Life
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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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Developing dialogue and character
Join me for the fourth of six writing workshops. This session focuses on developing dialogue and character. Are you passionate about storytelling or memoir and eager to learn and improve your craft? We will consider ways to create compelling dialogue to reveal inner worlds. Dialogue is valuable in character development because it helps us identify mood, inner conflict, and more. In this session, we’ll explore: How to write dialogue that feels natural. Introduce body language and setting to add depth. Uncover the subtext of what characters are expressing beyond their words. Build atmosphere and mood through dialogue and description. Explore distinctive voices and emotional intensity to deepen the layers of…
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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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Tavira Climate Change Plan Consultation
If you have not already responded to the Tavira Climate Change Action Plan Consultation here are the dates, link to the plan and an English translation.Also an English translation of the presentation given in the library.You have till 8 April 2025 to respond. English translation of Tavira Climate Change Plan over 10mb download Participatory Public Consultation Sessions – PMAC Tavira The Municipal Climate Action Plan (PMAC) is still being analyzed and the Camara want your participation! Join the participatory sessions in villages and contribute to a more sustainable future for Tavira. Schedule of Sessions: Sta. Catherine F. Bishop – 25.03 | Parish Board | 18h00 📍 Luz of Tavira –…
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Memoir writing
I went to Monchique yesterday to a memoir workshop. I took this workshop about 15 years ago and although writing regularly I am reluctant to share memoir pieces. I took my laptop which is how I usually write and it was powerful to get so much down and out. So here are a few memoir workshop pieces. I won’t share the workshop process as I respect the effort and experience that has gone into preparing the content. If you enjoy these three short pieces let me know. I have written a novel where many memories pop up. Still going through and adding. I think memoir is an aid to writing…
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Open Mic Night in Tavira
The Álvaro de Campos Festival / Birthday Party takes place in Tavira from 15 October to 30 November each year. Last year, I helped organise an impressive and enjoyable Open Mic Night in the cold of winter. On Friday, 22 November this year (2024), we will try again to bring musicians, poets and writers together to perform on a small stage to an eager audience at Casa Álvaro de Campos. The venue is a cafe with a piano and a small stage. Last year, we managed to get 6 delightful musicians and singers on the stage! The cafe is on the steps, just down from the Tavira Museum near the Igreja da Misericórdia de…
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Community Garden and Mobility Plan Update
Yesterday, 13 April I was blessed (I am not sure that is the right word) but anyway it was a gift, to be able to go to visit Community Gardens in Spain. I will do a separate blog post and add more photos and write about the trip tomorrow. But for now the important message is about the CEAT Community garden. The regulations consultation finishes tomorrow. It has been an impossibily short consultation period. I hope the Camara extends the period. This is the message I received from Ecotopia Activa Association today. “As mentioned on the bus, Monday (15/04) is the deadline for participation in the Public Consultation of the…
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Community garden – regulations consultation Tavira
Community gardens are becoming the backbone of communities, which is no less the case locally in Tavira. I recently watched a video from New Zealand about community composting, and it has fired me up because the benefits to the soil and human interaction are enormous. I wonder if Tavira could add a community composting club/project to the community garden. I digress; more about composting in a future post. Today I noticed on the facebook page Os Jardins Alimentares a post by Angela Rosa. It mentioned a consultation document about the regulations associated with community gardens in Tavira. The message from the Camara says: i️ Edital (extract) n. the 495/2024 Submit to…
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Mobility plan Tavira Consultation response
We have sent in a personal response to the mobility plan consultation before the deadline of 31 March 2024. Below is the response from CEAT and Ecotopia Activa. See attached document links in English and Portuguese. The Citizens’ movement for CEAT and Hortas Urbanas de Tavira and the association Ecotopia Activa, based in Tavira, announce their participation in the Public Consultation of the Sustainable Mobility Plan for the City of Tavira (PMSCT) – attached. We request that participation be publicized in order to make known to all interested parties the detailed analysis that was carried out on the Plan. We inform you that we have not yet received any response…
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Cachopo, the windmill, wild flowers, the earthstar and the stones
Some days I just want to bottle moments of joy. That not being possible, on International Women’s Day 2024, I decided to start recording the events of a magical day from earlier in the week. Four women had a mission, an electric car, which I drove and the sun on our backs. You could call our mission one of spirit – that is we wanted to find ancient stones. We are women who meet together to meditate and create art. We feel connected to each other and the earth, so for me our exploration was about deepening our relationship with nature. But also the opportunity for a “jolly out” together.…
