Environment
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Pollinating the Dragon Fruit
It’s August on the hill and I wake early to water the few surviving tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. The lettuce has collapsed in the heat and the cucumber leaves have turned to crisp, paper-thin yellowy-brown. This morning though, 3 August 2026, I want to note the date, there are five showy white dragon fruit flowers, yellow-stamened and still open, ready for hand pollination. I follow the method used by an American grower who reckons it’s best to pollinate them at night. We used to have bats flying around and I’d leave it to them, with mixed results, but now I hand-pollinate. This involves taking a small artist’s paintbrush, searching around…
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Following the Trust Frequency: Andrew Cameron Bailey and Connie Baxter Marlow Visit Tavira
During their June 2026 journey through Portugal, authors, filmmakers, futurists, and consciousness pioneers Andrew Cameron Bailey and Connie Baxter Marlow visited Tavira, bringing with them a philosophy that centres trust as the foundation of a new paradigm for humanity. I interviewed them at my home, on Monte Agudo, near Tavira, in the eastern Algarve. The couple shared their experiences of Portugal, the philosophy behind their acclaimed book The Trust Frequency, and Andrew’s forthcoming work, HoloSapiens: Conscious Evolution in Action. Andrew is a tall, grounded guy who exudes enthusiasm about life and adventure. Connie has warm, deep, watchful eyes and is clearly a guiding force. She was born in Maine, USA,…
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Free Trade NGO leader visits & shares experience with Portuguese food producers
In Loco, a development agency based in São Brás de Alportel, Portugal and other local partners hosted an in-person session with Mathew John, a leading international practitioner in product development and marketing on Monday, 23 March 2026. He popped up to my place and we chatted about honey, beeswax and lip balm. He was on his way to a conference in Andorra. “I’m pondering small business resilience in places like Portugal, where I would like to learn from SMEs. Do they show fewer insolvencies, stronger investment confidence, are they able to focus on innovation despite volatility? How do they balance producer value generation at small scales? Constant pivots are tough…
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Blue Eyes and the Secret – A Novella
Coming soon on Kindle Blue Eyes and the Secret. A novella – Venture into the heart of the Algarve with Blue Eyes, a Balinese-spirited feral cat, as she uncovers ancient secrets and fights to protect her home on Monte Agudo. In a land where olive groves meet modern orange farms and water is scarce, Blue Eyes speaks with plant devas and heeds the whispers of the earth. When a devastating threat emerges in the form of disappearing trees, poisoned lands, and a foretold prophecy of end times, Blue Eyes must embark on a transformative journey. Guided by the wisdom of Ceres of Old and aided by a motley crew of animal…
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Come to Tavira’s community garden party: open to the entire community
The association Ecotopia Activa is inviting local people to a party in the community vegetable gardens in Tavira on 24 May 2025 between 9:30 am and 7:30 pm. There will be music, workshops, a competition and activities to promote healthy eating. The event “Há Festa na Horta!” – from the garden to the plate for a healthy life!, is part of the municipal program Equinócios, promoted by the Municipality of Tavira. The initiative will take place in the Amendoeira Community Garden, in the Posto Agrário de Tavira, and entry is free. “This event is a unique celebration,” says the association, and an opportunity for the entire community to visit the community…
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Earth Day – Tuesday 22 April 2025
Earth Day.org, the global organiser of Earth Day, observed annually on 22 April, has set the theme for 2025 as – Our Power, Our Planet™. 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of EARTH DAY. To honour this milestone, they have invited one billion supporters in 192 countries to unite behind renewable energy to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. To mark Earth Day, here are a couple of examples of local actions. There are many more that could be acknowledged, so please mention what you are doing or any you know about in the comments. We have 30 solar panels and have been generating solar energy on a…
