And … we’re back. We allowed chick<8000clicks>chick to languish in 2010 but my Christmas present was all it took to get motivated for 2011. A few days ago we all fell forward into 2011. The new year is a symbol of new beginnings, fresh starts and lofty goals. Even if we refuse to admit it, dreams [...]
It came, it went. Our second Natal em Cabril was quite loverly (we celebrate Dec 24). Finding our turkey ‘undressed’ first thing in the morning was a bit of a surprise but five hours later all was well. Papersurfer Jr. educated his elders in the languages of ‘rip stick’ and ‘tech dech’ as our cepo [...]
Last Sunday I found myself drenched from head to toe, tied to a tree and praying for enough strength to save our barn from disaster. Between cursing and yelling I found myself asking, “How the hell did I end up here?!?” This is a far cry from stilettos, skyscrapers and martinis. Our story begins at [...]
When you’re stuck (with a surfer) in the mountains of Portugal you quickly learn that timelines play second fiddle here. Progress happens when it happens, rarely is it driven by an arbitrary date circled on the calendar (the new local roundabout being the perfect case in point). We embrace our local culture and so the [...]
There’s distinct chill in the air this morning and last night the air was filled with the smell of wood burning stoves. It’s my favourite time of year, when we stop finding ways to stay cool and start looking for ways to stay warm. Goodbye flip-flops and tank tops, hello woolly hats and cozy sweaters. [...]
Roadtrip! Last week we drove 4,576 km using the F1 route to plan our destinations along the way. Pau (S. France) for the first night followed by a little stop just before Geneva where we actually got a chance to practice shy French phrases before getting robbed by the Swiss Autobahn authorities. Next stop: Würzburg, [...]
There is a consistent theme around Cabril these days: Estamos sujos. We are dirty. Restoring and building means that we remove really old dirt. We move that dirt, then move it again so we can make way for new dirt. And sometimes we play with all kinds of dirt to make a palette of dirty, old colours [...]
The only topic in Cabril these days is the unbearable heat and even though we try to keep complaints to a minimum, it’s bloody hot. We do our best to stay cool but yesterday things got a little scary. As anyone living in a forest knows, prolonged periods of heat + no rain + wind [...]
People need socks. The ancient Greeks wore socks from matted animal hair while the Romans wrapped their feet with leather. By the 5th century AD socks were worn by holy people to express purity and by 1000 AD socks became a symbol of wealth. Whether pure or rich, people need their feet to stay warm [...]
When we first moved to Cabril I had grand visions of gardening. We would have an endless supply of fresh, organic vegetables and the courtyard would be brimming with all sorts of luscious plant life. And I, of course, would be wearing the perfect gardening outfit for tending these bursting blooms and well-groomed beds of [...]
