The Importance of Staying Positive and Upbeat

This week I decided to participate in Natalie’s Weekend Coffee share. A first. So What’s been going on in my life?

It’s been a strange week. A couple of weeks ago I injured my right hand. Namely my mouse finger, or as it was once referred to, the index finger. After several days the pain became so intense I finally plucked up the courage to make an appointment to see my doctor. I had several aches and pain, worries and anxieties I’d put on hold, thanks to COVID, so when I walked into her surgery and she asked how I was feeling, let’s just say she got a laundry list.

My problems aside the first thing that struck me was how tired she looked. Exhausted. Her hair like mine normally cut and coloured, now bedraggled and in desperate need of attention. And her eyes once bright sunken and world-weary. I stress about going to the hospital but imagine working there every day – hands-on- examining a constant stream of patients and not only diagnosing their physical problems but assessing their mental health as well. Like cars people also have batteries and if they are not recharged they will gradually go flat.

My finger aside, we had a very long chat about dealing with COVID depression and forcing ourselves to break the cycle, see friends (socially distanced of course), get out of the house and break the monotony. Go to the beach, walk (in my case not far), treat ourselves to a meal out, take coffee. There are no tourists at the moment so a lot of restaurants and cafes are empty. The message was clear: get out and do SOMETHING every day. Even if it’s only for 30 minutes. Don’t become a prisoner of fear. I’d had a similar conversation re learning to deal with the NEW Normal a while back… but it’s easy to regress into lethargy each of us in danger of morphing into a new breed of hermit while we wait to be called for the vaccine our ticket to freedom and release life’s ‘pause’ button.

The doctor nearly fell off her chair when I aksed her how she was coping. It is easy to forget, doctores are people too.

A new beginning. We moved up three gears.

Our first meal out

A meal at our favourite pizza restaurant. We chose a table outside on the terrace and the owner came out to greet us. We had not eaten there since last November.

A pizza never tasted SO good. At 50cm long, it is a pizza to share.

and while on a roll a banoffee dessert was a must.

followed by Lemoncello

We decided to return and bring friends with us on Friday.

Time for coffee we moved onto the Marina. Empty. Normally, the place is heaving with people.

Maybe I’d just skip the coffee and order a cocktail and spoil myself while I enjoyed the rare tranquility.

Cheers!

We walked further along the marina and found a bar/restaurant serving a full English breakfast. When was the last time we had a full English? I’m not a big fan but a taste of home is comforting. A date in the diary for another day!

A walk on the wild side

The following day a gentle stroll along the clifftop road taking photos of wildflowers

and marvelling at the fisherman

The views up the estuary from above Amorieara beach with the promise to walk to the bottom of these steps next week and take a flask of coffee and hopefully some tea bread. Smiles sweetly at Mr Piglet.

Maybe it was fate but as we turned to walk back to the car and cafe restaurant with stunning views over the beach and up the estuary removed the chain across the entrance and opened for business. Yes, we’d come back another day.

a date with an… English Breakfast

The following day we decided to make the most of the lack of tourists and semi-reasonable weather and returned to the Marina for a cooked breakfast. Neither of us could remember the last time we’d eaten a full English breakfast!

HP sauce is a must …

Then a little retail therapy … haha

A trip to two DIY shops to find a timer for the irrigation system, ant powder and slug pellets.

Before the journey home, we drove into the car park of our favourite restaurant on the off-chance of a parking space – normally you have to park a mile away and walk. Yep,. our lucky day. Not only did we manage to park, and the parking was free, we also found a table in the shade. A nice G and T while we enjoyed the view.

A plus!

We also discovered what a QR code is and how it works. Most impressed we got the menu on my phone. Tep, I am a dinosaur and proud of it!

then a lesiurely drive home before an hour of three gardening,

Tosta Mista

True to our challenge and our word we returned to the restaurant overlooking the beach and estuary and enjoyed a coffee and tosta mista com cebola. In its heyday David Cameron (ex British Prime Minister) and other Portuguese dignitaries ate here. Covid is a great leveller and the restaurant is now deserted

the next day

A surprise telephone call!

Friday dawned and feeling lazy I took a leisurely breakfast and a late shower. We were not due to meet our friends at the Pizza restaurant until 12.30.

Mr P started nagging me about my injection … so feeling upbeat and the need to take positive action and at least take some control of my life, I called the number I’d been given to check on /book COVID vaccinations. Everyone I knew in my age group had received notification for an appointment and I’d heard nothing. The website where I tried to book had put me on a waiting list… but how long is a piece of string and I am not getting any younger!

I’d tried the number on numerous times over the past few weeks and had never got through so imagine my surprise when someone picked up the phone! Albeit they did not speak English. I panicked. Despite studying Portuguese for many years I still speak very little and without body and sign language, telephone calls are a non-starter. I managed my name and health card number. Yes, I was on the system but no matter how hard we tried the poor woman could not make me understand. I started to cry with despair, thanked her apologised and ended the call.

Two hours later I was just drying myself aafter my shower when the call came in.

Mrs xx,

yes… I answered suspiciously. The only unsolicited calls I usually receive on my mobile are from Meo the mobile phone provider trying to sell me something.

Can you come for your COVID injection between twelve and two today at xxx? What time can you come?

… twelve.

I was so excited and time short I almost run out to the car naked!

I arrived, booked in and discovered I was to have the Pfzer injection. YaY! This meant I got my top up jab in 4 weeks.

What a perfect end to the week

And to top it off the friends we were due to meet for pizza and had to cancel at the last minute brought us round some English cheddar and stayed for a mini celebration… I drunk water.