-15T10:43:00.025+01:00

We were recently fortunate to be able to meet up with Emma Hodson, who has been working with ph15 in Argentina. The foundation work with some of the most disadvantaged people in the city of Buenos Aires, who live in the "Ciudad Oculta", literally meaning "hidden city" and 2 other areas of the city.

ph15 is formed by a group of photographers that believe in education through visual arts and the use of art as a means of social inclusion.

We will be supporting this work from Hacienda Los Olivos when we are open and also looking at some creative ways to promote this work in the local area in Spain. ph15 have created some great videos about the work they are doing in the slums, which you can see here (the video is a couple of years old, and some of the people in it no longer connected with the project).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hace unas semanas tuvimos la suerte de encontrarnos con Emma Hodson, una de las voluntarias de ph15 en Buenos Aires. Esta fundación trabaja con jóvenes de uno de los suburbios más pobres de la capital, Ciudad Oculta.

La fundación ph15 está formada por fotógraf@s que creen en la formación humana a través de las artes visuales y en el uso del arte como medio de inclusión social.

Hacienda Los Olivos se ha comprometido a apoyar la labor de esta fundación en Argentina, tanto a través de nuestras vacaciones fotográficas, como promocionando su trabajo en el sur de España.

In English:

En Español:

San Juan taking shape/tomando forma

2009-04-15T10:29:00.009+01:00

On a recent visit to the London City and Guilds college we were able to catch up with Daphne and see the progress on San Juan. He is really starting to take shape as you can see from this photo.

En una visita reciente a la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Londres (City & Guilds) tuvimos la oportunidad de encontrarmos con Daphne y ver cómo va tomando forma San Juan de la Cruz. Esta foto muestra su estado actual.

SAN JUAN DE LA CRUZ

2009-02-05T17:29:00.014Z

St John of the Cross – taking shape in the snow! Daphne has been working really hard over the last few months getting into the 5 ton Portland stone and carving out the shape of the Spanish mystic! She has managed to remove over 1 ton of stone already and still going! This is the latest picture of the brave sculptor working in the snow!

San Juan de la Cruz – tomando forma bajo la nieve! Daphne, la artista que está esculpiendo a San Juan de la Cruz para Hacienda Los Olivos, lleva varios meses trabajando sobre esta piedra de Portland de más de 5000 kilos! En esta semana, la escultora le ha echado valor a la temperatura exterior (con nieve a bajo 0!) y ha seguido esculpiendo!

She has also been working on a cast of the statue’s head and this is the model that will be used for the final piece. The progress is really encouraging and we can’t wait to see John of the Cross presiding over the main courtyard at Hacienda Los Olivos!

Además, ya ha realizado el modelo de la cabeza del místico español, en el cual basará la pieza final. Ya va tomando forma y esperamos con ilusión ver a Juan de la Cruz presidiendo el patio andaluz de la Hacienda!

Feliz Navidad

2008-12-24T11:24:00.004Z

Querid@s Amig@s,
Que Dios os llene con su paz y alegría en esta Navidad,
y os conceda los deseos de vuestro corazón para el Año Nuevo!
Bendiciones,
Dani & Guy

Ya que era llegado el tiempo
en que de nacer había...
Los hombres decían cantares,
los ángeles melodía...
Pero Dios en el pesebre
allí lloraba y gemía,
que eran joyas que la esposa
al desposorio traía.
Y la Madre estaba en pasmo
de que tal trueque veía:
el llanto del hombre en Dios,
y en el hombre la alegría.

San Juan de la Cruz
"Del Nacimiento" en "Romance sobre el Evangelio"

www.haciendalosolivos.org

Happy Christmas

2008-12-24T11:18:00.004Z

Dear friends,
May God fill you with his peace and joy this Christmas,
and may he give you the desires of your hearts as you enter the new year!
Blessings
Dani & Guy

The time had now arrived
for the baby to be born...
Men sang canticles divine,
Angels melodies unknown...
But God, in the manger,
there, he wept and cried;
These were the jewels that the bride
brought to her wedding day.
Whilst the Mother, in amazement,
watched this awesome exchange
the weeping of man in God
and in man the divine joy.

St John of the Cross ("Romance on the Gospel")

The stone arrives

2008-11-12T16:11:00.005Z

The stone for the St. John of the Cross statue has arrived at it's carving location in London, where it will have a home for at least the next 9 months. This had to be driven on the lorry you can see all the way from Portland on the south coast of the UK to London, very early in the morning. It was then lifted over the wall that you see, as this was the closest that the lorry could get to the carving location. BT (British Telecom) very kindly arranged for the parking area taken by the lorry here to be free for the lifting.

San Juan de la Cruz (St John of the Cross)

2008-09-16T09:30:00.012+01:00

Daphne and Dani's trip to Portland has been a real success. On their first visit to the quarry they managed to find "the" stone that will give birth to the central feature of the Patio de San Juan de la Cruz (St John of the Cross' Courtyard) at the Hacienda. A larger than life size sculpture of the Spanish mystic representing his spiritual journey through the Dark Night of the Soul into a deep encounter with the Beloved (God).

Esta es la roca (piedra caliza de Portland) de la cual saldrá la escultura de San Juan de la Cruz que coronará el centro del patio-claustro que llevará su nombre en la Hacienda. En la foto de la izquierda, Daphne Tengbergen, la escultora que realizará la obra, eligiendo la piedra.

The actual stone (Portland) is over 5 tons and about 2 cubic metres and will be transported from Portland to London. These pictures show the quarry and the process of selection of the stone. It was a beautiful sunny day at the quarry!

La piedra pesa más de 5.000 kgs y es de aproximadamente 2 m3. Será transportada desde la cantera de Portland a Londres. Estas fotos muestran la cantera y el proceso de selección de la piedra. Un precioso dia soleado!

Greenbelt - August 08

2008-08-24T09:32:00.023+01:00

We just arrived back from Greenbelt, with it's normal mix of

art, music and talks. We were blessed with a brilliant early morning
of sunshine. Having left the Marlow area at 7.30 in the morning, we
arrived at around 9.00 at the Cheltenham race course, in time to join
the Contemplative Fire group for morning worship.

Philip Roderick, pictured above, led the morning service which included
music led by drums and the "hang drum". Philip will be coming to the
Hacienda to lead a retreat in it's first year of opening.

Brian McLaren gave a very interesting talk on different types of prayer
based on the themes within the Lord's Prayer.

We saw a couple of great singers that we'd not heard of before, you may have
done ! They were solo acts - Julie Lee and Yvonne Lyon, who performed with
Martin Joseph as special guests.
Here's one of Yvonne's songs, with a great story

There was the normal mix of Greenbelt mayhem, with angels on wheels, and
crazy cyclists !

And finally the normal mix of loud music !

Summer Fun

2008-07-20T19:54:00.006+01:00

We hope and pray that you are all having a good summer, and that there has been some sunshine for you this year (we say this principally for the UK based people getting this email !). We have just got back from a working trip in Spain for the Hacienda, where we spent a week running from place to place, as well as catching up with friends. Big news and events were .. . .

The Medio Ambiente (Environment Agency), in charge of planning permissions in the National Park, have reviewed the project and plans and have referred them, without issue, to the approvals meeting at the end of the month - we hope that this means the town hall approves the project some time in August.

We created a limited company (S.L.) for the project, we need this to access local grants awarded for projects bringing tourism into the area.

We met with and took a number of construction companies to the site and discussed the plans with them. We should get proposals back from them in the next 3-4 weeks. We got on well and connected especially well with some of the companies, lets hope they give us a good quote!
We were also able to meet up with Juan from Paisajismo y Ambientes, a Malaga based landscaping company, who is going to help us with advise, mainly around the outside spaces of the Hacienda.

We made good progress on finding solar and wind solutions that will power the centre when it is up and running. We also did the rounds of bathroom and furniture shops.

This was quite a lot to fit into the week, but we got back happy with where we had got to.
Hoping that all of your summer plans and holidays go to plan.

Locura de Verano

Esperamos que estéis pasando un buen verano, y que no estéis pasando demasiado calor (si leéis esto desde España) o demasiada lluvia (si nos visitáis desde las Islas Británicas)!

Acabamos de regresar de un viaje de trabajo en España, en el que no hemos parado ni un minuto, tanto en reuniones con numerosas personas para desarrollar el proyecto de Hacienda los Olivos, como visitando a amigos y a familia. Las noticias más importantes de esta semana son...

Noticias de Medio Ambiente (Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada), que nos han comunicado que han escrito un informe positivo que será estudiado a final de julio por un comité especial, y que esperan que no pongan pegas y que vaya adelante al Ayuntamiento para la licencia de obras! Buenísima noticia!

Nos hemos constituído como S.L. para poder acceder a algunas de las subvenciones de la Junta.

Nos reunimos con varias empresas constructoras en la finca para hablar del proyecto y pedir presupuesto. Esperamos tener noticias de ellos en las próximas semanas.

Tuvimos la oportunidad de reunirnos con nuestras arquitectas, Leticia y Belinda, para estudiar con más detalle los planos del patio interior y la fachada, y con Juan, de la empresa Paisajismo y Ambientes, que se ha ofrecido a prestarnos ayuda y asesorarnos en temas de jardinería y paisajismo.

Pudimos investigar más a fondo las distintas alternativas en cuanto a energía solar térmica y fotovoltáica para la Hacienda, y empezamos a ver materiales de construcción (solería y baños).

En fin, una semana movidita e intensa, pero muy fructífera.

Esperamos que todos tengáis un buen verano y unas buenas vacaciones!

ENCUESTA - Hacienda Los Olivos

2008-05-05T18:36:00.008+01:00

Estamos trabajando en el programa de actividades (cursos y retiros) que ofertaremos en Hacienda Los Olivos y nos gustaría tu opinión.

Después de hablar con numerosas personas (directores de retiros, artistas y teólogos) todos coinciden en que necesitamos planificar el programa de actividades en estos meses, para poder publicarlo con 12 meses de antelación (algo muy anglosajón!).

Te agradeceríamos mucho que nos dedicases 10-15 minutos a rellenar este breve cuestionario y así ayudarnos con esta labor. Muchas gracias!

Pincha aquí para bajarte el cuestionario

Por favor, envíalo de vuelta a daniel.munoz@haciendalosolivos.org

Friends Guidance . . .Special request

2008-05-05T17:24:00.008+01:00

We are currently starting to think more on the content of the courses and the activities that we will be running at the Hacienda.
We know from talking to many people, that we'll have to have a programme of events published around 12 months in advance. In addition many of the speakers and course leaders for the types of activities that we have in mind need a good amount of time to create a slot in their diaries to come and lead these events.

We would really appreciate if you could take the time out to complete a brief questionnaire that we are running at the moment, to help us with this. (takes about 10-15 mins)

Click here to download the english questionnaire

Please email back to guy.wynter@haciendalosolivos.org

WATER OF LIFE! AGUA DE VIDA!

2008-04-28T21:48:00.002+01:00

Water is back! Not just in Spain, which has suffered one of the worst droughts in its history, and was blessed with some welcomed rain during April, but also at Hacienda Los Olivos, which has just been reconnected to the main irrigation system that was destroyed last September during the Great Storm!

Guy was there over the weekend and managed to get the system back on track, refilling the pool and letting the water run through the thirsty pipes! Even the spring of water up the track from the house, in the natural park, is flowing again! This reminded me of the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus was thirsty and asked the woman for some water. This led to a fascinating conversation about theology in which Jesus affirmed: "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4: 10) These words connect with our dream for Hacienda Los Olivos, which is to become an oasis where people can be spiritually refreshed by that water of life that Jesus gives to all!

* * *

Llegó el agua! No sólo a España, que ha sufrido una de las peores sequías de su historia, y durante abril fue bendecida con abundante lluvia, sino que también llegó a Hacienda Los Olivos, pues la avería que afectó a todo el sistema de riego de la sierra, tras la gran tormenta de Septiembre, ya ha sido reparada y vuelve a fluir el agua!

Guy estuvo en la finca este fin de semana y pudo comprobar que todo funcionaba bien, llenando la alberca de nuevo y dejando que el agua vuelva a fluir por las sedientas tuberías. Esta situación me ha traído a la memoria al encuentro entre Jesús y la mujer de Samaria junto al pozo. Jesús tenía sed y le pidió agua. Esto desenlazó en una fascinante convesación teológica en la que Cristo afirmó: “Si supieras lo que Dios puede dar, y conocieras al que te está pidiendo agua, tú le habrías pedido a él, y él te habría dado agua que da vida.” (Juan 4:10) Estas palabras recogen el sueño nuestro para Hacienda Los Olivos, que es convertir a este bello lugar en un oasis donde la gente pueda renovarse espiritualmente gracias a ese agua de vida que Cristo ofrece a todos!

Non-stop! Sin parar!

2008-03-01T09:48:00.004Z

Last Monday (18 Feb) we travelled to Granada for a week of intense activity on the project. We met with architects, town hall officials, mayor, accountants, the bank, the rural tourism association, grant giving bodies and new friends of Hacienda Los Olivos in the Lecrin Area. We even managed to fit a quick 24 hour trip to Cordoba - which is an amazing city!
One of the highlights of the entire week has to be the afternoon we spent with Carmen Alvarez, a professional flamenco dancer, and some of her Buddhist friends at the farm house. We had some deep and inspiring spiritual conversations, and Carmen read for us St John of the Cross' "Dark night of the soul" - it was a very special moment!
We still have some pending matters to tackle on our next trip - the water is at the top of our list! - and in the next week we will be sending our second News Letter to our virtual community of Friends. However, for the next three to six months all we can do is wait... wait for the planning permission to be granted... wait to hear from the Andalucian Government re grants... wait to get quotes from contractors for the restoration of the Hacienda... wait to start the building work! Please, keep us in your prayers at this waiting time... Thanks!

El lunes pasado (18 Feb) viajamos a Granada para una semana de intensa actividad con el proyecto. Nos reunimos con arquitectos, personal del ayuntamiento, alcalde, gestores, banco, el presidente de la asociación de turismo rural del Valle de Lecrín, nuestra ALPE (Agente Local de Promoción Economica) de Lecrín, y nuevos amigos de la Hacienda que viven en la zona de Lecrín. Incluso nos dio tiempo a darnos una escapadita de 24 horas a Córdoba - una ciudad preciosa!
Uno de los mejores momentos de la semana fue la tarde que pasamos con Carmen Alvarez, bailaora profesional de flamenco, y algunos de sus amigos budistas, en la Hacienda. Las conversaciones de tipo espiritual fueron muy interesantes y profundas, pero el momento más especial fue cuando Carmen recitó el poema "La Noche Oscura del Alma" de San Juan de la Cruz.
Aún nos quedan algunos asuntos importantes que solucionar en nuestra próxima visita - el primero de todos es el agua - y en esta semana que viene enviaremos nuestro segundo boletín informativo a la comunidad virtual de Amigos de la Hacienda. No obstante, en los meses que vienen tan sólo podemos hacer una cosa: esperar. Esperar a que nos den licencia de obras... esperar a tener noticias de la Junta sobre las subvenciones... esperar para obtener presupuestos de empresas constructoras para la restauración... y esperar para empezar las obras.
Por favor, orad por nosotros en este tiempo de espera. Gracias!

Carbon neutral or negative

2008-02-10T10:32:00.004Z

Carbon Neutral

This month we have officially become partners of Climatestewards. This will enable us to offset all the carbon generated by our guests in reaching the centre. For more information click the link below.

http://www.climatestewards.net/index.php

Emisiones de CO2 cero

Ya somos socios oficiales y exclusivos de Climatestewards en España. Esta alianza nos permite contrarestar el CO2 generado por nuestros visitantes al viajar a la Hacienda. Para más información entra en su web:

http://www.climatestewards.net/index.php

Planos de arquitecto

2008-01-26T17:40:00.003Z

We have received the great news this week that our finalised plans, by Lanjaron architect Leticia Lopez, have been approved by the College of Architects in Granada. If you click on the image, you will get a large version.

Esta semana hemos recibido los planos finales, realizados por la arquitecta Leticia Lopez Pereira, de Lanjaron, y visados por el Colegio de Arquitectos de Granada. Para visualizarlos en grande pincha en cada plano.

Another chance to see Dani on TV !

2008-01-26T17:34:00.002Z

If you missed it first time round - here is the video of Dani on TV again - now posted to YouTube !

Si te perdiste el programa "Andaluces por el Mundo" de Canal Sur 2, aqui tienes otra oportunidad de ver a Dani en TV!

Hacienda Los Olivos - Now a Business! Ya es Empresa!

2008-01-25T10:17:00.004Z

Over the last week, we have been working to create a business identity for Hacienda Los Olivos. We are now officially a "Comunidad de Bienes" or C.B. under Spanish Law.

In the process we have found a good gestor (in Spain a mix between accountant and lawyer), which has been a priority for us for some months now. This was with a significant help from the Rural Business Association of Southern Granada - which we are now members of too.

It's been a busy couple of weeks !

En Enero del 2008 nos constituimos oficialmente como empresa en el territorio nacional. Hacienda Los Olivos a pasado a ser Hacienda Los Olivos, C.B. (Comunidad de Bienes).
Entre tanto hemos encontrado una buena Asesoria en Padul, recomendada por el presidente de la Asociacion de Turismo Rural del Valle de Lecrin, de la que tambien ya somos miembros.
Ha sido una semana bien movidita!

Dani & Hacienda Los Olivos featured in local Spanish newspaper

2008-01-19T09:48:00.000Z

Following on from the short TV appearance that Dani made over the Christmas period, he was contacted by a local journalist who writes for an English newspaper in the area. Yesterday Dani was featured in the paper, talking mostly about his work here in the UK, but also about the project in Spain. If you'd like to take a look at the article, you can click this link

www.haciendalosolivos.org/article.pdf

Dani y Hacienda Los Olivos en Costa Almeria News

Tras la breve aparición de Dani en Canal Sur TV durante el periodo navideño, un periodista del periódico de habla inglesa Costa Almeria News se puso en contacto con él. El artículo sobre Dani apareció ayer en el diario. Aunque la mayor parte de la conversación gira en torno a asuntos de Religión y Política en el Reino Unido y España, Dani también habla del proyecto Hacienda Los Olivos. Si quieres echarle un vistazo al artículo pulsa aquí. (sólo Inglés)

Hacienda Los Olivos en Canal Sur TV

2007-12-14T13:35:00.000Z

Anoche emitieron en Canal Sur 2 y Andalucía TV el documental “Andaluces por el Mundo” en el que el reportero Julio Muñoz entrevistó a Dani Muñoz en su parroquia de Inglaterra. Durante el programa Dani tuvo la oportunidad de hablar de su historia, su vida y trabajo como párroco anglicano en Marlow, pero además, sobre el proyecto “Hacienda Los Olivos”. La web de la Hacienda apareció en el programa y desde su emisión (sólo hace 12 horas) unas 1000 personas han visitado la página web y se han interesado por el proyecto. Algunas de ellas incluso se han puesto en contacto con nosotros para animarnos y formar parte de nuestra (creciente) comunidad virtual de Amigos. Estamos muy animados por las palabras de ánimo y aliento que nos han dado, así que si eres una de esas personas que han visitado la web o nos habéis escrito, muchas gracias por vuestro tiempo y entusiasmo!

Hacienda Los Olivos on Canal Sur TV

Yesterday evening Canal Sur 2 and Andalucia TV showed “Andaluces por el Mundo” (a Spanish TV programme that looks at Andalucian people who live abroad). This week they focussed on the UK and reporter Julio Muñoz spent a day with Dani around his parish, in Marlow, talking about his current job but also about his future at Hacienda Los Olivos.

They discussed the Hacienda Los Olivos project, and referrenced the website. What has been amazing is that around 1000 people have taken the time to take a look at the project website. In addition, some of them have sent very encouraging emails and have joined the growing virtual community of Friends of the Hacienda. We were suprised by this, and really encouraged by the interest people have shown, and they feedback they have given. If you are one of those people - thank you for your time !

December news

2007-12-11T11:18:00.000Z

The quick week / weekend away has been fruitful. We managed to meet a lot of people, which is all necessary networking .. . highlights of the trip were;-
1. Met with the Mayor of Lecrin - it seems that they will be happy to provide extra water to the project, a key piece of our plan. They are also supportive of the plan, and expecting it to be submitted to the town hall in the next few weeks.
2. Met with some "earth movers" and also lake repairers - again to get an idea of the cost of certain elements of the project. Productive meetings that give us resources for the future.
3. There appears to be some European Union funding, and also funding via the National Park available for our type of project. We've now met and talked to the key people involved in this funding, and know when / where and how to apply. All good set up for the future.

Plans for the visit to Spain

2007-11-26T19:22:00.000Z

With a week to go before Dani's visit to Spain, where he hopes to meet up with various people in the town hall including the Mayor and the town hall architect, we are nearing a conclusion on the plans that we hope to submit to the College of Architects in Granada for approval.
The latest are here, which will require some changes still, but we're getting there . .. .
Guest Floor

First Floor

The first Almond pickers of the Hacienda Los Olivos era

2007-11-03T10:41:00.000Z

In late September, the first Almond pickers of the Hacienda Los Olivos era arrived to claim their pre Christmas bag of Almonds. A prize of a small bag of almonds to anyone that can identify them !

Full Website launched !

2007-11-02T23:09:00.000Z

Well sort of - we will be developing the website as we go, but for the time being you can find out more details of the project at the following website
www.HaciendaLosOlivos.org
there is also a link in the right hand side panel of this Blog

further architect discussions

2007-10-30T22:39:00.000Z

Today we received the revised plans from L+B, based on the conversations that we had last week. The new plans are getting quite close to what we feel that we need for the project, and had some good new ideas.
We had another teleconference this evening to discuss the plans, and have come up with some further suggestions, which they will work on in the next days.
This weekend is a bank holiday in Spain, so realistically we hope for plans early next week.

We are hoping to present the plans to the Mayor in Lecrin in early December !

Architects Plans at last

2007-10-28T11:19:00.000Z

- Great news - after 6 months of trying to get a good set of architects engaged on the project we finally appear to be making progress ...
After a couple of bad starts with architects who promised a lot, who then never actually did anything, or were really too expensive, we seem to have found the right people to work with. We have found a small firm in Lanjaron called L+B arquitectura. We had a very good first meeting with them back in July, when we were able to go and visit the Hacienda and discuss our vision with them. They then went on holiday (as per normal in Spain for all of August), they are now back at work, and over a couple of weeks have developed some initial draft plans to discuss with us, based on documentation and a business plan that we gave to them.
We are discussing these plans with them at the moment and they should be finalised soon. The good news is that they seem to be on our wavelength around the vision for the Hacienda, and the plans reflected this.
As soon as we have a final set we will post them on the website under Project 2010.

Hacienda Los Olivos

Lecrin Valley Sundays

Lecrín Valley SundaysA new way to help you grow in your spiritual life and make new friends in the Lecrín Valley. For more information: www.haciendalosolivos.org/lecrin

Thinking of bringing a group to losOlivos

Feliz Navidad y un 2012 lleno de bendiciones

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2012

New course descriptions added to "Retreat&Courses"

losOlivos featured in the Europrean Anglican Magazine

Updated website just launched

Poems in September

Have a great Greenbelt

August News / Noticias agosto 2012

Summer at losOlivos / Verano 2011

More Spring shots from losOlivos

Best photos from the Sea and Sierra photographic holiday - May 2011

A poem written by one of the guests at losOlivos last week during the John Bell retreat

Inauguration - 30th April 2011

Holy Week - Retreat and Parades

losOlivos - Getting ready for the Summer

Al Andalus - March 2011 - Photography course

losOlivos - in the news - Church Times article

losOlivos - in the news . .. .

ALL DONE! // ¡TODO LISTO!

Special Retreat-Course // Curso-Retiro especial

losOlivos in moonlight / losOlivos a la luz de la luna

San Juan - Just arrived / Llegó el momento

Building progress (September 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Septiembre 2010)

Building progress (June 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Junio 2010)

Drinking water results / Resultados del análisis del agua

World Cup Blog

Building progress (May 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Mayo 2010)

The Cordoba Connection

NEW website from Daphne Tengbergen - the artist and author of the St John of the Cross sculpture NUEVA pagina web de la artista y autora de la escultu

Building progress (April 2010) / Obras hacia adelante (Abril 2010)

Holy Week - Semana Santa

The Latest ...... Lo último

Some recent photos for the build - despite the rain it is going OK. Unas fotos recientes de las obras - a pesar de la lluvia sigue adelante.

Ring beams and Roof / Forjados y Tejados

A little light pruning!

Out for a drive / En coche por la sierra

Now arrived in Spain / Ahora en España

Amazing work completed on Ian's sabatical / Increible restauración de la segunda hera

More Progress / Más progresos

Los Olivos: Revelación en Inglaterra

Ian - restoring the "era"

The workers arrive . .. ..

here is a small video

September 22nd - more construction progress

Comienzan las obras... The works begin...

Join us in Marlow on 7th November - Sangria and Tapas!

Saint John - On the move // San Juan se va de viaje

Planning Permission Update

Planning Permission

ph15 - Coming to London - Soon

San Juan de la Cruz - exibition ths week

Hacienda Los Olivos - now on Facebook

Conexión Argentina: Ph15

San Juan taking shape/tomando forma

SAN JUAN DE LA CRUZ

Feliz Navidad

Happy Christmas

The stone arrives

San Juan de la Cruz (St John of the Cross)

Greenbelt - August 08

Summer Fun

ENCUESTA - Hacienda Los Olivos

Friends Guidance . . .Special request

WATER OF LIFE! AGUA DE VIDA!

Non-stop! Sin parar!

Carbon neutral or negative

Planos de arquitecto

Another chance to see Dani on TV !

Hacienda Los Olivos - Now a Business! Ya es Empresa!

Dani & Hacienda Los Olivos featured in local Spanish newspaper

Hacienda Los Olivos en Canal Sur TV

December news

Plans for the visit to Spain

The first Almond pickers of the Hacienda Los Olivos era

Full Website launched !

further architect discussions

Lecrín Valley Sundays
A new way to help you grow in your spiritual life and make new friends in the Lecrín Valley.
For more information: www.haciendalosolivos.org/lecrin