Weekend

After having sang happy birthday to mother and grand-mother, we went to look for moss to the presepe. It was an intensive weekend. Nieces and sis are not overcoming the panic caused by the tornado. We spent the best of the time all together in order to give some help with it. At least A., who was not eating almost anything (and she's a "packer" - goes out to aunt!), more relaxed with all together at home, ate like a starveling. Great!

Their catechist said that it would be nicer to lay baby Jesus down on his bed only on the evening of 24. And I thought that it was a good idea. It would be nice to live in the expectation of the arrival of the Savior. But nobody cared. And we left baby Jesus on his bed as is he was.


My little son wanted to do the presepe so much but after all it was I. who was committed with this task. That was really good. Between laughter, stumbles, chats and food, we spent one more supporting family weekend.

Chapel

It seems to be a simple ruined house, seen from the distance. But when we're near it assumes a religious air. And the name of the street leaves no doubt: Chapel Street. The only building in this street. I don't know how long it's been here, but this was a chapel. A beautiful one.
I took these photos last week on that cold day when the water seemed so smoky. On the way back to Ourem I always used to look to these ruins. I decided to stop and touch them on that day. I didn't resist.
I felt so good. It was cold but I was wearing a comfortable coat. I just wanted to spin with open arms and shout: yay!!!!!

Softer

Now that the tornado seems to has gone after having destroyed much in my town, I feel more relaxed to show some of our Christmas decorations here.

It was so good having my child jumping around me, giving his opinion and giving solutions to this and that.

Every year I have the same purpose: decorating Christmas tree in a different way, in a modern way, with a simple but showy decoration.

But I soon quit.

I cant't resist to my old balls, ribbons and lights. This yellow ball for example, exists since my first Christmas tree. It has resisted to all these years, more than 30. I still can smell it...

By that time Christmas tree was a real pine tree that my mother and I cut together, before the night came for nobody notice us. Otherwise someone might think that we were stealing pine trees. And we returned home to fullfill it with the odor of the pine. It was fascinating to seat on the floor and staying looking to the flashing lights. How wonderful...

My mother always used to make the presepe. These were the main figures. Joseph is all glued thanks to a cat that I had that loved to play with broken pieces. We did the presepe this year too. It was not my intention. I just planned to put the main figures and the hut and cover it with moss. But I couldn't resist to my little son's appeals and we started unwrapping the pieces that were in the bottom of the box, some of them with a very old wrapping paper... Even without the moss we could "build" a village. Now we have to wait until they open our forest, which became destroyed by the tornado, to make a better composition and give it more realism. Now I am the mother doing the presepe. Now it's me who have a son around, fascinated and vibrant with all that has to do with Christmas. It is so beautiful... Each passing year is better.

I saw it

We had a turbulent day today, here in Tomar. It was scary. I'd never seen a tornado before, only on television and it was worrying to see how much damage it caused and it was only a small one! It made a loud noise, the leaves flew in the air and got into our houses, the pigeons flew uncontrolled with the rolling wind, we could hear the people screaming, and it was scary to hear the ambulances all around. Traffic was chaotic. Everything was chaotic. As we were deprived of electric energy, we couldn't listen to the news anywhere and felt lost in these happenings. I just felt more relaxed when I picked my son up at the kindergarten and saw that everyone was ok. The weather forecast is not very optimistic with the coming weather but we hope that it won't happen another tornado.

Correction: due to the lack of means of communciation, I didn't know that my nieces were in the attic of a building when the tornado passed by. Beyond the panic, only one of them was hit by shrapnel in the leg and had to go to the hospital. Poor girls. But they're ok now.

Olive oil mill

Today was the day to go to the mill and bring some olive oil. That one with color, smell, texture and taste like the real olive oil. Oh my God...



It was really good to smell that perfume in the air and see that golden color gushing into the bottles. My little son was so excited. He wanted to see everything, to know how everything worked, he loved to watch the machines working and asked tons of questions. And he was keen to help us with the bottles. He was so happy to see something new and good. It was really good.

Old year, new cup

Rainy day. Day to decorate the house for Christmas and to worry about my little son's fever. But he's been brave, since he wanted to participate in everything and even helped with his opinions. Great son.
Pause. I'm always breaking dishes, so we often put new dishes on the table. Now that we're almost in the end of the year, it is time to go to the bottom of the trunk and search for the old coffee cups. They have so maaany years. I'm not sure but I think that they've been kept for almost 30 years! I'm becoming old, ain't I? But I liked them. They are old but new to our eyes. Perfect to taste a deserved moment of pause... Until my little son calls again, of course.

Cold

Taken from my window in the morning. I preferred that the white grass was snow, but one has what can be... Cold, very cold.

Fire in the water

I love my work. Because it allows me to go through beautiful sites and still register them with my camera. And I love the cold. Well, maybe I don't love it that much, but I really like it.

I was going to Fátima today and noticed the smoke coming out of the earth. I knew that there were streams around there. I could not resist to stop by.

It was fantastic to see that. I was jumpy. I just wanted to leave my car and work behind and start breaking new ground around there. I was so excited that I even was not feeling cold. And it was cold!

I guess that there are some places in these hills where the sun doesn't go during the winter. The road is constantly wet and we have to drive very carefully.


Before arriving to Fátima I saw someone taking photos in a bend in the road. I found it funny and thought to myself: has he got a blog too? I looked in the rearview mirror and I just could see some piece of white on the base of the mirror. I thought to myself again: such beautiful clouds. He also must love clouds just like I do. I decided to find those clouds from the high point where I went to.

Well, I was wrong. Although the quality of the photos is not the best, what I had seen and that man was photographing was the snow on top of the mountains.

It was so beautiful. I tried to know where were those mountains but no answer was satisfactory. Alvaiázere? Impossible. Sicó? Idem. Lousã? No. The last answer was Pampilhosa. Maybe. I just know that it was wonderful.

Day 1

Our advent calendar!
Instead of buying one, we made it ouselves. It's only for 12 days and I still don't know what to put inside the bags. The traditional candies or a Christmas story to tell before falling asleep. Well, I still have 12 days to think about it.
I had everything in the house, it was just making it. A corkboard, a cloth to wrap the tubes, toilet paper tubes wrapped with sticker paper, small items, some pins and that's it. My little boy loved it. I know that it's not amazing but it's ours and makes us happy. That's the important thing.
Christmas Tree has to wait until next weekend. We couldn't decorate it today. Pity. But it's good to go slowly this way, to taste every day of this frozen and wet almost winter.

My month is arriving

December... I must have been born in December. It's really my month.

Rain, cold, green, cozy light, bright sun, drewdrops, frost. Bonets, scarves, coats, wool socks. Fireplace, chestnuts, quiet conversations, warm blankets, hot chocolate, coffe, tea...

And Christmas! Christmas. The preparations, the decorations, the Christmas Tree, the Christmas Eve, the King Cake, the typical sweets, the octopus, the codfish, the kales, the goatling and all the typical food.
The cosiness, the children's laugh, the adults conversations. Being united, the spirit which rises. The burning candles, the advent calendar, the gifts made and offered with love.
And Jesus. We don't know in which month He was born but we chose to celebrate it in December. It's because of Him that we join together and all those good values that we talk about during this season make sense. That's why Christmas is when men want, and I wish men wanted it everyday! After all, if God knew that our biggest need was for money, He would had sent us an economist. If for good looking, a beautician. If for big and good houses, a builder. And so on. But He knew that our biggest need was an interior need, in the level of happiness, peace, love, mercy, joy, altruism, hope, eternal life. That's why He sent us a Saviour. For us to reconcile with ourselves and with each other.
Does anyone thing about this in our days?

Poem - Wednesday, September 8, 2010

After the rain, the clean sky and the white clouds.
Which remind me two of my favorite poems. Those "pocket" poems, which have accompanied me for year and make part of my growth. Of course that I'm not sure if I can do a proper translation, but I'll try.

To be great, be whole: nothing
Yours exaggerate or exclude. Put everything you are
In the minimum you do.
This way on each lake the whole moon
Shines, because in the high it lives.

(Fernando Pessoa)

More than being the first one
Hero is the one who knows to give himself whole
Inside himself go beyond.

(Manuel Alegre)

Wet earth - Wednesday, September 8, 2010

It's a pity that you can't see the rain drops or the smell of the wet earth. What a comfort. The high temperatures haven't gone away yet, I know, but in the meanwhile I'm enjoying the cleaning and renovation of the air. And I fulfill the lungs, feelings renewed myself...

The autumn is coming - Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The sky is so blue...

... the brighter light seems to clean the horizon...

... the fluffy and drift clouds are so intimate. The smell in the air is already different, mornings and evenings are chiller and it even has already rained a little bit. This is the arrival of a new season. It's so good...

More animals - Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Becas has two new friends...

Kika (Kikolini as the cousins call her)...

And Poupas (Poupolini).

The cousins went on vacation and the little cousin here is the one who takes care of the pets, or at least that's what is supposed. The turtle is always starving and Poupas is still very shy, I think that he needs more time to get used to us. Nevertheless is all excited when we go and talk to him. Well, I'll be an animal handler for two weeks.

The castle - Sunday, September 5, 2010

I like the houses, the monuments, the forest, the Christ Convent, the gardens, the river, the terraces, I love so many many things in my town. We went to the Republic Square in the morning.

And then we went up to the castle and were at the entrance. My richness is used to walk since he was a toddler, so if we got in there he certainly would beg us to walk around the walls and corners of the castle. So we decided to just be at the entrance to avoid temptations.




He's also used that daddy makes drawings in the sand. It's already a ritual. It's awful when he asks me to do so. Help! I hate drawing. But he's dad loves. Look at the turtle... And the 50 chairs bus beneath.





I love this rattletrap where we can buy fruit, sweets and drinks. Of course the price is inflated, but it's so nice to drink a coffee there. It's something different.