Making the most of leftovers – A planter
Whereas many blogs have been offering ideas of what to do with leftover food during lockdown I’ve been trying to get as much use out of our excess decking boards as possible. (Plus there’s no chance of any food being wasted in this household!) This week’s recycling of off-cuts...
Roof terrace transformation
The large outdoor space was definitely one of the main plus points of the house when we bought it and as much as buying a decent set of outside furniture was enough to begin with, it was always going to be high on the list to get sorted and...
You might struggle to get this deck chair on the beach
“One man’s rubbish is another man’s gold” according to the old proverb and we’ve certainly managed to make use of a number of the items so generously “gifted” upon us by the previous owners’ loose interpretation of rules around emptying a property. However this time the work has been...
Algarve Walks – Style not Destination
Coronavirus has changed virtually every part of everyone’s lives, but one less significant but nonetheless intriguing development I’ve spotted is akin to a Monty Python observation. As with a number of countries around the world, here in Portugal the rules are that you can only leave your residence for...
A Pint!! – Oh no – wrong spelling – Paint – what else?
Admittedly this blog may become as boring as watching paint dry if I keep these posts up but if I’ve gone through the physical and emotional endurance of doing it, you can stare at it for five seconds and pretend to be impressed…….There are videos as well as pictures...
Isolation DIY – Clean, Repair, Paint, Repeat
Well, it’s definitely been time for getting on with the infinite list of jobs that we seem to add to every day. You can see below what we are able to achieve when pub / restaurant time is reduced to a big fat zero. As with a number of...
Self-Isolation on the Algarve – Fat or Fit?
So as we settle into what is the new world norm of self-isolation and social-distancing how will our life change? Fortunately we don’t have to worry about losing jobs / businesses or having to look after kids so ours are first world problems. Not having bars or restaurants to...
Portugal State Of Emergency official Decree
For anyone based in Portugal, please see below link to the Safe Communities Portugal website whereby they have produced an English version of the Decree that will be in force from midnight tonight (21st March) There’s been a bit of confusion as to what are the finer details of...
Coronavirus in the Algarve
It’s very interesting comparing the attitudes and approaches between the land of our birth and our newly adopted home. The UK originally seemed to take the usual stoic British approach of we’ll be able to fight this and beat it with a stiff upper lip. Let’s see how that...
The Curious Incident of the Ouriço in the Daytime
Living so close to the sea and the Ria Formosa it has come as no surprise to have a constantly changing selection of birds to view and enjoy – recently enhanced through the gift of binoculars. There’s been everything from robins to spoonbills and flamingos to hiboobies (the Portuguese...