Last Friday we drove an hour east to the coastal village of Cabanas where our friends, Mike and Liz, are settling into a mobile home. Their new residence is situated at the top of an extensive and sophisticated campsite alongside a number of other homes. The layout of the site is impressive - colourful borders, spacious avenues and ample facilities. These include a shop and restaurant on site, generous washrooms, a cooking area and a large pool.
The site caters for campers of every description - ranging from permanent mobile homes through coaches, vans and caravans to tents. There are also wooden cabins to let. About half the bays were full - with vehicles from across much of Europe. Their occupants either relaxed under their awnings or worked on their tans in the sun, unconcerned about passers-by.
Saturday morning brought intermittent sun and showers and a trip to town. I'd already called Slavic off. We found parking right outside the coffee shop around the corner from Loule Hospital. The duty nurse said he'd remove only half the stitches from my back as bending over might otherwise cause the wound to reopen. On the way home we stopped at an animal food wholesaler to top up our dog biscuit supplies. With 8 dogs to feed, 18kg sacks don't last very long.
TREE ON THE HAMBURGO PATIO
Sunday, as we were sitting down to brunch at the Hamburgo, the GNR Environment Police arrived on the scene. They were clearly intent on noting overgrown plots along the main road that required clearing under the new fire regulations.
Desirous of of learning exactly what was required, I joined locals who were chatting to them and popped a couple of questions. No problem, said the police, we'll visit your house to see what's necessary. It wasn't what I'd anticipated (don't Say it!). Jones was not pleased.
YELLOW BEE ORCHIDS BY BJ
Monday I had the last of my stitches removed and my English class discussed the new fire regulations. Ignacio said the town council had issued him with a notice to clear a bushy plot of his by the mid-May deadline but that he was struggling to find workers. The fines for failure to comply are stiff. From the university secretary I was saddened to learn of the death from cancer of one of my longstanding pupils, Canadas, a really nice guy.
Ono and Prickles came with us to town. Ono, burdened by advancing dementia and extreme old age, is gradually receding into his own private world (although he still staggers around the walks each day). His travelling companion, Prickles, has somehow hurt a leg. Although we can find no evidence of an injury, the dog has adopted a severe limp and whimpers at the bottom of the stairs. (We carry him up.) Puzzling!
Tuesday dawned wet and windy and stayed that way for most of the day. The beasts settled down around the fire. Although the rain was gentle, the wind was anything but. Powerful gusts thrashed the branches of the trees and battered the glass doors. We took the opportunity to pack up movie DVDs and books gathering dust for delivery to folks at a retirement complex.
Towards the end of the afternoon as the dogs grew restless, we decided to brave the elements. I donned an additional jacket. Jones took an old golf umbrella to keep the showers at bay. In the circumstances, it wasn't the wisest choice. She got blown around like a yacht in a gale. Note the wind catching Bobby's ear in the picture below. And that's Jones trying to keep her balance.
Wednesday the sun returned. I took my first shower in a fortnight. Then we set out to deliver the DVDs and books to the retirement complex at Monte Palhagueira. The nursing home there has a DVD player in the lounge where the "seriously" old folk spend much of their time; the cottage residents run a weekly book-exchange. I hope the items will prove of some use. We hated the idea of merely dumping books in the recycling bin, even though many of them are just paperback pass-ons.
Thursday dawned dull and wet. The dogs hardly stirred. It was a change to enjoy a sleep-in for once instead of being dragged out around the hills. The morning news was even more depressing than usual. Missiles to be delivered by tweet. What a mess the world is in!
BENAFIM FUNERAL CORTEGE STRAGGLE
Mid-morning the drizzle gave way to torrential rain, delivered in squalls. Even so, we had a couple of overdue letters to post in Benafim. There, in monsoon conditions, we came across the dregs of a funeral cortege. The poor bedraggled mourners staggered back to their cars, clutching brollies seemingly infested by demons.
I reckon the only dry body in the place was the one in the coffin. Streams of muddy water poured down the road. We made damp dashes into the parish office and the supermarket before deciding that it wasn't worth stopping for coffee.
In the valley the vineyards were collecting water in neat parallel rows. At home the rain gauge declared that we'd had all of an inch in a couple of hours. The media report that the country's dams, which were severely depleted at the end of February, are now filling nicely. That's reason for a little cheer! Time to get on with sorting the books!
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