I am rather reluctant to say Happy New Year, or even welcome 2026, as there seems a difficult 12 months ahead for many. Meanwhile we are hunkered down against Storm Ingrid. January has continued to be wet, wet, wet with constant red weather warnings. Yesterday we received on our phones a text warning us of snow over 400m, I’m sure there may be snow on the higher hills around us but with the heavy grey clouds and thick mist it’s impossible to see!

Last Sunday was an exception, and being the third in the month meant the ‘antiques’ market in the pretty town of Caminha was on. Wrapped up warm it was lovely walking along the Minho and seeing the fascinating array of junk articles for sale.

The square is surrounded by cafés and restaurants on three sides, and in the welcome sun (look at that sky!) many were sitting outside enjoying a coffee, beer or something stronger. Despite being quite busy there’s always a feeling of calmness, everyone relaxing and, if not having a tosta mista or bifana, wondering where to go for lunch.

It’s as popular with leather clad motorcyclists from Spain as it is with families and old codgers.

It was this time a year ago the blokes came and pruned many of the trees. This included a large unloved pear tree. In the process a number of the branches fell down and thus pruning the plant below too.

I took the cuttings and potted them up. I should say at this point the plant itself was a cutting I took from our old village before we came up. The cuttings took very well and we put a couple of them in the new bed beside the house in March. This is them in May, last year. They are so small you can hardly see them, one has a flower:

And this is what they look like now, I took this photo a few days ago:

They have just exploded in growth over the past six months or so, incredible. And it means of course all the other little plants and bulbs put in at the same time have been completely smothered. And the mother plant itself is now well over a metre tall and has now made it tricky to walk down the stone stairs to the lower meadow. It flowers most of the year, it’s so cheerful looking now in the winter gloom.

So of course this is the ‘plant of the year’. We’re not entirely sure what it is, apart from perhaps one of the many marguerite cultivars.

The green woodpeckers busy underneath the large olive tree now have reminded me that January is the best month for bird watching. Over the last year we recorded, from the garden, 38 different kinds of birds; this year so far we have spotted (or heard) 22. The regulars which are new to us living up here, along with the green woodpecker, include cirl bunting, coal tit, crested tit, jay, tree creeper, grey wagtail (with it’s lovely lemon-coloured bottom) and we think we have seen a mistle thrush.

That’s it. The farmer above us has let the sheep out and the sight of 25 little lambs skipping en masse around the field is joyful to watch. It just leaves us to wish you all the best for ’26, fingers crossed.