We have a new blog!
Just to let all our many 😉 readers know we have now started a blog about our house in Ponte de Lima: The house on the hill. We look forward to seeing you there.
All good things come to an end…
A few sad farewells this month. Alas, we had to say a final goodbye to our dear Jussi, just one month shy of her 14th birthday. How she survived all the illnesses, allergies and operations up till now is a mystery. One thing is for certain: we will have some more cash to play with now we no longer have to fork out for vet’s fees (Betty, apart from being caught in a javali trap, is never ill). This is the last photo we took of her, in a favourite place: under the table (in case anything falls on the floor).
We’re not entirely sure how Betty feels about being on her own. She and Jussi never really got on but somehow I feel she preferred to be top dog rather than being solo dog.
Jussi was certainly a well travelled dog, she came camping with us on various Portuguese trips, as well as a number of times across the border to Spain. She loved the water, and once Richard taught her how to swim, there was no holding her back: lakes, rivers, the sea, town fountains, village washing pools and wells… she made a bee-line to all of them especially if it was hot. She didn’t like the heat, and she wasn’t so keen on long walks either!
We miss her terribly but we certainly don’t miss stressing if a door has been left open and she’s sneaked out to eat something that will give her a tummy bug. She ate everything, however disgusting. The only thing she turned her wet nose up at was, bizarrely, lettuce. The most innocuous and insipid of food items would be left in her bowl untouched.
Another adieu is to Casa Azul. Yep, we are (sort of!) moving. No, not to our new house but to a rented house, both quite near the river and its wonderful ecovia, and to the new house. It’s the only way we can get on top of the officialdom that is slowing the whole process down, if we don’t pop into offices on a regular basis nothing will happen. We have very mixed feelings about this: leaving Casa Azul, our home for 12 years (the longest by far either of us have lived anywhere) is going to be very sad but new opportunities are around the corner and we are excited to live in the north and to discover a whole load of new places.
We will particularly miss our walks with the changing face of the countryside each month, the fields of flowers for dyeing, the orchids and the bird song. The hens, before you ask, are to have a new home.
So linked to all this is the inevitable: this is our last blog post! 308 posts have been written about our journey and it’s been great having people following us along the way. We do think that we will have a blog about the new place (and we will put that info here) but that realistically won’t be for a while. So, so long and thanks for all the fish!
Jackie, Richard and Betty x
Greetings, Spring!
There’s a time when everything seems a little sad, the winter drags on and summer is a dream. And then, after the rain the sun comes out, the wind drops and in an instant everything really does spring to life. The trees suddenly have buds and most of them are in leaf, the meadows have some flowers and yes, there are more and more orchids to be seen. Along with the Early Purple (below) and Giant, we are seeing the Man, Naked Man, Helleborine and Sawfly on every walk.
Not to mention the birds and their chorus which greets us in the morning; the blue tits are flying into their box with tufts of Jussi hair and moss in their beaks, the greenfinches and sparrows are squabbling over the bird feeder and the robins are hunting for suitable nest spots. Richard is convinced there’s a couple interested in some nooks and crannies near the woodpile. It happens every year of course but there is something magical about the speed of the transformation. Now that the clocks have been put forward the chickens aren’t put away until after supper. The next two months sees the countryside at its best and the knowledge that that is around the corner is gladdening.
The warmer weather also means we can enjoy one of our simplest pleasures: eating outside. Richard’s birthday was in mid-March and we were able to enjoy our champers in the sun. He’s also been dusting off the bbq and rustling up some paella.
So there is definitely an air of optimism at Casa Azul. The Penela area on the national Covid map has gone from red to orange and now to yellow, just one step away from white. Actually, nearly all the country is now white, there is only a smattering of yellow and orange so all good news. Not that we will see anything of a vaccine for some time yet…
We took a trip up north to have another meeting with the builder. It was all a bit stressful, we have limited Portuguese and even less knowledge of building work and yet we somehow managed to discuss various types of materials for the walls, floors and windows; heating solutions and certain design elements (me brandishing pages from Casas de Campo and saying Isto é o que queremos!) We think we have arranged for him to show us some more of his work, and perhaps come up with a cheaper quote, but who knows. Oxalá!
We had a picnic in the sun and then pootled around Ponte de Lima, it really is one of the most beautiful towns in Portugal. Not only is it charming, it’s full of restaurants which, we hope, will be open the next time we are up. Oxalá!
