Calma

[digger]

I think they just want to be mothered

[Ellie]

Who Digger?-----Spider/ Me& Mads or the Portuguese?

[digger]

The Portuguese receiving flowers from army officers?



or was it

[eco/spider]

Digger!
Ellie and Maddi dont need no mothering and I m sure they would be a great help to me with all my field research.
Are you with me girls? Got your working gear ready you dont need much just shorts boots a tent and compass just in case we should get lost
Ready when you are

[charles]

Getting back toEllie's original thought, that to best describe the general
feeling in Portugal it is calmo. I have heard it said that to understand
the Portuguese you must understand the uniquely Portuguese emotion
of Saudades and if you listen to fado, music which comes from inside
the Portuguese soul you will know what saudades is. Now I know
the saudades has something to do with fate, but if you go to the
Portuguese translation of fate it comes out as destino. Digger, I
am sure you or your wife can sort this one out and let us know
what saudades is all about.

[Ellie]

Thanks Charles--i got side tracked there
Saudade(in my Port.dic) says it means "longing"--nostalgia----that fits doesnt it?
I love Fado--heard some in square during hols --young Port.singer called Filomena Batiste----shes in my story--"Nights in the Square" --on Es Corner---lovely voice and song----Boa tarde--ellie

[maddi]

Not specifically about civil war/unrest in Portugal but war in general, have any of you been to La Memorial at Caen, towards the end of your visit they show a series of three films which should be compulsory viewing in every home, school, town, government office in the world - once viewed, any compulsion to settle disputes; internal, territorial, or global by the intervention of a military force is instantly quelled.

The most horrific, sobering and yet compelling thing I have ever seen.

Maddi

[swingdingin]

havn`t been to caen maddi......but had a similar experience
at ypres in belgium...what a futile waste of life.
mike

[maddi]

Went to Ypres also for 11/11 and watched the thousands of poppy petals fall at the Menin Gate, another incredibly poignant moment - but if you get the chance do go to La Memorial at Caen - it is actually a war museum which is also a champion of peace - an enlightening concept.

Mads

[swingdingin]

i suppose we take for granted the fact that almost 100 years on,we can converse on forums like this one, with people from all over europe...!
maybe this bodes well for the future.

sorry cowboy ,forgot about texas there......or maybe you texans
would just love to be part of europe
mike

[maddi]

Mike

How could you forget Cowboy!!? Bless him, he is our mainstay!

Maddi

[Ellie]

Hi Maddi and Mike,
Your postings here are very apt,particularly in this month of November--Ive visited war graves in North France but Maddi although Ive been to Caen( not recently though)I La Memorial--but I will next time.
A couple of year ago--on one of our regular visits to dear old French friend In St Valery-sur- Somme-- he said " I want to show you a place"--we drove from there into countryside --think it was near "Eu"--and found ourselves at a small cemetary--above the entrance were the words "Cimetiere Chinoise"--and there we saw row upon row graves of mostly young chinese--Raymonde told us--that these people had been brought over from Indo China and used as "forced labour" to build and repair roads & railways--they didnt just die from their labour but were caught up in the terrible holocaust that was the First world war--he said how badly they had been treated--he said that not many knew of this place--we signed the book of condolence that was hid in a little alcove--it was all very very moving--all those people thousands of miles from their homeland-which they would never see again-------

Back to Portugal--Spelt Filomenas surname wrong--it should be Batista---when we lived in Lagoa --we were given regular free concerts by one of our neighbours --a Portuguese lady --who sang as she hung the washing in her backyard--beautiful voice --wonderful fado--- a lovely memory

[digger]

SAUDADES
Charles, after consulting my Port dic and then the boss: longing, nostalgia, and stuff like that; like ellie says. I don’t think it has much to do with fate. The word saudades can be found in most fado songs; that’s what it’s all about, lost love.

I don’t pretend to understand the Portuguese (I’m only married to one) but I do know they (like those from other Mediterranean catholic countries have emotions inside that, say, the northern Europeans don’t (and I’m not just talking about women here). I don’t know if these emotions have names, perhaps they are just extra powerful variations on a theme.

On the subject of emotions, one thing I’ve learnt is that jealousy is not a green-eyed monster but a perfectly natural (therefore healthy?) feeling. Heavy

Enough. Don’t ask me what’s going on around here, it just confuses me more.





CALMA??

they really know how to go with the flow when behind the wheel of a car, don’t they??

[Ellie]

Yes--they do they say that about we North Europeans Digger---but though we may not always show it-- we do have passion for many things------
Digger I wonder if you or your wife can tell me something---when I was in Lagoas park cafe the young Portuguese woman working there,made me some of her "special " tea--from a herb that grew in her mothers garden.
It was delicious! She gave me some of the herb(long green stalks) to take home with me.
The tea had a citrus aroma and taste-sort of yellowy green in colour---didnt need sugar--so refreshing! She called the herb "Princ-ipe"
Can you tell me if this is named after the former Portuguese territory--the island of Principe--off the western coast of Africa,please?
Its a lovely drink--and intend to have more when I visit next hols(sadly theyre not open Christmas-least-dont think so) and I highly recommend it for a hot summers day
Do you know of it?Do you drink it?

[maddi]

There is no emotion that is a monster including jealousy and anger, they are all healthy and natural, it is how one expresses those feelings that determines the nature of the beast.

Maddi

p.s just thought it had been a while since we had touched on cognitive behavioural theories and the relationship between feelings, thoughts and behaviour.