A Creative Spirit
“We’re going to make a Mickey Mouse cake for baby Piglet’s birthday,” my daughter announced. Her words immediately triggered alarm bells in my head. I looked away from my computer aware this conversation needed my full attention. “We” probably meant “You” as in “Me”. “Really?” my response was at best non-committal and even a little... Continue Reading →
This year I'm keeping a photographic diary of my humble vegetable garden. In theory, if I take photographs on the 19th of each month they will offer a direct comparison as to what’s growing when, where and how well. The purpose of the exercise is to provide a record for next year so I can... Continue Reading →
When I saw the theme for this week's Weekly Photo Challenge was "UP", I immediately thought of this photograph! No, I was not persuaded to climb up a snaking ladder to the top of this enormous slide. As I pointed out, I may be cabbage looking but I'm not completely mad. So, who's daring enough... Continue Reading →
My original idea was to try Chica's recipe of Broad Beans with Griddled Pork Belly, but silly me left the shopping list at home and I forgot to buy avocado pears. This is my version of the recipe which I served up hot one day with roast chicken, and as left-overs the following day as... Continue Reading →
We've attended many fairs and festivals in Portugal, however this has to rank as not only the most interesting but the most humbling lesson in social integration and how welcoming a small community can be. The day of the "Feira da Sopa" (Soup Fair) dawned cold, damp and miserable. In fact, it was the sort... Continue Reading →
I don't have any pictures of Easter Bunnies or Easter Eggs, so hope a picture of Folar da Páscoa will suffice. I'd planned to drag Mr. Piglet along to a Folar da Páscoa festival today. However, as it's being held outside and the weather is SO awful I will have to wait until next year!... Continue Reading →
For those still trapped by the daily working rat-race of life how many times have you desperately waited for a Bank Holiday weekend, and then the weather is pooh? All week you’ve looked out of your office window longingly at the sunshine, counting the hours before you can escape. The big day arrives and then... Continue Reading →
This recipe is courtesy of Greedy Girl's Diet: Eat yourself slim with gorgeous, guilt-free food with permission of the author, Nadia Sawalha I am always keen to try new recipes especially those which are filling yet with not too many calories. My biggest problem with losing weight is that I usually only have to look... Continue Reading →
This year I plan to photograph and record what's growing in my humble vegetable garden on the 19th of each month. This will give me a better idea of what’s growing when, and how well. Hopefully, it will act as a record for next year and I can learn from my successes and failures. The... Continue Reading →
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 →
Cozido à Portuguesa is a typical Portuguese stew cooked from a range of wholesome ingredients such as cabbage, pig's ear, porco rabo, blood sausage and other various "unmentionables". I'm assured it's absolutely delicious and a real gastronomic delight...err...experience. I'm not normally one to back down from a challenge (except for eating snails and oysters),but as... Continue Reading →
Every week WordPress posts a Weekly Photo Challenge and this week's theme is Lost in the Details . The instructions direct from the horse's mouth (aka WordPress) are "This challenge is about getting lost in the details". Hmmm ponderous! The theme of the challenge was rather lost on me to begin with, until I downloaded... Continue Reading →
This year I plan to photograph the plants in my humble vegetable garden on the 19th of each month. This will give me a better idea of what's growing when, and how well. Hopefully, it will act as a record for next year and I can learn from my successes and failures. The broad beans... Continue Reading →
A little bit of fun... If you were an animal what would you be? What would you look like - what would we see? Perhaps a spoilt house dog who's pampered all day. Walkies and treats "it's a dog's life" they say! But "Puddy" cats rule as they strut round the house. Owners left screaming... Continue Reading →
This recipe is courtesy of Greedy Girl's Diet: Eat yourself slim with gorgeous, guilt-free food with permission of the author, Nadia Sawalha I am always keen to try new recipes especially those which are filling and with not too many calories. My biggest problem with losing weight is that I only have to look at... Continue Reading →
Waiting to be served at our local butchers for "home-made" beef, and hopefully horse-free, burgers gave us the opportunity to study the array of "unmentionable" delicacies on sale. The dubious identity of which even made Mr. Piglet's toes curl in horror. However, our debate is quickly forgotten when I whip out my camera and start... Continue Reading →
Better late than never! I don't know whether the excitement of our imminent trip to the UK for several weeks was sapping my enthusiasm, or just the December blues due to the long dark evenings, but I really had to dig deep (pardon the pun) to motivate myself to work in the garden. I'm not... Continue Reading →
This photograph was taken from the walls of the 10th Century Moorish castle of Aljezur in the Western Algarve. The castle, set high on the hill, has panoramic views across the rolling countyside, the historic town of Aljezur and to Monchique mountain beyond. This post is inspired by the WordPress Weekly Photo challenge. This week's... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 