A reflection of Alcácer do Sal’s pedestrian bridge in the River Sado.
Empowered by Music
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.
Visits from our Neighbours and Apple Maps
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.
Dreaming of Wales. Back to an image that I took a couple of weeks ago while I was in Bristol, England. This is taken from Seawalls, looking down the River Avon towards the Bristol Channel. In the distance are the hills of Wales. I lived in South East Wales for almost 20 years, and a part of my heart is still there.
It’s been a week since I have posted anything here, and I am probably behind with a few stories and images. So here is a photo from yesterday in Lisbon. This character greeted us after lunch.
Finished reading: Spring by Michael Morpurgo. 📚
I finished reading this while listening to Ralph Vaughn Williams’s Lark Ascending, which felt wholly appropriate for a book describing a British Spring.
I came across this conversation on YouTube and found it fascinating. A short conversation with physicist Dr. Brian Cox and Stephan Colbert, in which Cox explores or asks the question of what it means to be who we are in the vastness of the Universe.
A rainbow, or should I say a double rainbow that showed itself while I was in Britain. My wife sent me the photograph, so photo credit to her. 🌈
A visit back home to Bristol is not complete without a walk across the Downs.
Cricket on The Close.
This morning’s view. The TWA hotel at JFK.
This morning there were four rainbows over the space of a couple of hours. One was too big to capture in one photo. Because of the number and size, I have made two collages of this morning’s rainbows 🌈
These two were out for a stroll this morning.
Another snail I saw making its way across the driveway. An hour later it was almost across. Oh to live such an unhurried life.
A rainbow spotted while out walking this evening 🌈
☔ Well that sudden but big downpour cleared my head. I’m constantly surprised how atmospheric pressure build up gives me a headache. I probably shouldn’t be by now. I think that it is more surprise that such happens. I guess that my head is just sensitive to atmospheric conditions?
It cleared the air as well. Everything feels fresher now.
This evening’s double rainbow 🌈
