It doesn’t take a great deal to make me happy. Blue skies and sunshine are often enough to do the trick, which is partly why I like living in Portugal so much. It’s not always lovely weather here but more often than not, it’s good enough for me.
Other little things that give me pleasure range from finding unfamiliar flowers while walking the dog to the delights of exploring Portugal with my family and friends. Prompted by Marianne’s monthly photo challenge, Simple Pleasures, I’ve put together a selection of just a few joyous moments and my favourite things about living in Portugal.
We often get rainbows in Moura Morta, and amazing light over the forests. This is the view from our balcony!
Mike’s holding our first ever home-grown strawberry. Our veggie patch is miniscule but we’ve had lots of tomatoes, some spring onions and some parsnips as well as the strawberries – not bad for total amateurs!
Mike rigged up a way of feeding ourselves grapes without having to change position on our new garden furniture.
I get immense pleasure from the feel and sound of crunchy, frosted mud. The frosted puddle is almost too beautiful to break but the tinkly sound it makes as it shatters, and the knowledge that tractors will drive over it later in the day are enough to make me crack it.
I’ve always loved geckos, not only because they love to eat my worst enemy, mosquitoes, but because of their rounded toes. I found this little beauty in the kitchen and rescued him from the clutches of Daisy.
When friends and family come to visit us in Portugal, it’s a perfect excuse to take them to Figueira da Foz for ginormous ice cream sundaes.
Living in Portugal means that I get to visit Lisbon fairly often. I’ve been to the castle several times with visitors simply because the views are fantastic.
One of the advantages of living in rural Portugal is that we have enough space to keep a dog. It doesn’t take much to put a smile on my face; a dog on my lap, a beer on the table and the view from my balcony does the trick quite nicely.
These gorgeous flowers grow on the hillsides around my house. Their petals are so thin and delicate, like soft crushed tissue paper, with a splash of blood for dramatic effect.
I started to like olives when I lived in Spain but they are such an integral part of eating out in Portugal that I’ve grown to love them.
River beaches are one of my favourite unexpected delights of living in central Portugal. Closer than the coast, with calmer, warmer water and beautiful scenery, what’s not to love about them?
Part of the Conejo Blanco Blog Hop involves introducing two new bloggers to you.
I’ll start with Leane Cole Photography who I’ve recently started following. Not only is her photography excellent, she also explains the editing process she’s undertaken to achieve certain images which is really useful. Especially for someone like me who’s still muddling through the basics of photography and editing.
Next up is Cat Mills from Wicked and Weird Around the World. Collator of all bizarre festivals and events, she will brighten your day with global oddities.
You might also like:
Why I enjoy living in Moura Morta
H is for Home, but what is it that makes one?
O is for olives
I is for ice cream!
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Love your azeitonas photo. I was never crazy about them until I tried these Manzanillas in Toledo a few years ago. Now I must have them often. Portugal has been on my list for a while. I will try to visit this Fall. Hope the weather in September – October behaves.
Thanks, Eduardo. I know what you mean about the olives – they grow on you, don’t they?
You should be okay with the weather at that time of year, September especially but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for sunshine for you
I came here from Algarve Blog. I agree with them. Your blog looks intriguing AND you like my friend, Leanne Cole. I really MUST follow you.
Thank you! Happy to hear you like what you see so far. I hope you find following me worthwhile
I really enjoyed this one Julie…I love how you have caught the essence
Perfectly captured, Julie – especially the double rainbow! Gorgeous! I always love to be able to rescue a tiny, baby gecko – they are so delicate and almost see-through, aren’t they?
I have learned a lot from Leanne’s blog – she is such a talented photographer, but now is the time for me to HOP over to the other link you have shared.
Great entry, Julie. Well done
Looking at those makes me want to buy a plane ticket and join you. Not just for the ice-cream sundaes, but for the verdant green countryside and because I think you and I have similar ideas of what constitutes beauty.
We’re still waiting for significant snow in my little patch of Canada, but the cold temperatures have turned the grass brown, as they do every year. The landscape is pretty bleak right now…
I feel for you – I understand the need for green. I remember moving to Manchester and insisting that our flat had a view of at least one tree so that I could get my green fix! Now, I have hundreds of evergreens surrounding me so I can’t complain.
The grass in Portugal gets pretty scorched and brown in the summer but the autumn rains give everything a new lease of life.
I don’t especially envy you the cold and snow of Canada but I’m sure the whiteness can be quite dramatic and beautiful – unlike the drabness you’ve got right now.
Yes, snow never fails to imbue a magical feel, perhaps it’s the way it falls in slow motion or the crystal stillness it gives a scene. Anyway, winter without it is just pants!