Week 3 of our new life

Monday started off much cooler today which was a welcome relief, a trip to Faro to purchase new oven etc turned out to be fruitless as cannot seem to find anything that matches, never mind will keep looking.  Douglas received a Fathers Day Card from Katie, well chuffed, Bart Simpson on the front with a big belly, uuumh could certainly see the resemblance. Out for dinner again with Mick and Pauline, went to Chesquira in Loule, Chicken Piri Piri, salad, french fries, couple of drinks and a big slice of walnut cake, 38 euros for 4, cannot complain at that, and it was very good.  Discussed some work to the garden or should I say Forest! with Jaoa pronounced (Jwow) he is going to visit on Saturday to discuss my plans, LOL I dont know where to start was hoping he would give me some inspiration.
Tuesday saw us getting up at 05.00am, going to Lisbon for the day, first class train travel, so easy, saw quite a few lovely sites, Lisboa Port with all the big Cruise ships sitting in the port, wow they are some size, Museu de Cavejere (Museum of Beer) Douglas liked this one, I wonder why!!Portal de Nossa Senhora da Conceica, a fantastic beautiful church being renovated after an earthquake in 1755, the ceiling had a mural which was out of this world, and the entrance was original stonework with an emphasis on angels, flowers  and armillar spheres, also visited La Bastiliere an old bar with original seats paintings etc and I was able to order lunch for us in Portuguese well chuffed.

Interior of A Brasileira

Exterior of A Brasileira

Portal de Nossa Senhora

Note the Beer Glass Museu de Cavejera

Wednesday a quiet day today after the long day yesterday relaxing in the Sun, ready for another busy day tomorrow.
Thursday we have finally ordered our new windows and doors, 6-8 weeks delivery for these, having decided we are now taking one door out and moving the big double doors to the terrace to the right (if you are outside) to the left (if you are inside) and also blocking half a door from the master bedroom and making it into a window, took some measuring and decision making (Douglas is mentally strained now), also went to search out pool covers, not an easy task but interesting.  Swimming is good this week for me 14 lengths of the pool on a daily basis, Douglas has been in today after much deliberation on temperature, how warm do you need the water when it is roasting in the sun!!!, rounded off the day at Luis Do Frangos (Chicken Luis) uummhh delicious chicken and chips in the basket.  Have also booked our flights back to the UK, we arrive in Devon on the 3rd July and then arrive in Scotland for a week on the 24th July, anyone want to meet for lunch etc please let me know as diary is getting filled up already, will be great to catch up with as many as possible.
Friday a very hot day has dawned, off to meet the builder again and finally order the kitchen and appliances, 4 week delivery for this,so much easier with Adrian (our Builder/Project Manager) with us only took us three hours, I lose the will to live shopping in this heat, plus we bought other bits and pieces for the bathrooms, never mind back home for a swim and chill out.  Everything is starting to come together now fingers crossed. Found an Iceland store in Guia today, so popped in for a nosey, came out again as it was All the British things that obviously expats cannot live without, only they charge 3 times the price, I would rather adapt my ways than pay those sort of prices, cannot think of anything worse than frozen ready made meals when there is such an abundance of good local produce around.  It was like a mini Britain, all expats together!!!!  On our way home a wee stop at Cafe Pinto, Ola to the locals, Oh, and today we learned to count up to five in Portuguese.
Saturday another hot day dawning, had to chase up the guy who is meant to be taking our house furniture off our hands, it is like Manana, just happens whenever, now says he will come up on Monday, we will see just over a week to go and need to get it all out before the builder moves in, anyone want 3 settees, 4 single beds, one double bed, a 3 piece wall unit, a kitchen, please let me know all in good condition just not suited to us!! Went for a BBQ at Mick and Paulines tonight, had plenty of Sausages all shapes and sizes and the piece de resistance was Grouper (a big ugly fish) but boy he tasted good, plenty of fish on it anyway. It is so warm the pool was still 23 degrees at 10.00pm, sitting on the terrace for the last evening drink, just knowing the portable air conditioning will need to go on tonight this has been a godsend by the way, Douglas still has to cosy up in the 4.5 tog quilt (funny never knew you could buy such a thin quilt before), the learning curve is just never ending.

Grouper the poor wee fish

Joao came to see the garden today, he was not put off!! uuumh its big and quite a mess, this is an understatement, nothing has had any water either as irrigation not working, Joao tested it and yes we need a new system, no surprise there then, we do have fruit trees but again they will need nurtured, so Joao is going to start on the garden at the beginning of August and he is also going to clean the pool on a weekly basis, good thing about the pool is the filter etc are all in good working order, silently I thanked god for that.
Sunday came and went in an 82 degree haze, I have felt so lethargic today, managed to clean the house and that was it, Douglas very much the same he managed 12 lengths of the pool, I have completed my week of 14 lengths each day so next week up to 16, I can do that!!!  So the end of week 3, feel very settled here already but know there is a long way to go, but it is all coming together.  Will leave you with some pictures of our View when we have Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on the terrace and the Setting Sun. xx

Eating takes on a new dimension

Red Sky at Night

Sunset at Casa Filomena