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.
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.
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.
🌥️ 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!
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Some music seems to allow me to see past what I perceive to be all the blocks in my life, all the limitations, all those invisible and maybe not so invisible barriers preventing me from moving forward. I hear a specific piece of music and doors and windows are suddenly flung open. The grime is cleared from my foggy mind and I see before me a world of possibilities where there were none before.
Looking across some of the newly flooded rice fields in Alcácer do Sal, this morning.
Some people, I find, have a way of making me and my day feel so much better through a simple action.
Thank you to the woman working at a cash register this morning at Continente on the edge of Grândola, Portugal. With our produce rung up and paid for, before I could speak any of my bubbling Portuguese, our teller gave the most natural smile and said in perfect English, ”Thank you and have a good weekend.” Her words felt heartfelt.
A simple, gracious deed, especially against the backdrop of the world’s problems, made my day that little bit brighter. It’s the simple things that make a difference.
Our neighbours from Maui stopped by over lunch two days ago to visit us in Alcácer do Sal. They had been up north in Ericeira visiting their daughter’s family and were heading to the Algarve for a long weekend. Their visit was all too brief, but in their favour they managed to get lost coming into town, which negated us having to take them around town - they did the self-guided tour!
Thankfully this little guy was not for real.
Just after I arrived in Portugal, the weather in Alcácer do Sal was in the high 30’s°C for a few days. The heat literally beat down on us. It was tiring, exhausting to be out. But not wanting to stay in, I went for a walk and this fountain in the local park was a welcome respite, the force of the water offering a cool breeze.