Letter from Espargal: 17 September 2016

This week's blog comes in diary form.

Monday: Have I been complaining about the heat? That must have been some time ago. As happens so often, like a river coming to a waterfall, mid-September seems to tip over into a new season. The day dawned somewhat overcast and cool. It was a lovely feeling. One almost wondered whether it was necessary to go through the morning sun-cream smearing routine.


SEA SQUILL EMERGING

As if to emphasise the point, the first sea squill ornithogalums - autumn's harbingers - have started springing up in the park. Temperatures have fallen about 10*, both inside and out.


ONO & SEA SQUILL FLOWERING

Within a few days the flowers start to open. Soon the park will become a sea of white.

The real news is that the rain promised for Tuesday actually fell - 8.5mm of it. Happily the weather bureau's warnings of accompanying thunder and high winds did not materialise; we caught just the tail-end of the depression that came rolling in across Iberia from the Atlantic. It was our first rain in four months, and so so welcome. With any luck it's put an end to Portugal's wildfire season. It also meant that Jones could take a day off from watering her garden, summer's major chore.


DRIED FIGS, BROUGHT INSIDE TO AVOID THE RAIN

Saturday: Armenio brought us a box of strawberries, enough to feed most of the expat community in Espargal. His family have been growing the fruit this year for sale at the local markets - it would seem with great success.



Earlier: Jones took most of last Friday off - while I looked after the ranch - to join Llewellyn and Lucia on a visit to Alcoutim on Portugal's river border with Spain. Friday was the first day of the town's three-day annual festa although festivities were barely getting underway during their visit. Thank you L&L for your pics.

The view from Alcoutim to Sanlucar across the Guadiana.[/caption]

The threesome took a ferry across the Guadiana to Sanlucar in Spain for lunch. More adventurous souls had the opportunity of returning to Portugal down a long zip-wire that crossed the river. L&L and Barbara decided to stick with the ferry; they could see figures whizzing down the wire as the returned.

Barbara & Lucia waiting on the ferry to Spain.

Sunday: On their last evening the group headed up to the telef to watch the sunset. With them our visitors took a special bottle of alcohol-free champagne that they'd acquired for the occasion (L&L having given up alcoholic drinks some time ago). Half an hour later they returned most impressed by the quality of the champagne and distinctly merry. Little wonder! they'd taken the wrong bottle from the fridge.

Sundowners at the Telef on our last evening.

Monday: saw their early departure for the airport. They returned, as their house sitters had warned them, to a home with two ailing pets. We gathered subsequently that Hazel, the dog, had been diagnosed with a sprained knee; she is already on the mend; Tigger, the cat, who's been in poor health for some time, would appear to be approaching his natural end.

Showing Lucia around the orchard.

Tues: We carobbed under a tree in the field we bought last year, a tree that clearly hadn't been tended in yonks. The branches hung almost to the ground, along with masses of dead wood. I had taken a strimmer to the jungle of prickly weeds beneath the tree, clearing the worst of them but leaving many the thorns in place. Carobs were picked up gingerly. I've been pricked too often.


MARY'S GARDEN

Wednesday: We took ourselves to the spacious Leroy Merlin hardware hypermarket at Guia, returning with a new bench for the patio and a great deal more. I'm a fan of Leroy Merlin. Not only do they have an extensive range of goods and adequate staff on hand to guide one, they also boast an excellent little cafe.


PALLY TAKES THE MORNING SUN

In the evening we caught up with Ken (May's nephew, down from Edinburgh) at JL's, a mid-point snack bar. He's in the process of putting the house on the market. We sat outside as usual because JL's is one of the few places that allows smoking inside. We were wrapped up warm. The temperature had dropped (by almost half) to C18* and the wind was sharp. What a difference a week can make! Mind you, temps are due to climb back into the low 30s by the weekend.


AZURE-WINGED MAGPIES PLUNDERING THE BIRD FEEDER

Thur: An engineer arrived to discuss the installation of more air conditioners in the house. Jones is not keen. But she compromised on the spare room and the study as long as the living room was left unconditioned. The engineer sketched the options and we agreed to visit his showrooms to explore the possibilities.


HERE'S ONE FOR YOU

Then we went to look over the house that Mike and Liz will be renting on the outskirts of Benafim. It's an interesting structure. Some parts of it look much older than others as though each succeeding generation had added a room or two. Should suit them well.


INDEPENDENCE DAY

Lunchtime Quim Quim delivered a metre of sand and ten bags of cement. I still have adequate gravel. My hope is to finish the concrete path around the park over the next two Saturdays, before the arrival of our house sitters on the 29th of this month. Madeira beckons. We have booked a week in Funchal and several days in Porto Moniz.