Thursday pm: One of the mysteries of life is that one can occupy oneself busily for days on end and yet remember little of exactly how. It's got so bad that even recalling what happened yesterday is often a struggle. The sheer effort can be exhausting.
Here, a bit like the parishioner who fiercely protested to fellow worshippers that he'd been praying not snoozing, I can be seen trying to recall events for the blog.
Happily, some of them have come to mind. My farmer neighbour, Armenio, and I have been working on his little gallery and museum. Yesterday - that's to say Wednesday afternoon - I joined him there to attach the little Portuguese flag to the wall as a passerby attention-getter. I had already stencilled the exhibition's name on the wall and added his mobile phone number. (Regrettably I didn't have a stencil for the digits!)
Together, we also attached to the otherwise bare interior walls three photos that I had taken of our recent visit there. To his delight, the sign has already attracted the attention of the passing tourist jeeps and brought him several visitors - people who warmly and deservedly complimented his efforts - as his visitor's book attests. I translated for him the English and Dutch comments it bears.
And this was the brimming bucket of newly-picked fava beans that we found this morning alongside our gate by way of thanks. Jones and I both love fava beans. We have cultivated a few of our own but they still wait in the lower field to be picked, all but invisible among the weeds that surround them.
What we have done is to turn our minds to the garden, in this instance to the ivy that is steadily making its way up the tree. You will have to overlook the elderly sagging joggers. The tie-cord has slipped and the elastic is giving way. While Jones is particular about which pictures of her I put up on the blog, I'm for warts and all. What you see is what you get.
The dogs love it when we set about the garden. They follow us around and take a keen interest in our activities. Here's Bobby perched on an ivy cushion atop an adjacent rock, the better to keep an eye on things.
Bobby loves a little attention. In fact, he loves a lot of attention. So, for that matter do most of the others and we're hard pressed to keep up with their emotional needs, never mind nutritional and recreational requirements.
ASSISTING ONO UP THE STEPS
In particular, Ono - now in his 18th year - is suddenly finding the steps on our walks beyond his abilities. He is lame, he struggles to get up from his basket and he tends to fall over in the garden when he goes to take a pee, leaving himself helpless. He is also very restless at night. So, he's a lot of work both physically and emotionally.
16.26 Interruption there as an expat neighbour phones to alert me to a fire in the valley between us and Alte. He speaks truly. The flames are clearly visible from our balcony 2kms away. Jones struggles to focus the camera while I alert the fire service.
We reckon it was 15 minutes before the Loule-based helicopter clattered low overhead. It disappeared over the far hills to take on water and returned minutes later to douse the flames - releasing a momentary waterfall from its scoop. It was a photographer's dream shot but much to our disappointment the camera wouldn't play ball.
Here you see Jimmy and Celine, a visiting French Canadian couple to whom Barbara has chatted each evening on her waifs and strays' run, giving them ideas about what best to see. I met the couple briefly at the Hamburgo last night before their return to Quebec today. They say they'll be interested to follow the blog. It shouldn't do them any harm.
WALKIES!
Somewhere during the week I had another cardiac test and was reassured to hear that my heart was still beating satisfactorily. We visited the notary to sign over the title of a property that we sold to a neighbour, who has paid it off in installments. I taught an English lesson on Portugals's Golden Visa system, which is allegedly catering to a lot of dubious millionaires. And Slavic and I did a lot of strimming. There's a lot more strimming to follow tomorrow.
Sufficient unto the week!
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