Each day at beloved Algarve brings something magical.
During one morning walk, we saw two hoopoes. I think it was a mum with a chick as she fed it with the earthworms, and Gosh, there were plenty of them. Now I’m not so worried about decreasing number of the earthworms as there are plenty, at least, here in the Algarve.
Then, during one afternoon walk, we saw a stork passing by with the sticks for the nest, and he flew over us, and stopped for moment over our heads, and then flew to one of the villas and was inspecting a large chimney. What a beautiful spot for a stork nest - a new, lovely, white villa, with a gorgeous, huge chimney, just a place for a stork planning new family in the sun.
The afternoons in the sun are the loveliest, when I make some fresh salad for lunch with avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon, get some fresh rolls, and cream cheese, and we sit a large table in our olive and pine tree garden, and have lunch and talk, and then after lunch, have some cappuccino with chocolate.
I love these afternoons in the sun, they remind me of childhood days, lazy afternoons at the back of the house, in the garden, on a blanket with a book, or at the big table with the family. I feel more at home here in the cosiness of Algarve than I ever felt in London.
During this time I also feel the melancholy of the days past, the outdoor times during the childhood, the time spent so well outside, in nature. The best quality time is the time spent in nature, and writing these words, when my fingers fly over the keyboard, as if on fire.
I feel this sense of home and childhood, sense of belonging here. I love our small villa and the pine tree forest, and the surroundings, a couple of blackbirds who visit frequently. I got some nuts for them and for the magpies, with black heads, and blue wings. And of course there are the small sparrows, at the cafe and at the pool, one of them really friendly, coming closer to my deckchair, being friendly and sociable, the little guy. We called him Tony as he reminded us of an old friend from London times.
I find the feeling of home here in the Algarve. The feeling of home and belonging, surrounded by beauty and grace of nature. The fresh scent of the air, the pine trees, the calm of Ria de Formosa, the cute seabirds on their long legs, with their long beaks, the visits of the blackbirds, the music of the birds, when waking up and going to sleep.
It's magical, as always, as Algarve can be.