“Em Castelo Branco existem apenas três estações: verão, inverno e estação de comboios.”
“There are only three seasons in Castelo Branco: summer, winter, and the train station.”
– a Portuguese saying paraphrased by me
In Portuguese the word ‘estação’ refers both to the seasons and stations, which makes the saying funny, and although there are certainly four seasons in this part of Portugal, it does refer to the extreme fluctuations between summer and winter compared to other parts of the country.
I switched the underfloor heating off on the 14th, and started running the air conditioner towards the end of the month when the temperature reached 37°C, following a similar pattern to last year. Except for the rain.
The cancellation of the concrete pour at the end of April, and the fact that most of the 71 mm of rain we received for the month fell just before the pour finally happened in the first week, meant that big avalanches of mud covered the rebar in the trench. I had no choice but to dig it out, mostly with a small gardening spade because of the distance between the lengths of rebar, filling bucket after bucket before climbing out the trench to pour it out, and repeating the process from early in the morning, until 7pm that night. Needless to say, there were many swear words spilling over my lips, and tears welling up in my eyes, before I finally fell exhausted into bed.
At least the pour happened without a hitch, even though the pump truck nearly got stuck on its way out, leaving deep ditches that Tim filled up and levelled before he had to move his digger to another job.
The base layer of stone for the dry stone wall was laid with the help of the digger, and while Sil is busy finishing the curved walls he started a while ago, I made it a priority to order pallets of schist stone that he will mix with other stones that still need ordering, and the stone we have on the quinta to create an interesting effect. In the meantime, Tim is also busy designing and building a gantry to eventually help Sil to lift the big stones into place by himself.
The good thing about all the rain in early May was that I could finally burn some broom I cut months earlier at the top of the land. I was hoping that Michael and I could do that together when he was here in April, but as we didn’t have time, I had to do it myself. I got lucky to get it done early one morning just before a good soaking rain fell.
With the landscape transformed into oceans of tall grass that beautifully undulate on windy days, I had to battle to get pathways strimmed to open up the fruit trees for pruning and fertilising.
Even though the grass will be cut sometime in June and baled for a friend’s horses, there are still huge areas that I can only do with a strimmer. In many instances I’ve been doing the same paths or areas three times now, but the vegetation is starting to dry out with the promise of summer hanging heavy in the air.
I rebuilt and expanded my vegetable garden on the top terrace for this year, and luckily Tim had some woodchips he could sell me to tidy it up. Because of other priorities I only managed to transplant my seedlings in the middle of the month. Some of the tomatoes looked terrible, but now, after being transplanted and fed with organic fertiliser and homemade amendments they are looking good and everything is visibly growing bigger every day. I spotted vole activity, which certainly doesn’t bring joy to my heart, as these small rodents can become a big pest destroying one’s garden by chomping on the roots, but I will remain hopeful that if there is any damage during the season it will remain minimal.
Although I fixed the sprinkler system, I haven’t yet made the time to install drip irrigation in the areas where it doesn’t reach, so for now I am still hand watering those areas three times a week. I do like spending time in the garden, weeding and pinching out flowers to give the plants an opportunity to grow bigger and stronger before starting to fruit.
Despite the fact that I love being physically active, at times it does get too much for my body, and two weeks ago I ended up with a wonky right hip. Hopefully my visit to the osteopath yesterday fixed the problem. I saw her three years ago with a knee issue, which was fixed with one session, so fingers crossed that it will be the case again.
On the way back I stopped in Fundão for some grocery shopping, and felt elated when I drove past people selling boxes of cherries. Just before leaving town, I made a turn to where I saw the sellers to buy a 2 kg box of the first cherries of the season. That meant that I spent a couple of hours in the evening processing them, while popping handfuls in my mouth. With a glut of new recipes to try out, I am motivated to make good use of the short season to experiment with as many recipes as possible. For now, there are two bottles of cherries macerating in a sugar-alcohol syrup, chutney, and some shrub (a vinegar-based cordial).
A Special Memory of Moment of Joy:
Michael has told me that he spotted little birds coming in through the hole where he still needs to install the cat flap in the workshop, but one afternoon I spotted one of the little black redstarts, which I often see inside, squeezing through an opening at the bottom of the cladding next to the big door. Much cuter than the snake that nearly fell on top of me when I opened the door to our water heater room next to the house one late afternoon.
I recently also had a lovely time when I spent a night in Santarém. Not only did I stay in a gorgeous guest house in the middle of the old town, but the city was an unexpected and delightful surprise with only some pilgrims walking the Portuguese Camino. There are still many small local shops, and locals that have not become tired of sharing their town with tourists. I particularly loved listening to an old man sitting at an outside table at the café next to my balcony greeting everyone walking past. Their reactions to him were the best, as it quickly became clear that not all of them knew him. These greetings became particularly jovial, when at 9am he finished his coffee and swapped over to red wine.
Earlier that morning, when I went for an exploratory walk, I was greeted by the bread man on his early morning rounds dropping off a daily bread delivery at private homes.
Unknown facts or quirks about Portugal:
It is reported that 80% of tourists only visits 10% of global destinations. Mass tourism is transforming the most visited places in ways that makes them unliveable to locals, and in many places there have been severe pushback. June 15th this year will see various planned protests in places across southern Europe, which is said to include Lisbon, a city that is also grappling with over tourism.
I have now two years in a row drove to Lisbon in early May to see a friend, and each time I was shocked at the amount of tourists already clogging the streets. I love Lisbon as a city, but I only feel that the ratio between tourists and residents are correct in winter, which is when I plan my yearly excursion. If I need to do anything in the city at any other time of the year, I overnight outside the city limits, which is how I recently came to discover the charms of Santarém.
Portugal is a beautiful country, but is so much more than Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and the Algarve. It is a pity that people simply stick to all those easy to reach and over-publicised areas. If you harbour dreams of visiting Portugal, would like to explore away from where all the tourists go, and have no problem renting a car, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, as I will be happy to give you some pointers. Although I have only seen a fraction of what the country has to offer, I love jumping in my car and going somewhere new, even though I don’t write about it. And as we live so close to the Spanish border, and I regularly pick Michael up in Madrid, I have discovered a wealth of off-the-beaten track places far away from tourist crowds on that side of the border too.
To Read:
The New Tourist: Waking up to the power and Perils of Travel – Paige McClanahan
This is an excellent read for anyone who loves to travel. It highlights the history of the tourism industry as we know it today, and includes stories on how tourism has changed places in both good and bad ways.
Written by: Jolandi
First you made me laugh out loud with the Portuguese saying…”Em Castelo Branco existem apenas três estações: verão, inverno e estação de comboios.”
Then I really felt terribly sorry for you after seeing that trench, you told me about, on the photo and all the work it caused after the downpour.
It’s definitely going to look completely different whenever I will be able to visit again. There are already so many changes visible with the photos you’ve posted. And I absolutely adore the ones of Midnight and Lily!
Your vegetable garden looks very promising, I just really hope those little underground critters will find juicier roots somewhere else!
And enjoy all the cherry experimenting 🍒! They all sound absolutely delicious.
Take care and I really hope your hip won’t give any more problems! 🤗
I know that you can identify with that saying, as you’ve experienced both the extreme heat and cold. I suspect that the quinta will look very different by the time you can visit again. I can’t wait for a lawn and proper permanent garden around the house!! – Jolandi
I am intrigued by your garden space, all the moss, and your adventures with recipes. Come to Michigan. We have ALL the cherries!
You are a brave woman and I just love reading of the perils you survive. I hope your husband gets to live there with you before you grow too weary.
It brings joy to my heart to know that you also live in a cherry producing area, Sarah. I hope you love them as much as I do.
I must admit that a deep weariness does at times come knocking on my door, but I have so far managed to reframe it in various ways to keep going when the going gets tough. I hope I will be able to keep doing it for the rest of my life, and hopefully Michael will enjoy the fruits of our labour one day too. It would be impossible to do what we are on the quinta at the moment without his salary. I think we are doing remarkably well for people who have to sacrafice quite a bit to follow the course of this dream. – Jolandi
Oh wow, Jolandi, everything is coming along so well. Bummer about all the rain in the trench, but at least it meant you could get rid of the broom. Maybe one of these days we can seek your advice on touring around Portugal.
You should definitely be in touch, Peggy, as I know you and John often follow the off-the-beaten track, and Portugal has many amazing places like that. And of course you need to spend some time on the quinta. Luckily you are used to camping, as it will take another year or two before we have a proper guest bedroom. – Jolandi
If you had only shown us photos of the cats frolicking in the lush back yard, or the beautiful flowers, or your sun-kissed verandah, we wouldn’t have known the amount of work needed to make everything look the way they do. The cats are probably having a lot of fun exploring parts of the quinta with unfinished work! Reading about how cities across Europe are grappling with overtourism makes me wish I had visited all the places I want to see much sooner.
I definitely understand your sentiment, Bama, but some of these places are still good options out of season. And by that I don’t mean some sort of ‘shoulder season’ as that doesn’t exist in many of these places, but bang in the middle of winter. Lisbon for instance has gorgeous winter weather compared to Istanbul for instance, and despite the cold, I am so glad Michael and I went there in the middle of winter, as I think I would hate it in any other season because of the amount of tourists. Also, unless one wants to visit certain places for very specific reasons, one can often find something similar in areas without as many tourists, which I’m sure you can attest to after your visit to Mexico, as you also visited lesser known and visited places.
Photos can be very deceptive, and I must admit that Spring is my least favourite month for various reasons, but partly because of the relentless chores that only has to do with tidying up so to speak. Midnight loves the long grass, but Lily is less excited about it. You should see what she looks like after walking through a patch where the vegetation has started to dry out. She is often covered in seeds, and doesn’t always appreciate me helping with the cleaning up process. Needless to say, the house doesn’t stay clean for long, and I have to sweep it out at least once a day. – Jolandi
The hard physical work doesn’t appear to have come to an end yet and I can understand your weariness and tears after spending all day baling out that trench on your own. You poor thing!! It is all beginning to look very lovely though and I am pleased you have been able to sort out your vegetable garden and that the plants are growing well.
We live nine miles from the coast and don’t visit our seaside towns in the summer at all because of the crowds. It must be awful living in places that are even more popular with visitors than our little towns here in East Anglia.
I often wonder how people manage to live in places that get overrun by tourists, Clare. When I was in my 20s I used to live in a coastal town in South Africa that received lots of local summer tourists in December, which was usually the time I went inland to visit my family. Everything got more expensive. Even just the usual groceries, while finding parking to run day-to-day errands became frustrating. And that wasn’t even nearly as crowded as some places get today in other parts of the world! I am glad I live where I do in Portugal, and I am certainly becoming more careful in choosing where I travel to, as well as when. – Jolandi
Oh, my back hurts just thinking of the work you had to do with clearing the trench… the foundation of your oasis is definitely made from blood, sweat, and tears. It is uplifting, though, to see the transformation of your place, and it is stunning. You’ve got to be proud of not just great planning and ideas, but in taking action to see the dream move forward. The photos, as always, are a beautiful peek into the countryside of Portugal.
Also, I like your thoughts about seeing non-tourist locations, as every country has hidden treasures – mainly that of culture, and the way of life of small city and villages… that would be fun to do in Portugal. However, I’ve yet to see Lisbon, and one winter I definitely have to see it 😊! Enjoy the week ahead, Jolandi.
That trench nearly broke my back and spirit, Randall. I detest unnecessary work. Luckily these challenges fade quickly with time. Michael and I do try to stop and appreciate the progress we are making, and like we remind ourselves, no matter what choices one makes in life, they all come with both joys and hardships.
The fact that you enjoyed Porto in winter, means you will love your time in Lisbon. After Rio de Janeiro, I think Lisbon is my second favourite city in the world. I just cannot stomach it with too many tourists around. Not that I am a big fan of cities in general, I must admit. And if you want, let me know when you decide to visit. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee or meal together. And of course I could give you some pointers for ‘secret’ spots I love in the city. Feel free to ask. – Jolandi
While all the hard work was evident in your writing today, my own eyes and appreciation were drawn to all the sun-dappled areas that look warm and soft and so delightful. On second thought, all those pretty areas are very likely the result of all the physical labor! The bread photo also pleased me a lot, both its composition and the imagining of that fresh bread – YUM!
Oh yes, those pretty spots only become that from hard work, Lexie. 😁 Beauty is an important personal value, and I often expend a lot of energy to align with that. I love the porch and am very pleased with the vines this year, as they provide much needed sheltering from the summer sun. – Jolandi