Letter from Espargal: 5 September 2014

The end of August brings with it a certain relief each year, the relief of knowing that we have survived another sweaty, itchy summer and can look forward to autumn's mildness.

Summer, however, like an unwelcome guest, is staying on. Although the ornithogalums, autumn's harbinger, are popping up in the park, the season itself is not yet in sight.

Sunday evening - evenings are the best time of day - we joined friends at the Hamburgo for an alfresco meal. Cathy has got to know most of them over the years and we always sit down for a catch-up. I was nursing the middle finger of my right hand, which was twingeing with arthritis.

This happens occasionally, generally in reaction to an unsympathetic bottle of wine. As I couldn't pin down the culprit, I thought it wise to stick to beer. Cathy thought so too, having previously experienced the same reaction even though she hardly touches the stuff.

I should add that Cathy was growing concerned about Rolf, who was tramping alone through the remote bogs of Scotland - his idea of fun. She knew that the weather hadn't been kind to him.

More seriously, the tracking device he uses to relay his position to her by satellite wasn't showing any sign of his progress. Nor was there any cellphone coverage. She'd had no contact with him since arriving here.

While reassuring ourselves that some technical problem had arisen, we started to wonder if all was well.

Monday wasn't a great day. To begin with, Ono deposited a large, very messy poo right in the middle of one of Alte's prettier cobbled roads. Nobody seemed to notice. To do one's civic duty or not to do?

After a moment's hesitation I made my way to the nearby Chinese shop where I bought a large roll of kitchen paper and cleaned up the gooey pile, much to the approval of my wife and sister. Yuck!

Jones wasn't madly sympathetic. She'd had to do the same thing in Loule a few days earlier, without recourse to a handy Chinese shop.

Next - the real estate agents who had found Natasha the perfect apartment sent us an urgent email. The owner had informed them that a third party had made a higher offer.

Unless we met it we could kiss the deal goodbye. I hastened into Loule to talk to the agents.

They, it emerged, knew nothing of the new buyer. In short, we lost out. I informed our lawyer, who had already prepared most of the paperwork. I was very disappointed. So was Natasha.

The good news came from Rolf, who had arrived at a B&B after several days' hard trek through the Scottish wilderness. He had no idea that his tracking device had been playing up.

Because it's his protection in case of accident - designed to send out an emergency signal with his co-ordinates - he thought it better to cut his solitary hike short and get it sorted out.

Tuesday morning he caught a bus back to Glasgow while Cathy booked him a ticket for an early flight to Berlin the following day.

Wednesday Cathy came into town with us, both to get her (copious) hair washed and dried by Fatima and to help entertain May.

As I was backing out of May's drive-way while declaiming knowledgeably on one or other topic, the car's rear fender kissed a pole that wasn't there, greatly to my irritation. Touch-up paint has disguised the evidence but done nothing for the bruises on my soul.

In-between times I fetched a parcel from a courier pick-up point nearby. It contains a "receptor" for the bedroom, to bring an end to our daily buffering and audio synch irritations. I have yet to acquire a small compatible speaker.

Still on a tech theme, I have invested in four motion-activated solar-lamps that I'm erecting at various points of the property where we tend to fall over ourselves on dark nights. They are adjustable for sensitivity, light and duration. So far so good!

Wednesday evening I met Natasha at estate agents in Loule to view three apartments. Each had something to recommend it and something lacking.

At least we are getting a better idea of what's available and at what price. How we rue the loss of the ideal apartment early in the week!

Thursday: The weather is a mite cooler. There are even showers forecast for next week. Roll on!

After walks, watering and carobs, we drove to the big shopping centre at Guia. While Jones and Cathy did their thing, I made my way to FNAC to seek suitable speakers.

A helpful and clued-up fellow guided me to the speaker section and indicated what was and wasn't compatible with my receptor.

Afterwards we headed for Praia da Coelha (Beach of the [doe] Rabbit). During my stint in South Africa, Jones had lunched there with neighbours at a super restaurant.

But she hadn't noted exactly how to get there. For try as we might - and we sure tried - we couldn't find the right road. Nor were we the only ones.

Following several attempts, much reversing and some inquiring, we came home via a less elusive country restaurant.

After a snooze I set up the receptor & speakers in the bedroom. The system works well, coming off the digibox even when the TV set is turned off. Hooray! No more buffering!

Cathy has been chatting to Rolf who is back in Berlin and considering his options.

After working much of the day on his satellite tracker, he reckons that he has resolved the software problem that was bugging it. Certainly, Cathy is able to track his movements once again.