Good bye Summer … Hello Autumn

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Food , wine , walks … and a trip down memory lane

Last week a good friend who hasn’t been here for three years, came back for a holiday.
We had a great week catching up with each other , as well as a few trips down memory lane…

We had lots of lovely meals out

as well as snacks and bottles of wine sat on the terrace, catching up on old times .

It was nice to have someone here who likes walking

One day we went to the Templar cross on the hill above Gois

and another day we did a walk starting from the castle in Lousa

It was not the walk we had intended to go on … ( there are 3 , but the information was very confused)

but we enjoyed it anyway .

and we took lots of photos

I was happy that this snake that we met on the path had been killed before we arrived .

We managed a river beach picnic

And a swim ….

There was a feira on in Arganil , so we met a friend for lunch and had a wander around the stalls

and I did the monthly Market at Miranda do Corvo.

I managed to get a few hours work done… but the week was more a mini break So this week I need to get back to work

A studious week

This week I have hardly put a foot outside the village. I have been making posters for workshops, and studying most of the time.

It has been lovely having some young visitors in the village for the last few weeks .

and one of them became a regular visitor when I was in my workroom.

I managed to find a few hours to concentrate on my polymer clay

and to made some posters for workshops that I hope to run in the next few months

Most of my week has been spent completing 3 final assignments for a TEFL course I have been doing

and it was worth it , as I found out yesterday that I I have PASSED !

Picture My Week. Spending time with friends

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I visited the city of Viseu

where a friend and I had a lovely Brazillian meal

We went to a ” beach” in Mangualde , about 20 minute away from Viseu

and 120 kms from the coast .

a friend and I joined an organized walk this week

and I was invited to a BBQ birthday party in Gois

where we had a lovely afternoon of eating drinking and swimming .

ENTRUDING CLAY, ESCAPEE GOATS AND ENGINES

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I have been experimenting with my clay extruder a lot this week.

Turning scraps like this

into weird snakes

and playing with different ideas

This is one of the pieces I made with some little clay worms

Gois was overrun with motorbikes for 4 days this week for the Moto show.

Getting around town involved sitting in queues , whilst the Police tried to control the traffic. I avoided it as much as I could .

My local café made the most of the extra business .Outdoor seating and food menus appeared, After the 4 days the seating and food has gone again , along with the bikers.

My poorly car passed its re inspection. HURRAY !

In the village two young goats have been escaping from their field all week.They are keeping the weeds down around the village , but also eating a few vines !

I call them Zorro and Houdini .

I escaped the chaos in Gois on Sunday, and visited a friendd in Arganil.They made a lovely lunch .

whilst I lazed in their hammock

with my book.

Yesterday I sorted out some workshop dates , for the next few months ,which hopefullyI can manage to put on my Crafting in Portugal Blog later today .

 

Artisan market & Almoural castle

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I have been getting organised for a 3 day market in Gois this week

as well as making some wedding cards

I took my car for its inspection. Unlike me it is not 100% fit , and failed !

I enjoyed the market , and met lots of nice people who were on holiday.

and I enjoyed listening to the band that played on the second night

I had a couple of days away , camping with a friend near the Barragem de Castelo de Bode.

We visited Tomar

where we took lots of photos

We also went to the castle of Almoural

It is a pretty little castle

which you get to by boat

and well worth a visit.

Picture My Week- A bit of a wobbly week

At the beginning of the week I thought the antibiotics had done their magic, but half way through my week they decided to hit me with some lovely side effects!
So I had a less productive week than planned, but it was definitely better than the previous one.

I managed a short walk and noticed the blackberries are already ready for picking

My 83 year old neighbour had much more energy than me this week !

I had to have my fossa ( septic tank) emptied this week.

I started a painting , based on leaves .

I went to a mock fight. Part of the Gois 900 years old celebration

and I had a much needed treat to cheer myself up.

I managed to make some jewellery

and made myself a set to match a new top .

I had a day in Aviero, and saw the candy striped houses , that my friend calls Pyjama houses .

and I had an unplanned trip to Coimbra – where there was the Saturday flea market.

Picture My week. The best laid plans …

Last week, after my parents went home , I had a list of what I needed/ wanted to do.

Complete a TEFL assignment
Start my Portuguese practise
Meet a friend and go for a swim
Get back into my creative work -do some calligraphy , finish a painting, and make some jewellery
Continue learning how to make an on-line shop
Start some regular exercise again

But sometimes things just come along and say ” I don’t think so ! ”
That’s what happened this week.
I got sick… with a kidney infection

So My plans changed .
Instead I…..

Spent hours visiting my bathroom
Watched DVD’s
Drank gallons of water
Cuddled up with a hot water bottle
Visited the doctor
Chewed on anti biotics and painkillers
Experimented with ways to stop cold sores taking over my face …Earl Grey tea, aguadente , toothpaste and honey have been tried !
Avoided the sun ( not easy when its 32 degrees & sunny)

Towards the end of the week I started to get a few things done. I managed to make a Polymer clay cane ( see my craftinginportugal blog ) started my TEFL assignment, and went for a short morning walk, (where I felt like Bambi, on new legs)
Although It has not been the best week, It has been a good lesson in acceptance, and letting go of things you can not change.

I am now finally feeling my old self again, and so I hope to share my photos of a much more interesting week next week!

A NEW LOOK .

When I started writing this blog, it was an experiment to see if I could, and a way of keeping in touch with friends and family, to let them know what I was doing. I also thought I would write about the area, and places I visited, for any one who might want to visit the area.

After a while, I felt the content was a bit messy, and so I put my arts and crafts into a separate blog, and this one became more of a visual diary.

I have recently started a Facebook page for my arts and crafts, which I find I can update more regularly at present. If you press the Facebook link on the right hand side of the page you can take a look.

That, and a lack of time, (as my computer skills are basic and I make many mistakes) are the reasons I have decided to stop my art and craft Blog at the moment, and I am going to be incorporating it back here instead.

I have learned a bit more about blogging since I started, and have included specific pages for my arts and crafts such as a gallery page, a tutorial section, which I feel will keep it separated.

You will also be able to see snippets of arts and crafts in the Picture My Week diary.
I hope you like the new look …

… which I hope to add to and improve even more in the coming weeks.

WATCH THIS SPACE !

Holiday time with mum and dad…

It has been lovely having my mum and dad here on holiday for the last couple of weeks.

We had a day in Coimbra

and visited Gois several times

We ate Chourico cooked with aguadente , which my mum and dad loved .

and tried the lovely cakes – Pastel de natas

in one of the many cafes we visited

We went to several river beaches

We walked through the woods to the next village

where we had a well earned drink .

We had a lovely BBQ at a friends place

and another one at home

we enjoyed an evening at a friends birthday party

and had a night at a local bar, next to the church . Dad was in shock when the bells rang !

Some days were spent relaxing on the terrace

and some evenings too .

Mum and dad enjoyed watching village life, and “chatting” with my neighbours

They were amazed at my generous neighbour Julia, who brought me a bucket of plums , and 2 dozen eggs

and that these ladies of 85 and 83 still work on the land every day !

and all too soon the holiday was over ….