Lagos – Portugal

01st January 2020 – 01st March 2020

Where has the time gone and how lazy have I been not to update the Blog, will I remember all that has happened. Properly not, but I will try to remember the best bits.

Well another decade begins, what I have learnt is not too look too far forward, a defence mechanism I think. Anyway, life in our little world has taken on a very relax period. We settle back into our routine when we are in Lagos trying to get fit, by joining the gym, going to every free class that is on offer and enjoying the sunshine. I am sorry, please skip this part if you are having awful weather. But the weather in Portugal since we have arrived has been beautiful, clear blue skies and sunshine. The best of the last three years, we have been coming to Lagos. It is cold at night and so we put the up floor heating on, especially for Chloe to make sure she doesn’t get cold. David keeps saying, she’s a dog. Yes I know but a very precious one and in her 12th year she deserves all the comfort. She has been enjoying lapping up the sunshine aswell during the day. This has resulted in a great deal of moulting going on, he poor coat doesn’t know what’s going on. One minute in Sweden and Norway and the next in Portugal.

It’s quite amusing watching the daily life of the rest of the people here, all nationalities and I am very bi-lingual with my ‘Good Mornings’ as Chloe and I do our morning walk around the site. There is a lovely older couple that walk hand in hand to the showers in their dressing gowns and the other morning they were doing their daily exercises outside their Motorhome. Hats off to them, they are well into their 70s, I think. Most people that are staying here are here for several months and so you get to know your direct neighbours quite well. Now Alain our French neighbour next to us, is a rather handsome, fit, trendy and amazing chef and he’s single. We have since found out that he has had 3 wives, a child with each and now a new fiancé in Nice. He is 72 but so suave and David says a complete charmer with woman ! He’s charmed me, I can tell you ! Each lunchtime he’s preparing what can only be described as a Michelin Star food and it always smells absolutely delicious. We were invited for lunch together with our Jersey friends and the stew was superb. The other day Alain came with a bowl of Percebes also known as Gooseneck Barnacles. An expensive delicacy no less, costing over £200 a kilo in posh restaurants. They tasted like winkles but looked like alligators legs, a first for everything. Alain lived in St Tropez, with a yacht, posh car but gave it all up to tour in his Motorhome as he absolutely loves it, or it could be the divorce of 3 wives !. It’s funny, he stayed at a friend’s house for a week, a huge beautiful villa on a golf course up the road from here, looking after the owners pampered dogs. But he came back and said he was lonely, just goes to show you can have oddles of money but it can’t buy happiness. Another time Alain prepared the best paella we have ever eaten, enjoyed with our other neighbours Irene and Reinhard from Germany.

We joined a Thursday walking group and savoured some of the hidden beauty of Portugal on these walks. All nationalities, some living in the Algarve, some just here for afew months avoiding their homeland weather. We met Margaret and Tom and Ann and Derek, who both avoid the UK winters and at last after 3 years David found golfing partners ! We spent some lovely time with all of them, sad to say goodbye when we left but promised to meet up in the UK with them all.

Chloe unfortunately had several visits to the vets, her back legs have started to deteriorate and one of them shakes most of the time. X-Rays done and a course of steroid injections, she seems OK but will investigate further when we see our own vet in the UK. This meant that our daily walks to the beach were curtailed, as I had read, little and often walks were best and so we stuck to the routine of our morning campsite walk with cuddles at the shop whilst buying the fresh rolls and then a walk outside around one field in the afternoons. We met Hula Hoop Lady as I called her with her two lovely Labradors. Every day as I passed her on her pitch, I would see her hula hooping. Hats off to her, she is very fit. With her husband having health issues, she decided they needed an adventure to stop him feeling depressed and so they bought a motorhome and here they were. Most people would just sit in doors but she said, she could she her husband deteriorating and that she needed to do something. Everyday she walks the two Labrador’s to the beach, a good round trip of 5km or more and her husband cycles down on the electric bike. I so admire them.

I went on a stained glass course for a couple of days which I really enjoyed and made my first little sun catcher. We went to the weekly market in Lagos on a Saturday morning which I loved. It was so busy, local people selling their own produce from fruit and veg to cakes, flower posies and plants. It turned into a weekly ritual, with a coffee and Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tart) stop . God, I am going to miss those little custard tarts. David’s sister came out for a week with Warren her fiancé and it was really lovely to see them and spend quality time with them both.

We went to the local cinema and watched 1917, a great film if you haven’t seen it and all for 4.50 euros. It was brilliant, nothing like in the U.K. The lady served us with our tickets then ran over to serve us with our chocolates and then ran to the other area to serve drinks. I wouldn’t like to think what would happen if there was a rush on.

We spent many hours with Paul & Steve our good friends from Jersey, eating, drinking and laughing. My birthday came and went, another year older. David bless him decorated the van with balloons and bunting and a nice lunch in the Sagres fish market cafe ! It rained aswell, which the Portuguese were really happy about, but it was my birthday and we were going to take a boat trip but now this will be saved for another time.

We took a trip down memory lane into Carvoeiro where I had first holidayed over 38 years ago. Our dear friend Jorge who I have know for all of that time, has opened a new Wine bar and it was lovely to see him and spend time with his family.

After a staggering 71 days we finally prized ourselves away from Lagos, out onto the open road once again.