A Creative Spirit
Since moving to Portugal one of my favorite meals, when we eat out, is a fish stew (Caldeirada) but the type which is cooked and served in a copper dish called a Cataplana. As you can see from my photograph the dish has two hinged clam-like shells which are clamped tightly together during cooking. Researching... Continue Reading →
Moving to a country where English is not the first language definitely has its disadvantages if you are not a natural linguist. Some people are fortunate to learn a language purely by osmosis, but not me - I have the retentive memory of a gnat. In the past I’ve spent a small fortune on Portuguese... Continue Reading →
Imagine the scenario: you've taken the children/teenagers on holiday to a beach only to discover there are no touristy beach activities such as banana rides, pedalos and beach trampolines etc to keep them amused. They survey the location in horror as they realise there's nothing but sand, shells, stones and sea. Help! The family are... Continue Reading →
Millions of "beef" burgers were removed from supermarket shelves across the UK because they contain horse meat. The nation is outraged and justifiably so when it's reported some burgers contain as much as 29% horse! The nation is then informed, as I discovered in the Telegraph newspaper, "Horse meat in burgers 'could be health risk'.... Continue Reading →
Piglet put the kettle on Piglet put the kettle on, Piglet put the kettle on we all want some tea... Except we won’t have some tea because the pigging thing won’t work. A couple of months ago we had a problem with our kettle. Now in the grander scheme of things a dodgy kettle is... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago I broke one of my back molars on some crusty Portuguese bread. For the uninitiated the crusts are rock hard so lethal if you have crowns, false teeth or indeed any other form of dentistry! Despite my aversion to dentists, the noise of the drill and that enormous needle they inject... Continue Reading →
The NaNoWriMo participants are now under "starters orders" as they eagerly await, or not, the first of November to arrive when the challenges begins. I am not feeling quite as apprehensive as I was thanks to the inspirational two-day residential Creative Writing course I've just attended at the Holiday Inn, in the Algarve. The course,... Continue Reading →
This week's theme for Jakes photo challenge is City Living in a city I'm sure has many advantages, but I've always pondered on the problem as to where city-dwellers hang their wet washing to dry in these tiny trendy city apartments. Now I know! Every time I visit a big city claustrophobia washes over me,... Continue Reading →
Our first holiday to the Algarve was nearly thirty years ago and memories of the stunning beaches remain imprinted in our minds like footprints in the sand. The secluded coves and miles of beaches with soft golden sand, flanked by sandstone rocks, rugged cliffs and unspoilt countryside enticed us to return; not to holiday, but ... Continue Reading →
The Medieval Fair held in the historic town of Silves is our favourite event of the year. In fact, we enjoy it so much it's always the first social event flagged, in advance, on our Calender. If you live in the Algarve and have never been to the Silves Medieval fair you must go once,... Continue Reading →
Praia da Ingrina is a Blue Flag beach located in an idyllic and unspoilt country setting "far from the 'maddening' crowds". As I sat on the beach enjoying the tranquility and natural beauty I could even hear a cockerel crowing in the distance. That's a first, I've never heard a cockerel crowing from my vantage... Continue Reading →
The UV levels in Portugal can be really high and because I have very fair skin (Piglet pink) I regularly apply sunscreen, even in winter. You can imagine I was quite perturbed when I read this article so thought I would share with my readership! By Leah Zerbe Not all sunscreen is created equal—some varieties... Continue Reading →
Recycling in the home is one of my passions, so before disposing of anything from egg boxes and string to plastic bottles and containers I now ask myself "How can I reuse this item - either in its current form or in an alternative way?" It's amazing how creative one can be! Recycling and conserving... Continue Reading →
A year or so ago we went to a brilliant Italian restaurant in a seaside town near Portimão, in the Algarve. The staff were efficient and friendly, the pasta was perfect, the sauce delicious and the desserts outstanding! Even the decor and ambience were welcoming, so we vowed to return next time we were in... Continue Reading →
I enjoy going to the country markets and one of my favourites is the market at São Teotónio near Odemeira, in the Alentajo. I refer to the term "country" because I'm not so keen on the markets held in the tourist towns of the Algarve. These are usually full of the rip-off-tat such as fake... Continue Reading →
Holidays and House Guests I was recently asked by a friend living in the UK: "Do expats still take holidays and if so where?" What a strange question and one I’d never considered! So what's the deal with expats and holidays? Do you return to your homeland to visit family and friends, explore your new... Continue Reading →
On Tuesday, after a THREE month wait for a new part for my "broken" oven it turned out they had ordered wrong part! (see my Pigging Oven! post) In desperation and with the hope of identifying the correct part the oven technician decided to take my oven to their workshop with the promise of a... Continue Reading →
Do you remember this picture? It was my interpretation of the theme "Broken" for the “Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge on the 6th August. It was my “Broken” oven and guess what folks? My oven is still broken! Initially, I was very impressed when the appliance engineer actually arrived on the agreed day and more or less at... Continue Reading →
After traveling over, 5400km across Portugal, Spain, England and France plus two ferry crossings and five weeks away the “Grandparents Tour of Europe” (as our friends aptly named it) is over and we are now home! Exhausted we must now return to the treadmill of normality, whatever “normal” is here in this la la land... Continue Reading →
Margaret at Cachando Chile challenged her followers to write a post about "Stuff that just bugs me…" This challenge was not too difficult as I've definitely become more "grumpy" as I've grown older! Not that all older people are "grumpy", I hasten to add!...Hmmm I think I am digging a deeper hole here so I... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 