Life in Gois The blog October

Life in Góis November 2009

30th November
This has always been one of my favourite times of the year – somewhat perversely I enjoy the chill in the air, the bare branches of the trees and the early twilight dusk. There are not so many visitors in Góis now, although a few stragglers still find their way to our office on a regular basis and we are always happy to see them for a chat about houses or life in general! What impresses me in this quieter season is how important we all are to each other – how we are cheered by the smile or greeting of a familiar face on the street – how the regular routines of the day revolve around seeing other people doing what they do, at certain times, in certain places. We are lucky to have our office positioned in the central square of Góis, so that we look across to other shops and businesses, and we always have life occurring outside our window. It is only a few paces to the little café that is warmed in the winter by the adjoining bakery and by the locals who stand shoulder to shoulder at the counter enjoying coffee and cakes, and the occasional glass of aguadente to keep out the cold. Yesterday I had one of those ‘moments’ as I walked up the street at the end of the day: by the church that overlooks the town I was suddenly struck by the beauty of the place - the sky indigo blue in the dusk, the lights of the town twinkling below me, and the dark peak of the Peneda de Góis standing sentinel over it all. We naturally wax lyrical about the summer delights of this region, but these darker months surely have a magic all of their own.

14th November
It is impossible to miss the fact that we are now into serious olive-picking season. Driving through the villages around Góis has lately become even more hazardous than usual – as well as the usual sun-bathing, car-chasing dogs, the narrow streets now sport precarious ladders propped at odd angles against olive trees supporting little old ladies (usually) entangled in the upper branches. Just as a month or so ago everywhere you looked there were buckets of grapes, and two months ago there were maize cobs, now it is olives, olives everywhere – olives spread on the ground, olives in tubs, olives wrapped and on their way to the olive press on the back of tractors. Everyone is either talking about picking their olives or actively picking them – probably this weekend at any one time 50% of the region’s population is up an olive tree! This is the time when the presses are put into action and all that wonderful, rich green olive oil is the result – no longer needed to burn for light as it was in the past, but still very much an essential of everyday life for so many of us.

5th November
Tonight was Bonfire Night – a date that it is impossible for anybody who was ever a child in the UK to forget! So it was great to get an invitation to a bonfire party – no guy, no fireworks, but a marvelous bonfire sending up sparks to rival many a Roman candle. In the Celtic calendar Samhain, on October 31st, is the greatest of the fire festivals, and there does seem something right about having a large blaze at this time of the year, as even in Portugal we are feeling the encroaching cold and darkness of winter. It was probably fortunate that it had rained for most of the day beforehand, as it meant there was less likelihood of an unintended larger fire – always a concern here in the dry months. As it was, the rain kindly let up in the evening, so that we could stand outside on a fine night, fire-gazing as our forbears once did, marveling at the contained ferocity and heat of the flames. Our bonfire was sited down by the river, and in the darkness we could hear the murmur of the water as a counterpoint to the crackle of the fire. I find it heartening that we can still connect to these elemental experiences – despite all the technology that surrounds us, there is nothing that compares to the actual, living reality of wind and dirt and water and flame.

3rd November
The annual Chestnut and Honey Fair was held in Góis on Sunday, as always on the 1st November. For many people this bank holiday comprises first a visit to the cemetery to lay their flowers, and then an afternoon spent at the fair, admiring the produce and crafts and enjoying the traditional folkloric dancing. We always look forward to this fair, which is very much an event in the local calendar – just the name ‘Castanha e mel’ is enough to make my mouth water! The autumn leaves had formed a thick carpet on the ground at the Parque do Baio where the fair was held, and all around appeared golden-brown – the heaped-up piles of chestnuts and walnuts, the bottles of Jeropiga and aguardente, and of course the big jars of Serra da Lousã honey and beeswax candles. I think the local honey is the finest and purest I have ever tasted, and I am convinced that taking a spoonful every day benefits my health – as I am sure many people around here would agree. Chestnuts, low in fat and high in starch, are a good food source and have always been important to the local diet, so this fair has deep cultural roots. This year, unfortunately, the day turned increasingly rainy, and although this did not deter the dancers, craftspeople or indeed the many visitors, I am afraid it was just too wet to tempt us to stay for the magusto – the idea of scrambling in the mud for our pine-roasted chestnuts not appealing greatly. But I hope that now we are in the season we will make it to another magusto, as it is the very best way to eat chestnuts - jostling with your neighbours and blackening your fingers in the process!

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Updated 14 June, 2010