“How we perceive our surroundings is only ever a reflection of our state of mind in the moment.”
– Clare Dimond
To help banish the grey days and long dark nights, I wrapped 50 metres of Christmas lights around the big olive tree next to the house, where they now sparkle like my own special constellation of stars brightening my early mornings and evenings. December was an unusually grey month, rubbing off on my interior world, but perhaps because of that, every time the sun peeked through, the cats and I immediately headed outside for a walk to soak up every ray of sun.
On my Plate & In the Garden
The frost killed off the zucchini, eggplants, peppers, and chillies, which was expected, and as I haven’t really planned for a winter garden there is not much happening, but there is kale, and calendula flowers I add to handfuls of chickweed that I forage for salads. There is lovely coriander and parsley for curries and stews, and while the lettuce is still small it is at least growing. So is the beetroot, garlic, and a single Brussel sprout and broccoli plant, while the spinach isn’t doing well at all.
The orchard towards the end of the month started to resemble a swamp, so I hope that the trees will survive this challenge. We knew that we were taking a gamble with the placement of the orchard, but it is also precisely because of the high water table that we decided on that corner of the land. Time will tell which trees will survive and thrive, and then we will simply plant more of those. It is all one giant gamble and experiment, and over time we will get wiser to what is best suited to the land.
Weathering the Weather
The coldest night by far this winter was on the 3rd, when the temperature dropped to -1°C, bringing heavy frost with it. That soon changed as cloudy and rainy weather settled in for the rest of the month.
It rained and rained and rained until the soil was so saturated that parts of the land started looking like the Okovango Delta and on one occassion water gushed over the little bridge crossing the access road to our land, mimicking the Victoria Falls. A total of 288 mm of rain fell, making it (according to the locals) the wettest December in 80 years.
The sharka filled up on the 6th, and we ended the year with completely different weather. In my first blog post of 2022 I wrote . . . January has been a dry month, and newspaper reports talk about various areas in Portugal in some sort of drought condition. In the week before Christmas, we had 100 mm of rain, and our sharka is filled to the brim. The little seasonal stream still has some water trickling gently down the incline in a soft murmur, but the green is busy bleaching out the grass.
We’ve had some crazy weather this year in Portugal in general ranging from Saharan dust, drought, heat waves, fires, and floods.
In October 2021 Michael and Tim fixed the little bridge over the seasonal stream that runs through our land in preparation for winter. But the previous winter was dry, and its sturdiness was only challenged recently, when water spilled across it. It held up well, despite the fact that bits of road on the edges washed away. Winter has already coaxed the usual potholes from our gravel road, but this year, with so much water rushing downhill, it, in various places, is scarred with gullies, where not so long ago the road surface was smooth.
Officialdom
Michael’s recent biometrics appointment went well, and I trust that this long road we’ve been walking will soon come to an end with both of us holding our new residence cards in our hands. For some reason everything we do here in Portugal has a prolonged and complicated entanglement with official processes, and it can really grate on the soul, but we trust that 2023 will be the year that most loose ends will be tied up. We have found a solution for our workshop (agricultural building) placement, and marking out its position was the first thing Michael and I did after he arrived. But, like always, even that is not without its own set of challenges. Now we just need the architect to prioritize the ammendmend so that we can get the permission from the municipal architect in the next couple of weeks.
Midnight & Lily
We’ve been able to take our daily strolls most days, and sometimes various ones when moments of sunshine enticed us outside, or when breaks in the rain offered great opportunities to film miniature floods on the land. Lily is not overly keen on getting her feet wet, but Midnight looks like she is having fun in all the water. So, as always, if you feel like a stroll, come with us.
Visitors
I’ve spotted a Stork and Grey Heron in the vicinity of the sharka, most probably looking for juicy frogs, but oddly enough, despite of all the rain, I haven’t yeat heard the usual chorus of frogs. The only one I’ve seen thus far was the one on the porch I nearly stepped on. Michael, for the first time since I’ve moved here, came to join me for Christmas and New Year, and although we’ve been busy with small jobs in the house to finish the kitchen, we’ve also made time for friends and just relaxing.
Portuguese Words
Tempestade – Pedro Ambrunhosa with Carolina Deslandes
| Não estamos sós na tempestade Ainda há luz neste mar alto Ainda há anjos de verdade Voam sozinhos no asfalto Semeiam sonhos pelas trevas Trazem histórias de saudade, meu amor Não estamos sós na tempestade Meu pai, não vás da nossa mesa Não me ensinaste tudo ainda Esperarei de luz acesa Conta-me histórias de Coimbra Foste montanha a vida inteira Como a distância me incendeia, meu pai Não vás tão cedo desta mesa Quando eu voltar, abraça-me por dentro Aperta-me de tempo, é tão tarde o amor, é tão tarde O primeiro dia há de ser mais que primeiro Vem salvar-me por inteiro, no futuro ninguém quer só metade Meu amor Não estamos só na tempestade Não estamos sós nesta tormenta Ainda há festa na varanda Uma canção que a noite inventa Chega das vozes de outra banda Alguém que toca uma guitarra Há quem se agarre enquanto dança, meu amor Vamos estar juntos na bonança Não estamos sós nesta saudade A rua chora no mesmo aperto Há andorinhas na cidade São beijos teus no céu aberto Quero ver-te ao fim da tarde Mas já não tarda a liberdade, meu amor Não estamos sós na tempestade Quando eu voltar, abraça-me por dentro Aperta-me de tempo, é tão tarde o amor, é tão tarde O primeiro dia há de ser mais que primeiro Vem salvar-me por inteiro, no futuro ninguém quer só metade Meu amor Não estamos só na tempestade Meu amor Não estamos só na tempestade | We are not alone in the storm There is still light on this high sea There are still real angels Flying alone on the asphalt Sowing dreams through the darkness Bringing tales of longing, my love We are not alone in the storm My father, don’t leave our table You haven’t taught me everything yet I’ll wait with the light on Tell me stories of Coimbra You’ve been a mountain all your life How the distance inflames me, my father Don’t leave this table so soon When I return, hold me inside Squeeze me in time, it’s so late for love, it’s so late The first day will be more than first Come and save me in full, in the future no one wants only half My love We’re not alone in the storm We’re not alone in this storm There’s still a party on the balcony A song that the night invents Comes from the voices of another band Someone playing a guitar There are those who hold on as they dance, my love We’ll be together in the bonanza We are not alone in this longing The street cries in the same grip There are swallows in the city They are your kisses in the open sky I want to see you at the end of the afternoon But freedom won’t be far away, my love We’re not alone in the storm When I return, hold me inside Squeeze me in time, it’s so late, love, it’s so late The first day will be more than first Come and save me in full, in the future no one wants only half My love We’re not alone in the storm My love We’re not alone in the storm |
Looking towards the future
Michael and I would like to wish all of our loyal readers and friends, who keep rooting for us, a joyful and prosperous 2023.
After a year of writing one monthly post following more or less the same headings, I will return to more random blog posts (one or two a month), as I find them more enjoyable to write, but I hope that this year’s layout provided a good glimpse of what life on the quinta is like with the change of the seasons.
Written by: Jolandi
I confess I laughed a bit when I saw the photos of Lily pausing at the edge of a puddle. I sympathize with her: I was in Vancouver this past week where it rained almost nonstop, and I am no fan of puddles, mud, or slippery wet surfaces. And I was wearing waterproof boots! I think it’s from the many times I’ve slipped on wet sidewalks or discovered a puddle was actually an ankle-deep pool that got deeper as I kept wading through it. Rain is a blessing after a hot, parched summer, but too much all at once isn’t ideal either. I hope you stay dry and warm through this winter and have a much pleasanter experience with the state bureaucracy, or at least a more efficient one. (My younger daughter is applying for Canadian citizenship next year, and she’s not looking forward to the piles of documentation and interviews with bureaucrats that await her. I marvel at how nations can make it so hard for new residents to make a home there, and the people who want to undergo the process.)
Midnight and Lily have provided me with a lot of laughter, Hangaku. Midnight definitely enjoys all the puddles far more than Lily and I. All I can say is ‘good luck’ to your daughter. Isn’t it amazing how difficult bureaucrats make it, even when they encourage and welcome immigration? The stupidities of humans never fail to amaze me, as life is often made so much more difficult than it should be. I hope you are well, and life will treat you kindly in 2023. – Jolandi
Dear Jolandi, Michael, Midnight, and Lily,
I wish all of you a new year filled with good health, happiness, and peace.
All the best from Colorado,
Tanja
Thank you, dearest Tanja. May you and all your loved ones have a joyful and blessed 2023. Big hug from the quinta.
Whoa. That’s a lot of rain. It’s been a fascinating journey through your beautiful words and photos. I do hope ALL the paperwork comes through quickly and with the very news you desire. All the best this year. Love and hugs,
Thanks, Lani. Fingers crossed on all those loose ends. May you and Eric have a blessed and joyful 2023. Big hug. – Jolandi
Happy New Year to you, Michael, Midnight and Lily,
Hoping this new year brings you joy, new adventures and a life more settled with most of the government paperwork and filings tied up neatly. I always look forward to your blog posts, photos and beautifully written words.
Take care,
Terri
Thank you for the kind wishes, Terri. May 2023 be a year filled with joy and blessings for you and your loved ones too. Big hug from the quinta. 💚
If I was low slung and fluffy like Lily, I wouldn’t want to go where Midnight goes either!
You look to have had similar over-the-top rainfall as we also had for a good part of the year. Now we have had a few very hot days, and it seems some magnolia trees which had got used to over-watering, have died almost immediately with the dry days. It’s not up to we residents to water them, but if the off-site gardeners had informed us the irrigation wasn’t working, we would have gladly done so! Then again, it’s been so wet, maybe they didn’t realise the irrigation had broken down.
Grrr. It’s almost as challenging as Portuguese bureaucracy.
Wishing you a very happy 2023 and I wonder what your life will look like this time next year.
Lily’s ‘low slung and fluffy’ body in all this wet weather is turning in one big matted mess. Cutting out those tangles is leaving her looking rather disheveled, not to mention risking blood all over the house by doing so, as she gets very short tempered with us. 🙈
What a pity about the magnolia trees. And like you say, it could have been avoided so easily. Challenges come in so many shapes and forms, and one just never know when they will pounce. I also wonder what life will look like a year from now – hopefully from now until then more things will fall into place than new challenges popping up. 😆
I hope you will have a lovely summer, Gwen, with not too hot weather being the norm. – Jolandi
Happy New Year, Jolandi! Boy, it really does look very wet; the “waterfall” was a surprise! Can you tell me about the word “sharka?” I am a language buff, and I can’t find anything about this word, which I interpret to mean something like a water hole, or well, or pond, or …? I’d be curious to learn more since you often refer to your sharka!
A sharka is a seasonal pond, Lex. And ours fill up because of run-off from higher neighbouring land. It then drains out into a seasonal stream that also cuts through our land, and runs under the bridge on our access road, which turned into the waterfall you saw on the video. We’ve had more rain, although nothing like before, so I am craving sunshine. Hope your winter is pleasant. – Jolandi
So much water! Victoria Falls, indeed. It is fascinating to see all your photos here with water in every scene. It must certainly be a challenge, but I still recall the quiet dread of drought and wildfire, so I am relieved to see all the water. I hope along with you that the standing water will not damage orchard trees, but as you said, it may reveal which ones will grow there best. The landscape photo at the end of this post is splendid.
My hugs and best wishes to you and Michael and the kitties for 2023. I have appreciated the format you used this year, and I look forward to the future freeform posts.
I’m glad to hear that you like the format I used this year, Crystal. I will definitely add a “on the quinta” section in the posts I am planning to write to keep giving a glimpse of daily life and news from the quinta. This year was full of extremes weather wise. Hopefully things will be a bit more mild in 2023. Big hug. – Jolandi
I’m continually entertained by your adventures as I read from my cozy dry corner of America. It’s wild to me how drought can ravagein one region while floods in another. I’m certain the earth needed a good watering. How I love all the puddles and soggy ground images. My little ones would have been puddle plopping for days. Praying your orchard survives and thrives. Blessings. May 2023 bring you and your husband into full-time cohabitation once again. That’ll be its own adjustment, I imagine.
Thank you for all your lovely wishes and kind words, Sarah. I am still getting used to winter rain, as where I grew up in South Africa we had summer rain, and I still remember the feeling of mud drying on my feet and legs after playing in puddles. – Jolandi
I loved watching Midnight and Lily’s different ways of negotiating all that flood water! What a lot of rain you’ve had! We had two weeks of ice just before Christmas when the frost was so hard it looked as if it had snowed and the rain that had fallen before the frost came turned to ice and made walking and driving almost impossible. We now have extremely mild weather – so strange!
I am glad you were able to celebrate Christmas and the New Year together. I hope that all the dreadful paperwork etc comes to a swift end this year and you can begin to relax and enjoy your life on the quinta.
Happy New Year, Jolandi and Michael! <3
Thank you for all your lovely wishes, Clare. Fingers crossed that the dreadful paperwork will get sorted early this year.
Sounds like your winter is far worse than mine. Ice can be so dangerous, not to mention the cold that goes with it. I hope it will ‘normalize’ for you, whatever that may mean these days, so that you can find good conditions for your much loved walks. Big hug. – Jolandi
A very prosperous, healthy and happy New Year for both of you! This is going to be blessed year and everything is going to work out well.
Thanks for all the updates right through the year. Although I couldn’t be there in person in 2022, I was able to go on walks with you Midnight and Lily through your videos and photos with the memories of previous visits keeping my heart warm.
Love you guys loads! All the best for 2023! And I am looking forward to all your posts of this year.
❤️
Fingers crossed this will be a year we can all make plans that work out well. 💜
I do the same these days as we’re in the thick of the rainy season here in Jakarta. Whenever I see the sun, I immediately go out — whenever possible — to, in your words, soak up every ray of sun. Seeing how much water in your quinta, it’s crazy to think that not too long ago it was scorching hot over there. Happy New Year, Jolandi! I hope 2023 will be the year when all the matters you and Michael have been dealing with related to Portugal’s bureaucracy are going to be finally sorted out!
Here is to beautiful and cherished moments in the sun, Bama. 🌞 May you find joy in both the rain and sun.
Thank you for the kind wishes. We trust this year will be the year the bureaucracy will smile on us. – Jolandi
Winter is just entering the part where dreary weather and chill begin to settle in, and how it makes me appreciate the sunshine. It is always a treat to read about you and the quinta, and even when things can be tricky (your garden freezing over), you find the beauty in it as well: the frost on your garden makes for a great photo. Hopefully, things are looking up with the warmer weather. I had to smile at your sentence that “it is all one giant gamble and experiment…” and aren’t those the ones that make life so enjoyable? Your opening quote is perfect for closing: “How we perceive our surroundings is only ever a reflection of our state of mind in the moment.” And here’s to a bright and optimistic state of mind in ’23 🙂
You definitely know about the joys (and challenges) of giant gambles, Randall. 😆 They certainly make life more interesting! I hope you will have beautiful moments of sunshine despite the dreary weather of winter settling in. I also hope that you are finding your feet in your new home and adventure, and that things are working out well for you. Cheers to a bright and optimistic state of mind in 2023❣ – Jolandi
I adore your cats! The weather has been bizarre around the world for several years and it saddens me to hear that the frost killed so many of your vegetables. Winter storms have also harmed some of my own plants and I grieve for them. I’ve so enjoyed your adventures into living in Portugal and look forward to reading more in the coming year.
Midnight and Lily love to steal the show. 🥰 So much of the joy I experience here on the quinta has to do with their presence. After living in the UAE for so long (where the weather is only pleasant for about two months before moving on to hot and hellishly hot), I am still adjusting to the seasons here, but I am interestingly enough embracing winter in ways I never expected I would. I hope this year will bring many lovely adventures for you. – Jolandi