De volta ao batente

23 july 2013

Saí de Teresina no sábado, dia 20, no vôo de 12h:40 para Fortaleza, de lá fui para o Rio de Janeiro, de onde saí para Londres em torno de meia noite.

Eu já estava me arrumando para sair, quando a titia me ligou, e me falou coisas lindas. Ela disse que estava me ligando para me dar um abraço muito grande porque [sábado] era o dia do amigo e eu sou uma amiga muito especial para ela; uma pessoa que ela admira, ama, e em quem acredita e confia. Pense como esse telefonema aqueceu meu coração judiado. Aí a Manuela, minha irmã de coração, foi me levar no aeroporto com a mamãe. Essa despedida foi difícil, mas segui.

Desembarquei em Fortaleza para passar ali quase quatro horas, quando vem ao meu encontro a surpresa mais maravilhosa: meu primo Júnior foi encontrar comigo no aeroporto. Me sinto abençoada por ter tantas pessoas especiais ao meu redor. Almoçamos e conversamos um bocado. Ele ficou comigo até minha entrada na segurança. Um abraço apertado, ele se foi e eu segui, mais feliz.

No Rio de Janeiro foi legal a espera porque fiquei conversando com um pessoal que veio no mesmo vôo que eu. Eu gosto às vezes de conversar com quem não conheço, pra escutar estórias novas. É olhar para a pessoa e perguntar ‘pra onde você vai?’. Parece que a pessoa tá só esperando essa pergunta para contar um monte de si.

 

E embarcamos na viagem longuíssima de quase 12 horas até Londres. Entrei no avião e falei para um comissário de bordo que tinha viajado com ele para o Brasil 10 dias atrás. Ele olhou pra mim e disse ‘a senhora tava sentada ali do outro lado’. Pronto, imagine aí o bom trato. A viagem foi tranquila, mas dessa vez não consegui ler nada e nem sequer procurar um filme para assistir. Dormi um pouco e o que mais fiz foi acompanhar a viagem pelo mapa para saber onde eu estava. Nada mais.

Descemos em Londres alguns minutos antes do previsto, que era pra 3h20 da tarde. Viemos do aeroporto direto para casa. Como o dia estava lindo e ensolarado Mike tinha planejado um churrasco para a gente no quintal de casa. Tomei um super banho para espantar o cansaco, vesti uma roupa fresquinha e curtimos um churrasco gostoso. Tinha mini burgers, linguiça, salmão, espeto de frango com chorizo espanhol e pimentão, e três tipos diferentes de salada: de batata, de repolho com queijo e cenoura e mais um molhinho [coleslaw], e caesar salad. Estava tudo ótimo, e deliciosamente leve. Ah, a gente come churrasco aqui com pão [comi só um].

Foi maravilhoso ficar sentada ao ar livre depois de praticamente 24 horas dentro de aeroportos e aviões. Entramos quase 8h00 da noite, ainda com luz do dia. Acho que comi um bocadim além da conta; mas sendo churrasco já viu, né. Foi nosso terceiro churrasco nesse verão de dias longos e bonitos. Ficar em casa nesse programa refrescante e à vontade me fez recuperar as energias.

Fui dormir quase meia noite mas consegui ir para a universidade ontem, segunda-feira, de manhã cedo e trabalhar até quase 5h30 da tarde. Fiz um serviço importante no capítulo 7. Meu Deus do Céu, como tem coisa pra fazer ainda. Quisera eu ser mais rápida e mais concentrada. Gosto da minha alma artesanal e desacelerada, mas tem hora em que correr pode ajudar.

Na universidade ganhei um monte de abraços demorados e calorosos de muitos amigos. Chorei litros. Comigo não tem jeito: mencionou a dor, a torneirinha abre.

Às 6h00 da tarde fomos fazer uma caminhada feliz no Riverside Park, um park lindo que tem aqui, às margens do rio Itchen. Mais tarde cumade Eliane passou para pegar uns presentes que a família mandou para ela do Brasil. Soltamos boas gargalhadas.

Querido leitor, a cumade Eliane é de Teresina e hoje mora aqui em Southampton, casada com um inglês. Vou escrever sobre ela em breve. Se voce gostaria de fazer uma pergunta a ela comente aqui que eu transmito sua pergunta a ela e a resposta vem no post sobre.

‘Minha alma canta’

22 feb 2013

Estou no Brasil desde o dia 21 de janeiro. A saída da Inglaterra foi inesperadamente problemática por conta da neve que caiu e atrasou e ou cancelou voos, parou muitas partes do país, sacrificou planos que eu tinha feito para antes de vir e por aí vai. A neve foi tanta que terminei ficando em casa na sexta-feira (18 jan), quando tinha tanto que fazer no escritório na universidade. Só no sábado, driblando poças de neve que derretiam nas calçadas, é que finalmente fomos na cidade comprar umas coisas – e encomendas da minha irmã – para trazer. Fui com uma lista enorme mas consegui fazer tudo, incluindo tirar as fotos para a renovação do meu visto de estudante.

Vim ao Brasil resolver assuntos pessoais / familiares, profissionais, e acadêmicos, porque cheguei e ali na mesma semana fui ao Rio de Janeiro fazer o meu visto. Tive a companhia maravilhosa da minha mãe para essa viagem. Adoro viajar, acompanhada. Os cinco dias no Rio foram maravilhosos. Fomos ao Vivo Rio ver o musical “A Família Addams”. O musical, com a Marisa Orth e o Daniel Boaventura à frente do elenco é sensacional, muito divertido, com iluminação e cenário primorosos. Também visitamos o Museu da República, no Catete, passeamos na marina da Gloria, em Ipanema, tomamos um café e compramos um livro na livraria da travessa, e tal e coisa. Rio de Janeiro tá muito lindo, como sempre, e aparentemente mais seguro.   

E tive os internáveis papos, que vão madrugada adentro, com meu querido primo Eduardo, e com o Murilo e com a Eliana e com minha mãe. Vale um registro para os afagos entre a mamãe e a Flora Rosa, a cachorrinha linda. Foi uma pena grande não ter encontrado meu amigo Antonio dessa vez. Eliana veio nos visitar na segunda-feira de noite e conversamos muito sobre a vida e sobre trabalho e estudo. Ela acabou de chegar de uma temporada de quatro meses na Universidade do Porto, onde desenvolveu parte da pesquisa do programa de doutorado dela, em psicologia. Passamos um bom pedaço conversando na cozinha, que é onde muitas coisas são reveladas, enquanto alguém frita ovos e outro alguém torra pães, para deleite de todos. Cheers to love.

Fomos (mamãe e eu) ao World Bridge, que fica na praia de Botafogo, para entrega de documentos para meu visto de estudante. Entreguei originais de tudo. Foi uma jornada juntar todos os documentos e responder aos questionários minuciosos. Na Inglaterra eu esbocei as respostas para os questionários e tive uma sessão no setor de visto da universidade com a Clare. Ela sabe muito sobre as exigências do governo britânico para vistos e me deu uma ajuda preciosa. Tudo resolvido, voltamos para Teresina. Estou com o visto renovado em mãos. Beleza!!!

“. . . minha alma canta . . .” (Tom Jobim)

on the road: hamble

29 apr 2011

Hamble is a small village located 6.2 miles southeast of Southampton. its official name is Hamble-le-Rice. there was aircraft centre in hamble during ww ii for planes.

we walked around the village, by the water front at river hamble, had an ice cream, and were headed to the hamble common. there were many people at the pubs and at the Common celebrating the royal wedding. after that we walked in the other direction, towards the port hamble marina, where we found many beautiful and expensive yachts.

river hamble is home to sailing yachts, and all types of recreational boating and motorboats. They have a school of yachting there. i was much impressed by the boat taxi and the ferry to warsash, another small village just to the other side of the river. if the boat takes you from one river bank to the other it is a ferry. so far i had only the idea of a ferry as in the large ferry boats which go to the isle of wight or the one i took once from salvador to itaparica, in bahia, brazil.

the small and beautiful village is very close to southampton. it is a nice place to spend a couple of hours walking around. in the summer the village attracts many tourists to enjoy the water.

alo, cambio

25 apr 2011

alo, cambio, nene

                                                                                          

- vida - ferias - vinda- medos - belezas - viagem - sol - memorias - saudades - familia - ida - mar - amor - tristeza - brisa - areia - alegrias - contatos - gargalhadas - mae - paz - encontros - despedidas

cambio,

e aguardo sinal para cafe feliz,

saudosa maroca

switzerland - uk, flying back home

about mon 11 apr 2011

public transportation in switzerland (or in the cities i have been to and used them) is punctual, modernised, and the service is excellent; but too expensive. the way it is planned makes it very easy for a novice in town to use the service, because it is very well sign posted. they have trams!!! i love the trams, especially the very old ones, like the ones i saw in vienna.

well well but time arrived for me to fly back home to the uk and there we were again on the road. fran took me back to the airport of geneva and stayed until the very last minute she could before i had to go to my departure gate, which was B34. the airport in geneva is small and it all went smooth and easy, despite the long queue for security control. they have a passport control there, too. went through all these and got to my gate, ready to fly, very happy for the unforgetable trip. i flew swiss, and was pleased with this excellent airline.

i had bought a ticket to travel back from heathrow to southampton with national express at 6.30pm, as i knew my flight was scheduled to arrive in london at 4.05, and the time we spend there until we get our luggage is unpredictable. i was so lucky everything went again so smooth i got to the airport central bus station in time to get the 4.30 coach to southampton. i went to the coach platform and handed my ticket to the driver: 'your ticket is for the 6.30 bus. i can't take you.' he said
'why not? oh please take my in your bus'.
'no, i can't. you'll have to wait for your coach.'
i insisted: 'really? you can take me in your coach now.' i knew the bus was nearly empty. the driver asked to wait aside for 10 minutes and then he would see if he could help me. i said 'yes, i'll wait here and you please don't forget me.'
less than three minutes later he turned to me and said 'come on, love.'
you can imagine my grateful smile to the man. i was in southampton about 6.45. yes!!!

switzerland: nyon

about sunday 10 apr 2011

after montreux didier, fran and i visited Nyon. nyon is a beautiful city 25 kilometers from geneva. its population is of about 19,000, and it is located between lausanne and geneva. it is very close to cheserex, where fran and didier live. fran goes to work in geneva monday to friday through nyon, where she gets the train.

beautiful and cultural city, again, with much history to it. because the days have been sunny there are lots of people everywhere. no one wants to stay indoors when there is the light of the sun. i like it very much. we walked around and had a drink at a bar, of course, outdoors. they have a jazz festival in nyon every year. fran told me you have to be very clever to get tickets to the concerts because they are sold out shortly after they are made available.

the signs.

switzerland: montreux & cooking

about sunday 10 april 2011

l'amour au bord du leman
one more thing about montreux i would like to share here: the countless couples who spend hours by the lake, some in silence, some chatting, some cuddling, some eating, some dreaming, all in love.

le plat du jour
we went back home and to eat le plat du jour. it was a very sophisticated grilled lamb with mushroom sauce and risoto and vegetables on the side, all prepared by my dear fran. the woman knows the tricks! red wine to help taste the banquet and to spice up our chat.

fondant au chocolat was the dessert. God save my soul for i have been in sin. amem!

switzerland: road and street signs

about switzerland 8 - 11 apr 2011

can anyone please tell me why i like road and street signs so much? wherever i go i take photos of those things all the time. i like it in switzerland as they give some information about the person who the road is named after. don't miss out the road sign in both french and german: Lausannegasse. how cool is it?

switzerland: fribourg & cooking

about saturday 9 april 2011

after the moleson mountain in gruyeres we visited this beautiful city called fribourg. i think all cities in switzerland are beautiful. on the way to fribourg we again passed by some small towns driving throught the perfectly paved swiss roads. in fribourg we walked around town, sat by a cafe where didier and fran had coca cola and i had two cups of tea, one of green and one of verbena tea to fight a massive headache i had.

as i had predicted, the tea saved my day. we walked around to appreciate the day, the many people in the streets, mostly because of the good weather, and the old buildings of the city and the spring flowers already blossoming everywhere. the photos will never be capable of showing the real beauty of any place. just like life itself, to feel the taste and the colours, one has to travel and interact with the atmosphere. when we travel we see so much more than can be registered in a photograph or in a blog entry. in other words, life cannot be that manageable, it cannot be all expressed in words or images, it is to be lived, experienced; and from each one's experience different colours may be reported. i just started thinking now about the point in posting photos and trying to say words which i feel are not enough or fully truthful to what i saw. here again i need to face limitations and work around them.

when we got back home fran decided to cook a special dinner for us: salmon with spinach and feta cheese in a puff pastry wrap. it goes in the oven for about 25 minutes and then you need to grill it. on top of the big wrap she poured a curry sauce. on the side we had rice. and wine. it was soooo good! it is all very easy to do.

for dessert we prepared this apple pie, but to be eaten tomorrow only. fran taught to cook those things. she is such a talented and creative cook. she is also well organised and does a lot in quite a short time. i was much impressed.

switzerland: le moleson mountain, gruyeres

about saturday 9 april 2011

didier, fran, and i went to moleson mountain, in gruyeres, the city of the cheese with the same name. again it was a beautiful spring day. we went up in a nice and modern telepheric. we stayed up there for nearly two hours, appreciating the breathtaking landscape. the swiss alps are really very special. moleson mountain is also a good option for skiing.

there weren't many people around that day and the restaurant was actually closed. we didn't care. all we wanted was to appreciate nature and take photos, many photos. on the way to the city of gruyeres we pass by so many beautiful little towns. we also see many vinyards along the road. what a beauty switzerland is! it is a highly organised country, where everything is planned to happen and to remain orderly. it is unbelievably expensive, too. but the point here is the unforgetable beauty of the alps and the peace we experience up in the mountains.

switzerland: geneva at night

about friday 8 april 2011

as i said in the last post, i got off the bus, met with fran and went back to the 'missao brasileira', where she works. it is a brazilian diplomatic mission in geneva. there we ate our food: i had quinoa salad and a slice od salmon pizza. my food was very good. she had a tomato and cheese with basil salad and chicken. it was about 5pm and we were hungry from a long day.

we left the 'missao do brasil' later on and walked again around other parts of the city and through different parks. it felt great to be in a safe place where you can just walk wherever and be certain the chances of having something bad (violence) to happen to you are very slim. well, i even played this giant chess at the park. geneva is just as beautiful at night. i love the night lights and to see life taking another pace. we walk still a lot until we got to cuba cafe. it is the place fran and didier had their second date. *memories*. we went with some light drinks; i tried passion fruit beer - very very good. i also had panache, called shandy here in the uk, it is a mix of carbonated lemonade and beer. i had never had in the uk and really like the drink. it gives the beer a special taste and i suspect it might make it easier for some people who are not so fond of beer to have it, because the taste of the carbonated lemonade plays a trick.

two other brazilian girls joined us for the night. aparecida, from bahia - brazil, is married to a spaniard, had two kids and has been living in switzerland for ten years. luciene, from rio de janeiro, is married to a swiss man and has a 2-year old boy. she two has been living in switzerland for ten years. luciene was driving and stayed at cuba cafe for a while and chatted and chatted and chatted about so many things.

then we were headed for this brazilian / latino party happening at 'paquis', a neighbourhood in geneva. part of the way we did on a tram and got to a car park for luciene's car. at the party i was amazed: i had never seen such a massive concentration of brazilians in one single space abroad in my life. i had no idea they were that many in switzerland. we stayed there until nearly 2am. the music was great and inviting to dance, but i was really very tired at that point. on the way back home i fell asleep in the car. they all live in cities very close to geneva. luciene drove us all home. what a start!!!

switzerland: first great impressions

about friday 8 april 2011

and now i start finally posting about my fantastic trip to switzerland. i need to say it has been very difficult to choose which photos to post because they are so many great photos.

initial trip costs
£   18.50 return national express coach ticket southampton - heathrow; heathrow - southampton
£ 119.00 return ticket to switzerland: flying swiss, heathrow - geneva; geneva - heathrow. the ticket included health and baggage insurance

i left southampton in the 1.30am coach to london heathrow terminal 1. my flight was at 7.30am. at the geneva airport the immigration lady asked if i spoke any french, 'parlez-vous francais?' to which i responded 'un peu', and added (using finger gestures) 'je reste ici trois jours'. right away she asked: 'et apres?' i said that after the three days i was going to return to england, where i live and am a phd student, more or less like this: 'apres je rentre a angleterre, ou je suis une etudiante de phd'. the woman opened a wide smile, and stamped my passport. i smiled back and left.

my dear friend fran was waiting for me at the arrival gate. big hugs and greetings and we took the bus to city. first stop was at manor, this immense department store with whatever you may want (i suppose). there we had a fantastic breakfast at the terrace area, as it was a sunny and nice day. then we walked around town for about four hours and i saw a lot about geneva: the banks, the expensive shops, the beautiful streets, the commercial area, the 'jet d'eau', a book fair, the amazing geneva flower clock and so much more around leman lake.

we walked to a square where lots and lots of people were sitting at the cafes enjoying the beautiful day. we were there for a while. i had diet coke and fran had panache, a drink which is beer mixed with carbonated lemonade, called shandy in the uk. very nice. the streets and the old buildings look so nice in this very expensive city. i photographed the court of justice. after the cafe we walked to a park where there just another bunch of people on the grass relaxing, eating, or sleeping. we stayed there for quite a long time talking about life. fran and i had some nice, honest and serious conversations about brazil, europe, family, longing, and the gains and loss we are faced with every time we make choices in life.

but fran had to go to work and martina come to meet up with us. again martina showed me other parts of geneva and we ended up going to her apt. martina is fran's 22-year-old daughter. he is a law student in geneva and a very kind and responsible girl. when we got to her place i took a shower, which made me feel renovated for the many hours of fun yet to come still on friday.

martina and i left her apt and stopped by manor again to buy some food for me and for fran. she then took me to the bus stop and told me exactly where i show get off on my way to fran's job, where she'd be waiting for me by the gas station. i was at first scared and feared i wasn't going to be able to go on my own, but i took careful note of all the stops the bus had until my own. i entered the bus from the front door and spoke with the bus driver and asked him to help me out with this. he said 'fine' (in french). i started checking the stops' names and felt calm as everything was very clear and organised. half way through we had fiscalization in the bus. you don't show anybody that you have paid to ride the bus unless there is the visit of a fiscal. voila! they were five coming all together to the bus. a guy asked me for my ticket, which i showed to him, and i was fine. fran had bought a day rover. i got off at my stop, crossed the road towards the gas station, and before i saw i heard fran's voices calling 'kalina'. yey!!!

festive arrival - family lunch

3 july 2010

During our breakfast Manuela invited us to come have lunch at her house at 1.30pm. Kassandra and I said YES right away. For me it was precious chance to see Vanessa, Andre, Lorena, Fernando, Danilo, and the kids Fernandinho and Caio. The food was routinely excellent. I couldn’t help but eat a lot of this Thai lamb, cooked in coconut milk, which was superb. There were other things to eat but I concentrated on the lamb, rice, and veggie salad. For dessert we had some chocolates I took there myself plus a chocolate cake and ice cream. Any meal at Manuela’s is always a big feast.

The relaxed chat involved technology, life, trips, chocolate, study, death, kids, and all the natural issues families talk about when they meet. When we left Manuela’s house it was nearly 5pm. Every time it is the same: we just linger on and on and on for a long time after the meal is over. The funny thing is that we remained around the table, biting this and that.

festive arrival - family breakfast

3 july 2010

I said goodbye to Liliana around midnight and left Fortaleza in a GOL flight at 00:45 in the early morning. When I got to the airport in Teresina it was nearly 2am. My mother and Kassandra were faithfully awaiting me, with the most wonderful and welcoming hugs and kisses in the world. We spent the rest of the night at Kassandra’s but went to my mother’s in the morning because a big family breakfast was planned for us to have. I helped with the pancakes and there were so many other things to eat. Oh my God, eating always ends up posing a problem when I go to Brazil, because it is everywhere. Family members and friends came to eat with us, and there was of course great chat and laughter and everything. Caubyra brought me beautiful flowers.

Our family breakfast was very very good. This trip through Lisbon was not tiring at all and didn’t even last too long. It was more than 24 hours for the whole journey, but I had the advantage of the hour in Brazil four hours behind. I felt quite rested. During the breakfast Manuela invited us to come to her house for lunch. this is the topic of the next post.

trip: uk - brazil

on 2 july 2010

My trip to Brazil this time was (coach) Southampton – (TAP) London – Lisbon – (GOL) Fortaleza – Teresina. Because I had fours hours in Lisbon between the TAP flights I arranged to meet with my friend Fernanda. She came pick me up at the airport. We drove around the city, which I found beautiful. It is interesting to be in a place where people speak a variation of my own language, but clearly not quite the same. We visited quite a few historic places, but unfortunately didn’t have time to try the ‘pasteis de belem’. Leave it for another opportunity.

When I was back in the airport to leave to Brazil I realized from talking to people at gate 42 that my departure gate had changed from 42 to 44. The Brazil and the Netherlands match started exactly when we left Lisbon. During the flight a flight attendant announced she was ‘sorry to inform Brazil lost the game to Holland’. Who asked? Some whisperings of sadness as well as some manifestations of joy were heard in the plane. Fine! It is said a game is a game and it implies that one has to lose for another one to win.

when i was in the queue for immigration in Fortaleza the noise from the gathering of people drew my attention. i looked back to the many people in the queue and only idea came to mind. the synthesis of my thoughts was 'they are all much alive'. when i get to Brazil i instantly feel the difference in the incessant heat everyone displays, starting from a big round of applause we give when we land in Brazil, which i see as a beautiful moment that holds us all together.

I got to Fortaleza and met with my cousin Liliana, who stayed with me at the airport until I left to Teresina. We talked non-stop, about life, about us, about love, about work, and about whatever else popped up on the menu of our chat. It was fantastic to spend this time with Liliana. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Last time we had seen each other was 2007, I think. Getting together with Liliana is getting together with people I have loved all my life, people who i grew up with, people who know exactly who I am, and know of me, of my deeds, of my fears, of my dreams. Liliana is not only a cousin but also a very close friend of mine. Years away from face to face encounters don’t make us one bit more distant or anything of strangers. On the contrary, we need more time to catch up. I was worried about her, because I was going to embark to Teresina sometime after midnight and thought it would be not safe for her to go home after that. Well, she had plans and she actually took a taxi there from Silvana’s home, where she is staying with her mom while Silvana is in Paris with Heitor, and that’s why we didn’t get to meet this time. The warmth and tenderness of familiar love were clearly set in the air.

londres: almoco no domingo

16 may 2010 (sobre o final de semana em londres)

no domingo a beth convidou a elsa para almocar com a gente, e cozinhou, mais um vez, comida super especial. e ainda me deu uma marmita pra trazer: o excelente risoto da para duas refeicoes. a beth eh uma pessoa leve, que gosta de ter amigos por perto, e de um coracao generoso. foi muito bacana conhece-la e passar esses dias com ela. conversamos sem parar sobre muitos assuntos. ela tem uma cabeca aberta, e uma leveza sabia de quem ja viu muito, mas muito mesmo nessa vida e nao fica chocada com pouco. beth eh de paz!

na sexta e no sabado ela fez umas comidas que eu adorei, umas saladas e um arroz integral e outras coisas mais criativas e sadias. ah, teve tambem um tortelloni campeao. no domingo o cardapio para a elsa foi um risoto com vegetais (cenoura e abobrinha), queijo parmesao ralado, alem de uma cebolinha no final. teve tambem um salmao no forno com batatas cozidas ali do lado, acompanhados de uma salada fresca de vegetais crus maravilhosa! a salada teve duas opcoes para tempero: um molho feito de maionese, creme e cebolinha e um azeite misturado com vinagre balsamico para. banquete. suco natural de abacaxi. a sobremesa foi uma combinacao de suspiro com sorvete e geleia de framboesa. ah, o cafezinho da beth eh campeao. bote uma colherinha do cafe sobre o sorvete. socoooorro. Deus eh mais.

o apartamento da beth tem essa janela enorme de vidro que da amplitude ao ambiente e deixa entrar uma luz magica, do dia e da noite. apartamento impecavel na organizacao, na limpeza, no bom gosto. na cozinha tambem tem uma janela de vidro que convida a luz do dia e da noite a fazer parte da vida. essa ordem exemplar eh sinal de gente solteira, que nao tem homem nem filhos por perto o tempo todo pra tirar as coisas do lugar? eh sinal de uma disciplina pessoal de nao deixar a ordem do dia acumular e virar um caos?

nao sei a resposta, mas eu nao sou nem um pouco parecida com isso, com essa ordem. pensando bem, preciso sim de ordem e higiene; e quando estou mesmo num caos geral aqui no pedaco preciso primeiro de ordem para so entao ser produtiva, mesmo que eu nao va utilizar nenhuma das pecas que foram resgatadas e devolvidas a seu justo lugar. acredito que a disponizicao das pecas no tabuleiro da vida de cada lar revela o estado mental dos seus habitantes. na minha casa eh assim. parece que sei exatamente onde piso quando ha ordem e uma boa arrumacao. parece que nem sei por onde comecar quando, bom, cade mesmo minha caneta? cade eu?

londres: passeio no sabado

15 may 2010 (sobre o final de semana em londres)

no final do dia, ou a caminho de casa depois do sabado intenso, paramos em tower hill para apreciar as belezas do lugar: um castelo, uma ponte belissima - a tower bridge, a prefeitura da cidade (aquele predio que parece um parafuso se desmanchando ao vento, aa esquerda na foto), e mais gentilezas arquitetonicas que a historia da cidade foi naturalmente construindo, aqui, ali, acola.

quando descemos em tower hill ja era noite, mais de 9 da noite, mas ainda havia luz do dia e consegui fazer umas fotos. muito impressionante a beleza da ponte, a beleza do rio, a grandeza do forte. mais uma vez, cliques cliques cliques de almas que vem fazer parte da historia, e registrar essa participacao devidamente. adorei. ali mesmo tem um castelo que era um forte, enorme e lindo. vou la com calma qualquer dia desses. as duas fotos abaixo mostram um lado do forte, e tambem o forte e a vista da tower bridge. eh assim: a gente anda um bocadim e testemunha beleza arquitetonica, basta descer do metro. os passeios de onibus sao sempre proveitosos, porque obviamente dele pode-se ver a cidade, principalmente se viajamos no andar de cima.

londres: o grupo espirita

15 may 2010 (fim de semana em londres - sabado)

nesse sabado acompanhei a beth no compromisso dela no grupo espirita de que ela faz parte. foi um dia intenso, com conversas, gente nova pra mim, compra de 4 livros, e muitas novidades.

de manha foi montada a exposicao de livros e aconteceu a reuniao formal da federacao, com decisoes importantes, incluindo eleicao da nova diretoria. eu estava preparada pra ficar lendo alguma coisa, mas me chamaram para a reuniao. intervalo com cafe e biscoitos e mais varias comidas. e no final da manha chegaram mais algumas pessoas, ja se preparando para a palestra da tarde, do Cesar Perri.

no intervalo fomos almocar num shopping ali perto (perto de onde mesmo? nao sei o nome do lugar). eu e esse povo da foto de baixo fomos pra um restaurante chines. eles sao: zeze, uma carioca que mora aqui ja faz 37 anos, cesar perri, o palestrante, tanya, uma moca inglesa, janet, outra inglesa, que morou 20 anos no brasil e fundou o espiritimo aqui na inglaterra, eu e a karine na ponta da direita. a karine eh de fortaleza e mora aqui em brighton. trocamos figurinhas e emails.

de tarde aconteceu a otima palestra do cesar. ele falou sobre os livros pscografados pelo chico xavier, mostrando muita informacao sobre a obra e a vida de dedicacao bondade do grande chico, que ta fazendo esse ano 100 anos do seu nascimento. o cesar eh dentista de profissao, ja escreveu varios livros sobre o chico, da palestras em varios paises sobre espiritismo. ele mora com a familia em brasilia. eu gostei muito da palestra, que foi bem informativa e clara, e super bem organizada, para uma pessoa leiga como eu, e tambem preciosa, eu acho, mesmo para os que ja sabem muito sobre o assunto.
 
o cesar falou e mostrou fotos antigas do chico, enfatizando que ele era um homem engracado, que gostava de sorrir, uma pessoa muito simples e proxima dos amigos. eles tiveram uma convivencia proxima durante anos. o lancamento do filme sobre a vida do chico, comemorando os 100 anos de seu nascimento, esta uma producao de sucesso de bilheteria no brasil. o diretor eh o ateu daniel filho, que se disse tocado pelo homem fantastico que chico foi. eu fico feliz com a repercussao e com a divulgacao da religiao que no chico tem como caracteristica primeira o amor.

londres: encantos

14 may 2010 (fim de semana em londres - sexta-feira

beth e eu demos um passeio por londres, aa noite, vendo muita gente na rua, movimento enorme, luzes, noite fria, muitos taxis pegando varias pessoas de uma vez so, o big ben la, pra me despertar de qualquer duvida, a national gallery, lindissima e convidativa a uma visita sem hora para despedida, porem com sua bandeja de cha encerrada pelo dia.

londres eh domavel, me parece, mas deve cobrar um preco doloroso aos que optam por desfrutar dos seus encantos, quero dizer dos que para ali se mudam. a seducao dessa cidade esta no imaginario de muita gente, de gente que ja esta la e de gente que sonha em vir. eh muito boa a sensacao de poder andar e entrar e sair de onibus bonitos e de dois andares e de metros sem medo de assalto. chegamos em casa quase meia-noite, tendo caminhado ainda uns 12 minutos depois que chegamos na nossa estacao (white chapel), sem temor.

ao longo do nosso passeio a pe, por pracas, monumentos, vendo o rio tamisa, o big ben, a london eye, vimos uma infinidade de cliques de cameras de turistas. a quem pertence londres? qual eh a 'cara' de londres? historia e modernidade, sonhos e requinte. muita historia nessa cidade tao importante para o mundo.

it's london, baby

14 may 2010

dei uma passeada por esses arredores ai com a beth, so pra esquentar as turbinas. regiao de bom gosto, tudo a ver com minha nobre, porem simples, pessoa. os elefantes estao espalhados pelos parques na cidade. devem ter algum motivo especial. eu gostei muito de ver os elefantes e pra mim eles sao pra dar sorte. pura energia boa e vibracao de luz. excelente chegada na cosmopolita e tomada londres.

tantas cores - povos - linguas - culturas - sonhos - desilusoes - amores - encontros - sons - noites frias - dias claros - vidas mil. assim eh londres, na minha modestissima, deslumbrada e assustada impressao.