Letter from Espargal: 30 November 2013

Jones is the early riser in the family. I am generally still fast asleep when she arrives at my bedside with coffee and a slice of toast at 07.30. After consuming these, I settle back with the iPad to check emails and weather. Most days Jones wants to know whether there is any sign of rain. Most days there isn't. Today's ten-day forecast pictures ten little suns. We don't complain. Our sunny days and cool nights would be the envy of most of you - and the wood-stove is a joy.

Last Sunday the Espargal expats gathered at the local in Benafim, the Hamburgo, for lunch. The Hamburgo - for those not acquainted with it - is the town's only real restaurant,

FILE PICTURE OF EXPATS AT THE HAMBURGO

as opposed to the cafes and snack-bars that serve just cakes and toasted sandwiches. Manuel looks after the tables and Graca runs the kitchen, with a little help from family members at busy times.

Like most such enterprises, the Hamburgo has been hit by the "crise" - both an increase in VAT and a decrease in custom, especially in the off-season.

By November Manuel finds that it's barely worth opening the doors. So the restaurant has now closed for two months.

Monday, as usual, was May-day. Jonesy always phones before we leave home to confirm that we're coming round middayish to take her to lunch. This time we got no response - a bit worrying. We arrived to find May in poor shape. She's been struggling since she slipped and fell on a wet floor a few weeks ago, aggravating an old hip injury. On Monday it was giving her a lot of grief; she wasn't getting up from her chair to answer the phone in the kitchen. And the mobile phone we'd provided for emergencies wasn't working.

FIRST LEMONS OF THE SEASON

We've tried to persuade May to seek medical attention but she refuses point blank to do so. She has a horror of being put into hospital. I left Barbara to tend to her while I slipped into town to get her some pain killers and to copy her front door key so that we could let ourselves in if necessary. For once May opted not to come to lunch. Jonesy did some shopping for her while I was busy with my English lessons.

We called in on her again on Tuesday - continuing on to Vodafone in Faro with the dead mobile phone - it's revived!

THE ROSES HAVE LINGERED FOR WEEKS

At the same time we were able to meet up with Felismina, the legal assistant who has been sorting out our mega-complicated property situation. All the documents have now been updated and put in order with the exception of Casa Nada, the old house on our property.

On Wednesday we took the repaired phone around to May, attached a piece of paper with our numbers to it. We spent some time showing her how to use it - not entirely profitably. Barbara subsequently called the phone several times to ensure that May had it with her and knew at least how to answer it.

It struck me during the day that Prickles (aka The Little Shit)was rather below par. He had to be persuaded to come with us in the car, which is extraordinary. In the evening he showed little interest in food and squeaked loudly if touched. We debated whether to take him to the vet. "No," said Jones, who couldn't bear the idea that he might be kept in overnight. If he were going to die, better that he do so at home. So we wrapped him up in front of the fire and put on an extra log before we went to bed, resolved to take him in first thing the next morning.

Whatever the malady, by Thursday morning it was gone. Prickles was back on form, begging for biscuits, barking at the prospect of a walk, eyes bright, tail in its customary curl. Much relief, as you can imagine. He can be the most irritating little dog and often is but we still love him - maybe because life would be so dull without him.

Thursday's chore was to paint our initials on to the marker stones that we had placed around the borders of our property and painted white (with a lot of assistance from Slavic). First task was to buy a can of spray paint. I then prepared a stencil that Jones held in place while I sprayed on my initials. The next job is to go back to the parish offices with the updated documents obtained by Felismina to register our (nine) properties.

Finally, here's Jonesy's new display cabinet semi-stocked with some of her collection of knick-knacks. We're very pleased with it.