‘Comer o pão que o diabo amasou.’
(‘To eat the bread the devil kneaded.’)
– A Portuguese Saying that is used referring to periods of intense hardship and suffering

There was a time in my life when Paulo Coelho’s book The Alchemist reinforced my belief in signs and omens. Luckily, I no longer buy into that, as I’m not sure I would be able to give the freak tornado that ripped through the area, and blew over an enormous cork oak, a positive spin.  

Ironically, the thing that tipped us towards buying the land was a shady corner of enormous cork oaks, some of them on our land and some on the neighbour’s. Since then, not only has one of ours died, but with the one from the neighbouring land blown over by the tornado, there is now a big empty gap. It inevitably made me reflect on the enormous divide or disconnect that often exists between expectation and reality, especially when it comes to dreams and life in general, and how we adapt to it.

I am currently suffering from a bout of bureaucratic fatigue. Over the last three months I had to contend with various hurdles and stresses to complete my nationality application in the small window I had available from becoming eligible and before the law changed. Although it has been filed by the lawyers in Lisbon, it will take a couple of years, as there is a backlog of 500,000 people that is already in the system, to know if it will have a positive outcome. And, as it usually tend to go, just as one thinks that one is in the clear, another bureaucratic hurdle looms. This time an unexpected one, which we are still trying to find a solution for, although with the help of a Portuguese friend, we are hopeful that it will get resolved.

Dealing with Portuguese bureaucracy is like “eating bread the devil kneaded”, and for some the reality of the unpredictability of official processes eventually becomes too much, and they leave. Or they sue the government, like 500 Golden Visa applicants are doing after the new Nationality Law came into force on 19 May.

Notes:
# Despite the many challenges Michael and I are facing here in Portugal, the reasons we are here still outweigh them, and with Michael currently on the quinta for a 2-week visit, there is a lot of work getting done. Not huge projects, but various small, fiddly jobs are targeted.

# The current hot weather, with temperatures that resemble those usually experienced in July and August, certainly makes outside work a challenge, and I limit the endless strimming to the early hours of the morning only. The only time I braved the heat of the day was the two days it took me to clean the paving with the power washer.

# May is also the month in which the olive trees flower, and luckily for us, they only opened after the rain in the early part of the month, as it affects pollination. I loved working near them after the flowers opened, as they were buzzing with bees, and the slightest of breezes made them flutter down like confetti at a wedding.

# A couple of snakes have been spotted, and I nearly stepped on one, but luckily Lily has not again brought one into the house. Michael and I were entertained last night when Midnight came running around the house. Her body language was a clear indication that something was off, and when we followed her, we spotted a fox ambling down the road. Lily wanted part of the action, but it was mostly Midnight who made sure it kept going and didn’t invade her territory.

# Spring’s bounty meant cherries from a nearby organic farm, and gifts of nêsperas (loquats) and oranges from a friend. I also made a tincture from all the lovely marigolds that carpeted the quinta, using both petals and leaves.

# Instead of driving the usual highway route to Madrid as I always do to fetch Michael, I decided to drive a route that takes much longer, but with places on the way to visit. Driving through the Jerte valley in Spain, which produces cherries, was an absolute delight, and gave me the perfect breakfast-with-a-view spot, looking back across the valley I just drove through.

I stopped in at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which is the biggest Renaissance building in Europe, and although it is quite picturesque in its setting, the only feature I was drawn to was its Hall of Battles. I was mesmerized and could have spent many hours there, as the details were incredible. Painted by Genoese artists around 1590 it held a powerful propogandist significance at the time, and was a place where the queen and her daughters would have strolled through regularly.

A Moment of Joy:
While Michael was working on the electric wiring in the workshop, and Lily snuggled up close to my feet, I spent a delightful hour in the cool of the morning painting the frame of an insect screen Michael made for me to place in the door of the bedroom for those hot summer nights that are creeping closer and closer. With music playing and birds singing, it was a moment of pure contentment.

Portuguese Traditions:
In May, university students in Portugal celebrate Queima das Fitas (Burning of the Ribbons). It originated in Coimbra in the 1850s when students burned the faculty-coloured cotton ribbons that was used to tie the folders which held their university notes to celebrate the end of the academic year, and for some also the end of their degree, just before the commencement of their final exams.

Written by: Jolandi