– this week, i tried going swimming at 8pm a couple of days, just before the pool closes, and it was great. lots of kids with their parents hovering around, but no one else swimming for fun, so i still got a lane all to myself. while the teenagers do lap after lap of freestyle next to me, i move through the water like a turtle, alternating between back and breaststroke. i guess i’ll get there, eventually.

– because of the boy’s allergies, we got ourselves an air monitor that measures chemicals and particles in the air. it’s always showing mysterious numbers and intensities of stuff, that we don’t quite fully understand yet. 😅

– finished another couple of comic books from the library: one more taniguchi and desvio (portuguese graphic novel about teenage years). i’ve also read cloudy with a chance of meatballs, which was delightful.

– took a trip to mértola, for their islamic festival. we’ve been hearing about it for years, but had never visited the town during those days. it was nice though, and i wish we had stayed for the workshops and the concerts… there will be other years.

– a postcrossing friend from finland was in the area, and decided to visit tavira. it’s amazing to see friends we’ve known for over 10 years, how they’ve grown and adapted to the curveballs life threw at them.

– garlic dipping sauce noodles are the bomb! :D

a good, quiet week.

– rode my bike twice to the pool and saw some birds on the way there. the usual waders on the salt ponds, but also bee-eaters which are back from their winter migration! their bubbly noises make us look up as by instinct, trying to locate their funny shaped wings in the sky. sometimes, i’m still amazed at how many beautiful things are hiding in plain sight.

– seems like we’re in a taniguchi roll lately, as i’ve read another one of his books this week (land of dreams). the library’s comic book section isn’t very big, but there are some interesting things lurking there. next up: the solitary gourmet.

– i did a little presentation about our volunteering group (which picks up unsold food from supermarkets and distributes it) to a senior university class, and it was ok. the seniors had lots of questions and some healthy skepticism too, but it was fun. senior universities were not something on my radar, but they seem interesting — the people there study languages, philosophy, theater or tai chi… which sounds like all best parts of university! :)

– we found a new organic farm some months ago, practically next to our house. the girl who runs it is a ball of energy, and she makes veggie baskets and delivers them around once a week, on her solar-powered electric van. i don’t think it could get any better than this.

finally, a few of weeks where i could actually see the metaphorical blue sky behind all the stormy clouds. there’s still so much to do, but somehow i feel a bit more hopeful now, not so bogged down and depressed about… *waves hand* everything.

to recap:

– we went to sagres to celebrate our 16th anniversary, and it felt good to get away for a day, solve a mystery game, eat nice food and watch some birds. the boy says that sagres, being in the corner of the country, has this feeling of a “place very far away from everything”… and i guess it’s true — it’s like our little hideout.

– picked up a few books from the library, and read the walking man in one go. it’s a bucolic japanese graphic novel about a man who walks around, noticing things. the perfect antidote to these last few months.

– at work, we had a bit of a meltdown, and then some planning on how to move forward through the mess that continues to pile up. it feels like we’re just swimming in place these days, struggling against the current and trying to keep afloat, not really going anywhere. hoping to see the light at the end of this tunnel soon.

– after much insisting, the stove guys came and replaced our gas stove by an induction one. they had to cut the counters to fit the new stove, and made a truly spectacular mess of fine dust that stuck everywhere. we’re finally free of gas in the house though, and the new stove is soooooo easy to clean! i sound like my mom, but both things make me very happy.

– movies-wise, we watched coda and also re-watched american splendor and ghost world, two movies i had fond memories of.

– after some testing, the boy got diagnosed with asthma, triggered by allergies to dust mites (and their droppings). we’ve turned the intensity of house cleaning up to 11, and i think the washing machine has never seen this kind of action in the years we’ve been living here. 😅 fingers crossed, things will slowly improve for the poor wheezing boy.

– and almost exactly one year later, my saga with a toenail fungus has come to an end, and my nails are finally fine again. hurray! to celebrate, i’ve bought a pair of birkenstocks, something i wanted to do for ages. :)