January 15, 2016
Our son, Caladon, and I walking up the steps of Fonte Fria in the National Forest of Buçaco eight years ago on our first property hunt in Portugal when he was four; we didn't move for another five years
What does the future hold for our children?
What kind of...
September 14, 2015
Ponte de Romano connects an austere wildness near Andorinha.
“I would rather be with God against man than with man against God.”
These were the words of the Portuguese diplomat and hero Aristides Sousa Mendes who, during World War II, saved the lives of thousands of Je...
September 10, 2015
Villagers treasure Casa do Vale das Lajes, where we lived while I finished writing PORTUGAL IS PERSONAL.
We, still, are making discoveries on our land!
Huw found another stone wall on a terrace. The wall is a feature that had succumbed to the growth of moss, ferns an...
September 2, 2015
A reenactment of a successful medieval battle against the Spanish in the village of Santar
I have been reading the big Saturday edition of Expresso newspaper, and I have been watching Portuguese television. My pronunciation has become much better, although Cala...
August 26, 2015
Hewn out of granite outcrop, Senhora da Estrela stands 8 metres, or 26 feet, high near the summit of the Estrela mountains
Last Friday was the Dia das Bruxas, or Day of the Witches, which is also used to describe Halloween; it was Friday the 13th. It does not mea...
August 19, 2015
A surprise terrace of wild chamomile
I heard the chirping of cicadas and the occasional conversation among six men softened by their distance of three stories up on the roof of our house.
This was the first day of construction, or deconstruction, of our house. Huw a...
August 12, 2015
On May 1st, yellow broom is hung on gates, doorways and post boxes in an ancient tradition
We have been working very hard getting part of the terrace ready for planting. One day, I turned over the soil for five hours. Looking at it, I do not feel that I made much...
August 5, 2015
Exploring Dolmen da Orca, believed to be a tomb and one of the nine sites on the Azenha/Fiais Pre-Historical Route
Days before Easter, or Pascoa, we received a gift from a woman who has land near ours. She was the first person to speak to me when we first arrived in...
July 29, 2015
The "Carnaval" parade in Canas de Senhorim was two hours of elaborate floats and costumed dancers, accompanied by popular and traditional music.
Huw and I have been racking our brains, trying to think of someone who would prune our 250 grapevines, 45 o...
July 26, 2015
Atop a granite massif stands the unique Palheiras, which are dozens of shelters that some call the old village of Fiais da Beira and others the old granary
The job of cleaning and capping our four wells was finished in mid-November. We are happy about...
I am a baby boomer who defied age by moving my family from a sedentary life in England to a farming one in Portugal.
As a child in New York, whose parents were from Belize, I bellylaughed at "I Love Lucy", read books within arm's reach from the Astoria Public Library, and studied ballet and tap in Manhattan.
Even then, I knew that I always would be a writer, no matter what.
It was my son, Caladon, then 8, who suggested that I write Portugal Is Personal. He said that this non-fiction work would create interest in my fiction.
Portugal Is Personal is a collection of humorous, sentimental and practical essays about the move. It is published in 13 installments. Please join me on my journey to a place of tranquility.
WHERE AM I NOW ?
