A Creative Spirit
Try as I may, I just can’t understand the Portuguese passion for Bacalhau. Why is it so popular when there's such a wonderful selection of fresh fish readily available and far cheaper? It's as stiff as a board, smells disgusting and looks about as appetizing as the prospect of munching on chipboard. In fact, it's... Continue Reading →
Praia do Zavial is one of my favourite beaches. It is located on the Western Algarve in an area of outstanding natural beauty unspoilt by the ravages of mass tourism and concrete highrise. You will not find neat rows of sun loungers complete with parasols (concession areas) or banana boat rides, nor tourist shops and... Continue Reading →
Shopping!! I absolutely hate supermarket shopping with a passion! Living quite a way from the big supermarkets, as we do, I organize meal plans and my store cupboard with military precision. However, we usually end up visiting at least 3 supermarkets to make sure we procure everything on the “list”. The shopping expedition usually involves... Continue Reading →
The beautiful insects featured below all live in my garden. We exist in parallel worlds in harmony just hoping our paths rarely cross (well I do)!! My garden is a haven for various insects where my plants and vegetables provide sustenance equal to a three-star Michelin restaurant! I would love to identify them...please can anyone... Continue Reading →
Shopping – The survival guide and more... ...or should I say a stress free guide? 1. Write your shopping list in Portuguese. This is really useful if you are unable to find a product and you do not speak Portuguese. You can at least point and grunt to the item on your list when asking... Continue Reading →
Are you a “Technomuppet”, Technophobe or a "Techie"? I have just checked an online dictionary and there does not appear to be a definition for "Technomuppet" so perhaps one needs to be created...any ideas please? I am new to blogging and the challenges presented by the behind the scenes WordPress Dashboard are still, for me,... Continue Reading →
"Fado cannot be explained, it must be felt and experienced” (quote from http://www.fado.com) The word fado I am told means fate but the music portrays a far wider range of emotions from love, betrayal, sorrow, death, hopelessness, passion and more - in truth all the emotions we feel and can relate to. I personally believe... Continue Reading →
Silves Medieval Fair (7th- 15th August 2010) Video of opening Procession The annual Medieval Fair is held over nine days and well worth noting in your diary for future reference should you ever visit the Algarve during this time. This year the fair covers the period of the Moorish domination - five centuries of urban... Continue Reading →
This is a pictorial guide to just some of the unusual insects, bugs and critters which inhabit my garden. I have not, as yet identified "what" they are or whether they are friend or foe - so if you can help - that would be great! We live in harmony, each of us avoiding the other;... Continue Reading →
Normally, you have to wait about a month to see a Doctor at our local Centre de Saúde (Health Centre). Even then, you can’t guarantee the Doctor will actually turn up! Probably the scarcities of appointments are due to people booking appointments on a ‘just in case I’m ill’, basis. You can imagine my surprise... Continue Reading →
This is a great recipe for a quick and simple lunch complimented by a couple of glasses of Portuguese white wine. I was originally told this recipe was called Salad Nicoise but I have since been informed (after a heated debate with some French friends, from Nice) that it's not! Authentic Salad Nicoise apparently does not... Continue Reading →
There are many things to consider when moving to Portugal but the one question that seems to be the top of most peoples list is... "How much will it actually cost to live in Portugal?" It was certainly on the very top of my list and I spent hours on the internet looking for clues,... Continue Reading →
One of the downsides of living close to the beautiful beaches of the Western Algarve is the Tourist Season or as we have aptly named it “The Terrorist Season” Portuguese, Spanish, French and a handful of British Tourists descend on this normally quiet and as yet unspoilt area from mid July to the end of... Continue Reading →
Piglet’s Courgette and Tomato Chutney My courgettes (after a rather feeble start) have now grown to the size of marrows! Presented with a 'glut' of both marrow sized courgettes and tomatoes I decided to make some chutney rather than taking the easiest option which would have been to freeze them. Ingredients 2lb courgettes (peeled) 1lb... Continue Reading →
The internet is certainly a great place to interact and share hobbies and interests with people from all over the world. I recently started corresponding with a lovely lady in Northern Portugal and soon discovered she shared my passion for growing her own vegetables and even saved her own seeds. She kindly sent me a... Continue Reading →
Learn the “Lingo” or live life in an “Expat Bubble”! I am a great advocate of the fact that when you move to a new country you ‘attempt’ to gain, at the very least, a basic understanding of both language and culture. Without this 'basic' knowledge so much of everyday life and cultural opportunities are... Continue Reading →
Bread and Butter Pudding This is another traditional English recipe handed down through the generations. Originally, the recipe was created to utilize stale bread. However, since moving to Portugal, I have adapted it slightly by using Jean Pierre ‘milk rolls’ (purchased in Lidels), instead of normal bread. The Portuguese bread just does not work well with... Continue Reading →
At the beginning of June I decided I would attempt to grow my own salad in containers. My goal - to grow lettuce, tomatoes, radish, courgettes, cucumber, spring onions, French beans and beetroot! An experiment prompted by the fact my little veggie patch now had to share soil space with some maturing trees and a... Continue Reading →
Do you ever look in the mirror and think - "who is that person?" I feel the same inside but WHO is that stranger glaring back at me in the mirror? Oh my God "Bom Dia" it's Mrs Blobby! Reality check! - I'm becoming both FAT and FRUMPY! Oh to wind back the clock -... Continue Reading →
My second fishing lesson, SIL very wisely did NOT ask me to cast. The tide was just coming in so we were hopeful the fish would approve of SIL’s new hook combination; which to me looked quite complex. However, I was assured it would yield results as the hooks were smaller and therefore attracted a... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 