Stray thoughts, tamed.
Sources of Joy - Day 69 I sat down and ate my lunch slowly today, and enjoyed doing so. This is unusual for me, and therefore counts as an achievement. Standing up in the kitchen and only eating half of what I should is my usual way of doing things. I also lay down just... Continue Reading →
Birdsong, long deadlines, a wedding, and devotion Birdsong at 06:00 reminded me that I am really a morning person, despite my love of burning the midnight oil. I got phoned from Switzerland today (Tuesday) with a request to do an effective 140-word translation by Thursday 10:00 a.m. For those of you who are not translators,... Continue Reading →
I live in a village in the Algarve, in the south of Portugal. There are over 26,000 such villages in Portugal. I cannot give you a link to this information because I heard it on television a couple of years ago, and Internet searches to confirm the exact number have proven futile. Things I like... Continue Reading →
This is a very ordinary story with no particular punchline. It started seven weeks ago when I made an appointment to see the doctor. I saw the doctor last week at our local health clinic. I live in Portugal and have finally got to the point when I understand most of what I hear, and... Continue Reading →
My new hat was handmade for me from woven palm leaves, and fits me perfectly. This is a traditional craft in the Algarve, Portugal. I first saw "my hat" at a fashion show held in the village in which I live at the end of June. I wrote about the music at that Fashion Show... Continue Reading →
Maps are fascinating, but these World Maps on Francesco Mugnai's blog are really fascinating. This is the kind of visual stimulation which should be obligatory in every government office the world over. Such things would also be useful in public health clinics of every description. In fact, anywhere a queue is likely to form or... Continue Reading →
Recently a friend posted a photograph on Facebook of an idyllic scene at a nearby beach which she captioned, "Where I live": Now, I do not know precisely where she does live, but I do know where she stood to take that photo, and she most certainly does not live there! In her mind perhaps,... Continue Reading →
Photographs are published here with the permission of and acknowledgement to Nuno Santos. His work can be seen on his Facebook page. On Saturday evening, João went out in the car for the first time since she broke her leg on 27 May 2012. The shorter, lighter cast replaced the huge and heavy plaster one a... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 