A Creative Spirit
This week's flown by. The seed order I placed two weeks ago finally arrived on Thursday. All 45 packets of them! The packing list just a glorified till roll receipt presented a challenge in patience as I tried to translate Portuguese to English and then cross-check against my friends' orders, calculate who ordered what and... Continue Reading →
It can be tough finding a smile when you are 'shielding' locked away from the world. That said when you focus on the positives in life they can far outweigh the negatives as you learn to adapt, develop new skills and appreciate things that a year ago would have passed unnoticed. So I've several smiles... Continue Reading →
Finally, Six on Saturday. Yesterday was one of those days where anything that could go wrong did. Google informed me that my inbox was full and so all the photos I'd taken for SoS did not arrive. On further investigation it transpired I had sent all my mobile phone pictures to a Google cloud in... Continue Reading →
This has not been a good week and to top it off all the photographs I took earlier this morning are still stuck in my gmail send box. Late this afternoon, I finally found a work around by sending the photos via Yahoo and they sent within mintues! So much for getting up early to... Continue Reading →
If last week was one of those weeks I would like to file in a box, firmly shut the lid, lock then hide the key on the top shelf of my bookcase, this week I have wanted to throw the key away. At the beginning of January I made the conscious decision (NYR): not to... Continue Reading →
As I enjoy taking photographs of nature I decided to create a MEME called #WildWednesday. Every Wednesday I will be sharing a photograph of wild flora or fauna in my local area. Who will join me? How it works: Simply post a photograph to your blog with some relevant blurb if possible. Include the words... Continue Reading →
Over the last few weeks, my mobility after a total knee replacement operation eight weeks ago has plateaued. Despite physical therapy twice a week and plenty of home exercise my knee bend has not improved beyond 90 degrees. Yes, I managed to dispense with one crutch but the lack of muscle around my knee means... Continue Reading →
I am convinced our youngest grandson thinks we live in his Dad’s phone. Thanks to the Coronavirus, we haven’t seen him since November 2019 when he was just nine months old. I doubt, given his age, he can relate to us in terms of flesh and blood – we are just characters like people on... Continue Reading →
My new knee finally arrived from the U.S and my operation rescheduled for Thursday 20th August The big day arrived and as per strict instructions I checked into Alvor hospital at 7.30 am with nothing but what I was wearing, a writing pad, pens, iPad, phone, kindle and crutches. Thanks to COVID the hospital provided... Continue Reading →
I am chewing a wasp! I should be in hospital now with my operation behind me. Wednesday 12th, the day before my operation at Hospital Particular do Algarve in Alvor, I went to the hospital again for another blood test. This time for my pre-op crossmatch in case I need a blood transfusion. Fortunately, I... Continue Reading →
Once my knee replacement operation was scheduled for the 13th August at Hospital Particular do Algarve, Alvor, I was advised to go into social isolation for 14 days prior to surgery - leaving home only for essential situations. I was also advised to wear a surgical mask in closed spaces and ensure a social distance... Continue Reading →
When the surgeon informed me I must lose weight before my replacement knee operation in order to aid a quicker recovery, I wondered where to start. AND, I got the usual COVID lecture re obesity which puts me at higher risk. Great! How can you lose weight when you can only move at the pace... Continue Reading →
The official opening of the border between Portugal and Spain on the 1st of July quickly brought an end to our brief period of freedom and the sanity we'd enjoyed after the State of Emergency was lifted from May 3rd. Eventually, we plucked up the confidence to eat at a couple of our favorite restaurants... Continue Reading →
Somehow we managed to survive the State of Emergency (SoE) and lockdown with our sanity and sense of humour still intact. The eerie silence in our local area was unnerving so when we heard voices in the road we were like meerkats trying to see who was walking by. Challenging times, yes, but it also... Continue Reading →
My six for this Saturday focuses on different seating areas around our garden. Perfect places to catch the early morning sun and enjoy breakfast, to write, read, sample a Gin and Tonic at the end of the day or just ponder the meaning of life and the COVID crisis. While others enjoyed a heatwave the... Continue Reading →
I am dismayed to learn that Portugal is in negotiations with the UK to agree on an 'air bridge' by the end of June. I may be having a senior moment but why actively encourage British tourists to come to Portugal when we have all worked so hard to protect the health service and spent... Continue Reading →
When Portugal declared the end of the State of Emergency and moved to a new phase, aptly named ‘Calamity’, I felt apprehensive. There are still no reported cases of Covid-19 in the western corner of the Algarve but with the phased opening of restaurants, beaches, shops etc., even with limiting the numbers, maintaining social-distancing, hand... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 