We are Michael and Jolandi, two South Africans, living in the United Arab Emirates. Over many glasses of wine, we have dreamed of a life unencumbered by the demands and restrictions of corporate life, and as we grew older, realized that unless we make a decision to take the plunge, we will find ourselves stuck in the same rut, ten years from now. Not wanting to risk a life of regret, we have purchased a 3 ha piece of land in rural Portugal, and are planning to, over the next couple of years, set up our life, so that we can move there. We originally aimed for December 2019, but realised that a dream like this needed a lot more patience, time, and money than we initially expected. Throw in a pandemic, and things got even more messy. Despite all of this I (Jolandi) moved to Portugal on 9 October 2020, while Michael is still working in Abu Dhabi for the time being, as a regular income will allow us the freedom to build more infrastructure, pay off an apartment, and set up our life in a way that will provide us with a bit of financial freedom.
“Solitude, silence, and nature – these are the only real luxuries left on Earth, and all three are elusive to most humans.”– Andrew Evans I’m surrounded by the buzz of bees, as I move the hosepipe into a new spot. The sun is pleasantly hot on my exposed skin. Both the pineapple sage and rosemary […]
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you, somehow.” ~ Anita Desai The first nine days of September were spent chasing dust bunnies hiding in dark corners, cleaning out the fridge/freezer, and opening up drawer space for my quinta sitter. In preparation for Michael’s visit in October, I had to also place orders so that […]
“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson A surround sound volley of gun shots split the crisp morning air just as the sun […]
“You have a relationship to a place through the body. It is no wonder that humans have always been fascinated by place. Place offers us a home here; without place we would literally have no where. Landscape is the ultimate where; and in landscape the house that we call home is our intimate place.”– John […]