The Unidentifiable Beauty

Over the past decade, a growing number of young, enthusiastic opportunity seekers from Northern Europe (when they come from Africa or the Middle East, they're called fortune seekers) have migrated to the rugged, rural landscapes of Central Portugal. Leaving behind the structured environments and stable jobs of their homelands, they’ve come in pursuit of a new lifestyle. one rooted in nature, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. This movement has sparked a unique cultural trend in Portugal's mountainous central regions, areas where land prices are low due to the ever-present risk of bushfires and the lack of decently paid jobs, although the new to-open, nature destroying lithium mines will be needing employees to do the dirty work. However, despite the romantic idealism that propels them, the reality these young pioneers face often proves far more complex than anticipated. Attracted by Portugal’s affordable land and warm climate, newcomers purchase plots in remote areas to esta...

Sometimes you need to think a while about comments that are made on statements one shares on well-known social media platforms. Whether it is sharing a photo of an achievement you are happy with, or expressing a thought on a certain subject. Often the first reaction that comes to mind, might be a true reflection of your feelings, but will in most cases lack the necessary nuances. After classifying one's thoughts, and taking a deeper look into the reasoning for the fundamentally different view than the comment you received on such a post, it might become clear that a short reply won't get the extended reasons behind a statement across. In some cases, it takes an essay on the subject to illustrate one's well-considered principles. The whole process of trying to put one's view into words can turn out into a time-consuming undertaking, which in this case it did. It's been a long time since I wrote a piece (on this blog or elsewhere), but the latest experience with movin...

Do you remember where you were at the moment the Mona Lisa was smeared with cake, or when the Sunflowers of Van Gogh was attacked with a can of tomato soup, or liquefied mashed potatoes were thrown on Claude Monet's Les Meules? Mostly people remember time, location and what they were doing when a terrorist attack took place. (Terrorism: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims) Don’t get me wrong, I am concerned about humanity on this planet, in contrary to the planet itself, who wouldn’t mind the extinction of the human race. There is however a growing concern on how to protect cultural legacies and the artifacts that were left in our care to be saved for future generations. One could subscribe that 36 year old individual, that has been arrested and placed in psychiatric care after he entered the Louvre in a wheelchair, dressed up as an elderly woman and smeared the Mona Lisa, as a terrorist. He called it a protest against artists not focusi...

“So what, it is our country!”  This is a phrase, and different versions of it, I heard a few times last week, said by people during several documentaries I watched and a few essays I read. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be any connection between a film about the missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada, a series about immigrating to Andalusia, a series called “Far from home”, and the papers I read after seeing some episodes of the TV series “George Gently”. Somehow though, the misconception of historical rights evolving into believing the concept of supremacy and finally sprouting as racism looks to be a common nominator regarding the defending one’s own uncertainty and lack of education. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the solution to most problems in society lays in democratic compromising or – this seems to be getting rather popular – a pyramid construction with a narcissistic puppet on top. The most obvious solutions are frustrated because of conservative pro...

Sometimes I get a response on my writings like; “you are mixing up too many subjects, it is confusing”. I must admit that I probably need a few words more than others to express my thoughts and mostly that is because I don’t like “twitter-like” statements without describing its context and historic background. Keeping concentrated while reading a few thousand words, understanding metaphors and recognizing irony are among the abilities that slowly get lost in this modern world of fast news, social media and small screens. It is proven that most people are losing interest fast if they have to scroll down more than just a few times on their device of choice. I know a paperless way of communicating is good for the environment, but it certainly has its limitations. After one year of living in Portugal – 2007 – I shared my experiences by using paper and restricting myself to a maximum of 2 pages per anecdote. Maybe it sounds “cocky” but I’m proud to say the book sold well. Now, at the ris...

One of the first remarks people make about immigrants often is that integrating should be the top priority when they come to live in their country. Immigrants should learn the language and adjust to the historical and cultural fingerprints of the country they have chosen or, for some Geo-political reason, were forced to live in. That may sound reasonable but it isn’t that obvious for a lot of reasons.  We, as an example, choose to leave our home country and start the adventure of a new life in a small hamlet on the top of a lonesome hill in Central Portugal. The country obviously is built on Catholic traditions and the influences of a dark period of dictatorship, poverty and a dislike of authority are still noticeable in all kinds of daily situations. Throughout history, societies changed and gained, as well socially as economically, broader views by influences from foreign people that brought their skills, culture, and knowledge. Controversial however is when people, considering...

I do realize that it’s not a bad thing in general. It could even have a rather positive influence on reaching the goals you’ve set, that stubbornness that is probably hiding in all of us. The choice of taking advice from people with more experience, however, could be a better option. It’s absolutely normal to be blessed with stubbornness as a student or a young adult, but at some point in life there comes an end to forgiveness of all the stupidly made mistakes just because you thought you knew better. I’m not a big believer of the educational system, as designed ages ago, in which all should learn the same things in the same way. Sure there’s a need for schools to teach the young ones to read, write, calculate and some basics of biology, physics and history. When these basics are taught with some enthusiasm by an inspirational teacher, the interest in learning more will become a natural effect. The things that really matter are better learned from people with experience, even better,...

Although your hurting hands are healing bad memories fade with every touch receiving that unidentifiable feeling for a part in me, it can never be too much I notice the shadow on the wall its a contour of me and I’m alive feeling the need for pain, it is not my call longing for that moment of truth to arrive As the sun goes down, the shadow grows I never learned to embrace the dark the time I get confronted with my sorrows and try to reach that itching birthmark In those moments of not being in control healing adventures, awakening forgotten pride during that uncomfortable passage through my soul a hollow and empty past gets reoccupied Tears are drying, self-interest a dying moon the afterglow of pain feels like a morning sunrise there are no big shadows of me at high noon only reflections the world doesn’t recognize Tonight I’ll search again for hurtful times for marks of touch, the outcome of relief as they are my elusive reason to be reborn not having to...

Yes, the Dutch King and Queen visited the English Queen. A real state visit with all the glitter, diamonds and Royal procedures. Prior to the state visit, the Royal Couple met some Dutch residents of the United Kingdom. At the Dutch residence, they mainly talked about themes that currently characterize the close relationship between the two countries. The King and Queen talked with Dutch entrepreneurs, academics, Dutch people who are active in the creative sector, volunteers within the Dutch community and Dutch people who are concerned about the consequences of Brexit. It’s a token of friendship to bring a present. Queen Wilhelmina gave 37 horses when she visited, Beatrix brought one horse and now Willem Alexander... a little bronze statue of a horse. Queen Maxima had a few dozen specially designed bags. They were nice, light bags made out of recycled linen from old PTT (Royal Post, Telephone and Telegraph) mailbags. They were developed to transport schoolbooks, but don’t look like...

I do respect everybody’s freedom of religion but it won’t be a surprise that my sympathy goes out to the most forgiven ones and especially those who adjust their interpretation, of books once written down, when gained knowledge and wisdom required them to do so. The bible is moderated thru times by religious leaders according to their views even up until the ultimate censorship of deciding which book they thought would fit the bible and which did not because of the inconvenience of having contradictional manuscripts. Especially in times when women still were seen as property, there’s no doubt that if it had been a conclave with partly women, the bible would have had a complete other appearance that it has now. That’s just a problem I personally have with putting together a bunch of historic manuscripts and not being open for debate when other equally important manuscripts are found. Besides the tremendous wealth of some religious “leading churches” while their flog is starving in some ...

It’s been almost a month. Four weeks of trying to live as “biological” as possible. The appreciation for the sawdust making life has grown tremendously over this time. It made me realize that being conscious of the consequences that your way of living effects the environment is a necessity, but the way of dealing with it is a personal journey of figuring out what measures are the right ones in daily living situations. Making a big mess of the landscape as a result of denying yourself and your farm animals of any modern techniques and products that might have a “bad” influence on nature, (including WIFI and cleaning products) is just not my “cup of tea”. I’m not blessed with a structured mind, as a matter of fact, I have a tendency to let chaos take over. That said, there is a limit and it’s reached when I start to feel uncomfortable and experience a force inside to clean things up, get it straight. Being in this little chaotic paradise with free running (shitting) chickens, hiding th...

First foot out, touching reality. Live underneath a blanket, safeguarded confidentiality. Second foot exposed, strike two for the floor. No hiding from the cold, it's not a poetic metaphor. Slowly bending over, first sock on. Can’t find the second one, an early morning phenomenon. Twenty steps away from coffee, the battle starts again. No noise or swearing, got to act like a gentleman. Kettle on the stove, the weather forecast on TV. Deliberately empty bottle, Repsol is terrorising me. Decisions are to be made, back to bed or be a man. Changing the orange bottle, or go back to where all began. The sun is out, it won’t be cold, A one socked naked body, embarrassment to be unfold. While manhood retracts, carrying a heavy load. Eyes starring from a window, last bit of pride is swallowed. Connected orange energy, flames underneath a kettle. The smell of brewing coffee, worthwhile the early morning battle. Brown gold poured, seeing different...

It is one of mankind’s biggest achievements, the invention of walls. It took a while before the human race started thinking about the concept of stagging rocks up vertically or putting branches close enough together in the ground to make a barrier. The ones indoctrinated with the excuse for being unable to explain the diversity and complexity of nature, called religion, will certainly be aware of the fact that if “God” had created walls from the beginning, Eve would have never been able to reach the forbidden fruit. Walls led to the invention of ladders, scaffolding, stairs and later on even elevators. Once the concept of putting a roof on a few walls, to have shelter from rain and cold, got embraced by men, “housing” became the norm for being a part of a society. Although there’s nothing natural about 4 walls, some windows and a door, being “homeless” excludes a person from respect and makes him or her non-existing. You can’t be an individual human being if you don’t have a registered...

“Not Just Sawdust, Não Só Serradura, because it isn't just that. It's the evidence reflecting the relentless urge to create, the proverbial blood of that beautiful material nature provides us with. It's the sharp teeth that cut, the subdued mind that finds out what a piece of wood harbours in itself”. I wrote this a long time ago for my website. At first site, sawdust looks just waste during the process of creating, but with the expansion of biological solutions in all kinds of fields, it became a sought-after, sellable product.  Now I don’t mind giving sawdust away for free, it’s very useful for those biological toilets. I even do sell shavings and sawdust, the product that remains from planing or sanding by hand is very useful as “smoke dust”. It turns out that blood, in any form, is big business! It’s such a lucrative business, that managers of Sanquin, a so-called non-profit organization that regulates blood supply in the Netherlands (because everything to do with hea...