Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Waiting for the rain....

It's this time of the year.  Ten years ago, to follow last blog's theme, we arrived in late summer, and when the first rain came, on 13th September 2006, I was in Aljezur on my bicycle as a thunderstorm came on, disgruntled shopkeepers putting out their awnings,

I was exhilarated,  and cycled up the 350m hill to Marmelete and back, totally soaked.  In the days following, our river Cerca began flowing and the ground turned from brown to green.  Though this revival of life in the autumn was something I could have logically expected, it was a wonderful surprise to the senses, especially because of the contrast from the "old country", where things go to sleep in the winter.


This is the time of the year that not just us, but the whole land is sitting, waiting.....  also my tree-nursery is full of eager young seedlings and cuttings just itching to get their thrusting roots into mother earth....




.... everything's patient but thirsty and on energy-save.  Over our time here it has rained in September sometime, averaging roughly between the 10th and 25th - apart from 2010, when it didn't rain 'til 26th October.



So what are we doing, apart from WAITING?

Well the place is a-buzz in fact.  In a spectrum of things...  Maybe I should give deference to the vegetable garden, where Chaym and Petra have been planting  and seeding in abundance for the winter food supply.


Roots, and greens, annuals and perennials, all that wholesome stuff - and we are very happy that the Moringa trees "Moringa oleifera"- seen here in the garden (the spindly trees in the foreground)....


....are getting these bonus few sub-tropical weeks to get better established before the winter.  They are the "miracle trees" of Africa and the east, with super-nutritious leaves - and a real means of empowerment for the people, against the attempted monopolisation of the global food production by the likes of Monsanto.  In true subtropical regions they grow into big tress, and it is said that one mature Moringa tree can provide ALL the nutritional needs of a family!


People!  Alex and Nicky and their boys, Theo and Phoenix, now 7 and 5, have come to stay at least for the winter - before moving to their yurt in the spring.  Then a week ago we welcomed Ilf and Lies with Maren, 7, and Rune, 1, for the next 6 weeks.  Finally, have arrived, Florian and Sandy with 3-y-old Tao,  until December.   I guess I could do a group photo, but then some of you will go  thinking Várzea is a "community" - and I don't want to go into THAT again...


But that is not all.  Oh no, that is not all!  In a few days, too few to mention in fact, will see the start of  Kris's (ok, she likes to be "Chrissey" these days (but then women always need to change things...)) natural-building workshop ("by women, fore women!") which promises to be a really great event. Kris is partnered with Ana, from Belgium, via 16 years in Aroche, Spain, an old friend from a PDC hear 6 years ago - and an astonishing diggereedoo-player.  Together they make a great team and promise a super atmosphere for the course.                                         Here they are...

Personally, I'm still watering my thirsty gasping trees.....  And just now building a house for my new TELESCOPE which arrived last month - the final arrival of something I have hankered after since I was at school, spending winter nights in Wales in many jumpers outside with binoculars and star-maps. Well, finally, it has arrived (yes, I know that's already 3 "arrive"s in this paragraph)  Here is my "observatory" at the latest stage of construction....





... the roof must be strong, weather-proof, and light enough to swivel off on hinges.

But today it's way too boiling hot to work outside, in the sun - 34c it says on the shady-spot thermometer,    I've had enough of it - BASTA! as they say round here.  Just want to get planting and digging - the oak trees seem pretty low on acorns again, maybe a few more than last year, but rest assured, trees will be planted in good numbers...     So instead I'm scribbling my blog....


Finally I mention again the kids phenomenon in our neck of the valley , with this photo of the Aljezur school bus, picking up the local bunch....





...on the road at the Várzea.




A year and a half ago I would take our Megan up to the road to get the bus - just us!                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Now there are 8 children off at 8.30am!



Then there are the 4 home-schoolers up the road a little, and several pre-school.... the story is only  beginning to unfold....



Fiction or not, it is interesting to imagine the picture here in a decade's time, when our now-7 and 8's will be 17.s and 18.s....








Anyway, I'm sending this edition into the ethereous superhighway,.... please feel free to give feedback - a slowly growing following read this stuff, but of course most people don't venture beyond the facebook blah and all these brain-drugs....  (oops, there goes my cynicism again...)


Love from Várzea.....

1 comment:

Diogo Ferraz said...

It's a good day when we have a new post from you (here in the ethereous highway). Those are the stories we should walk towards to, little original seeds full of life not listenning to the likes of monopolization and other baits. Good luck for the workshop!