Jones applauds such compositions on principle, if only to compliment the players; I refuse point blank to endorse such stuff for fear of encouraging more. However, these reflections are by the by.
For what made the evening regrettably memorable was the devastation we encountered on the back patio on our return. Our doggies had dismantled two of Jones's favourite cushions. What a mess!
The patio looked as though a flock of geese had exploded inside a sponge-rubber store. Both cushions had been ripped beyond even a Jones repair. A third cushion, victim of an earlier assault has been lovingly restored, despite the gaping holes in its cover.
An old, though still perfectly wearable, Jones shoe also underwent a little canine re-modelling during the week. One leaves things lying around at one's peril.
The only issues close to Portuguese hearts right now are weather, football and the economy - mainly the economy. Come to think of it, they're the only issues that are ever close to Portuguese hearts - well, maybe apart from family and a good meal.
Monday evening we joined the locals at the Hamburgo to celebrate the restaurant's reopening. Manuel has spent the past two months in Germany - where he used to live - because it doesn't pay him to open over the depths of the Portuguese winter when so few visitors are around. The lamb and chicken dish that his wife and cook, Graca, prepared for us in advance was as good as ever. So was the wine. It's a relief to have the Hamburgo open once again. For its combination of price, quality, service and location, it's unbeatable.
The technician, a perfectly pleasant and credible fellow, explained that the company which supplied the digibox also supplied a software key to decrypt the signal. When the encryption was changed, the company would obtain the code and put the new key on the internet, to be downloaded on to a USB drive and plugged into the digibox. He urged me to stay to see the quality of the picture for myself. I declined as I didn't doubt it; the question mark is simply over the dependability of the hackers!
On Wednesday morning we left the house and animals to Natasha, taking the opportunity to run a load of dog-food out to the rescue-kennel we support on the far side of Loule. Our arrival is greeted as enthusiastically by the residents as by Marisa and her assistants. I have the greatest admiration for the latter. Truly, they perform a labour of love - 365 days a year. We helped them to unload the boot, offering titbits to dogs from the adjacent sanctuary that popped around to try to their luck. Marisa's kennels are on one side of the fence, Jan's (an English woman) on the other.
In the afternoon I presented myself for a long-overdue dentist's appointment, aware that morsels of food forever getting trapped between a couple of lower molars boded ill. I was right. Two-and-a-half hours later I emerged from the surgery with three temporary crowns - a great deal poorer.
Jones, who'd left her mobile phone at home (not for the first time) was pacing the courtyard, fearful that I'd died of a heart attack but reluctant to confirm her suspicions . She didn't have to worry. The tears in my eyes were not provoked by my sufferings. Paulo the dentist, a Brazilian, is both high-tech and excellent; he's backed up by a technician who works in the next room on rapid prostheses.
After a few minutes' experimentation, we had it up and running. It works brilliantly - both for radio and TV. To view the BBC's domestic channels, I first have to activate the Virtual Private Network - which locates us in the UK and thus entitles us to view such programming.
I felt quite pleased with myself. (Even) Jones was impressed.
At the same time, Llewellyn, has been testing out an Apple TV (box of tricks) on our behalf in London. It's a bit trickier to set up but should enable us to link our tablets wirelessly to the TV rather than by cable. The device is now in the post. Assuming that it works, we'll keep the cable as a back-up should we run into trouble.
What we have yet to ascertain is whether all the audio and video streaming we are now doing is going to impact on our internet costs. I guess something has to give.
I wondered whether anyone would have been any the wiser if I'd kept it. It occurred to me that the real buyer would be most unhappy to receive mine. Whatever the case, I contacted the suppliers by email to point out their mistake. They came back, apologising for a warehouse error for which the culprits had been "reprimanded". They say it's the first time such a slip has occurred and they're trying to work out how to get the right devices to the right buyers. I hope they sort it out soon.
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