Tide out on the Sado River estuary. I find it so relaxing and peaceful there.

A serene landscape features a muddy tidal channel bordered by grassy marshland under a clear blue sky. A wooden post with a white top, for tying boats to, sits in the mud in the foreground.

The Netflix series of Patricia Highsmith’s book The Talented Mr. Ripley

A black-and-white promotional poster for a Netflix series titled "RIPLEY" shows a person standing by a railing, with a review praising the art direction, acting, and decision to shoot in black and white.

Moon over the rice fields around Alcácer do Sal. Part of the remains of the old castle in the foreground.

A historic stone structure overlooks a vast, scenic landscape of rice fields under a clear blue sky. The moon sits in the sky over the fields, in the early evening sunlight.

🦗 Sitting in a quiet house, beams creaking as the hot day gives way to the cooler temperatures of the night. The sound of crickets drifts in through the open windows.

To Infinity And Beyond (Atlantic version).

Pacific versions here and here.

A sandy beach stretches into the distance, meeting a calm blue ocean under a clear sky.

🥱 I can’t get up this morning. In an attempt to leave my bed, I made some coffee…but only ended up bringing it back to bed! I’ve got to get up sometime, but right now I’m not sure when that will be.

An Evening with Benjamin Clementine

Two weeks ago I had no idea who Benjamin Clementine was, though I had unknowingly listened to a track of his used by Apple in their opening credits to The Morning Show.

Continue reading →

Being Called by the Sirens

Walking through the old Jewish Quarter of Seville last week the narrow streets were a relief from the baking sun above. While still hot, the narrowness of the streets did not allow the sun in and the perennial shade kept an element of the heat at bay.

Continue reading →

🌥️ A welcome reprieve with the weather this morning. Enough cloud to hide the sun, and a gentle but steady breeze. All adding up to cooler temperatures.

I have found GPS can send me down interesting routes at times. Sometimes these routes necessitate a turn around and are of no interest or scenic beauty.

These directions, provided by Waze, we were actually grateful for. The views were beautiful, out in the middle of the Alentejo countryside, bouncing down farm tracks. We kept following the directions and thankfully they looped back round to where we started!

A dry farm road leads into the distance with olive trees on either side, distant dry fields and trees further to the horizon. A clear blue sky above.

Sitting in a visiting room in a very nice Lisbon hospital…with a distant view to a cemetery. Maybe not the most encouraging of views?!

🎾 Summer is here - Wimbledon commentary is playing in the background.

Shutting Out The Heat

When I first arrived in Portugal, specifically the Alentejo countryside, I wondered why all the houses were shuttered in the middle of the day? Why close your windows and shut out a beautiful sunny day? And anyway, it must feel so claustrophobic? “Let the light in, enjoy the sun," says the know all visitor. There’s plenty of time to close windows at night. “I’m going to leave them open."

Continue reading →

The alchemy of words, strung together to conjure images of a place and time, both real and imaginary.

These from The Gift Of Stones by Jim Crace,

There were outsiders close by on that morning, said my father. ‘As we came onto the hill, breathless from the climb, all could see a distant, breakfast fire, plaiting a rope of smoke for the sky. There was the sneeze of tethered horses. There was the smell of meat.’

This morning’s work. Waiting in line.

A laundry room with several washing machines, a blue bag on the floor, and a large laundry bag in the foreground.

Finished reading: Of Thorn & Briar by Paul Lamb. A year in the life of a West Country (England) hedge layer. A lovely read. 📚

Finished reading: The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh by Thich Nhat Hanh. I read a little each morning, just to remind me, just to set a tone for the day. 📚

It’s one of those days when I do not want to go anywhere. Just stay at home and have a quiet day, reading, writing and reflecting. My wife on the other hand wishes to go on a road trip.

I’ll be digging deep today!

I am very much locked into the Apple ecosystem. I use a 2020 MacBook Air - no Tahoe for me - and an iPhone 13 Mini. When I move on from my Air, maybe in the next year, I have been wondering whether to move to an iPad and leave behind MacOS. Why? A good question. A part of the answer is in simplification - I am thinking of an iPad Mini, though I will first need to see it in store, in case it is too small - though would it really be simplification?

I have been asking myself what I use my devices for? Mainly a handful of things, namely,

I have not looked into this in detail yet, simply because I am not ready to make the move right now, but I do have a couple of concerns.

  1. File storage: My files are mainly stored on my MacBook Air. What are my options for an iPad?
  2. Backup: I currently have two backup strategies. A hard drive powered by TimeMachine & Backblaze for offsite, cloud backup. Again what are my options for an iPad.
  3. Applications: At first glance, most of the apps that I use on MacOS are available on iOS. One exception that does come to mind is Calibre. I’ll have to take a closer look at this, see if there are any other apps that would cause me concern, and what other options might be, if any.

No rush here providing my trusted work horses keep going, but I’ve given myself plenty of food for thought.

A reflection of Alcácer do Sal’s pedestrian bridge in the River Sado.

A reflection of a bridge in a muddy river. White buildings are in the right river bank. Blue and cloudy sky above.