A Creative Spirit
If we were having coffee, I'd confide this week I had three social engagements, which also involved food therefore adding a further strain on my already bulging waistline. Fortunately, I have only grown about 1kg since the 18th of December (checks mirror for growth of Pinnocio's nose). Considering all the naughties I've consumed over the... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food and healthy options. Recently, I've noticed an increasing number of cookie and cake recipes on my FB feed that use oats instead of wheat flour. Keen to discover more, as part of my quest to reduce the number of ultra-processed foods in our diet and replace with healthier alternatives, I dived... Continue Reading →
This week, we've enjoyed rain—gallons of it—and, as the old saying goes, it's raining cats and dogs. We desperately need more rain to replenish the depleted reservoirs, so I am not complaining. The only downside is that I need one day's grace to catch up on all the laundry, get all the washing out on... Continue Reading →
No, I mean it. I really must. I rarely throw anything away, and Mr. Piglet is even worse. The last time we cleared out the garage several years ago, I discovered five broken kettles that he'd been keeping 'just in case'. Just in case of what? I muttered. Got the look, especially as I rescue... Continue Reading →
Determined not to miss out on this week's 'In a Vase on Monday', a meme hosted by Rambling in the Garden, I gathered plants in torrential rain. If you guys are not impressed by the arrangement (I'm not), I hope you are impressed by my tenacity, and I am awarded at least an E for... Continue Reading →
It's been a strange week. Monday saw another trip to Faro, this time to see a dermatologist who was amazed I'd travelled so far for an appointment. I am not keen on Faro, or at least the part we needed. It is dirty, busy, noisy, and parking is hell. But if we lived there, I'm... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee I'd confess I had never really considered how our diet could impact health until I was diagnosed with gut issues and needed to drastically review my diet and lifestyle--I made some changes, but apparently not enough. By chance, I listened to an interview with Tim Spector, the co-founder of Zoe.... Continue Reading →
Every Monday, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden invites us to share an arrangement of flowers or 'whatever' in a vase. I grow very few flowers I can cut in my garden as I mainly grow shrubs, succulents and vegetables, so please forgive my creative spirit. I was looking for inspiration when I went to... Continue Reading →
What a week! I am happy because I did manage to tick off a few major tasks from my To-Do List: Book an MRI Scan, restart Portuguese Lessons, take my new car for a drive and buy another mouse to use with my laptop. Appointment Challenge My main goal for this week was to book... Continue Reading →
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off! If we were having coffee in RL, I'd tell you I took a break from blogging during December—not just from blogging but also from watching/reading the news and using social media platforms. I was/am fed up with fake and manufactured news, misinformation, disinformation, wars, lying politicians, sporting... Continue Reading →
It's been a while since we had coffee, so we should probably also make it lunch. Today, I arranged to meet up with fellow blogger 'Anna I', who lives in Alentejo, but sadly, her hubby was ill, and our meeting was postponed. New Restaurants Over the last few weeks, we set a challenge to step... Continue Reading →
Hands up. Who knew the tiny Chia seed packed such a nutritious punch? I didn't. When someone suggested I try them to help with weight loss, I bought a packet, thinking it was a type of tea. I probably made that assumption because chia and chá are similar, and chá is the Portuguese word for... Continue Reading →
Last Halloween, our grandkids were staying over, so we dressed up and went trick-or-treating. We had great fun, and some people went all out to embrace the fun by decorating their gardens and placing a pumpkin outside their gate. This year, despite the absence of our grandkids, we embraced the spirit of Halloween. Mr Piglet... Continue Reading →
Kefir? Is anyone familiar with Kefir? Have you tried it, and do you make it at home? Kefir was recommended to me as a probiotic for gut health. At the moment I'm buying from the local supermarket. I read this article which offers a lot of maybe's: Top 10 health benefits of kefir. Kefir is... Continue Reading →
Our Portuguese lesson never materialised this week as our teacher's internet died. We had dutifully studied our Trabalho em Casa and were keen to practice. We had been tasked to prepare questions to ask the teacher using: How ~ Como? * What ~ O que? * Where ~ Onde? * Which is ~ Qual é?... Continue Reading →
One of my favourite treats is a Portuguese custard tart, Pastel de nata. But beware—not all Pastéis de Nata are equal, as Mr. Piglet, a pastel de nata connoisseur, will tell you. We avoid ordering from the big supermarket cafes because they offer poor imitations (in our opinion). One of our local bakeries supplies them... Continue Reading →
I've toyed with the idea of picking up the 'I must 'Learn Portuguese' lesson' baton I dropped many years ago for a while. When I try to speak Portuguese in shops and restaurants, my efforts are so hopeless that I am encouraged to communicate in English. For example I recently asked a waitress for 'uma... Continue Reading →
The past couple of weeks have been hectic. Our family from France has been staying, so it was all hands on deck with shopping and preparation before they arrived and piles of laundry and sweeping sand from every nook and cranny once they left. Still, it keeps us fit, and spending time with them is... Continue Reading →
Food Glorious Food If we were having coffee, I'd mention, while desperately trying not to look smug, that I've lost another kilo (2.2lb) in weight. That's 3.4kg, or about 7lb, since the 10th of July. I've only eaten one dessert this week while lunching with friends, then immediately came home and walked 2000 steps to... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I normally have a slow-burning fuse on some things while others not so much. Especially when it's 35C, I'm hot, and my legs ache. I was perfectly happy to sit and watch the world go by in the shade at a cafe while Mr. P went... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 