Festa da Santa Beatriz

Quatro Ribeiras had its annual festival at the beginning of August. The church yard and imperio (above) were decorated beautifully with flowers and streamers. The highlight of the week was the bull-running – bringing a number of food trucks, tascas, and a barrage of fireworks over our house (the cats were not happy…). We opted not to watch the bull-running itself as it tends to run late and we go to bed early due to our work schedules.

Terrace Garden Update

After a rest period covered in clover and weeds, the terrace garden beds are getting some much-needed attention. Every week on my day off I’ve been clearing them about 4 ft at a time and piling the weeds on the following section to smother the groundcover – a compost-in-place. As I shift the pile over and place it atop the next patch, what remains is a collection of fine mulch and compost that gets pitchforked into the soil (additionally with some peat moss garden soil we bought).

The result has been thriving new beets and ‘volunteer’ collards (right) as well as a newly planted patch of carrots and bush beans at the end. On the middle terrace (left), I continued this process and recently planted sweet potato slips, with the intention of continuing with them along that level as the compost-in-place process does its work.

Solar Eclipse

Raymond and I were lucky enough to be in the path of the solar eclipse! From around 6-7 pm in the evening the light around the yard took on an eerie glow. Using a pin-hole and finding the right focal distance, we were able to watch as the moon crossed the sun.

Feliz Aniversário, Gatinhos!

This month was the shared birthday of our lovely cats, Nicodemus and Archimedes. We celebrated the anniversary with a treat of boiled chicken breast, which they devoured with gusto. Nicky and Archie have brought such joy and whimsy to our lives and yard – I am thankful for them every day.

L: Nicky at the front door learning ‘Stay…’

Middle: Archie lounging in the doorway to the mill room / cat cave

R: Nicky at his post guarding the garden

Home, three years to the day after our arrival.