Helen and Peter in Portugal

Inspired, somewhat, by Rick Steins trip to Spain, but more by the desp erate need for pork bas ed products, Peter turned to me at 6.30am on Saturday and said: 'fancy going shoppin g in Spai n?' How spontaneous. I love it. Well, after we'd worked out that the reason it would take 4.5 hours to get to (the Sat Nav adds a n hour as once you're over the boarder the rest of Europe is on a different time, d urr) we headed off to Caceres. We're told that many an ex-pat cross the border to stock up on food and drink, not because it's cheaper really, just because it's different and there is a lot more choice. As soon as you get over the boarder (now just a sign post saying Espana, th e old boarder control and tourist office a relic of the past) (in the photo), you notice a change in the landscape. Gone are the lush hills and valleys of Portugal, and hello to the vast plains and burnt earth of Spain. The boarder clearly follows the edge of the mountains, wi...

First and foremost, having visitors is fantastic, but, it can be a funny thing. I mean, catering for someone elses likes and dislikes, I mean, do you visit cities, go swimming, walking, museum visiting, go shopping? And hell on earth is when the weather is bad....what on earth do you do then. Somehow watching 8 hours of Glee only works for some very special people (and I include myself in that special category). Being a non parent, there is always an element of excitement tinged with a little horror when we have children come visit. From stopping the dog jumping up and biting them ('he doesn't mean it, he's just being friendly' I say) to catering for non spice eating, non chicken eating kids (well, Peter does that bit). But, we always have a lovely time when the kids come visit, and this time was no exception. Much joy had by all, although on the Monday after they left I did find myself asleep on the sofa at midday and undergoing a day of doing nothing - just ...