BOTTOM OF THE DRIVE
The week has not lacked interest. Last Thursday afternoon, for instance, as I was about to set out for a medical appointment, we noticed that Dearheart the cat was showing an unusual interest in the towel rack in the bathroom.
Shooing her out, we peered behind the rack to discover a wee mouse. As time was short, we closed the door and blocked off the bottom pending my return. When we opened it again a couple of hours later, the mouse had vanished. We had no idea where it had gone although we didn't doubt that it wasn't very far.
ANOTHER WET KISS
Friday evening, as we supped, the mouse dropped down from the study mezzanine, landed on the floor beside us and shot under the couch. The dogs looked on with interest as I opened the adjacent patio door and stood by with a broom to sweep the mouse out. Next we pulled back the couch to expose the beastie. At the same moment, Squinty leapt in from the sidelines, seized the squealing rodent and took it off to brexit. Jones was not pleased. She's not into blood sports.
Speaking of rodents, this pair are now regular and relaxed feeders at the bird feeder. It's hard to know how much they leave for the birds. I start to wonder whether to add two rats to the Valapena animal register.
Jones, who is more concerned about the birds, says it's time to make a plan. We might have to go for one of those squirrel-proof contraptions that one finds in the UK. In the meantime I have placed the feeding dish on top of an upturned ceramic pot. To capture any developments I set up the camera on a chair in the lounge.
At one point I spotted a rat climbing the trunk but it turned around and descended again before reaching the top. I can only think that the new arrangement has aroused ratty suspicions. Indeed, even the birds seem to be treating it with care.
Saturday I worked with Slavic securing and building up the rock walls around the perimeter of the pool area. First we raided a rocky terrain on the fringe of the village - with the owner's blessing. Happily, this part of the Algarve is not short of rocks and carob farmers are only too pleased to have them removed from their land.
A second task was to surface some of the stone steps in the park with concrete in order to provide secure footing, especially in the wet. Ascending is easy enough; it's going down in muddy shoes that's risky. I've taken too many spills down the years to want any more.
Sunday we found police controlling the main roads into Loule for what was obviously a big cycle race (later discovered to be The Tour of the Algarve). Hold-ups and deviations were the order of the day. The police would wait for a gaggle of cyclists to speed past before waving waiting motorists hurriedly through.
After brunch at Leroy Merlin (to follow up on the pool delivery) I took a circuitous route home with a view to avoiding the cyclists. It was a mistake. We found ourselves on the main race road, ushered over to the verge for 15 minutes while groups of cyclists swept past. The riders comprised a mixture of professionals and obvious amateurs (or maybe just hangers on). Five luxurious, gaily-decorated, double-decker team buses indicated the importance of the occasion.
Before returning home we parked in the Cork Walk beneath Espargal hill and strolled along our old haunts in the valley. As I said to Jones, something's missing. Since the death of Prickles last year, our outings have been dog-free. It's made life a lot easier - especially where summer parking is concerned - but it doesn't feel right.
Leroy Merlin said the pool would be delivered first thing on Monday morning and they were true to their word. I met the deliverers down at the village square and guided them back to the house. The pool emerged in numerous sections that they loaded with some effort on to the back of my tractor.
The dogs watched the operation closely. Percipient readers may notice that Russ (top left) has had his first trim of the season. He's a real sheep of a dog and will need ever closer shaves as summer comes on.
I had earlier asked Jones to take a number of snaps of the occasion. In the bathroom she grabbed her phone, only to see it slip through her fingers and dive into a bucket of water. (Jones's phones have all tended to be somewhat willful.) Although she instantly retrieved the device, it wasn't happy. I left it in the sun for several hours to dry out but with little improvement.
The entire pool now rests on the tractor awaiting installation. On Saturday Slavic will assist me to complete the rocky pool surround. On Sunday he will return with a mate to erect the pool - or that's the plan. It could be interesting.
Monday we visited Vodafone to ask what could be done about the phone's misty screen. "Dry any apertures with a hairdryer," we were advised, "and then bury the phone in a bag of rice for a day or two." We did as we were advised. The rice immersion therapy didn't prove necessary. Five minutes of hot air did the trick.
This is an orchid that Jones discovered with the greatest joy in an overgrown section of her garden. She'd been given the plant some time ago by a neighbour and, after planting it, had lost track of it in the greenery. So you can imagine her delight as she worked in the garden to discover it thriving among the ferns.
Tuesday I had a session with Jodi. Although much improved, my back continues volatile. I often find it more comfortable to sleep in my recliner than in my bed. So does Mini. We have started to call her my personal attachment. Note the TV zappers fastened with cords to the railing to prevent them crashing to the living room floor below.
Wednesday brought Natasha and the usual shopping trips. That evening Jonesy declared - not for the first time - her unhappiness with the stain around the bath plug. It's been there ever since the bath was installed some 15 years ago and nothing has served to remove it - neither product nor person. I ought to say that as far as I'm concerned, it's just a two-tone bath. Jones, however, feels otherwise, especially as it's in the guest bathroom. There are occasions when I know that I have to do something.
CARNIVAL PREPARATIONS LOULE
So Thursday, after some online research, I visited several paint shops in and around Loule, looking for a product that might resolve the problem. Shops 1 and 2 couldn't help me. Shop 3 directed me across the highway to shop 4 which supplied me, at considerable expense, with a dedicated primer and paint. Each came in a double can, the smaller upper section of which has to be mixed with the larger lower section in a ratio of one to four. Now all we have to do is to apply the products to the bath as directed. To be continued....
BLACKBIRD EVENSONG
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