This is 8000 clicks between 2 chicks.
calma ~ quiet
esquerda (left) is ~t~ in portugal | direita (right) is ~d~ in vancouver
.tNb
PS: Muito obrigada to Alice, KPX and daisyfae for their comments on Stompin’ Daddy Bravo!
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Penfold & Tango @ Work
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Mon
6
Jun
2011
Stompin’ Daddy Bravo
At least when it comes to family visits, the Bravo clan has always believed in quality over quantity.
algumas horas em Porto
A few days of sharing stories, sipping wine on our balcony, and touring Portugal’s rural cafés ended with a gorgeous night in the big city. We only had a few hours to explore Porto so we had no agenda, no map, no boxes to tick. We just wandered the streets, stopping for a cold drink and relief from the hot sun. A quick nap at our tiny (but so charming!) hotel and, as the lazy sun set over the cathedral district, we grabbed a quick bite and soaked up the sidewalk scenes on our way to the theatre. STOMP was just about as brilliant as the smiles on our faces after the show.
Daddy Bravo’s visit was brief but wonderful and we celebrated the notion that we’re here for a good time, not a long time. After all, even though it gets hot in these parts, the sun can’t shine every day.
.tNb
PS: Muito obrigada to KPX, DaddyP, daisyfae and Alice for their comments on Sr. Saxofone and the Tall Blonde.
Sat
14
May
2011
Sr. Saxofone and the Tall Blonde
At last … I am wearing flip flops and sunglasses. Any remaining shiver from the cold, wet days of winter seems like a distant memory. I love standing still, closing my eyes and listening to the symphony of spring sounds right outside our doorstep. Birds chirp, tractors churn, insects buzz, dogs bark. And saxophonists sax.
A string of carefully formed notes floated up from the river gorge and along the fields towards Cabril. A beautiful long brass tone, followed by a short burst of squeaks. The volume was inconsistent, dropping below the gurgle of the river, beckoning patience to hear the rest of the tune. So unfinished, so much promise, so very Portuguese.
rainbow over cabril by penfold
Sr. Saxofone appeared on a regular basis for a while and happy saxy notes made their way to our balcony, our signal to take the dog for a walk. But the summer crowds transform the area from a silent, meditative place into a zoo of hippies, dogs, babies and bongo drums. I’m always disappointed at how soon the spring is over, knowing that we’ll lose the gorge until the summer holidays are over. But I had to smile when I saw a white convertible roar past the house this morning, an elderly man wearing a fashionable hat in the front seat. And by his side sat an elegant, gorgeous, tall, golden … retriever.
Wayfarers on, baby.
Tue
26
Apr
2011
chick<8000clicks>chick: nest
This is 8000 clicks between 2 chicks.
fazer o ninho ~ nest
esquerda (left) is ~t~ in portugal | direita (right) is ~d~ in vancouver
When my sister, Kilo, was in transplant recovery she spent months in the intensive care unit coaxing her body to respond or move the way it was supposed to. Regaining manual dexterity was something she could focus on every day without too much physical strain so when Daddy Bravo saw these hand-painted nesting dolls in Germany he couldn’t resist. I don’t know how many times she opened each doll, always revealing an impossibly smaller doll, but when I see these I always imagine them being held by her small and delicate fingers.
And when I see how small and delicate baby W looks, I’m full of wonder. This is why we need to keep our nests safe.
.tNb
Muito obrigada to daisyfae, Daddy Papersurfer and Esta for their comments on Páscoa em Cabril!
Fri
22
Apr
2011
Páscoa em Cabril
Easter was always a big deal in the Bravo family. Lots of good food, lots of easter eggs, lots of chocolate, lots of strawberries, lots of champagne, lots of eastery springtime stuff and lots of fuss. Rarely on the same continent at the same time, the four of us always made an effort to be in Canada together for Easter.
By comparison, Páscoa in Cabril is very low-key. Martha Stewart doesn’t live here so it’s a bit more last-minute-planning-with-whatever-supplies-are-on-hand. Our first annual egg decorating contest was basic, some might call our five marker pens primitive, but in true Portuguese style we made do with what we had.
páscoa em cabril
Can you guess which eggs were decorated by the accountant?
.tNb
PS: Muito obrigada to Esta, daisyfae and emma for their comments on Sidekick!
Sat
16
Apr
2011
chick<8000clicks>chick: sidekick
This is 8000 clicks between 2 chicks.
sócio ~ sidekick
esquerda (left) is ~t~ in portugal | direita (right) is ~d~ in vancouver
Tue
5
Apr
2011
Expats Portugal Life does Tango
One of my favourite ex-pat couples has launched a new on-line magazine and it’s fabulous. Expats Portugal Life is filled with fun, quirky articles, gorgeous photos and useful information. The articles come in wonderfully bite-sized pieces, perfect for my short attention span. Sometimes Penfold makes a guest appearance in the mag and the incredibly talented Lucy Pepper pops in from time to time. But huzzah! They interviewed me too!
"tangoNovemberbravo’s products aren’t cheap: they are luxurious and practical. This is an idea grounded in high-quality and individual production. The products are special, as gifts they exude warmth and thoughtfulness. Many other creative ideas don’t come with this cache: with tangoNovemberbravo you are buying a certain emotion, the value of which there is no accounting for."
Being an ex-pat comes with superb rewards but also comes with a boatload of challenges. Unless you adopt a new life in a new country with some form of income or very healthy cash reserves, being an ex-pat means having to get creative and resourceful.
And that’s what ‘Clever Businesses‘ is about.
.tNb
PS: Muito obrigada to slbma, daisyfae, Dolce, Rochelle and emma for their comments on Floating.
Fri
11
Mar
2011
chick<8000clicks>chick: floating
We are two chicks: once inseparable, now living two very different lives in two very different countries. Together we have navigated our way through the good, the bad and the ugly and our friendship survives despite the 8,000 kms that keep us apart.
flutuante ~ floating
But inevitably the distance takes its toll. I miss being able to watch a film together, explore new artists or share a quick latté. I miss our martini-fueled nights of dancing, our heart-to-heart chats and our shared desire for more creativity. I miss experiencing special moments and reaching life-changing milestones together. Sometimes it feels like our friendship has been temporarily suspended, floating in space, waiting for each other to land.
I’m drifting on the left, djbeat is hovering on the right.
I miss you, D.
.tNb
PS: Obrigadinha to Penfold, DaddyP, Esta, daisyfae, KPX, test and spownall for their courageous comments on Dare to Compare.
Sat
5
Mar
2011
dare to compare
According to IfItWereMyHome.com, if Portugal were your home instead of Canada you would …
- use 71.39% less electricity
- consume 59.41% less oil
- make 43.23% less money
- spend 40.13% less money on healthcare
- experience 19.94% more of a class divide
- die 2.91 years sooner
- have 8.24% more chance of being unemployed
- have 5.41% less chance of dying in infancy
- be 25% more likely to have HIV/AIDS
- have 2.26% more free time, and
- have 1.56% less babies.
Hmmm … so by leaving my home and native land I’ll die sooner and poorer but leave the planet a wee bit healthier when I go. Frankly, I’m quite relieved by less babies.
Sounds like the perfect excuse to enjoy a refreshing gin & tonic on our fabulous new balcony. After all, I’ve got 2.26% more time to enjoy it …
.tNb
PS: Muito obrigada to DaddyP, Esta, daisyfae, Sue, stinkypaw, Penfold, KPX and Dolce for their comments on Land Husband.
Thu
20
Jan
2011
land husband
Cabril gets cold during the winter months and central heating is a fading distant memory. A great deal of our time these days is divided between keeping the land clear and keeping ourselves warm. When the sun hides and the mercury drops, cashmere quickly jumps from luxury to necessity status.
Our only heat comes from burning stuff, preferably wood. But not just any wood, it must be seasoned wood. Like good wine and good people, wood needs to age and mature before you can appreciate its fullest effect. So we spend several hours looking for wood, harvesting wood, chopping wood and schlepping wood, most of which must age before we can burn it. In effect, next year’s winter keeps us warm today.
bonfire week ~ semana de fogueiras
This week is bonfire week in Cabril as Penfold and I practise land husbandry (me more occasionally than him). Before I moved here the only nature I tended was a handful of neglected strawberry plants on my balcony. Using an organic stir stick in a cocktail was as close as I got to understanding good wood. But now I know that you shouldn’t prune trees during a full moon and how best to keep brambles at bay.
You’ve come a long way, Tango.
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Muito obrigada to KPX, ASS, daisyfae, Dolce, stinkypaw and Daddy Papersurfer for their upside-right comments on forward.
