It’s not just the British who love complaining about the weather, the Portuguese do their fair share of grumbling at this time of year. No one really minds a day or two of rain. After all, we all know how necessary it is in the scheme of things, especially thoseRead More →
Before I go any further, I’d like to stress that the receptionists at my local health centre are usually very patient with my inadequate Portuguese and do their best to understand and help me. A welcome change from my first experience of the Portuguese health care system in Coimbra aRead More →
Since Alyson and Dave Sheldrake moved to the Algarve, their art has gone from strength to strength. They have both been busy setting up their art business in Portugal and running exhibitions as well as creating fabulous paintings and photography. Last month, Alyson was kind enough to choose my dog, Daisy,Read More →
‘Get rid of brambles’ has been on our To Do List ever since I moved to rural central Portugal. That was almost five years ago. After a long, prickly process, I can finally tick this as done. Well, almost. Here’s how not to deal with brambles, followed by the easyRead More →
This week’s guest has a house in Portugal so she visits several times a year. She has some great recommendations for trips to central Portugal and for garden lovers. Hi Sheila, can you tell us a bit about yourself, please? I’m a garden photographer, based in Edinburgh in Scotland. WhenRead More →
What does it take to feel comfortable if you live abroad? I was recently interviewed for a television documentary about my experience as an expat. The producers were exploring the concept of home comforts; how certain objects might affect the way that people living away from their home countries feel aboutRead More →
It’s not enough to lay my hat somewhere to make it a home, although it’s a start. And home isn’t always where the heart is so just what is it that transforms a place to live into a home? Given how many times I’ve had to create one, I’ve foundRead More →
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 littleRead More →
When I first moved to Portugal, I was nervous about driving here. Portuguese drivers have a bad reputation plus I hadn’t driven for years and never on the right hand side of the road. Even so, I was determined to get a car so that I could take road trips around theRead More →
