Wild fires....

Northern and Central Portugal have been struggling to deal with numerous wildfires the last three days and smoke has been visible all day here... this photo was taken at about 20:30 this evening from the roof.... I can smell it but it is several km away ..... now it is dark the sky is glowing orange... blimey. I do pray nobody gets hurt.

2 hours ago a helicopter flew over us carring a huge 'bucket' of water scooped from the dam... weirdly it looked like a bucket of smoke.... !

I had a look on the online news and there is an article posted 9 hours ago saying that Italy have lent Portugal two water bomber planes and Spain have already sent aircraft - to assist the authorities in containing the fires.

Hopefully it will be out tomorrow and the blue skys will return...

Along with my boys ;O)

I am praying that they are feeling better having taken travelsickness tablets for the return ferry as they were hugging toilets on the way there..... oh blimey we have had a power cut and my fridge sounds like it is about to take off now it has come back on...... aaRgH.

I'm outta here......... !!

melTiNg........

I have been busy melting today.. and have jumped into two different pools with my clothes on - the first whilst fully clothed, much to Sienna's amusement!. It was 39 degrees earlier and is currently 35. Pretty warm for 9pm.... I guess it will take a bit of getting used to. I spoke with Lee earlier who told me it was raining in Bampton. I closed my eyes and thought how good cool raindrops would feel... I think I would have been so excited I could have done a rain dance in the garden in my pants ! and that would have been a shocking sight for the locals!! Poor Armandio already thinks I have lost the plot having seen me talking to my computer the other night -(Skype), - he almost drove his tractor into the wall..! Still, I never imagined I would wish for rain !!

Well Lee and Tashan have been gone 2 weeks tomorrow - they return to Spain with a trailer of our gear on Thursday and I cannot wait to see them.. and Heinz baked beans...and oxo cubes...

I have had a good chill out with Sienna .. making things, painting, park, pools, etc but I look forward to us all being back together again. I have been very lucky in having such fantastic neighbours to share lunch / dinner with - go shopping with etc as with no driving licence I would have been a bit stuck...

I had an email from our Architect, this morning to say that he has finished the drawings of our house... I am really looking forward to seeing them, impatient as ever to get started with the rebuild..

The pup above is one of three who are living in a drain up the road from us. Nobody seems to own his Mother. Maria tells me there were 10 pups to begin with but the others have died. Maria coaxed this little guy out of the drain with chocolate biscuits and brought him down to our house where he had a well needed bath and Spag Bol for dinner.... I almost caved in as he is so affectionate and sweet but resisted the temptation (and begging from Maria) and took him home. There are so many dogs and cats here - sometimes at night it is like being near Battersea dogs home as the howls travel from village to village.. then the peacock kicks off and I wish I had an air rifle...!

I spotted the butterfly this morning on the gorgeous tree over our entrance... so beautiful... I really do love butterflies - they remind me of happy times as a child.

I am reliably informed that it is set to get hotter the next few days with the temperature peaking on Sunday.... so I plan to check out a new beach... maybe Mira or back to Tocha. I want to make sure I am near cold water either way... what a bummer my legs are looking like pepperoni pizza thanks to my many mosquito friends....

hey ho.... ;O)

Coimbra..

Sienna and I spent the day with Caroline and Evie on Thursday and Caroline showed us around parts of the old City..... Previously every trip I have made to Coimbra has been for Bowling/Mondego Retail

Park/Forum etc.... and I now really regret not exploring before..... I cannot wait to show Lee and Tashan around when they come home.... ! It is stunning. I loved the cobbled streets and mix of elegant / shabby chic townhouses , restaraunts and shops...

The archway above is the old entrance to the City... We had a meal in a rustic little place tucked away down an alley that I will struggle to ever find again... ! I look forward to checking out the Italian place on the riverside which Ade and Caroline have recomended... That is Evie above helping me finish off my expresso !

Sienna did her young Mum impression pushing Evie along whilst wearing a tiara she persuaded me to buy her.... I cant wait to go back....

Vimieiro river beach...

This photo does the place no justice at all... I spent the day here last Sunday with Ade, Caroline, Evie, Marcus Mickaella, Luca, Elsie and M&Ms buddy Grant. This picture was taken from the shaded bank where there is a long row of picnic benches, several BBQ's and a restaraunt. Most people seemed to have brought or were cooking their own food ..like us... There were families and couples and guys playing dominoes....

Either side of the picnic benches are tall trees in a row either side.... someone had a plan many years ago and it it lovely. So this is my Portuguese Tarr steps... (my favorite place in the UK on Exmoor). you can walk across the shallow water on the bridge and swim.. this is fed from the River Mondego.... so it is chilled!

I would have got some better shots but it was not safe to carry my camera whilst drinking Cerveja and plotting water fights... so next time...... !

Childrens Park, Travanca Do Mondego.

So this is the Park at Travanca Do Mondego, small but beautifully formed ! It has a play area with swings , slide etc... a toilet block, drinking water fountains, basketball net, running water, BBQ area with sinks for washing up ! and a ton of shaded seating under the olive trees. I think it is less than a year old.....

It is a great space.

The back of the Burstner..... !

Well this was the Boys leaving us on Wednesday to return the Burstner back to the UK and sell it.... they got the ferry from Santander (7 hour drive from our place) to Plymouth. So me and Sienna are home alone in Portugal. At the moment it is fine - I was not sure how I would feel without Lee here as I am a bit stranded (I don't drive), so far it has been relaxing.. it is good spending one on one time with Sienna who is a bit of a Daddy's girl ! Hopefully the boys will be back before long.

A moment after this photograph was taken Sienna made a new friend.. Maria, Fernando's Granddaughter. We have spent hours at the park with her the past two days and she has been great company for Sienna - even though she is 11 ! She is a great kid, full of confidence and very practical. She is fluent in both French and Portuguese and has put me to shame ! I have been trying very hard to communicate with her and she has been very patient with me ! That is Maria above with Sienna ... she is holding her kitten that was born that morning.... or "baby cat" as she calls it ! Cute. We popped into the Cafe in Travanca Do Mondego for drinks and ice cream after leaving the park. i had a well earned beer after having been run ragged by these two playing 'it' !

THS PROM 2010.

Ok so here are a couple of my favourite photo's from the Tiverton High School Prom 2010..... What a gorgeous year group...!!!!! So good to see these guys dressed up and looking / behaving like young adults.... ! At times in the past I could have happily throttled a select few Rodney's (and Rodnetta's) mind you....
These guys were at the end of year 8 when I arrived at THS and are now waiting for their exam results... ! I wish all of them lots of luck, laughter and good fortune for the future. x
A trio of characters here...... ! x
Mr Lovett the Headmaster.... a real gent with a fab sense of humour....
I love this picture ! these guys are in the zone !

So glad I made it there to see them all.... the night seemed to fly past and i regretted that I had not had a catch up with so many people..... Perhaps I should have had a couple less glasses of vinho..... hmmm . Probably I suspect. But then that's just me I guess..... with my two left feet and all. Oh dear... ;O)

UK Visit....

Vicky if you are reading...... these gravestone pictures are for you really as I know you would have had a good giggle with Sophie and I...... I had a relaxing week back in Bampton at Sophie and Marlons and really loved spending quality time with them - I talked the ears off of poor Soph who got the very occasional word in - fantastic food and great company. I missed Lee but really loved having space away from the kids - It has been an intense year for us all with very little space away from each other , so it was great to have time to think and collect my thoughts and just be on my own at times ... loved it. This is an odd collection of photo's - but here go's - The platform was at the station in Coimbra - Tashan and I were surprised to see that instead of a bridge you crossed straight over the track ! The two graveyard pics were taken at my Grandparents grave in Bampton which I went to clean the day before I returned home to Portugal... Sophie came up with me - I love this one of her digging over the grave with Ralph (the dog ) eagerly looking on... hoping for a bone perhaps ?! Christ ! what did we look like ! (we were trying to plant some flowers). Anyhow, we got there eventually and it felt good to be there.

This is Tashan with baby Erin at lunch at the Hartnol. She is such a cutie.. The Hartnol holds lots of memories for me as I went there with my Dad so often as a child before he passed away.- I also made a complete cock of myself there a few years ago getting my high heel stuck in a grate whilst at a work function - in front of a bunch of new colleagues. I eventually had to unstrap my shoe and yank it out...!. Brilliant. I do so love looking like a total Rodney.... Thankfully the place has now been renovated beautifully so I am now safe - the grate is gone.
Well it was great to come home and to realise that Portugal now feels like and is home to me. AND It is so great being all loved up with your bloke again when you have missed each other too..... I must go away more often !!!!! I just need a small capsule of loved ones here to make my life totally perfect and complete. (You know who you are) and I love you. For now however I am very aware of how lucky I am to have what I have in my life.

The reason for my visit - Tiverton High School Prom ... and pictures will follow......