The latest films I have watched ...

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have necessarily chosen to watch The Shape of the water  because of what I initially felt might not be realistic enough bearing in mind my personal taste, but I am particularly glad curiosity led me to the cinema that afternoon, once the "amphibious creature" who played one of the important roles in the meaningful love story fairy-like tale was credible enough to touch me. Amongst the various issues which are focused on in this film the transformative power of love is what stood out for me.

 

 

 

Lady Bird made me recall some of my own pathway issues at a Catholic school during my youth and in a lot of respects the  silenced "conflicting" relationship between my mother and I. I consider both Oscar awarded films owe their "popularity" to the outstanding performances of their main female actors and are worth being seen.

 

The latest book I have read ...

Centered around the inhabitants of an apartment in Bombay, India, this collection of short stories "Tales from Firozsha Baag", which are independent in content though co-related, is absolutely mesmerising for readers who enjoy Rohinton Mistry's detailed descriptions and exploration of the circumstances the Parsis live in, which he highlights in terms of dignity and identity nature, whether communal or personal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Witty and poignant, in turns, these intersecting stories create a finely textured mosaic of lives and illuminnate a world poised between the old days and the new." - New Canadian Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praia, Santiago island - Cape Verde - The last days - The 12th and 13th of February 2018

The last two days were spent strolling around the city centre, particularly the Plateau area together with a guided visit to Cidade Velha, a few kilometres away form the city. Both evenings were spent at Quintal da Música we particularly enjoyed.

 

 

Despite having worked hard and looking forward to getting back home we all felt we'd miss some of the special moments we had had together having thus vowed to meet again the following year.

 

 

 

Cape Verde - Children to be considered in the future

There are quite a lot of children, who despite having received presents have been waiting to get "school godparents" for the last two years, not to mention the ones who in my humble opinion need to have more responsible people in charge of them, as well as the increasing number of children who have been put on "holding" this year.

I feel we should start with the ones who have been waiting longer. So far I have managed to have Mariana Carvalheira  "look after" two additional siblings, one of Vanessa's friends three and Cristina Igreja and Nuno one each. As there will be many adolescents we will no longer protect once they have reached the compulsory school attendance limit I hope some of the school godparents might continue to participate in the project and help other children in need.