10th March
Absolutely boiling hot day.
Tomorrow is Saturday and a friend, who I used to work for some years ago, is coming out to stay for a couple of days. Also a Yacht Surveyor friend is threatening to bring his Westerly Falcon up the Guardiana to visit us. So it looks like we will have a little party tomorrow night. But that means another drive down to the supermarket. So down to Castro Marim with dogs and look for parking place in the shade.
We have agreed we will cook something we recognise! But won't be chicken, as JC hates chicken. The problem is that all the other joints of other animals are not similar to those in England. However, I do recognise a leg of lamb. It is very expensive and our lovely engilsh speaking butcher is doing another job in the cold room. With a bit of Ponglais we agree with the butcher that he will cut a bit off. Oops that is too much, could we have that other bit there then. Yep, now got a whole leg in 2 halves. That's more than enough.
As we walk towards the wine area, I hear an English voice which I seem to recognise. It is the couple we met at Fabrica who have a house near here. Hello! Get chatting and after a while they invite us back to their house if we don't have anything else to do. I explain that provided we can get the fridge fired up and the lamb in it, we would love to come.
We duly follow them slowly out of Castro Marim and out onto a well made up narrow road. Up hill down dale, we are really out in the country now. We arrive at their house in a tiny village near Beliche of 5 properties. Theirs is actually 2 small houses. One houses the sitting room, bathroom and kitchen. It is tiny, and the other has a double bedroom with a smaller bedroom behind it. We are now on name terms, and Mike and Eve have put their own water tank system in and their own modern cesspit.
The views out here are amazing and whilst the houses are great, living here in this way permanently would not be my cup of tea. It is just too isolated long term. But they brought up their 2 children here and have carried out much of the building works themselves. Respect!
We have a welcome beer and sandwich whilst Mike tries to explain where we are and how to get back to the main road. It is finally agreed they will take us half way as they are going to the river to let Digby, their pointer/lab cross, a swim and ours could do with one too.
Leaving the river with 2 x soggy dogs we realise we now have 7 for dinner tomorrow night having just invited Mike and Eve. Ah, do we have enough lamb? There is a market at Alcoutim on Saturday mornings. I have no idea what happens there but I shall go along and see what I can get to add to the evening's menu.
Out to supper at O Camane in the square here. Disappointing. JC's steak was of Ugg boot consistency and my squid in breadcrumbs was rather tasteless.
Absolutely boiling hot day.
Tomorrow is Saturday and a friend, who I used to work for some years ago, is coming out to stay for a couple of days. Also a Yacht Surveyor friend is threatening to bring his Westerly Falcon up the Guardiana to visit us. So it looks like we will have a little party tomorrow night. But that means another drive down to the supermarket. So down to Castro Marim with dogs and look for parking place in the shade.
We have agreed we will cook something we recognise! But won't be chicken, as JC hates chicken. The problem is that all the other joints of other animals are not similar to those in England. However, I do recognise a leg of lamb. It is very expensive and our lovely engilsh speaking butcher is doing another job in the cold room. With a bit of Ponglais we agree with the butcher that he will cut a bit off. Oops that is too much, could we have that other bit there then. Yep, now got a whole leg in 2 halves. That's more than enough.
As we walk towards the wine area, I hear an English voice which I seem to recognise. It is the couple we met at Fabrica who have a house near here. Hello! Get chatting and after a while they invite us back to their house if we don't have anything else to do. I explain that provided we can get the fridge fired up and the lamb in it, we would love to come.
We duly follow them slowly out of Castro Marim and out onto a well made up narrow road. Up hill down dale, we are really out in the country now. We arrive at their house in a tiny village near Beliche of 5 properties. Theirs is actually 2 small houses. One houses the sitting room, bathroom and kitchen. It is tiny, and the other has a double bedroom with a smaller bedroom behind it. We are now on name terms, and Mike and Eve have put their own water tank system in and their own modern cesspit.
The views out here are amazing and whilst the houses are great, living here in this way permanently would not be my cup of tea. It is just too isolated long term. But they brought up their 2 children here and have carried out much of the building works themselves. Respect!
We have a welcome beer and sandwich whilst Mike tries to explain where we are and how to get back to the main road. It is finally agreed they will take us half way as they are going to the river to let Digby, their pointer/lab cross, a swim and ours could do with one too.
Leaving the river with 2 x soggy dogs we realise we now have 7 for dinner tomorrow night having just invited Mike and Eve. Ah, do we have enough lamb? There is a market at Alcoutim on Saturday mornings. I have no idea what happens there but I shall go along and see what I can get to add to the evening's menu.
Out to supper at O Camane in the square here. Disappointing. JC's steak was of Ugg boot consistency and my squid in breadcrumbs was rather tasteless.
No comments:
Post a Comment