-
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…
-
Sister Lucy Kurien: From Tragedy to Transformation
In June 2026, Sister Lucy Kurien, founder of the Maher Ashram in India, travelled to Tavira, Portugal, to attend a Gender Reconciliation retreat titled The Body of Joy. The 4-day retreat organised by Will Keepin and Cynthia Brix attracted attendees from Africa, the USA, Portugal and Canada. Living close by, I joined the retreat and spent some time with Sister Lucy. She is a warm-hearted, bubbly, inspiring woman with kind eyes. Her hugs are firm, feel genuine, and are restorative. As we talked, she reflected on more than three decades of resilient service and on the continuing challenge of supporting women and children affected by violence, abuse and abandonment. “My…
-
Join us in Portugal on 18-21 May 2026 for our Travel Writing Retreat
For me, travel writing is about connection and community. It is about exploring myself as much as it is discovering new and challenging places. Stephen and I, are inviting you to a journey. This retreat is not just about improving writing skills. It is also about discovering why travel writing matters. We draw inspiration partly from 19th century English art critic John Ruskin, for whom beauty was key. Ruskin taught drawing to working men and he wanted to go beyond technique. His fundamental aim, he said, was to develop in his students a deeper appreciation of beauty. Writing works in much the same way. To describe a place well, a…
-
4 day Travel writing retreat 18-21 May 2026
My neighbour Stephen and I are both writers. During my last writing workshop in 2025, we discussed the possibility of a shared Travel Writing Retreat and created an event page on Facebook.We both live on Monte Agudo, near Tavira, in the Eastern Algarve. I live at Casa Alexandra and Stephen at Casa Anatôlio. Both venues will be used for workshop sessions during the retreat.We created the following text: Could this work as a spring treat – a four day travel writing course in the sunny Algarve? This course aims to give you the tools and the mindset to bring your ideas to life. There can be so much richness in…
-
Celebrating Connection at the Open Mic Night
Last month, towards the end of an autumn day, some of the artistic community in the Eastern Algarve, came together to transcend borders, languages, and backgrounds. The Open Mic Night, held on November 20th, was a celebration of neighbours and an opportunity for us to weave our individual stories. We paid homage to Tela Leão who brought us together under the umbrella of the Álvaro de Campos birthday party celebration. (FAAC) Jay Artale a local artist and I created a running order for the participants who had let us know they wanted to perform. We tried to accommodate everyone who arrived with songs and poetry on the night. This meant…
-
Your neighbour – Seu Vizinho-Celebrating Creativity and Connection – Open Mic Night
Update: Many of you may have heard Tela Leão who co-ordinated the Alvaro de Campos Birthday Party each year in Tavira and supported me in organising the English side of the Open Mic Night passed away last Saturday 8 November. I visited Tela on Wednesday 5 November and she was pleased the Open Mic night was still coming together with local artists performing and reading. We will pay tribute to Tela at the event with words and music. The event starts at 18:00 at Casa Alvaro de Campos on Thursday 20 November 2025. More information – written before Tela passed.Every year, as the nights darken and the air cools in…
-
Next Writing Workshop Thursday 4 September 10:00am – Join us
Portuguese Somersault, published in 1934, is a travel story in the vagabond style by two eccentric Brits, Jan and Cora Gordon. I have been thinking about the September workshop and the stories we write, and this book came to mind. The book sits in the Portugal section of a bookshelf in my home. It is old with a fading red cover and bound. I must have picked it up at a car boot sale about 20 years ago. The married couple wrote an intriguing preface that conveys their voice. They were both artists and musicians. I have photographed the preface to illustrate several considerations we may choose to incorporate into our…
-
Writing Workshops begin again in September
Over the last 12 weeks, I’ve enjoyed hosting six writing workshops at my home in Santo Estêvão, near Tavira. The sessions attracted writers from across the Eastern Algarve. Some of us will be away from home for the very hot months of July and August, so, we decided to start again on a Thursday morning in September, and thereafter, we will meet once a month. The format will be similar, as we usually agree on a topic and write about a specific aspect of the chosen theme. As the group has built some trust, we’ll prepare beforehand so that the time can be used for sharing our work, reflections, and…
-
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…
-
Writing for change – Workshop Friday 30 May 2:30
Are you inspired by stories that can shift perspectives or spark action? Do you have a cause or idea that fuels your passion? This workshop is your chance to explore how storytelling and narrative can become powerful tools for change. This workshop the fourth of six writing sessions will be on Friday, May 30 at my house in Santo Estevão, near Tavira. Why does writing for change matter?Because stories connect us and they bridge divides, challenge societal norms, and highlight injustices. Our words can inspire understanding, provoke thought, and even influence policy change. One example is Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book. She weaves indigenous wisdom with scientific knowledge, using…
