Tarbes, the Black Mountains and River Hérault

 

I'm in one more beautiful place, just before I entered a village called Sauve, on my way to Nimes, where I expect to find a train to take me to Macon, from where I will cycle to Taizé. That's the only place now I want to visit on this journey, so I also hope I can get a train from Macon to Calai... I will see about that...I'm also hoping I will be able to cross the British Island as I didn't bring my passport, bit that will be a story for another post... Hopefully a good one!

Euskadi, the Sea and the Black Mountain

 I absolutely fell in love with the Basque Country, or Euskadi, if you use the local language. The landscape was stunning, people were very friendly and warm, and I felt a sense of care, even passing by very industrial areas. Everywhere I passed was very bike friendly and made the ride through towns and even bigger cities quite easy. I cycled through a place called Aretxabaleta and it was very emotional for some reason.

On the way... Vitoria-Gasteiz

Finally I'm taking some time at a cafe, while charging my phone and having a coffee with a "pintxo"(tortilha) at the sound of some good heavy metal music at the "Etxe-Zuri" Restaurante from a small village called "Landa", near the big "Ullibarri - Gamboa" reservoir. It's a beautiful water feature and to honour the history and personality of the people of these lands I will remind us that these were built within 10 years, during Franco regime (1947-1957), with a very high cost for the local people, land and all the beings living in it who were flooded. You can read more on this picture I took in Vitoria-Gasteiz .

Going slow and minimal...ready for a long bike journey

 

I'm about to start a journey through Europe on bike...

From my home, the Mount of Oaks to Annahavil in the North part of Ireland, where my mother in law lives.

I will stop in Taizé to have a break and some time of collective prayer with song and silence. For those who don´t know, Taizé is an ecumenical community of Prayer and Peace, started by Brother Roger, a swiss follower of Christ who, in his twenties, during the 2nd World War, decided to go to France and help refugee people who were in need in those troubled times, mainly Jews. He was denounced for his activities and had to go back to Switzerland and in 1944 when France was liberated he went back to Taizé to pray, now together with a few brothers who started to form the community he envisioned.

Jesus, the great disappointment as a "Savior"

Does “salvation” even make any sense nowadays? How many people really think of the original meaning of this word so commonly used by “Christians” … This is another word that possibly many people do not know the original meaning either… Let me quickly give you an insight before proceeding with my thoughts… 

Jesus never promoted any violence or war... Why christians do?

 

What is that it´s not clear for some christians about the non-violent and anti-war message of Jesus?

Did Jesus trained any army to make war against the oppressive regime of Rome or even encouraged any fight with the jews? 

The Roman Empire was much more cruel than any regime existing today for those who would not comply to its demands, yet Jesus didn't even mention or encourage anyone to try to fight it.

Jesus was not in agreement with many of the jewish teaching at the time either, but he never used physical violence against any jew or anyone else with different views, like the samaritans for example.

 

Hoje li um artigo do Padre João Torres (FB) que começava assim "Não basta ajudar — é preciso caminhar juntos", e na minha resposta pude processar um pouco do que foram as minhas observações ao visitar Angola neste último mês.

Gostei do artigo pois concordo que a ajuda não pode ser á distância, e nesta visita pensei nisso muitas vezes. A ajuda em Angola tem que vir dos Angolanos.
Acho que em muitos casos, as ajudas humanitárias internacionais, a menos que sejam de emergência, pioram a situação dos locais mais do que ajudam.

Aqui ficam as minhas reflexões que provavelmente não ajudarão ninguém directamente, mas pelo menos que nos façam pensar em soluções pragmáticas e criativas face a tantas injustiças que vivemos hoje como seres humanos... Soluções que não envolvam governos, políticas, leis, guerras e uso de violência, nem mesmo dinheiro ou o que seja que nos tentam impingir a toda a hora.

Cheias em Angola

Em resposta a um artigo sobre as cheias em Benguela de Tomás Alberto - Imparcial Press

"Mais do que responder a emergências, é necessário prevenir crises. Mais do que gerar impacto imediato, é essencial construir soluções duradouras", disse Tomás Alberto no seu artigo. Um país que é o segundo maior produtor de petróleo em África sendo que a exportação de petróleo bruto continua a gerar receitas significativas, com o terceiro trimestre de 2025 a registar cerca de 6,2 mil milhões de dólares.

O significado da Páscoa

 

O que geralmente é ensinado, (quando é, já que estas celebrações cristãs não passam de meros cumprimentos sociais e familiares) é que a Páscoa celebra a morte e ressurreição de Cristo que assim garante a "vida eterna" aos que têm fé neste acto de Jesus preparado por Deus.

Outros ainda conhecem um pouco mais do significado e acrescentam que seria a substituição do sacrifício judeus "exigido" por Moisés, lembrando a libertação do Egipto, quando o espírito da Morte passou por cima (passover- Páscoa) de cada casa dos judeus que obedeceram às instruções de pintar a porta com sangue de um cordeiro sem defeito. Assim a morte não levaria o primogénito daquela casa como fez em todas as outras casas egípcias.

Entrada de Jesús em Jerusalém

 

Como muitas das accões, parábolas e ensinamentos de Jesus, também a entrada em Jerusalém na Páscoa, chamada hoje de “domingo de ramos” entre cristãos, está carregada de significado político.

A maior parte das pessoas hoje acha que o cristianismo é mais uma religião entre muitas e que a mensagem de Jesus é apenas espiritual, mas deixam de lado a parte política a que deveríamos dar mais atenção, na minha opinião.

A view from my mum´s balcony in West Africa

My mum lives in Benguela,

Angola.

We are in 2026.

There are 2 gates outside

that give access to the road

where children play soccer

almost everyday,

between the random,

or occasional, car or motorbike

that pass in both directions...

The danger of finding solutions for others... even if with the best intentions...

 

I can´t help it, my default mode has been to find "solutions" where I see "problems"... I´m often consciously or unconsciously doint it, whether is fixing a broken coffee machine or finding solutions for a comunity to have water for farming.

It´s been interesting to observe that when the thought came to my mind that I don´t need to "fix" the many social problems I see around me in Angola (in my point of view), I also noticed a stillness in my mind... I actually stopped looking for solutions.

Could consumers regulate poverty? Or contribute to it...

 If humans in the capitalist world simplify their lives and become less consumerists and more mindful of the origin of the products they consume, they are already helping and contributing less to the unbalance and poverty created in countries where extraction and exploitation happens, whether of natural or human resources.

A verdadeira riqueza...

 S,14 Março 2026

Hoje fui ao espaço da Comunidade Rasta de Benguela e tive conversas interessantes que me fizeram pensar e escrever... Apercebi-me que vejo o mesmo "problema" que vejo noutras partes do mundo, e vejo a mesma solução... Vou tentar desconstruir este pensamento.

Como ajudar os outros sem ser condescendente?

13 de Março 2026, Benguela

É sempre difícil para mim vir a países onde ainda há um grande número de pessoas que não são cuidadas… aqueles(as) que não têm o que comer, pois tudo passou a ser trocado por dinheiro… e a natureza, ou é privada ou já foi estragada... aqueles que não têm família sem ser a da rua onde é grande a competição por segurança... aqueles que não são reconhecidos pelo Estado por só darem despesas... mas de quem é a responsabilidade afinal? Quem deve acabar com a pobreza?

sEr iMigRaNtE...

Já estou a ler o último livro do Manuel da Silva Ramos  ("Os cosmólogos não vão para o céu") onde o personagem principal visita o Monte dos Carvahos e pede-me para dar umas dicas de construção em terra . Uma boa leitura, entre ficção e realidade. que retrata a cultura e as gentes da Beira Baixa nos dias de hoje... e também uma ousada sátira aos movimentos extremistas de direita que infelizmente se levantam pelo país fora, incitando as populações ao racismo, ao medo do "outro" e instigando a rejeição de imigrantes como ameaça à segurança nacional... Vale a pena ler... Retrata muito bem outros personagens que se mudaram para o Fundão nos últimos anos e que nós também conhecemos pessoalmente...o Alejandro, um génio Boliviano, poeta, músico e cineasta entre muitas outras coisas... Yahya Hussein, um refugiado do Sudão que foi colega da Emma quando trabalhou no Fundão como mediadora entre várias culturas...os cineastas João Dias, José Oliveira e Marta Ramos também são mencionados várias vezes e o verdadeiro Fundanense, o cineasta Mário Fernandes, que na sua modéstia teceu todos estes relacionamentos com o autor do livro.

eSpErAnçA...

 Quero escrever sobre ESPERANÇA...

a esperança que sempre alcança,
a esperança que não se pode perder
até me aperceber
que o que esperei sem ver,
como se já existisse,
está a começar a acontecer,
e dá-me esperança para esperar...

tHe sPiRiT oF cHriStmAs...my own thoughts about Christ today.

(before anything else I would like to say that this is a simple personal perspective and maybe not so accurate theology or history...or maybe it is...I just went with the flow of my thoughts and I can´t be bothered with researching exact facts now, or accurate bible verses...maybe that proves I am not A.I.) 

I wanted to remember who Christ was and who Christ is for me today... That´s what Christmas should be about, right? We could share more stories with each other about our journeys with God, I´m sure there are amazing ones out there... Unfortunately for most around me today I know Christmas is not at all about sharing about Christ... if Christ is not mentioned it´s even better... bring the food, the drinks and the presents and lets party...

O paraíso

 

31.12.2023

O PARAÍSO

Quando perdemos a noção

De que tudo é sagrado,

Deixamos de saber que somos amados

E deixamos lixo por todo o lado...

Uns dizem que é falta de educação,

Mas pode ser apenas uma falha na visão...

21 novembro 2023 - reflexões sobre o mal

  Vencer o mal

 é não nos subjugarmos a ele.

é resistir á tentação...

o Mal só existe se for praticado por alguém,

alguém que abriu o espírito, que deu permissão 

desprotegido ou não (não sei),

e dar entrada ao mal que acaba por 

alojar a alma (ferida ou doente),

da alma á acção por intermédio

do corpo,

é um instantinho...

E se as abelhas deixassem de trabalhar ?

 Post in Portuguese .

Read more Here

CCTV - Televisão em círculo fechado

Post in portuguese 

Read more Here

Cidades e Muralhas, para que raio foram inventadas ?

Portuguese post.

Read more Here  

mAke aN efFort oR nOt? ThaT iS a gOod qUeStioN ...

read more Here

lAsT pOsT oN tHis bLoG... nEw bLoG oN tHe wAy...

 Hello, I dont even know who follows this anymore...or who still reads blogs, but I felt I should leave a message here, if for no one else, for myself :-) , to communicate that this blog is officially closed.

I will keep it online for myself as I still go back to read some stories every niw and then :-)

And here is the new l
ink for the new blog I'm starting, " Mente Errante...w@andering mind", which will be written both in english or portuguese, depending where my mind will wander :-) 

Much Love, Joy and Hope to all

HAPPY DAYS

Shantii pilgrim 

WHo wAs Jesus?...a "pArtY aNiMaL?"

This post is partially humorous, partially based on an honest search... If you didn't like the title of this post you probably shouldn't read it, as it would probably not be of interest for you... I apologise in advance for any possible offence from now on...

There are many stereotypes of Jesus, but in reality we know so little of the historical Jesus... We can read the gospels which were written by a group of Jewishs followers at the time of Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans...at least 30 to 40 years after Jesus died... I imagine that must have been quite a tragic and sensitive time for Yeshua´s followers... The image the older ones might have still kept, and the oral tradition that might have carried most of the stories and parables we read today...it was probably their own construction of what became the experience of God s spirit in their lives, after Jesus' died... a minority group among the many Jews who lived under the oppressive imperial domination system of Rome...

Let's have a look, if you want to amuse yourself, with some stereotypes that survived the ages until now... 

mAyBe i M bAcK tO bLoGiNg...

I think for the last 4 or five years, I've been trying to get back into bloging, but then I never make the time for it...even now, I'm reluctant to write... I ask myself, why should I write on a blog? I have a journal...the question might be more like "what do I have to share?" Or " what do I want to share?" ... That's what blogs are for,right? It does help me process my own experiences and ideas, but it is about sharing in the end, otherwise I stick to my journal...

I started this blog when I went traveling for 6 months and it was the easiest way to share my experiences with a lot of my friends at the time, instead of writing e.mails to all individually ( this was 2005, before Facebook era)...

WiLd fiRe iN pEdRogAo gRandE 17-24 June 2017 :-(

This was a post on Facebook...but I want to include it here ...
it´s been 20 days since the 17th of June. the day we started our Natural Building Course at Lisbeth Herz s place in Pedrogao Grande, and the tragic day of the big fire that desolated this country for 7 days. 50.000 hectares of land burned down to ashes, 64 people died, countless animals, houses, and much more...This is still what I have in my mind and why I´ve been avoiding going online.I´m still blocked to what I want to say or share, not sure if I share about the week which was a mix of good moments on the building course together with really sad news from our good friends Liedewij Schieving and Joey.

How is the Mount of Oaks today ...

-->

Dear Friends of the “Mount of Oaks”,

This letter is from me, Barbara, for those of you who were somehow connected to this place from the early beginnings and for those who are interested in knowing how things are developing so far. We are thankful for your part in the history of this place.

…if you want to go back in time, take a look at these many pictures first... then, find a moment when you have nothing else to do, and read my loooooong letter ...

a nEw eCoNoMy...a nEw LifEsTyLe... iS tHeRe hOpE ?

"- You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.

tHe sPiRiT of eAsTeR ...

--> -->

This Spirit is not dead, the Spirit that ... “stands for liberation of the human mind from the dominion of religion, the liberation of the human body from the dominion of property, liberation from shackles and restraint of government. That stands for social order based on free grouping of individuals” (Emma Goldman defining Anarchism) ...

Human greedy systems come and go and they all try to destroy and kill this spirit... But the truth of what we celebrate at Easter, is that This Spirit is and will always be alive...

O sOL dOs tRóPicOs ... Henrique Galvão

LINDO !!!! Acabei hoje de ler, a 25 de Abril..."O Sol dos Trópicos", de Henrique Galvão, de 1936, uma edição creio da minha avó. Este romance tem muito que se lhe diga. Um filho de camponês, deixa a aldeia da Beira sonhando n "a Riquesa ou a Glória, a Celebridade ou a Autoridade"...desiludido e falido vai para Angola para morrer...e é nos vales da Chela, entre o povo Mukubal, que encontra a razão de viver...vou transcrever uma breve passagem...fica aqui para pensar :

"...havia em mim um principio de felicidade simples que brotava como os rebentos verdes da massambala no meu arimo. Compreendia a vagabundagem dos mukubais - 

bAcK oN wRitTinG...mAybE...tALvEz mAiS Em pOrTugUêS...

A caminho do 25 de Abril,
e porque também hoje
muitas pessoas se lembram que Cristo ressuscitou,
e nisso venceu a morte de vez e para todos,
vamos ter Hoje um pouco mais de Esperança...
Do amanhã nada sabemos,
amanhã esperaremos.
Nós somos criaturas
que fácilmente nos esquecemos,
e por isso desesperamos.
Precisamos de festas,
rituais,
missas e carnavais
para nos fazer lembrar,
ou apenas parar...

"Deus Quer
o Homem Sonha,
a Obra Nasce" (F.Pessoa)

Precisamos sonhar alto,

2nd FeBrUaRy – "gOoD" or "eViL" ?

-->

There is a whole spiritual realm we don´t really know much about (if we are honest)...

All I´m going to share is based on personal experience and my own interpretation, I might be wrong, as I realize how little I know on the subject.

It´s sometimes easier to recognize “bad” things in the physical world than it is to recognize “bad” things in the spiritual world. I usually don´t like to classify things as “good” or “bad” as that can be so subjective and fruit of our dualistic mindset...

mOrNinG mEdiTaTiOnS fRom LaSt wEeK...

Finally it seems that I will make the time to write again on this blog... mainly because we have a solar panel which able us to charge the computer anytime... I will try to post some of my morning meditations... it´s more like what comes into my mind at that time... what my spirit is wandering or wondering about ...

Writing here it´s simply a way for me to process those times in the mornings...

30th January – God wants community not religion

Christmas Meditation ...

by Richard Rohr

 

"The rifts and chasms between good people today sometimes seem impossible to bridge. Let’s just name a few obvious ones: male versus female, rich versus poor, liberal versus conservative, Christian versus non-Christian, “Pro-Choice” versus “Pro-Life,” the overdeveloped world versus the underdeveloped world, renew-from-within versus change-from-without, straights versus gays, hierarchy versus laity, whites versus people of color—and every shade of every issue in between.

eXiLeS iN BaByLoN

(From Jeremiah 31:10-17 and Habakkuk 1:1-6)

Jeremiah speaks to the exiles in Babylon. People were scattered , made slaves throughout the vast and oppressing Empire of Babylon.
Here´s a song to bring Hope for those in captivity, for those who could see no way out, no hope for the future.
Jeremiah lived before the people of Israel were taken into captivity to Babylon. He was trying to tell people what was coming...but nobody seemed to want to listen.
Jeremiah was foretelling what could have happen to the people if they would not repent. Obviously they didn´t listen and kept living their lives as they wanted. They were eventually taken to Babylon...
Yet "There is Hope for the Future, says The Lord"

Who are the prophetic voices today?

tO bLoG oR NoT tO bLoG... ThaT iS mY qUeStiOn...

It´s been a while since I last posted here... (I should count how many times I started a post this way, eh, eh)
When I first started with this blog it was basically a matter of being practical, as I was traveling and it was the easiest way to share my journey with those who wanted to accompany me along The Way... Then, when I came to The Mount of Oaks, it became a weekly reflection for myself, and again, to share what was going on here with all those who were interested to know or those who passed by ...
Then I started a blog just for the Mount of Oaks, because I felt and still feel that the Mount of Oaks is not about me and I wanted to make that a bit more clearer... This blog became then for more personal sharing... reflections, thoughts, processing the week or season that passed, etc...
Now, I´m not so sure if people read blogs so much...

fiNaLLy LaSt viDeOs fRoM oUr rOaD tRiP...

I know it´s been a while , but it was not easy to find the time to put together all the footage from our road trip...
We´ve been busy since we´re back and without electricity it makes it harder to find the time... Winter is a time of reflection and introspection anyway... A time to plan and envision what is ahead...
But anyway... here´s a little something to remember our pilgrimage at the end of the summer... Believe me, it takes ages to make this little videos...it´s fun though... but exhausting at times, to go through all our pictures and video snaps, putting it all together, cutting here and there, choosing the songs, etc... not to mention the times I forgot to save and the program froze...
Enjoy !!! There are six of them :-)

From Chester to Peterborough ...

ChRiSt iS aLL, and is iN aLL...

One more meditation from Fr. Richard Rohr:

We are too tiny, too passing, too recent to imagine any eternal greatness within us, but the Biblical pattern of incarnation always has God disguised and hiding inside of littleness, particularity, ordinariness, and seeming insignificance. God seems to want us to do the desiring and all the discovering. No one finds God who is not looking for God and willing to go to the edges to find God. Unless we leave our comfort zone, we really do not meet God at all, but merely pull God inside of our own small sphere, and it is no longer God that we meet at all. Just religion.

tHeRe iS gOoD nEwS aT cHriStMaS...

Prayer: 

O Rising Sun, enlighten my darkness.

" Through the heartfelt mercies of God, 

      God's Rising Sun 

will break in upon us,

   Shining on those in the darkness,

      those sitting in the shadow of death,

   Then showing us the way, 

one foot at a time,
      down the path of peace."    (Luke 1:78-79)

Pre-industrial people were far more connected to the natural cosmos and seasons than we are today, and were very aware that the 21st of December is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere... not really the death of the sun—but its rebirth! The liturgical year was easily connected to the seasons of nature. 

here's a little review of our first 6 days on the road...
From Belfast, to Edinburgh/Scotland, then into England....firstly the Northumbrian coast to Lindisfarne on the Holy Island; Durham; Leeds and Manchester...

We had our last good-byes in Belfast with a lovely dinner and hang out time at Pádraig´s house. 

LoVe cELeBrAtIoN viDeO

for some reason, one of the songs I used in the video of our Love celebration has copyrights and is not possible to open in certain countries, like germany... odd...
If it´s restricted in your country, click here instead... 
not so good sound, but hey !!!

Shalom
Salaam
Peace
Paz

LoVe cELeBrAtiOn VidEo

check here for a youtube video...
If it´s restricted in your country, click here instead... for some reason, one of the songs I used has copyrights and is not possible to open in certain countries, like germany... odd...
when I find time I´ll post some more :-)
we´re just now packing the van to start the road trip back to the Mount of Oaks...through Scotland, England, North of Spain till Santiago and north of Portugal...

Shalom
Salaam
Peace
Paz

oN tHe rOaD...

Here's Emma and I starting our trip from the Mount of Oaks to Ireland... in our van that now has a name, "soraia"... it came with the wind-brake we got as you can see...
We left on sunday afternoon and on wednesday we were already in the north of France close to the place we'd take the ferry to Ireland... so we still had a day to rest from travelling and enjoyed the day at a beautiful beach in Normandy...
I'll just leave you with the pictures and some brief comments...

"cHuRcH aS pErMaCuLtUrE..." ?!!!

This is part of some daily meditations I get through e.mail from Fr. Richard Rohr, a Fransciscan monk living in the north of America... Obviously he's relating with the reality there, but we can see  the same issues in our part of the world...
He gave this tittle for the week "Church as Permaculture"... I had to laugh... and read..., specially because it was just the week before the Permaculture Course here...
so here goes:
"Mere beliefs do not necessarily change the way we live in this world.  What we have been calling “Emerging” Christianity or “Lifestyle Christianity” involves a real movement toward simplicity—at all levels.  A return to a simple lifestyle is the only way we are going to be able to respect this planet and create honest community instead of this social climbing we are involved in today.  

tHe sToRm cOmEs bEfOrE wE rEaCh tHe sHorE...

I was meditating this morning on a story writen in the gospel of Luke 8:22-25, when Jesus and his disciples got on the boat to reach the other side of the lake, and got stuck with a heavy storm...

I was quite familiar with the story, and the teaching of Jesus to his disciples (me included) of how little faith we have when we face different storms on the way...
Again I got confronted with the same question Jesus asked his disciples then : 

"- Where is your faith?"

I kept reading while I was trying to get familiarized with the context... that's when my perspective changed...

a LoNg wAy tO gO...

This is me next to Lesley a week ago during one more Permaculture Design Course we hosted. 

I sprained my wrist when I was tying a rope from the tarp in front of the kitchen. I was on a step ladder and wearing an african fabric tied around my waist as a skirt... not a good idea ! even though I lifted it and tied it up to my waist, as I was stepping down, the fabric untied itself and blocked my knee... so I was not able to step down, fell on my butt and landed on top of my hand... Ouch!!! it did hurt... Thank God it was not worse as I also had a knife on that hand... 

     This was just one of the many "incidents"/accidents I experienced last week... but there were many blessings too... I would suggest you would grab a big cup of tea to read the rest of this long post...I will try to sum up the last months but I can't promise it will be short 

3 mOrE dAyS iN aNgOLa...

      It's been a good time here visiting my parents...
the reason why I came so unexpectedly was due to my mum's health condition. She had broken 2 ribs and during the time of recovery she felt really bad...one night she almost couldn't breathe, she had high fevers and was cold as ice...  My dad said she was virtually dead... they went to the hospital and she was immediately looked after ... one of her broken ribs had punch one of her lungs, and they took out more than 1 liter of blood...

a rEfLeXiOn fOr tHe nEw sEaSon tO cOmE...

It's almost 2011 (for those who follow a Christian callender), and it's nice to be in a warmer place...

I just wanted to drop a line and wish everyone the chance to have a good time to reflect on this year that passed ... a time to remember...

I'm sure in the end there will be many things to give thanks for...
I also want to wish you in this coming season, all the rest and peace needed for each day... time to stop and simply wonder at the beauty around us... time to contemplate, and eyes to see and realize that beauty...