Helen and Peter in Portugal

Having visitors is great, it means that you play tourist in your own back garden and actually go out and see things that previously you've passed by giving the excuse a) too expensive, b) we'll come back another time , c) lets just have some lunch first then we'll think about going. But, when you have a visitor you've got no excuse. It's all based on trying to show off really, showing people the best bits of your adopted country and trying to make them a) realise why you left the UK, b) a bit jealous and c) that life here in Pera is 'p e radise'. We managed to exhaust ourselves and most probably our visitor by travelling about 1000 kms over 5 days.... Porto (done), Aveiro (done), Figueira da Foz (done), Tomar (done), Lousã (done). And during our tour of Central Portugal we did a few things we've never done before. A boat trip around Aveiro (not a lot to see, but welcome cooling breeze a bonus), and we finally went back to Tomar where we wen...

There are certain things that you need to accept you are just never going to win. We all have them, you know, the things you are going to lose at. Mine are: 1) A disagreement with Peter (see what I mean) 2) The battle to get rid of half a stone (I'm not posting a picture of that) 3) Getting a quote from anyone Portuguese for household insurance (god only knows why), and 4) The battle against the garden weeds Now I know weeding is not a new (or interesting some might say) subject. All gardeners from the Mighty Monty Don (official name) to the person with a window box suffer the same fate. But here, in central Portugal the weeds seem to be on drugs...I mean there are thousands of them, floating in the wind, depositing themselves on my seedling pots, setting up home in the veg patch and growing down the side of the house. It's enough to drive anyone insane, yet every gardener deals with it on a daily basis. I was very excited when my flowers started to come through in this ...