Posts

Ash Wednesday

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 Ash Wednesday reflections   Original artwork and reflection by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, on Ash Wednesday “ Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return .” Lord Jesus, thank you for placing on our foreheads the sign of our mortality. By the blood of the cross you conquered death and redeemed us. One day all our lives on earth will end, though we know not the day or hour. Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, Our Lord and Saviour. Let this holy season of Lent be a time of grace for all this troubled world, to turn away from the empty sinful promises of the Devil, and turn to you.  Give us the grace to spend more time in contemplative prayer when you open your heart to us, whether it is reading Holy Scripture, adoring of the Holy Eucharist or the Stations of the Cross. Let us willingly give up worldly comforts by fasting and abstaining so that we may journey with you in austerity as you walk the way of the cross. Let it not be a frivolous ritual but a st...

Ordination

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Sweeter than Honey 🍯    Artwork and original poem of thanksgiving by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026,  inspired by the February 16th first thanksgiving mass of newly ordained Fr Andrew Barth IVE, a very dear family friend. This artwork is dedicated to the ordination of Fr Andrew Barth Celebrated his first mass, a young promising lad who’s down-to-earth. I had the privilege to see him blossom from a sporty lad to an artist sublime Now he’s a man of cloth, a good shepherd, answering the call of the divine. I don’t know too many millennials who have chosen a life of austerity In a consumer society obsessed with materialism and unbridled prosperity. That’s why to me, this seminal event is sweeter than honey God knows we need good shepherds who relate to the Gen-Z      Footnote : Here is a photo of Rev Fr Andrew Clement Barth IVE, best friend of our son Alexander, blessing the faithful after his inaugural mass on 16/Feb/2026 at Our Lady of Peace, Santa Clara, CA. ...

Rainbow Trout

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 Ode to the Rainbow Trout   Original artwork and poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, reacting to reports that coastal rainbow trout have reappeared in the local Stevens Creek watershed The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the remarkable Rainbow Trout These hardy fish are a bellwether that we should all be worried about Historically they swarmed up all the major waterways each and every year Some still do despite the urban sprawl that cause wetlands to disappear Recent conservation attempts have allowed trouts to make a comeback Fish ladders and restored waterways create an effective water track All it takes is a few days of sustained rainfall each year, not much Steelheads return to the same place after 6 years to lay a new clutch

Lunch at St Jeannete

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 Lunch at St Jeannete Original artwork and nostalgic poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, recalling my experience of intense software development in the medieval village of St Jeanette nestled along the Route des Villages Perches below the immense limestone cliff called Baou de Saint-Jeannete St Jeanette is a picturesque hillside village near Nice, South France Home to 30 code monkeys in 1992 including yours truly, quite perchance.  Unbeknownst to us ‘twas the dawn of startups before IPO became a buzzword  All we had was a customer spec and 45 days to beta … quitting wasn't heard It was go-go-go six days a week from eight am till six pm with a twist A luxurious two-hour white-table cloth three course lunch... get the gist? Starting with a aioli vegetable soup and rustic Pain aux Céréales bread And Salade Niçoise of tuna, olives and garden-fresh veggies, what a spread My favourite entree, Daube provençale, beef slow cooked in herbs and wine With the house wine flowing, every...

Bedouin Hospitality

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 Bedouin Hospitality   Original artwork and poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, recalling the ancient Bedouin practice that gave shelter to strangers, fed them choice dates with 'qahwa' or coffee, and housed them for 3 days in the ' majlis ' section of the tent In the extreme conditions of the vast Sahara deserts blooms empathy Even strangers given respite and treated with kindness and sympathy Three days and nights before you even ask them their names or business To do anything less is unthinkable - a heinous crime beyond forgiveness The guests are offered coffee, dates and treated with dignity and respect These are unwritten ancestral practices meant to shelter and to protect Somewhere in our rush to embrace modernity we lost our basic humanity We treat our fellow human beings as trash; What inanity! O the insanity!

Goli Soda

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 Goli Soda   Original artwork and nostalgic poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, inspired by childhood memories of hearing the soda bottles with marble seals being opened to make fresh lime soda There was one distinctive sound that told us we had entered Goa by road It was the marble in the fizzy soda bottle pop with no easy way to reload When full, the pressurized aerated payload held the marble seal secure The marble seal was tamper proof keeping the contents pristine and pure There was no need for a bottle opener, one just pressed down on the marble It popped and out came the soda that was still fizzy, quite simply remarkable The marble made a distinctive 'plink' as it dropped in the chamber of glass This ingenious invention called a Codd-neck soda bottle was truly world-class

Cuppa Tea

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 How about a cuppa?   Artwork and original poem by Kieran Gonsalves (c) 2026, as an ode to the cup of golden brew It's a wet rainy day, today February 8th 2040, as I put away my paints. My study is warm and cozy, my life blessed. Ain't got no complaints! There's a gentle familiar tap on the door, it's my next door neighbor. I glance at the clock. Oh my, it's 5 pm - time for a familiar flavor! "Wretched weather" he says, as he hangs up his hat, to no one in particular. "Nothing that a good cuppa can't put right, nothing fancy. Just the regular" The tea is just the excuse. He cracks a smile, no words need to be spoken. We've known each other donkeys years, now that she gone he's heartbroken. "How's the painting?", he asks politely, but his eyes tell of a different pain. We talk of the good old times; he lights up reliving our youthful days again. "Another cup?, I ask, knowing we had just gotten started. "You make...