Cousin Bart was here a while ago. To lend a helping hand – and he certainly did! His youngest daughter, Dominique, also came over for a few days and was eager to help.
That became a mural
Since almost no one in our family is good at sitting still, she was also eager to help, but she was only there for four days. We were busy plastering, demolishing, and clearing away the rubble – less fun when you’re only there for a few days. Luckily, the sun was shining, which quickly makes up for a lot.
Bart has four daughters whose names begin with the first four letters of the alphabet. So, the fourth with a D – and then it stopped. Understandably, you can hardly finish the entire alphabet … “Do can paint beautifully,” says Bart. “Here, look. I’m not just a proud father now, am I?”
No, it’s really true, I see, and it immediately gives me an idea for a mural
B, C, and D are really good at drawing and painting. C even went to college and is now a graphic designer. Dominique just does it for fun, because in everyday life she drives the train. I find that quite impressive. “I have to start on the old ones,” she says, “and on the short sections. I’ll only be able to do the newer ones in a while. I’m really looking forward to that, because sometimes this is quite a challenge!”
“With all those leaves on the tracks?” I tease, “that’s not easy, for sure – and the stuck switches…” “In the past, the driver could just get out of the train and pee on them if necessary, but that’s not allowed anymore,” says Do, and I tease some more: “I can just picture you sitting there, how nice!” We laugh heartily, and then I show her a picture of what I had in mind for that wall.
She enthusiastically gets to work. “I can’t quite finish it, okay?” she warns, and we agree that I’ll do the trees in the foreground. I’m no muralist, but I can manage that. See for yourself.
Isn’t this mural a nice view from your bed?
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(Disclaimer: I’m a bit tired of the keyword stuff and Google’s dictatorship. So here they are, and I’m also hoping for the cleverness of AI in this matter that it will still be found and read, but that I don’t have to force myself to use the right terms in the title and headings. #mural #longtermrentals #Portugal )
We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal. We started to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa. You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
Since Covid we rent the houses for a longer period of time, not as holiday houses anymore.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation.
In the weekend we publish it on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.