THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF OUR MOVING TO PORTUGAL

 

I know I haven't posted lately, but time has slipped away for so many reasons: I have been gathering blurbs for my new book, which will come out in April or May (more about that later.) I also polished up my poetry collection about Galicia and sent it to a publisher here in Portugal. I should know soon if they are interested—and I've been gathering blurbs for that. In addition, I've been jotting down ideas for mystery #3, and planning more book reviews for mysteries I've read and enjoyed. 

BUT . . . .

Monday was exactly one year after our arrival in Portugal. It was our first anniversary in our new home. Which felt big to us. On February 21, 2021, we arrived in Porto with two suitcases and a carry on, each. Our immigration attorney picked us up and drove us to Braga—first to our apartment (which was not ready to move into yet, but we dropped off our luggage) and then to a hotel we had reserved online (where we were treated so kindly, I'm still sentimental about that hotel).

So, this Monday evening we celebrated the anniversary by going out to dinner at the Centurium, a restaurant here in Braga that plays an important role in the new mystery, I've been mentioning. The owner has been a wonderful consultant for information about hotel remodels, and in general, he is a warm, generous person, who makes restaurant clients feel welcome and at home, taking time to chat with them. The Centurium is also part of the Hotel Bracara Augusta (thus, my interview with him about hotel remodels.)

Dinner was delicious, and we were joined by a special friend who is also our language teacher. The evening simply flew with great food and great conversation in a mix of Portuguese and English—flowing in both languages from her. A few brave stabs at Portuguese from us. 😋

As for the past year: What a wonderful year it has been. Heartwarming. We were excited to come, of course, and yet there is always a little twinge of trepidation about such a huge move. Well the year has flown by, and already we have a collection of happy times, thanks to the help of friends who made the transition and adjustment easy for us. I don't know what we would have done without them.

So, above is a picture of our "Braga Anniversary."

Meanwhile, we continue to settle in, and have started keeping succulents in pots, as they don't require watering so often. (Our herbs all died during a trip to Galicia.) Once our travel days are over, we will try herbs again. Until then, here is an example of our succulents (all with unpronounceable names). The bottom one is just starting to bloom with tiny yellow flowers.

Sorry it is a bit dark. When the light comes in that window, they practically glow like stained glass.

How about you? Do you keep potted plants? If so, what kind. Do you have special anniversaries besides wedding and birthday? If so, please share what they are.

SORRY FOR THE LONG SILENCE: WE MOVED!

 

We moved to small condo downtown at River Front Plaza from our beloved midtown home of 22 years. And if you don't think moving even just 2 miles away is disruptive, think again! For about three months leading up to the move, all we did was cart things to Good Will or Friends of the Library, and call friends to see if they would like certain pictures and momentos, since we were downsizing from a three bedroom, two bath, plus basement and garage to a two bedroom, one bath with a parking space below the complex. Then there was the move. Then unpacking and finding a place for things. Here I am at our front door, masked, of course. Below, I am unmasked, proof I still look like a real person. (In that pic, I'm taking pictures for a "guided tour" I gave on Facebook, lol.)

 

Before I move on, speaking of masks and such things, how are you weathering the Covid challenges? I hope none of you have been ill or lost someone. (We haven't lost anyone, but we learned three of our relatives in India were hospitalized with it. Thankfully, it was not fatal and they are home, now.)  

I'm not doing a guided tour here. Instead, I want to share with you some of the fun things I've seen on my walks. I love street art (well every kind of art), and I especially like murals. In midtown,  there were many, and I'm afraid I took them too much for granted to take pictures. But there are many here downtown, too, and here are two of my favorites:

  Aren't they lovely? Each So different, but they give me a lift. I especially love the mother and child to the left.

Then there are the painted utility boxes! I had noticed a few in midtown, but usually I was usually on my way to somewhre and didn't wonder too much about them. But there is a project all over downtown and midtown called the Capitol Box Art Project. Various local artists paint one of the utility boxes, and on all sides. Here are some samples from my walks: 

Cool, right? Here is their link if you want to know more about the project or the artists: https://capitolboxart.com 

On another note, in the months I've been away (since April!) things seem to have changed in Blogger's layout. I'm going to have to study the changes, because, frankly, these pictures are much more spread out than I wanted them to be. Sorry.

But it's great to be back!

How about you? Do you like to take walks around your neighborhood and look for special sights? Yard art? Beautiful trees? Lovely gardening by someone who loves plants? Did you enjoy these painted utility boxes? Do you find moving disruptive?