These four words inevitably remind me of the first scenes of the Disney movie “The Lion King”, one that I find very special, for several reasons – it tells a story of love, courage and tenacity, it has a beautiful soundtrack – featuring the incredibly powerful song “The circle of life” – it takes place in Africa… or simply because it was the favourite of my son Afonso who loved to watch it while sitting on my lap. Now that I …
Category: Personal
The girl sat in the backseat of the car together with her brother and Grandmother. After giving some last instructions, her Grandfather sat next to the driver and told him sharply “Let’s go””. The driver started the engine and they came down the path on the left of the house for the last time: she saw, as if in a dream, the tall araucaria tree, the green lawn where she had so often played with her brother; she glimpsed her …
Queen began their European tour yesterday in Lisbon, and I was one of the very fortunate people who were at Altice Arena – Lisbon’s largest concert hall where the Eurovision song contest final was held this year – for their show. It all began when my friend Gabi, always attentive to musical happenings, called and asked me if I wanted to come to the concert. I immediately said yes, Queen being my favourite band ever together with Supertramp. In my …
Giving life was undoubtedly the most intense and overwhelming experience I’ve lived through as a living being. It’s not easy to describe it with words. Pregnancy It all began when I knew there was life inside of me, after winning the battle against infertility. I was a few days late and was holding my breath and hoping this time it would be for real. It was only a few days after that we had the courage to buy a pregnancy …
May 13 is the date of the first apparitions of Our Lady in Fátima back in 1917 (see my post Our Lady of Fátima) and a special day for all of us believers. Last year Although I have been to Fátima many times, I never went on this day because I don’t like large crowds and prefer to make my prayers when it’s peaceful and quiet. Last year, as it was a very special year – the centenary of the …
The 25th of April is the anniversary of the 1974 revolution that put an end to more than four decades of a dictatorship regime in Portugal. It also changed my life and that of my family forever and that’s why even after so many years I still have mixed feelings about it, and get emotional when it is discussed. For me there is a life before that day, a peaceful one, of a happy privileged childhood and endless summer days, …
I love the quietness of a Sunday morning. Like today. It’s winter, if not at its peak, certainly at its worst. Outside it’s raining, even stormy, and I wake up late – what luxury- and I enjoy the warmth under my duvet and allow myself to daydream. “All is well in my world”, as in one of my favourite Louise Hay’s cards. The boys are home, safe and sound after a rugby afternoon and night out. They must have come …
When I look back to that New Year’s Eve of thirty five years ago I cannot help thinking it was the best of my life. Because it closed my year of “living dangerously”, a year when I mostly did what I pleased without any attachments or obligations; a year when I felt free, wild, independent; because it was spent in the best place to spend that very special night when you go from one year to another – Madeira; and …
Every year, as Christmas decorations appear I begin to feel nostalgic about other Christmases, of long ago. If I think about it, it seems I’ve had this feeling during most of my life, as after coming from Mozambique we missed our warm and merry Christmases out there. Only when the boys were small did I recover some of the magic of Christmas and I loved seeing the wonder in their eyes as they looked at the lights, as they expectantly …
In your life sometimes you meet someone with whom you feel a strong connection, a special empathy, and when you get to know that person a little better you suddenly find yourself thinking: ” If only…”. If only we were not married, if only we didn’t live so far apart, if only our lifestyles were not so different, if only I could find a job in another city…”. As life goes on and you get older it seems your “if …