A Creative Spirit
This week I felt extremely sad as yet another close friend, who opted for early retirement, announced she is “selling up” and returning home to good old blighty (UK). Not only is Portugal not the “promised land” she had imagined, but now the honeymoon period is over, at fifty two years old she is totally... Continue Reading →
Are you taking part in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge? This week's theme is "Ocean" The Ocean is popular with surfers, in Portugal, as they pit their wits against the waves. I would love to try surfing... I put on a wetsuit once as I wanted to try bodyboarding; it felt like a second skin. When... Continue Reading →
A big thank you to the following bloggers who nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. I am both honoured and humbled...Thank you! Faithsdreamblog Love Versus Goliath Mirth and Motivation Life's a Beach Jeanne's Blog I've been asked to share 7 random facts about myself...they are very random...! 1. I used to play and teach... Continue Reading →
This recipe was featured in my first monthly column at Expat Focus Piglet in Portugal: Missing Food From Back Home - Is It Just Me? There are many foods I miss from home including Paxo stuffing, Teabags, Cadbury Cream Eggs, Mincepies, English Christmas cake, English mustard, Horseradish, Piccalilli and Baked Beans to name a few.... Continue Reading →
How do you feel about answering census questions; do you feel it is a useful exercise, a waste of money or a further intrusion into our privacy? Last Sunday the woman from our local Camara (council) delivered our form and a slip of paper with our pin number for the 2011 Portugal Census on the... Continue Reading →
Are you taking part in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge? This week's theme is "Spring" When I lived in the UK, the arrival of spring was heralded with wonderful displays of golden daffodils. In Portugal we have so many beautiful flowers throughout the year that when I think of spring; insects not flowers come to mind. Even... Continue Reading →
This recipe is not only simple to make, but absolutely delicious! The only problem I had was the "flambé". Mr Piglet poured a generous glug of brandy on the peaches, struck the match and I waited camera poised in eager anticipation to capture the "flambe" moment. The "moment" turned out to be a bit of... Continue Reading →
God loves a "tryer" and as Mr Piglet says I’m very trying! Every year I attempt to grow my own vegetables with varying degrees of success. I do not have a Horta (Allotment) but a patch of poor sandy earth in a small, windswept urban garden in the Algarve. High humidity and salt air, due... Continue Reading →
Since moving to Portugal I have been fascinated by white storks and their nesting habits. White storks are majestic birds about 1m tall. They build their nests on man-made structures such as chimneys, telephone poles, lamp posts, rooftops, towers etc. Nests, as you can see from my photographs, are HUGE and can be up to... Continue Reading →
The weather here in Portugal, over the last few weeks, has been bright and sunny with temperatures up to 20C. The warm weather is an early reminder that my "tractor tyre" midriff currently concealed, but still lurking under the layers of winter clothes, needs urgent attention. Oh no, I need to focus on the dreaded... Continue Reading →
When WordPress started the PostADay/PostAWeek Challenge in January and subsequently made a post about “blogging buddies” I left a comment and ClassyRose came to my rescue. Rose is great, always offering words of encouragement and support both through the good times and bad. ClassyRose also helps and encourages so many bloggers through her blog “Things... Continue Reading →
Do you experience problems with "Parking Scammers"? They are rife in Portugal and they REALLY annoy me!. It does not matter whether you park in a side road or in a free car park the "Parking Scammers" are lurking - just waiting to spring into action by directing you into a “free” parking space. “Free”... Continue Reading →
Are you taking part in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge? This week's theme is "Shadow" We sheltered from the bitter wind in the entrance of the National Opera House in Lyon while I deleted some old photos from my camera card. Mr Piglet, despite the sub-zero temperatures had a creative moment, grabbed the camera and... Continue Reading →
OK, OK so I win no prizes for my food photography! I promise it tastes far better than it looks in this picture so any food photography tips gratefully received! One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to research and cook one new recipe each week. This weeks recipe "Savoury Pear Delight" was kindly supplied... Continue Reading →
A couple of weeks ago hugmamma of "hugmamma's MIND, BODY and SOUL" kindly asked if I would like to be interviewed; honoured by her request I readily agreed. 1. What do you feel you get from blogging? Does it fulfill you personally? Has it opened up new vistas for you? I discovered the “blogosphere” in January 2010... Continue Reading →
The Bermuda buttercup is an invasive plant which although initially grown as an ornamental is now classed as an invasive "weed". It is very difficult to eradicate as it propagates through underground bulbs. The Bermuda buttercup has unfortunately taken hold in our garden and along the coastal areas where we live. On a positive note... Continue Reading →
A few months ago, a friend in Northern Portugal kindly sent me some Jalapeno Peppers, which were excess produce from her veggie garden. She also included a simple recipe on how to pickle Jalapenos plus a variety of chilli seeds so I could grow my own. I thought Christmas had come early and I’d have... Continue Reading →
When we opened our first bank account in Portugal the only thing I remember was our lawyer marching us up the road to a bank. The rest of the proceedings were a complete blur because said “proceedings” were conducted in Portuguese. Various pieces of paper were passed back and forth across the desk, our signatures... Continue Reading →
When I saw the theme for this week’s photo challenge I groaned. Usually inspiration is never far away but on this occasion maybe because my head is “muzzy” with the flu virus - my creative juices were just not flowing. It was while I was sitting in the sun pondering "refuge" and then thinking I... Continue Reading →
You can't get blood from a stone, but apparently, in Portugal, you can get soup! The legend surrounding the recipe for Stone Soup (Sopa de pedra) has been passed down for generations. It made me smile so I thought I would share the story. Many many years ago in the Ribatejo area of Portugal a... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 