Everlasting as days can be (Portugal 2009) :: Introduction

When I was a child, Sunday lunches were always at my grandparent's place. After eating, me and my brother would climb the stairs and spend some time in the terrace, reading, playing or simply enjoying the view. Every time I go back home my grandmother cooks one of her traditional lunches. My grandfather protects the lunch table from too much sunlight, in a slow-motion dance with the umbrella's heavy concrete base. The front garden is the dogs' territory and the patio the cats' area. Since there's not much going on their side, the cats spend a lot of time observing life from the top of the patio's door. In a winter sunny day, there's a big chance of finding my grandmother washing and hanging clothes. The air smells like the unsophisticated but ever reliable traditional soap. The European Football Championship, held in Portugal in 2004, generated a sudden patriotism. The Portuguese team lost the final game, but the flag ended up resisting the wave of disappointment that followed, and all winters ever since. My grandmother on the front porch, where all visitors sit to have a chat. The place where I always expect to find her. When she was brought to my grandparent's place Xana used to behave almost like a wild dog, taking every opportunity to escape and never letting anyone too close. She became quite civilized over the years. My grandparents house has changed very little since I was a child. This radio is one of the many ever-present objects. It used to play traditional songs with cheerful instruments, nowadays I believe it's only there because it's where it belongs. My grandfather eats his morning snack while Nina waits patiently for her share. Both dogs know that patience will very likely be rewarded with something tasty. My grandparent's place was slowly built by my grandfather, reusing old stuff whenever possible. There's an infinity of peculiar details throughout the house. The wooden floor of the living area is protected by several layers of colorful tapestries. The best carpets preserve the floor from dirt and scratches; while the top ones conserve the integrity of the ones placed bellow. One of the many images of ships in the house. When he was young, my grandfather traveled the world working in cruise ships and has amazing stories from those times. The door of the old warehouse. I never remember being particularly interested in going inside. It's a big dark room full of antiques and potatoes from the annual crop, very likely inhabited by long-tailed rodents. My grandfather on the way to his cultivated lands. He calls it an hobby, but everybody knows it's much more than that. Everything is done at a moderate pace but my grandparents still wake up early in the morning, undertaking their separate duties of feeding the animals, working the land and maintaining the house.