A Creative Spirit
I've not posted any updates to my blog for a while. That's not because I've been slacking, nope. I've been working on a romance novel that has consumed all my spare time. Even my beloved garden has taken second place, as have my other creative hobbies such as creating mosaics and painting. Anyways, a chance... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that while it's been 'one of THOSE weeks' where despite the constant rain, doom, gloom, and political shenanigans where you thought 'things' couldn't get any worse until DT insulted Nato troops and for once Kier Starmer grew a pair and stood up to the orange peril, I... Continue Reading →
It's been another week of unsettled weather as storm Ingrid's fury continues to rage across Portugal. Northern Portugal and the Alentejo had blizzards, but down South in the Algarve, we only had to contend with heavy rain and strong gusts of wind that whipped into what seemed like mini tornadoes, ripping off shed roofs, scattering... Continue Reading →
Try as I may, I just can't get excited about vegetarian meals. I've tried and am still trying. Tried to put a positive spin on them. Spent hours studying recipes. And please don't suggest Torfu, I tried it once and gagged. Probably because I knew it was artificial meat. I know we should try to... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that at times I think life is like the weather. One minute we have cornflower-blue skies and sunshine, then clouds, rain, and strong winds the next. The day starts sunny, so feeling upbeat, you think I'll have a BBQ. One solitary cloud floats across the sun and... Continue Reading →
After yet another week of wet and windy weather and yet another night of listening to howling winds and rain beating against the window, I was of a mind when I woke this morning to snuggle back under the duvet and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as it turned out, my bladder made... Continue Reading →
Always desperate to improve my gut health and lose weight, I am often sucked in by so-called experts on YouTube. You must have seen these guys pulling faces and probably making spurious claims. But they're the experts, RIGHT? Until this week, I have taken their advice at face value. Who am I to dispute that... Continue Reading →
This year, I decided to create a mid-month overview of my garden. What's happening now so I can look back and compare how the garden changes month by month over the year. Why not join me and keep a blog diary? Gardening on the West Coast of Portugal can be challenging due to salt winds... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you it's been a week of taking stock of my physical and mental health. Are they linked? Yes, I believe so. I've decided this year not to set strict goals or resolutions that will probably set me up to fail, but rather learn to live in the moment... Continue Reading →
Our freezers and store cupboards are stuffed to bursting, so this year I've decided to make a concerted effort and utilise what we have before buying more food. My tendency to stockpile probably started with the COVID pandemic when we avoided supermarkets like the plague and ordered all our food online. Tripling the quantities seemed... Continue Reading →
When I read this MEME on the FB page 'Positive Energy,' I thought, " Okay, it needs a tweak, but what a brilliant idea!" I've been feeling rather low for some time, so before the black dog depression spiralled any further, I found an old container and wrote my first couple of positive energy notes.... Continue Reading →
Agave attenuata is often called Foxtail Agave or Swan’s Neck Agave. Unlike most agaves, its leaves have no sharp tips or teeth, so it’s friendly to walk past and easy to live with, which is just as well, as it is beginning to tower over the cars on our drive. This is the second time... Continue Reading →
At the end of the year, or should I say the beginning of the new one, I only made one resolution: Learn to live and enjoy the moment. Today, the sun was shining, and the birds were singing. I inhaled the moment and decided that, rather than exercising in front of my computer with 'Get... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that this week has had its highs and lows. One of our friends unexpectedly passed away on the 27th. This was the guy whose passion for cacti and succulents inspired me, and with whom, over the years, we exchanged many cuttings and unusual plants, and enjoyed many... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd ask if you had a good Christmas or holiday. I'd tell you the morning after we returned from the UK, we hit the ground running on a mammoth food shopping expedition. Successful? Yes, sort of, except despite visiting four, yes...FOUR supermarkets, there was not a Brussels sprout in sight.... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I would confide that while I usually like to class myself as a creative spirit, this year, when it came to erecting and decorating the Christmas tree and putting up decorations, I had zero patience, probably because I was nursing a toothache. And Gringe, Mr Piglet, refused to help. If... Continue Reading →
For this week's #foodiefriday, I decided to focus on Bacalau (salted cod) because in Portugal, Christmas is not Christmas without it. I don't know why, because it is as stiff as a board, smells disgusting, and looks about as appetising as the prospect of munching on cardboard. In fact, it’s so stiff that it has... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee or maybe a cocktail or three, I'd tell you that this week I've felt in limbo. Going through the motions of my daily activities. There in body but not in mind. Treading water as I wait for the impending, dreaded endoscopy and colonoscopy on Wednesday. It's only a routine check... Continue Reading →
For this week's #foodiefriday post, I had intended to discuss herbal teas and which ones you prefer and why, but once I started my research, I got lost in the internet rabbit warren and the horrors of microplastics in tea and how they can potentially impact our health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LnXGB0ROs8&t=42s Further digging unearthed this research-based article,... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd share my excitement at a major breakthrough with my physio... Yep, after weeks of practising different exercises, I can finally manoeuvre myself into a kneeling position. Okay, it is not the most graceful descent, but it's a start. The useless, incompetent surgeon who performed my total knee replacement told... Continue Reading →
I love discovering new recipes and more often than not adding a twist or two of my own. Thistles and Kiwis recently shared a recipe: salsiccia con patate e pomodori al forno, or sausages baked in the oven with potatoes and capsicum, which tagged my taste buds radar. I had some sausages in the freezer,... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 