Action Child

Our little action schools are back in action for 2025 remembering that the school year here doesn't run from September to July as in the UK, but follows the calendar year with 2 semesters (February to the end of June + August to December). On Tuesday afternoon I had a good meeting with our schools team coordinators. Our little school at Green Pastures has closed this year as the region has run out of little children!

On Tuesday night I spent 45 minutes at the wake of Geraldo Batista. A wake here is held with the deceased person lying in an open coffin and people come in, look at the person, and then give their condolences to the relatives. People at the wake drink tea and coffee. The wake was held at our church.

On Wednesday morning at 9 am I conducted Geraldo's funeral service at the church followed by the committal at the central cemetery of São Miguel where we had to clamber over tombstones to get to the place where he was buried. Everything went off well.

It is amazing how adapted to urban conditions the Ruddy Ground-Dove is. I saw them in the centre of town near the cemetery and they are always around our house. They appear to be almost as plentiful in Patos as the House Sparrow. They have milk chocolate coloured brown wings and body with a grey head.