Saudade

Moving from an apartment to a house has been fun, allowing us to do things we were not able to enjoy before. I planted a garden (still waiting for the harvesting period). We play football or pétanque in the grass. We take pleasure in observing the wildlife around us. We play in the pool (even more since our filter is installed). We eat outside, hang out in our hammocks, and spend our evenings enjoying the breeze on our terrace. Occasionally when we are not busy taking care of the kids, we catch a sunset over the city. I am from Rivière-du-Loup, where each night the sky is a wonderful tableau of colors, and where sunset watching is an activity in itself. Here the sunsets are also definitely pretty, but since we are in the tropics, the sun goes down so fast that I often forget to take the time to watch it.
Last week we received an email from our landlord, praising this time of the year, the dry(er) season, when sunsets are wonderful to watch. He was probably suffering a bit from nostalgia, or saudade, as he had to leave this beautiful house to move in a city apartment. Upon reading his message, we invited him over for a sunset. And tonight, it was really pleasant to have him and his girlfriend over a few bottles of bubbly and some interesting conversation so em portuguese. And to really take the time.