“We find beauty not in the thing itself, but in the patterns of shadows, the light and darkness that one thing against another creates.”
– Junichiro Tanizaki
The beginning and end of June on the quinta had little in common with one another. Most of the photos in this post reflect the lush green of the beginning of the month only. Perhaps because now, at the end of the month with the landscape bleached and dry, and the temperatures consistently hanging around 40°C, I feel uninspired to even take my camera out. The lethargy of summer is busy seeping deep into my bones, as the hours of comfortable sleep are reduced to a mere handful every night. I, in general take a daily siesta, but the rhythms of summer in this part of Portugal still feel alien to me, and perhaps always will.
Strimming has been a relentless part of my early morning routine, with no end in sight, as I am waiting for the guy who has to come cut and bale the grass for a friend, before I can finish strimming the borders of the land. Looking from the ‘glass-half-full’ perspective, at least with the grass now dry, it will be a much easier task than at the beginning of June.
My vegetable garden so far is doing well, despite the vole killing one of my eggplants and a zucchini. Where I usually have a glut of zucchinis, I now only have one plant, which will most probably mean that I won’t get tired of them this year.
Although the birds got to the handful of cherries our two trees produced, I, in the end, managed to preserve a total of 16kg of cherries from an organic farm a 40-minute drive away. They’ve been frozen, pickled, roasted, made into sauces, chutney and shrub, baked into walnut bread and focaccia, and transformed into cherry/coconut bars and ice cream.
A Special Memory or Moment of Joy:
Having a friend and his wife visiting for one night on the quinta on their way to walk the Portuguese Camino was a precious gift. The weather played along too in that there was a two-day break with rain in what was otherwise a streak of hellishly hot weather.
Notes:
# The maximum daily temperature for June has been 4°C hotter on average than the previous 4 years.
# The cats and I have spotted our local fox on a couple of occasions, and one evening even watched a weasel run along one of the stone walls, making a quick U-turn when it spotted us.
# With Michael currently here for a week-long visit, my otherwise long afternoon/evenings inside the airconditioned house feels a little less tedious. We are sleep camping-style on the porch to make good use of the cooler temperatures at night, which helps to make it feel a bit like having a holiday, despite the usual work happening at the same time.
# Sille has finished the curved dry stone walls, and have started on the dry stone retaining wall. Work starts at 6.30 every morning, and only continues until 1 or 1.30 pm to try to avoid the heat of the day, as the maximum temperatures of summer days are between 4 and 7 pm.
Unknown facts or quirks about Portugal:
Portugal falls in the top 5 countries in the world with the largest percentage of older adults. This, combined with an exodus of young people looking for a better life elsewhere, Portugal is reliant on immigrants and immigrant labour. In the Beira Baixa region where our quinta is, population growth for the first time in 50 years, is positive. All because of the foreigners who are buying and renovating properties in the area. This has an enormous impact on the economy of the region, especially as there are many younger people with young families moving here for a better quality life.
It therefor came as quite a shock that the government has decided to make big changes to the immigration and citizenship laws over the past two weeks. Although not officially law yet, it is said that even when ammendments are made, it will be retroactively implemented to June 16th.
If you have time, THIS YOUTUBE VIDEO gives a good explanation of how Portugal managed to find itself with the challenges it face at the moment.
Written by: Jolandi
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Hi Jolandi
We’ve been home a few weeks now, and today I took the time to catch up on your last three posts. So much work! In this post, the photo that shows some drain grates, is that over the trench that you had to dig out when it rained and the cement pour did not happen?
My girlfriend is currently in Ireland, having started a trip at the beginning of May by walking the Camino from Porto. I think it took her 15 days in all. Then more time in Portugal, Morocco and Spain. The photos look fabulous, but not a walk I would contemplate. And from “too cool for a dip in the pool”, she transformed to commenting on the extreme heat. I also have relatives in Italy at the moment (my auntie there died recently – six weeks short of her 100 birthday) who are sweltering. I don’t envy you strimming and working in that. But, as you say, the most heat of the day starts mid-afternoon. I noticed that in the US also, which was, on the whole, unusually cold and annoyingly showery.
Your offer in an earlier post to be a tour advisor has been duly noted. Hopefully we will get to England (and elsewhere) next year as was our original intention for this year.
I have a cousin visiting at the moment. I’ll get the Portugal video up on to our television. He will be interested, I am sure.
No, the trench I had to dig out by hand was for the foundation for the dry stone retaining wall, Gwen. Yes, the work never ends no matter the season.
Our stone mason starts work at 6.30am, and calls it a day at 1pm, when it is usually already above 35C. Although the hottest part of the day is between 4 and 7pm, it builds steadily and ferociously the moment that sun peeks over the horizon. What that means is that it takes a terribly long time to cool down after sunset, which makes sleeping a real challenge. Often at 9pm it is still 30-32C. Everyone looks a bit like a zombie at the moment, especially as we’ve had 38C and above for 10 consecutive days now. I don’t even want to know what it must feel like in the cities across southern Europe, as the built up space must retain the heat far longer.
Yes, please get in touch with me when you start planning a visit to Portugal, as I can point you to so many amazing places that is nowhere on the tourist map, and in my opinion more amazing than those that are.
I haven’t even commented on your last two blog posts, but from the sound of it you had a pleasant time in the US. – Jolandi
I’m gobsmacked by what you managed to do with 16 kg of cherries. The photos are amazing. We are in winter, but I hope it cools down for you.
I really enjoyed the challenge of processing the cherries, Peggy. I suspect I will do something similar next year, but I may adjust the amount of cherries I buy. Unless, of course, everything gets gobbled up quickly. – Jolandi
I love cherries, and I’m impressed with (and salivated over) everything you made with the fruits. I’ve been reading news about the heatwave in Europe, and when you mentioned the 4°C hotter maximum temperature in Portugal compared to four years ago, it reminds us just how fast the planet is changing. We should be well in the middle of the dry season here in Jakarta, but this year has been unseasonably wet with heavy downpours still happening at this time of the year. Anyway, as usual, I love how Midnight and Lily “patrol” their territory, and how “tired” they can look when they’re sleeping.
I really find it worrying that almost every year the headlines seem to say that it is hotter (or drier, or colder, or wetter) than the year before. The question is where will it stop and how will we cope with it?
The cats are so ridiculous, Bama. Instead of joining me in the cool, air-conditioned house, they prefer to stay outside in the heat, which has now been 38C and above for 10 consecutive days. So no wonder they look exhausted when they are sleeping. I must add that I don’t like very cold spaces, so the air-conditioner just cools the house, so they should be more comfortable inside, but it appears that they like to suffer in the heat. At the moment we usually only go for our daily walks around 9pm, as it is otherwise just too unpleasant to me. – Jolandi
Those are mighty fine photographs! Your dry land still looks pretty green to me.
It seems a lot of countries around the world are going though “immigration” changes. I remember seeing something recently about Spain (or Italy?) re: people protesting over tourism. At first blush, this seems very strange, but apparently tourists have driven the cost of living up for the rest of the population. But the cynic in me sees $$$ behind every government change. It’s all anyone seems to care about these days.
Nevertheless, I hope you continue to find nourishment on the land. It feels like you were both ahead of the curve ~ making space for your independence. xo
P.S You grew cherries!
It is because the photos were taken at the beginning of June, Lani. The landscape is now pretty much just shades of yellow and brown. For me looking back on those photos I marvel and how much a landscape can change in such a short period of time.
I will try to grow anything at least once, Lani. Like a bloody fool to be honest, but that is how one finds out what grows best on one’s own land. We had a lovely white mulberry, which was already quite big and healthy looking that for instance just misteriously died. I may well try to plant another one, as it should actually grow well here.
There were demonstrations in Portugal as well. The locals are suffering, while the politicians seem more interested in playing power games than finding solutions for the problems. – Jolandi
Your garden has such an organic blissful feel. The fox is TOO cute! It’s wonderful to read about your progress, I look forward to it every month!
I’m so happy to hear that Sarah. The cats and I love spotting the fox, although Lily is forever wanting to chase it. I try to spend every morning in the garden before sunrise, as the heat is really harsh on the plants at the moment. Hopefully we will have some cooler days soon, as it looks like my last zucchini plant has had enough of the heat and is dying. – Jolandi
Jolandi, the transformations at the Quinta are astounding. I am in love with all the rock walls, and impressed with their construction and also your determination to use local rock in so many places. It is the only perfect choice (imho).
I watched the video, and I appreciated it for helping me wrap up some bits of story lines I recall, such as the economic crisis and your comments about the delays in paperwork processing, the infrastructure challenges, the perception of foreigners by locals. Have you yet received ill treatment when some local person suspects you are responsible for their economic challenges?
There are more rock walls to come, Crystal. Michael and I are planning more in order for us to landscape our immediate surroundings even more. It requires patience, but we are prioritising that at the moment.
I’m glad you watched the video, as it helps to give a good insight into the challenges Portugal face. The part of Portugal where we live has suffered from depopulation for a long time, so the influx of people into the area is mostly considered to be a blessings, so the answer to your question is ‘no’. In general the Portuguese in the area are very welcoming to the foreigners. Someone at the municipality once did tell me to tell my friends not to move here, but I think it is simply related to how the foreigners impact on his work load and not to any economic challenges.
Ironically, in many cities (including Lisbon) there is a glut of apartments standing empty that belongs to the municipality. Although foreigners buying properties in cities, and apartments being converted to short term rentals for tourists drive up the price, the housing crisis is a bit more complex than just that. And like in most other countries the politicians appear to like playing power games more than actually solving problems by finding practical solutions. – Jolandi
I always enjoy seeing the stone wall progress! And ohhh, the strimming … it looks very tedious. Your fox is the cutest. We are just back from a trip to Alaska where our favorite wildlife sighting might have been a charming red fox. I know they are sly and sometimes troublesome, but they are so adorable.
We are dreaming up even more stone walls, Lexie. It is an obsession. 😁
As for the strimming . . . this year is getting me down, but we are busy rethinking our strategy now that we have a workshop to store things like a ride on mower and tractor.
I love the foxes. Perhaps because, although they look a bit like dogs, their behaviour is far more cat-like. They’ve luckily never been a nuisance on the quinta. It is exciting that you list spotting a red fox as a favourite wildlife sighting. Alaska always looks like an amazing place to visit for wildlife and just jaw-dropping nature. I hope it was a wonderful trip and that you will write about it in your blog. – Jolandi
Happy to hear your hip is better! I love the poetry of this: “The lethargy of summer is busy seeping deep into my bones…” Wishing you continued healing and more restful sleep as the days pass.
Thank you Atreyee. 💚 – Jolandi