Rugby Pictures

We are so lucky that people with real cameras take pictures at the games and share them.

This game saw two players off to the hospital, and a third with a dislocated knee.  It was a little more injury-related drama than usual, but a good game nonetheless.
Mooj only suffered a few bruises and a very sore lower back, but bruises and soreness are pretty much guaranteed.

They didn't win, but they played the best they could have against a team that was most certainly better.

Friday Photo Dump

 The lack of storm drains in Portugal works in this puddle-hunter’s favor. We get his waterproof gear on and head out ready for splashing. I'm contemplating making an iMovie of all the old ladies that tell me he'll catch a cold, or that he's going to get wet.

 We have two and half hours to kill on Freddy's catechism days so we are well acquainted with the ducks, "roostahs," and peacocks in the nearby park. That we have no food for the ducks hasn't stopped them from quacking at us and waddling around us in circles.

 I set up Seb doing this so I could get dinner out of the way in the morning. It worked beautifully until I stood up to actually start making dinner. All the pasta, little cups, and the tray went straight to the floor. He then had a great time stomping on the pasta. I'm going to swap pasta for wine corks and see if that work better.

 I enlisted Sebby's help when the pasta activity didn't hold and we made the ham and spinach quiche; apricot bread; and carrot, oat, mixed nut, and seed bread (far right). Anything that comes out of the oven and is called "cake" works for Seb, so this is a good snack on the go, Even Pai got sent off to work with a baked goods goody bag.

 This is where we pass the time during Freddy's cello lesson. That car in Seb's hand picks up all the palm seeds as passengers and drives them around.

 A trumpet lesson bellows through the gardens and that coupled with the palms makes for a very Buena Vista Social Club atmosphere.

When it's time to get Freddy at the end of his lesson, Seb compulsively sleuths his way to the instrument storage area and puts himself in every empty slot. He very much adheres to the cat's mantra of "if I fit, I will sit."

Lastly, here are a few shots from Moojie's game last weekend.

 They lost as was expected against this team, but they played their best and no ambulance was called as it was during yesterday's game. 

 

Alentejo: Part II

If Zita and Freddy see Moojie head for the door, they don't miss a beat in asking him for a ride on the motorcycle. He's such a good sport about it.

 Seb is only allowed on a stationary motorcycle, but he's still the happiest baby on the block with just sitting.

 The farm is about 20 minutes from Campo Maior, where every few years there's a one-of-a-kind flower festival. We visited with little Moojie over ten years ago and hadn't been since.
We packed the kids in the car and re-visited Campo Maior to get a feel for the town without thousands of flowers everywhere.

 We were underwhelmed. I wouldn't put it on a must visit list for anyone, unless the flower festival were happening, or they happened to be driving right through.
Below is the facade of the main church that adjoins a "bones chapel" similar to the larger version in Évora.

 The walls of the church are made of bones from the hundreds of people that died in 1732 when lightning struck a gun powder storage tower. The window was full of skulls, and I found the entire thing to be creepy. How did this become a thing, and is there another country on earth that makes churches out of bones? Questions for Google.

 Let's cleanse our minds with an image of Sebby happy in a tree. Every tree he comes close to, he begs to do "the climbing! the climbing!" He'll repeat "the climbing" one thousand times if necessary until we lift him into the tree. He sits for a few seconds, then says "get down. I help you get down," followed by "the climbing!" Our poor backs.

 On Sunday before we drove home, we picknicked in this freshly plowed, orange-red earth field.

Already well passed his nap time, Seb dragged his stroller out, sat himself down, and rested his face in his hands. We got the hint and wrapped up what can only be described as the most pleasant bucolic weekend to date.

Alentejo: Part !

It might seem like we jump from one weekend away to the next, but we are staying put until Christmas from here on out.  There is also a whole Monday to Friday filled with driving, homework, school, tennis, music lessons, dentist appointments, etc. etc. that somehow kept me from getting anything on the blog.

I also picked up a bad cold last Monday which didn't help matters at all.

Mooj had another wisdom tooth out on Friday so we decided to escape to the Alentejo for the one weekend we wouldn't have a rugby game.

I thought for sure Sebby wouldn't remember the house or recognize where we were. It was mid-June the last time he was there, after all. 

The moment he opened his eyes- before 7am :( - he said "see the horses! see the cowses! let's go!" He remembered it alright. For whatever reason, he is still terrified of the "cowses." Even the smallest, most docile little calf sends him running.

Huge wild stallions register on his danger radar somewhere between butterflies and stuffed animals. He goes right up to the horses and says "my baby, my sweetie, i missed you," as he strokes their noses or pats their tummies.

The good news is that the grandparents are bringing a retired riding school horse for the little kids to take rides on, brush, braid, and give bubble baths to their heart's delight. The other horses aren't quite as receptive to "pampering" from the children. 

These are the calves that have been domesticated by bottle feeding and lots of human interaction. They are now a year old and getting huge, but remain completely friendly, and have grown fond of the black lab. 

 

 Freddy bent over to adjust his boot and got a little surprise from this cow.

The man who comes to take care of the horses in the morning gave Sebby a ride on the tractor. This might have been the best moment of Sebby's life thus far.

That is, until Mooji showed up and let Seb sit on his motorcycle.

 

 This was a great success until he accidentally honked the horn and wanted to jump off while declaring "I so scary!" which means "I'm so scared," in Sebby-speak.

We have such a good time at the farm that I inevitably ask in the car ride home if we shouldn't just pack up and move to the countryside.  The consensus is always that it's good to visit, but not so much to live full time. Part II still to come. 

Paris

 

I joined Pai for a one night business trip to Paris last week. We arrived and went straight to this café for lunch after checking into the hotel (2nd picture below).

It's always such a strange sensation to just sit without having to pull out toys and books to entertain children. 

 After every trip, I declare that it was the most I have ever walked in my entire life. This trip is no exception. Holy cow did we walk! I opted for flats instead of running shoes and was dismayed to see many many French people in New Balance fashion sneakers. Bandaids from the Monoprix rescued me, but next time I'm going with sneakers.

Does anyone really want to see other people's photos of the Eiffel Tower and monuments of Paris? No.  Just a little selfie won't hurt. I'll spare you the the rest.

 

 

 Above is the entrance to a highschool. So many of the schools were palatial looking.

Other than extensive walking, perfect weather is another constant on trips with Pai. We've never had anything but sunshine and 70s for every trip we've ever taken.

 I wish we had more time to do things like go into the opera house, but I'm sure we'll be back soon.

 I took this for Freddy. The entire building was under construction and this was covering the scaffolding.

 Another Fred store near the Ritz.

 We didn't put a love lock on the bridge since workmen were busy removing them one panel at a time and driving them away on trucks.

 I had forgotten about Paris fashion week and pointed out to Pai that there were a lot of runway models roaming the streets. It was only later when I saw fashion shoots going on at the Louvre did I remember it was fashion week.

 Runway model on the loose below.

I saw every major monument and walked as much as was humanly possible during our quick trip. I was by myself for most of it so all of my pictures are of said monuments.

 

I made it back to Pai's conference with 15 minutes to spare before we caught a táxi back to the airport. I sat on a bench below this tree and read my Josephine Bonapart novel  and marveled at how lucky we were to escape to this beautiful city.