I know that this has been an exceedingly busy week, if only because I’m nodding off over my keyboard; when I perk up I may be able to remember some of the things that have made me so sleepy. In the meanwhile you may admire the sky and flower pictures that Jones has been snapping. She finds it hard to let our spectacular dawns pass unphotographed; ditto the blossom as the almond trees come into their January glory. Look at this great shot that she took of Dries's pigeons on a flypast.
Let me work backwards. Today, Friday, Slavic arrived at 08.30 to continue his wall-building efforts about the garden, which is starting to look ever so spruce as a result. Having set him up with sand and cement, we went walking. I whistle as we pick our way along the stony paths through the bush to keep the circling pack aware of our position. It’s so nice to let the pups run free instead of being dragged every which way.
At 11.00 Natalia turned up for the English lesson she missed on Wednesday when she stayed home to look after her daughter. Her Business English text book was on about different kinds of performance matrixes. (I'm told I should prefer "matrices") I warned her that I didn’t have the faintest idea of what a performance matrix was and that she might have to find a better qualified teacher.
Thursday evening we went up to the local for one of Graça's roast lamb specials to celebrate Anita Massey’s birthday. Anita, down from Dublin, is the eligible daughter of neighbours, Fintan and Pauline. Either side of her are her brother, David, and his fiancée, Nicole. The left-over lamb bones from the feast go into a pot of rice that Jones cooks up for the dogs, upon which they absolutely fall.
Thursday morning I took my car into Honda for the third time to see if they could sort out the air-conditioning. They’d warned me after their previous attempts that they might have to keep the car in for a couple of days while they ran tests on the electronic systems. In the interim, I rented a Seat run-around. If there’s one thing to be said for renting a run around, it’s the appreciation it brings one of the merits of one’s own vehicle.
ALMOND BLOSSOM
I was delighted to receive a call mid-afternoon saying that the problem had been traced to a faulty relay and that I could fetch the car as soon as I liked; it would take several days for the new relay to arrive from Spain. I fetched it within the hour and felt as though I’d just been upgraded from tourist to business class.
BUSY BEE
Apropos of nothing, I was collared by Honda’s expert salesman, Jorge Silva, who has already sold me two cars. I’d be excited to learn, he confided, that the new CRV model was due out in October. Was my mobile number still the same as he was sure I would like a test drive? He’s got style, Jorge Silva has!
I was warned by the car hire firm that if I used the east-west Algarve toll-road, I would be obliged to visit a post office or agency within 5 days to pay the toll arising. The car’s licence plates would be recorded on overhead cameras and in the event that the toll was not paid, the bill plus fine would be forwarded to the car hire firm, to be debited to me.
As it happens, drivers of foreign registered cars are meant to pay tolls in similar fashion. Some hope! How they are supposed to learn about the system is another matter altogether as there are no booths at on & off ramps and it’s only the overhead gantries that suggest that traffic is being monitored.
MAKE WITH THE BISCUITS
Also Thursday we called on Olive where I was able to extract a damaged plastic rocker from a broken light switch in her hall and exchange it with the rocker from a new unit. The hard bit was easing the rockers out without cracking the plastic casing. How pleasing it was to see the light go on again! That was the cleverest thing I did the whole week.
PUPS AFTER THE WALK
Another clever thing I did was to order Mark Forsyth’s Etymologicon from Amazon, whose UK deliveries are free. Jonesy brought it back from London. It’s a real treat for anyone who delights in the oddities and origins of the English language. Who would have guessed that avocado derives from the Aztec word for a testicle or partridge from the Greek for passing wind? I put the Etymologicon down on top of my German grammar book each night before I switch off the light, promising myself that I’ll come back to it in due course – when I’m feeling stronger.
My last clever thing was to phone up the Euromillions helpline to discover how to place bets for several successive weeks. A patient and helpful operator talked me through the process. It’s possible to place a bet for up to 12 weeks. Then all one has to do is sit back and wait for the money to roll in. Regrettably, that won’t be tonight as a glance at the Euromillions website shows that we lost our money yet again.
Rather more worryingly, the TV news informs us that 9 nations in the Eurozone have had their credit ratings downgraded – in Portugal’s case to junk status. That is not good news. In fact it’s somewhat alarming. Sympathetic readers eager to make supportive sterling, rand or dollar donations – even better, the Chinese yuan - can be assured of the utmost discretion.
ALMOND TREE IN BLOOM
Wednesday Natasha, Slavic and I set about a huge clear-up of the mountains of cuttings that I’d been piling up in the park. The day was perfect, with hardly a breath of wind to disturb the smoke arising from the flames. The days before and since have been equally perfect, much to Jones’s discomfiture. The first thing she wants to know in the morning, when she brings in toast and coffee, is whether there’s any sign of rain. I check the 10-day forecast on my smart phone. We’ve been promised showers several times but they’re always due the day after tomorrow.
BJ IN LONDON
Let me skip over Tuesday and Monday since my memory doesn’t extend that far, except to the usual English classes and widow duty. Sunday evening was when Jones came back from the UK. I met her at the airport and took her to a toasted sandwich supper at the Coral before bringing her home to the spotless house that Natasha had spent the whole day cleaning in anticipation. Unfortunately, the results don’t last very long but that’s life. Or, more accurately, that’s six dogs.
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