We have now been in lockdown for four weeks and apart from a visit to the Farmacia (germ central) last Friday, I have lived within the boundaries of our property. I do miss driving to the cliffs above our local beach for a morning coffee or sundowner and meals out with friends but that’s okay, we are lucky to have a beautiful garden and I have many interests and hobbies to keep my mind active.
It is Easter this weekend and our local Camara has pleaded with everyone to stay at home and self-isolate. They are even broadcasting the message from a megaphone as they drive around all the local roads. I just wish everyone would obey the lockdown rules, but of course, they don’t which makes me angry and sad. None of us wants to be in lockdown any longer than necessary and the sooner we can return to the natural rhythm of life the better.
When we first went into lockdown I set myself some personal goals to help me stay focused and motivated.
My project to improve my Portuguese through PortugueseLab.com has stalled as I struggle to memorise the various verbs, prepositions and verbs on just four of the podcasts.
PLP 001 – Beginners – Vocabulary related to giving directions in Portuguese
PLP 002 – Beginners – Phrases related to giving directions in Portuguese
PLP 007 – Beginners – Vocabulary about the time in Portuguese
PLP 009 – Beginners – Saying the time in Portuguese
With a memory like a sieve and the attention span of a gnat setting a target of an hour’s study a day was rather ambitious so I’ve now realigned my expectations. If you need a sleep mediation podcast try listening to the How to Count to a Million in Portuguese. The first time I listened I sparked out before we reached twenty.
The Jamie Oliver recipes from Keep Cooking and Carry on were okay, but the cooking and preparation time leaves a lot to be desired. One recipe, Allotment Cottage Pie, took me so long to cook and prepare we ended up eating an omelette for dinner and I finished cooking it the next day. OH was not happy. Even so, it’s an excellent idea and encourages me to try new recipes.
One of the great finds of the lockdown cookery challenge was roasted cabbage. Who knew you could cut cabbage in quarters, dress with olive oil, garlic, pepper and lemon juice and then roast in the oven. Absolutely delicious!
My attempt to at painting a seascape did not go well … even my attempt at an abstract was a miserable fail. It’s so bad I’m even too embarrassed to share it here.
The gardening project to grow my own salad crop continues to go well and even better now I’ve discovered a seed company (Growit) based in Portugal where you can order the seeds online. I ordered enough seeds to see me through this year and next!
We won’t mention the dreaded diet … I’ve only lost 1kg in a month.
Fortunately, NaPoWriMo (National Poetry month) which started on the 1st of April writing 30 poems in 30 days is proving to be quite a challenge. So far I am on target.
I think I’m still sane but every morning I do check to see if I have hairs growing on the palm of my hands … just in case.
How are you staying sane?
Stay safe …
Image by Sumanley xulx from Pixabay
Piglet in Portugal 
Don’t be, I can’t remember any of it!
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Gardening and exercise are helping me stay sane. I am lucky to have outside space. Let’s hope people stay home this weekend
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Some did, but my neighbour opposite had a constant stream of visitors.
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I thought I’d give medieval Latin another go (I studied it on my archivist course years ago but it never stuck – not even briefly). I must look up that cabbage recipe as it sounds delicious. Stay safe.
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Medieval Latin. Are you wagging my tail? 🙂
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Nope, dead serious! It was the legal language up until 1733. Early deeds, court records, etc., were written in Latin. When I’m cataloguing old deeds my heart sinks if I find a non-English one!
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Wow, I’m inpressed.
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I had to laugh at you falling asleep at the numbers podcast, lol.
We also have Jamie’s Keep cooking and carry on on TV here, although I haven’t yet done any of his recipes.
Roasted cabbage sounds wonderful, usually I only use it for soup.
Keep busy and keep safe 🙂
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You ought to try some of the recipes, Sami. they are really good. 🙂 How are you guys coping in Australia? Are you in lockdown yet?
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Glad you are staying sane, sowing seeds helps enormously I am finding!
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Yes, it is very therapeutic 🙂
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I am gardening- best full time job I never had time for before! Stay safe, G 😊
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Are you growing your own veg?
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Trying! But we have a moth plague which is chewing on all my tiny seedlings- just ordered some more, plus a moth-repellent organic spray
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I admire Jamie, for trying to teach/ encourage a generation, who few have ever known what it is to not always be able to buy just what you want when you want it let alone know how to cook economically. We are currently enjoying some Portuguese weather over here, ideal for sitting in the garden.
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Hi Brian, i actually prefer this series to his normal cooking shows as it has gone right back to basics. For example, I never realised making pasta was soooo simple!
I learned how to cook from scratch when we came to Portugal. It was initially difficult to source stuffing and gravy powder so I learned to make my own.
Plus, i came from an age where we had cookery lessons at aschool 🙂
Good weather certainly lightens the mood, but I feel so sorry for people stuck in apartments without a balcony.
Stay safe …
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