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Rites of passage
Growing up, I remember feeling a sense of getting ready for something. It seemed like everything I learned and did as well as the passage of time were helping me get there. The feeling went away – at some point in my twenties, I’m not sure – before I could...
The Power of Observation: an example during early Winter
The Importance of Observation In Permaculture, few things seem to take as high a priority has observation. In fact, it is the first of the twelve Permaculture principles: “Observe and Interact”. The idea is that Nature is our teacher, and by carefully looking at how...
Burnout
Living at Alo Land follows a 15 years stint as a software engineer – most of it in SRE, for those in the know – at a tech company. In hindsight it was a great change, but at the time it felt miserable. I had burned out.I first noticed something was off in the autumn...
Wildfire protection strategy
Wildfires are unfortunately a common occurrence in Portugal. They have caused massive damage to life and property, and the underlying causes are as interesting as they are upsetting. When we moved here the risk seemed too small to worry about given that: We’re...
Happy anniversary – 1 year in Portugal
It has been a year since we moved here, which is very confusing. Because it was so intense, it feels like we just moved here, and we are just starting to get a sense of our whereabouts. At the same time, because so much has happened, it seems like many years have...
One year at home in Portugal
The moving guys left with their truck, having spent a couple days packing and loading everything. We loaded basic necessities and the children in the car, locked the house behind us, and left around 16:00. Inês and I took turns driving and sleeping in the car,...
A visual diary...
O programa Exploradores do Jardim chega em Agosto!
O programa Exploradores do Jardim chega em Agosto!Serão manhãs muito especiais na natureza para crianças dos 6 aos 12 anos, aqui na quinta em Salir do Porto.Um pequeno grupo (máximo 6 crianças) explora o jardim, a floresta, a cozinha exterior e o espaço de música. Há...
A duck egg in a child’s hand may seem like a small thing.
A duck egg in a child’s hand may seem like a small thing.But it can be the beginning of so many questions.At Alo Lira: Garden Explorers, we are inspired by the Montessori way of moving from the concrete to the abstract. First comes the real experience: observing the...
Um ovo de pato nas mãos de uma criança pode parecer uma coisa pequena.
Um ovo de pato nas mãos de uma criança pode parecer uma coisa pequena.Mas pode ser o início de tantas perguntas.Na Alo Lira: Garden Explorers, inspiramo-nos também na forma Montessori de partir do concreto para o abstracto. Primeiro vem a experiência real: observar os...
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