Living the dream… 6 months on

Half a year in, I’ve gone from hopping about to keep warm, to melting slowly.  32C at the end of May.  Definitely warmer than average!  But not every day, and even on the hot ones it’s possible to catch a breeze at the beach.  The season hasn’t yet started, and I’m still able to claim a wide expanse of sand, all to myself.   But not for much longer.  The other day I watched in fascination as the beach umbrellas were assembled.  Heavy, circular woven mats, hefted up onto poles, creating small pools of shade.  And beyond it, endlessly blue sea, swaying to its own rhythm, mesmerising.  Like the wild flowers in the fields.

This isn’t as easy a post to write as I’d thought.  I keep wandering back to the comments on Living the dream… 3 months on.  You were all so very kind, and I obviously touched a chord with a lot of people.  So, where are we now?  A landmark for us.  A first visit from a couple of old friends from the UK, who had never been to Portugal before.  We waited anxiously to see how it would be received.  Would they shake their heads and wonder why we’d left good old England?  Perhaps if I tell you that they both love cake you’ll know that this place brought enormous smiles to their faces.  And it wasn’t just the cake!

Coffee too?
With a nice view, from Vila Real d. S. Antonio
Life!
Not always a bed of roses
Chilling out in Cabanas
Raw nature in the salt pans
East/west- Tavira’s best!

And in the meantime?  As you wisely forecast, good days and minor hiccups.  Small triumphs in language. (very small- I’m thinking recognised words here, not flowing sentences)  A succession of goodbyes.  Many people come to the Algarve in the winter months and leave again as the temperatures begin to rise.  This is another adjustment I will need to make.  But I know that many of the friends I have made will return.  We share a love for this place and, once the bond is made, threads of our lives mingle, across the globe.  Still, I’m quick to feel alienation.  I court a warm response, but always hold something of myself back.  Some lessons are harder to learn than language.  Maybe that’s why I’m a wanderer, dipping safely in and out, without commitment.

I’m on the verge of a long awaited adventure in the Azores, though some might wonder why I need a holiday.  By the time you read this the packing and angst should be done.  If I don’t publish now I know this will be swamped by my impressions of an archipelago of islands.  I’m off to catch a breeze!

 

147 comments

  1. All I can really say, Jo, is that I truly admire you for making your dream of an adventure a reality. Only six months in, I find your assimilation remarkable. And you continue to forge new paths all the time. Many delights!

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    1. It was one of those nights when you set the alarm but don’t know why you’ve bothered because you can’t sleep anyway, Debbie. 🙂 🙂 A leap into the ocean today! Thanks, darlin!

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  3. People living an alternative lifestyle are often misunderstood; their lives glorified. You mentioning your vacation to the Azores, reminds me how people react when I mention I’d love a vacation… Yes, I’d love a break from the road, the need to work, the running around, the work, stress, and energy required to keep food on the table and diesel in the tank. Nobody gets it, but, whatever. I haven’t been on a real vacation since I had a real job (now 16 years ago!). I guess they go together. Or, one has to retire which is not in my future. Enjoy the Azores!

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  5. It looks as is its been a wonderful 6 months Jo, you have really made the most of it and approached it unbelievably well. Here’s to the next 6 and lets hope they are even better. What a life!

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  6. Loved this line “Maybe that’s why I’m a wanderer, dipping safely in and out, without commitment.” Yes, that resonated with me!! Even when living in “paradise” we all need to go away to appreciate what we have at home base 🙂 Have fun, and I look forward to the photographs as it is an area where we haven’t been.

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  9. It seems to me you’re doing very well. You’re being realistic, working hard on your language skills (that was definitely the key to integration for us, as well as living in a community where there were virtually no English). You don’t seem to expect everything in the garden to be lovely and yet you relish everything that’s exciting and delightful in your adopted community. Brilliant stuff. Well done! xx

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    1. I really don’t work as hard at Portuguese as I should, Margaret. I’ve been known to scurry out of a shop in embarrassment. 😕 And I do know a lot of expats. But it’s a life we’ve chosen and we know how lucky that makes us. 💕 Thanks hon xx

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      1. Honestly, one day you will wake up and suddenly, after months in a fog, the language thing will start to click. Promise. Yes, those of us who’ve been able to live abroad for some years are truly lucky, aren’t we? Enjoy that holiday!

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    1. There’s almost always a breeze by the ocean, Lynn. That’s what makes hot summers here tolerable. But I will be spending some family time in the UK too. 😎🌊🐚🐠🚣💕

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  11. Living the dream is right! If I could escape Minnesota and its awfully long series of cold terrible weather I’d be thrilled! But not for awhile! I still can’t believe I have never been to Portugal! I was actually just thinking about you as I read an article in a travel magazine about Portugal and wondered how you were doing. It looks like an amazing place to live!

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  15. I’m so glad you are settling in so nicely, Jo. I’m sure you are making more progress than you realize in the language learning. It will come with time, especially if you mingle with Portuguese friends rather than British ones. I love this part, that shows a bit of your vulnerability: “Still, I’m quick to feel alienation. I court a warm response, but always hold something of myself back. Some lessons are harder to learn than language. Maybe that’s why I’m a wanderer, dipping safely in and out, without commitment.” Beautifully written, and I can so relate. I also love the part where you describe the beach umbrellas: “Heavy, circular woven mats, hefted up onto poles, creating small pools of shade. And beyond it, endlessly blue sea, swaying to its own rhythm, mesmerising. Like the wild flowers in the fields.”

    I’d love to add this to my prose piece scheduled for tomorrow. Let me know if it’s okay! 🙂

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    1. Of course, Cathy! Thanks so much. I did think about linking as I did with the 3 months piece but I didn’t know if it was suitable (hopefully I’ll be able to do a call to place piece for the Azores 🙂 )

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      1. Great, Jo! It will go nicely with my prose piece on Aveiro and Costa Nova, scheduled for tomorrow. All about Portugal. I would love to read a call to place piece about the Azores. I know nothing about these islands, so I will learn something new, I’m sure! When do you leave? Today or tomorrow?

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  16. Change is always stressful Jo – I think you’ve weathered it beautifully. Altho halfway across the world we share some aspects of your new home. Our summers are VERY warm and humid (mid-30s c today and summer hasn’t started yet!) and many of our friends have second homes elsewhere to avoid them. We moved from all things familiar and now cannot imagine not calling our little island “home”. Portugal is next on our bucket list – perhaps we’ll be among the faces you greet over the coming year! Meanwhile, looking forward to your report on the Algarve! (And PS. LOVED your flower image!!)

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  17. love the ocean photo, the way you caught the glittering in the tide coming in, yay Snoopy mural so cute, and the interesting spring/summer flowers. And now I want coffee.

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