One of the downsides of living close to the beautiful beaches of the Western Algarve is the Tourist Season or as we have aptly named it “The Terrorist Season” Portuguese, Spanish, French and a handful of British Tourists descend on this normally quiet and as yet unspoilt area from mid July to the end of... Continue Reading →
Courgette and Tomato Chutney
Piglet’s Courgette and Tomato Chutney My courgettes (after a rather feeble start) have now grown to the size of marrows! Presented with a 'glut' of both marrow sized courgettes and tomatoes I decided to make some chutney rather than taking the easiest option which would have been to freeze them. Ingredients 2lb courgettes (peeled) 1lb... Continue Reading →
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Seeds in the post…
The internet is certainly a great place to interact and share hobbies and interests with people from all over the world. I recently started corresponding with a lovely lady in Northern Portugal and soon discovered she shared my passion for growing her own vegetables and even saved her own seeds. She kindly sent me a... Continue Reading →
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Learning the Lingo!
Learn the “Lingo” or live life in an “Expat Bubble”! I am a great advocate of the fact that when you move to a new country you ‘attempt’ to gain, at the very least, a basic understanding of both language and culture. Without this 'basic' knowledge so much of everyday life and cultural opportunities are... Continue Reading →
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Bread and Butter Pudding
Bread and Butter Pudding This is another traditional English recipe handed down through the generations. Originally, the recipe was created to utilize stale bread. However, since moving to Portugal, I have adapted it slightly by using Jean Pierre ‘milk rolls’ (purchased in Lidels), instead of normal bread. The Portuguese bread just does not work well with... Continue Reading →
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Salad Days
At the beginning of June I decided I would attempt to grow my own salad in containers. My goal - to grow lettuce, tomatoes, radish, courgettes, cucumber, spring onions, French beans and beetroot! An experiment prompted by the fact my little veggie patch now had to share soil space with some maturing trees and a... Continue Reading →
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Mrs Blobby’s 10kg Fat Attack!
Do you ever look in the mirror and think - "who is that person?" I feel the same inside but WHO is that stranger glaring back at me in the mirror? Oh my God "Bom Dia" it's Mrs Blobby! Reality check! - I'm becoming both FAT and FRUMPY! Oh to wind back the clock -... Continue Reading →
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Celebrations!
My second fishing lesson, SIL very wisely did NOT ask me to cast. The tide was just coming in so we were hopeful the fish would approve of SIL’s new hook combination; which to me looked quite complex. However, I was assured it would yield results as the hooks were smaller and therefore attracted a... Continue Reading →
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‘Poorly’ Zucchini (Courgettes)
My courgette celebrations are short-lived. The zucchini (courgettes) have matured but the problem of rotting and yellowing ends return. I despair! What next? My tale of woe is shared with my favourite gardening expert, Gene, who I just happen to meet in a supermarket 90kms from where we both live. What a stroke of luck!. Gene listens carefully, asks questions thinks carefully and then ... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 