A Creative Spirit
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 →
Praia da Carriagem on the West Coast Vicentine Coast Natural Park is known for its outstanding rock formations. At low tide, the beach reveals a curious natural amphitheater carved into the schist It is popular with fishermen and those seeking a secluded beach in a magnificent unspoiled and natural setting. Great for walks, relaxing away... Continue Reading →
My six on Saturday this week focuses on some of my vegetable success stories which makes a change from my usual woes regarding blight, grey/white mold, and the rogue blackbird. While growing fruit and vegetables in containers are more challenging than growing in raised beds or directly in the ground it does have some advantages... Continue Reading →
I've not participated in Trent's Weekly Smile for some time but today when the notification popped up in my inbox, I thought why not? We are all living through so much doom and gloom thanks to not only COVID but political shenanigans and demonstrations etc, I think it's time to look outwards at the positives... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I have focused on a selection of 'quirky' plants. Yes, I am running a little close to the wire timewise as I decided to wait to include pictures of the glorious Epiphyllum Oxypetalum (Queen Of The Night) which only flowers in the dark. Each sweet-scented bloom only lasting one... Continue Reading →
My Six on Saturday this week is a roundup of garden challenges. I am now officially at war with the blackbird who thinks he reigns supreme over my vegetable garden. After several attempts to grow lettuce from seed, I finally managed to persuade some to germinate and the seedlings moved to my large lettuce pot.... Continue Reading →
I am curious. While removing and disposing of some tomato plants that had contracted the dreaded blight I wondered if I should dispose of the remaining soil in the pots or would the UV rays from the sun kill any blight bacteria? Apparently, high UV kills COVID-19 virus on surfaces so why not blight, especially... 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 →
Lucky Jim I have a pet mosquito I call him Lucky Jim He follows me everywhere even when I swim Though I swatted him a hundred times, he lives to tell the tale And every time he bites me, my skin resembles Braille! While digging in the garden he’s zooming around my head Jim even... Continue Reading →
It was difficult to select six highlights for my garden diary 'six on Saturday' this week. There is so much going on in the garden, including projects, I am spoiled for choice. My Gnome has been busy working his fingers to the bone, cutting our huge Melaleuca privacy hedge, moving the contents from the old... Continue Reading →
My Gnome has been SUPER busy with a new project. After seeing a friend's three-bin composting system, Gnome kindly agreed to construct something similar to replace my old single bin plastic composter. I try to recycle/upcycle everything so what we will use this for I'm not sure. At the moment I am leaning towards... Continue Reading →
Where has this week gone? It seems impossible it's Saturday again! I have been so engrossed in helping my Gnome build our new composter (more on this project in a separate post) that I nearly forgot to post my weekly gardening update. This week we were blessed with heavy rain on Tuesday night which gave... 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 →
The temperatures this week have almost made gardening unbearable but as they say: the 'early bird catches the worm' so the Gnome and I started work before 8am. We've not only been working in the vegetable area but have started a new project - more on this next week! Last week, a fellow six... 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 