Now, I have to start by commending Geoff with his correct and early analysis of the developing situation in China, back in early January. It’s not to say I was oblivious to the looming health threat, but Geoff was very clear that the situation was going to deteriorate very quickly and in a way that hasn’t been seen before. Geoff began by gently hinting I should buy two packets of pasta, rather than the one I normally buy & to begin to slowly build a food reserve, which if I am honest, I didn’t pay any attention to! A week later Geoff sat me down & said “let’s plan + prepare now for the worst & hope I’m wrong about this”, this had it’s desired effect on me, as the news from China began to dominate the headlines. So between Geoff & I, we divided up the elements of our plan & set about implementing them as hastily as we could, to make ourselves as ready as we could be.

Geoff made arrangements for a delivery of heating oil, firewood & purchased additional petrol & diesel fuels for our cars & equipment. Also Geoff arranged to have the septic tank emptied, which Geoff insisted on helping the man to do a “horrible smelly job”, once the job was complete Geoff came back to the house to get some cash to pay for the service. Geoff said; “give me an extra €20 for the man”. I did at that moment consider €20 a rather generous tip, but I didn’t object. Geoff helped the man load his equipment back onto his truck & waved him goodbye. When Geoff came in to wash & change he simply said; “poor sod”! I replied; “Why because it’s a horrible smelly job”? Geoff explained the man had been bent over the open septic tank & his mobile phone had slipped out of his top pocket, straight into our septic tank, hence the €20!!! 😲 OMG!

So if you do visit us don’t be surprised you here a distant mobile phone ring tone coming from underground! 🤣🤣🤣

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Me, I gradually increase my weekly food shop during January & February to build a reserve of tinned goods, pasta & drinking water. I purchased & planted some vegetables (Onions, Leaks, Chives & Oregano) to act as another small reserve.

By the end of February, we had ticked off all of the elements of our plan & decided to add new ‘projects’ to keep us busy during what would become affectionately known as “lockdown”. So we drew up a list of new projects & purchased the necessary supplies & equipment, together with other items to utilize time in ‘lockdown’, which included our first jigsaw puzzle!

On the 18th March, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, declared a ‘State of Emergency’, which was the first time the draconian legislation had been used since the Revolution in 1974.

The new projects begin with the construction of new Compost Bins, for all the garden waste & kitchen peelings. Now you might be visualising a round black plastic dustbin for a compost bin, but when you have 20 acres of land to maintain you have to think a lot bigger!

Construction of the Compost bins completed, we moved onto mowing the Orchard & pruning all the fruit trees, followed by shaping the Oak trees scattered around our land, which amassed a small mountain of debris. Problem solved, Geoff’s birthday (February) present was a commercial wood chipper/shredder, now the first two Compost bins are full!

Next on the list was to clear rocks from the land which made mowing with the tractor very difficult. This job was exasperated by the 27°C temperature.

Next on the list was for Geoff to service all the machinery we owned, including the tractor. Now I know many years ago, Geoff was a fully qualified vehicle technician & an electrician, but he had never worked on farm equipment! What I didn’t appreciate was a fully comprehensive service on our tractor would take 6 days to complete & involve extraordinarily large quantities of oil. Geoff asked me to go to our local farmer’s shop & get 40 ltr of gearbox / hydraulic oil! 

Whilst Geoff tinkered I made some more chutney & marmalade.

With the ‘lockdown’ came the inevitable, Geoff’s hair grows at an astonishing rate & not being permitted to venture out for his hair cut, your’s truly was presented the task of maintaining his ‘short back & sides’.

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Now, I mentioned earlier that I had bought Geoff’s first-ever jigsaw puzzle, well what I didn’t realise was, I was; “chucking him into the deep end to start”! After more than 36 hours between Geoff & I we completed the puzzle.

We have had so much fun in doing this jigsaw puzzle together, each with different strategies & methods it was a shame to finish it, so not deterred I have ordered (online) three more jigsaw puzzles!

Now, not forgetting our two darling dogs in this post, I can reassure our readers that both Charlie & Bella where constantly involved in all projects.

If you’re a vegetarian or you have haemophobia tendencies you may not wish to read any further!

Yesterday whilst I was out shopping, practising my social distancing skills whilst Geoff remained home with the dogs. On my return, Geoff informed me I had missed a visit from our local Shepherd (Mr Shep) & his dog. ‘Mr Shep’ had simply stopped by, remaining outside the fence and asked Geoff for his help the next morning, which Geoff naturally agreed to. I asked Geoff what he was going to help ‘Mr Shep’ with. Geoff stated, “well I’m pretty sure the first bit is to help round up a flock of sheep & move them but the second half of my conversation with ‘Mr Shep’ got a bit lost on translation, but he’s picking me up at 8:30 tomorrow morning”

Sure enough, 8:30 am ‘Mr Shep’ arrives & Geoff leaves, much to the agony of Bella & Charlie not being allowed to go with them. I take Bella & Charlie for their daily morning walk, which always starts at our front gate, where we always turn LEFT, Charlie, however, has got a very different idea today, ‘Mr Shep’ & Geoff turned RIGHT, therefore he wants to! So eventually we all turn left & get going, Charlie, however, keeps stopping & looking back in the direction Geoff had gone and is generally sulking the rest of the walk.

Geoff arrived home at about mid-day, having been dropped off by ‘Mr Shep’, much to Bella & Charlie great joy & relief, Geoff carrying a very heavy black bin bag!!! As it transpired Geoff did help ‘Mr Shep’ move a flock of sheep, but the second thing “lost on translation” was something unique. ‘Mr Shep’ showed Geoff how to catch sheep using a “shepherds crook”, which Geoff assures me is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Now the next phase sounds unpalatable but Geoff says: “if you buy & consume meat you naturally contribute to the slaughter & butchering of an animal”, so it was then ‘Mr Shep’ demonstrated to Geoff how to slaughter and gut a sheep, followed by the removal of the fleece, without damaging it. Geoff excepted ‘Mr Shep’ challenge to have ago removing the next fleece himself, which he informs me he did successfully, but with some help from ‘Mr Shep’.
I said that Geoff arrived home carrying a very heavy black bin bag, well, you’ve guessed it, 18 Kg of Lamb, which is byway of payment for the rental of our land used by ‘Mr Sheps’ sheep. Now, this is exactly what happened this time last year, but Geoff had one more surprise for me, “I told ‘Mr Shep’ not butcher it, as you would like to do it”!
Well, Geoff & I then spent the next hour researching (Youtube) how to butcher a lamb! Research done, Geoff & I set to using my best kitchen knives & Geoff’s tenon saw, we crafted traditional joints which we bagged for freezing, saving one for this evening’s bbq.

Just over 1 year ago, on Friday 18th January Geoff & I got married in relative secrecy, in the presence of my Mum/Dad, sister & Simon (brother-in-law). The secrecy thing was the fact neither of us wanted a large or public wedding, let alone the ‘bells & whistles’. That evening at our place in Maidenhead we celebrated as a family, with a bottle of vintage 1999 Dom Perignon Champagne, which Geoff had given me some years before. The following evening in ‘The Square’ restaurant in Henley, we celebrated our marriage & impending departure from the UK, with Family & friends.

Exactly 1 year ago today (24/01/2019), we departed Heathrow & arrived in Lisbon (Portugal) at 14:44 hrs. A year to most people seems like a long time, but for Geoff & I, it feels more like a ‘blink of an eye’. When we look back over the last 365 days at everything we have achieved it’s amazing.

Got married, arranged a ‘Leaving Do’, relocated all of our furniture & personal effects to a different country, new tenant moving into our old home in Maidenhead on the same day we move out (not very stressful!!), arrived in Portugal, collect our keys to our new home, un-pack 100 boxes & furniture, buy new car for me & a new pick-up truck for Geoff, buy washing machine & separate drier, register to become Portuguese citizens, adopt two puppies (find & register with vet), buy tractor (learn how to drive a tractor), cleared the Orchard (bought mower + strimmer & got blisters), registered with local Doctor, buy twin axle trailer (register trailer), obtain Portuguese driving licenses, obtain TV + internet service, employ Architect + plan pool/annexe, build tractor shed, landscape front drive entrance, install irrigation system into orchard, change 150 light bulbs, obtain license for borehole (x3), change hundreds of electrical plugs, build log store, obtain Agricultural license to keep animals & not forgetting our latest enterprise; build 200m cattle fence & gates.

Now, what you have to do now is mix in the following daily activities with the above achievements;
Getting out of bed in the morning when you want to, Exploring Evora, dog walking, horse riding, shopping, going out to lunch with friends, hundreds of BBQ’s, making jam/marmalade & chilli sauces, cooking new Portuguese dishes & learning the Portuguese language. This list is by far from complete but gives a rough guide to our lives. The extra bit of sparkle which you have to add to the mix is visitors, sharing our new life with Family & friends. NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2020!

Now you may be thinking this all seems too much or too busy but let me assure you it’s been an absolutely fabulous year, filled with fun & laughter (normally at ourselves or the dogs).
Just for the record Geoff & I didn’t retire we simply re-invented our lives together without the burden of ‘having to work’, but wanting to!

When we purchased our farm, the local shepherd (known as; Mr Shep) kept a large flock of his sheep on our land, which we were more than happy to continue in this arrangement. However, the fence erected by Mr Shep immediately around our home (literally 1 metre from the edge of the building) was slightly annoying. With the arrival of Bella & Charlie, this provided an opportunity to talk (Geoff’s sign language) with Mr Shep about moving the existing fence further down the garden away from our home. Geoff struck a deal with Mr Shep & a few weeks later Geoff & Mr Shep set too moving the old rickety sheep fence & after a hard days graft the fence was moved. The fence proved invaluable keeping Bella & Charlie separated from the sheep, that was until after several months when they (Bella & Charlie) realised they had the strength & energy to jump over the temporary fence. Geoff & I did some research & discovered that sheep/cattle fencing was an expensive commodity, both in materials & installation. Geoff undeterred said; “we can construct a sheep/cattle fence, I mean how difficult can it be”. Just to be clear this is no ordinary garden fence, but a 200-metre sheep/cattle fence on sloping ground which is very hard to dig.

Now there are two versions of this part of my story, I’ll let you choose!
1. Geoff’s version.
I (Geoff) enrolled on a lengthy but comprehensive online tutorial course to learn the basics through to the complexities of sheep/cattle fence construction & gained an International diploma.
2. My version.
Geoff watched an awful lot of YouTube videos of different people sharing their fence construction skills!
Whichever version you like it wasn’t long before Geoff & I were discussing the finer details of ‘H-Braces, high tensile strainers, termination knots for wire & fitting access gate(s) over dinner, oh how life has changed.

We commenced construction at a pace more consistent with Portuguese life, take a day at a time & don’t rush.
Geoff completed another lengthy but comprehensive online tutorial course to learn the basics through to the complexities of gate building.

We installed 82 fence posts, 6 x H-Braces, 200 metres of fencing + barbed wire and two sets of double gates & one pedestrian gate, it’s now finished. For the record, Geoff’s online Diploma courses did pay off.

Now I am pleased to say Geoff & I are fully-fledged sheep/cattle fence installers.

Now time to relax for a bit.

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Ps Bella & Charlie have now formed their escape committee & are presently attempting to tunnel beneath the fence.

THE BEGINNING.

Back on the 12th March this year when we adopted Charlie & Bella, we set out to give them our unconditional love they both deserved, which they had been without since their birth (15/11/2018). At the age of 9 weeks old, whilst still on the island of São Miguel in the Azores they were separated from there six brothers/sisters & their mother, placed into a crate at João Paulo II Airport and flown as cargo to mainland Portugal. After 2 hours & 10 minutes flight time and, 1,430 Km they arrived at Lisbon International airport, hungry & scared!

VACCINES

Since then we have found the most wonderful Veterinary practice ( https://vetevora-centro-veterinario.negocio.site/ ), here in Evora, that speaks English & also offers a ‘home service’ at no extra cost. Charlie & Bella have been fully vaccinated, which entailed five separate injections each, much to Charlie’s dismay, who complains of feeling like a ‘pin cushion’! This also includes a vaccine for Leishmaniasis, an incurable disease spread by mosquitoes & Rabies.

Apart from the vaccinations both Charlie & Bella have been sterilised, which was a stipulation on the adoption contract. The procedures went well & the only change we have noticed is Bella has become a bit ‘grumpy’ with Charlie on the odd occasion and Charlie conversely has become more affectionate, wanting more cuddles.

HOME LIFE.

Charlie & Bella quickly settled into their new home & very much liked their own bedroom, which folk also call a ‘Utility room’! They were given their own beds, although initially, they prefered to share one bed & even to this day they will only sleep when the other is close by. This pretty much sets the pattern for almost everything they do on a day to day basis, as they do it together, good & bad stuff. Charlie, although the dominant alpha male & considerably bigger, is also the gentlest of the two, although he is somewhat aloof when it comes to cuddles! Bella, on the other hand, has an insatiable appetite for cuddles & fuss, but whilst playing rough with Charlie often becomes the monster from the Alien film, thankfully, Charlie doesn’t seem to mind. When it comes to walkies, Charlie is slightly better on the lead, but could still be better & the command for coming back “Come Here” seems to be lost on translations.

As for getting into ‘trouble’ Charlie & Bella run their own league table & compete against each other, most days. A lot of the troubles they have got into was because of their teething problems, thankfully nothing serious.

Bad times.

Geoff has become a dab hand at repairing the outside furniture!

Fun Times.

On friday the 15th November 2019 Bella & Charlie will be celebrating their first birthday!

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When we purchased the tractor back in March, all of the thought & planning had gone into the type & size of tractor we wanted. What we had not planned for was the storage of the tractor whilst we wait for planning permission to construct a large agricultural building to put it into. The first solution was to purchase some large heavy-duty plastic sheets to cover the tractor & protect it from the weather. It quickly became obvious that the plastic cover solution was not going to last very long, a more semi-permanent waterproof solution was required. Geoff’s positive thought process was “we will build one”. I said to Geoff in disbelief; “have you ever build a barn before”? Geoff simply shrugged his shoulders as though that fact was irrelevant. Project barn began in earnest & with a few trips to our local builders merchants & some nifty sign language, we managed to acquire the necessary materials. Building the barn with Geoff reminded me of the great times we had working together on our old Henley home.

With the barn completed, Geoff & I sat down to celebrate our achievement, which quickly turned into one of those conversations, “in hindsight we should have built the barn bigger to obtain valuable storage space”.
Not deterred Geoff’s solution; “we will put an extension on the side”.

Phase 2 of the barn project quickly got going, now with the added advantage of knowing where to purchase all of the different materials from, although more challenging in 38°C.
Celebrations all over again, extension complete, time for the debrief and yes we ended up having the same conversation again; “in hindsight, we should have built the barn extension bigger”. Geoff not deterred, ” it’s OK we will extend the rear of the barn next”.

Off course I should mention Charlie’s assistance, who it seems to be if Geoff is doing ‘something’ he likes to help or at least sit and watch, he’s turning into a bit of a “Daddy’s boy”. That said occasionally you could hear Geoff shouting as Charlie trotted off down the garden carrying a piece of wood Geoff had just cut! Now Bella, on the other hand, seems to prefer lounging that helping Geoff.

After Geoff and I finished clearing the orchard, it became part of our daily routine to spend time strolling around it and enjoying nature at it’s most beautiful. It was not uncommon for Geoff and me to take ‘time out’ and sit on the rocks under the shade of a Holm oak tree and discuss our plans for the expansion of the orchard. During one of those moments, I happen to say to Geoff’ “wouldn’t it be nice to have a bench here under the tree”! Without meaning to I had just planted the proverbial seed of an idea in Geoff’s mind.
A couple of days later I found Geoff sat on the rocks in the orchard doodling garden seat ideas on a sketch pad, that was the beginning of our next project.
Geoff & I set too, excavating soil, digging pilot holes, whilst trying to navigate around neolithic rock formations which are similar to icebergs. Foundations dug, concrete slab formed & the main rustic structure erected. During that process, I kept asking Geoff “how are we going to do that”? Geoff simply replied, “not sure, but I am sure we can figure it out”!

Here in Evora city benches are social spaces, places where the elderly sit and talk and watch the rhythm of urban life pass by. Geoff & I simply created our own bench, which has given us an area, where it is acceptable to do nothing, whiling away time, a moment of respite, when the mid-day sun is too hot to do anything else. It has also given us a vantage point, to look at our new home from a different perspective.

“Thank you Geoff for my garden bench, oh & by the way, do you think a garden table would look nice”? Seed planted!

Charlie & Bella also assisted in the beginning by helping with the excavation, but unfortunately they decided between themselves that our chosen location was wrong, so they dug there own foundations elsewhere.

There are a whole host of administrative hurdles for Geoff and me to consider and complete, in order to fully integrate ourselves into Portuguese life. Examples of these include; registering our British driving licences, paying our Portuguese council tax & registering the dogs (Bella + Charlie). However, this blog is about me and Geoff registering with the Portuguese Health care system. You well may ask yourself what can be funny about that, well let me tell you!
Our Lawyer/friend, Fernando kindly offered to escort us to the Doctors to initiate the enrollment process. This, of course, went like clockwork with Fernando’s help & the very nice lady in the Doctors administrative department. To complete the process we made appointments, several days later, to seen a Doctor. On the day of our appointments, Fernando was busy at High Court, prosecuting a drugs conspiracy case. Not to worry because the appointment was made in the knowledge that an English speaking doctor would be available to assist. We arrived promptly (which the Portuguese always find amusing), confirmed our appointments at reception and were escorted upstairs & shown where to wait. Well, 10:00 am came and went, then 10:30 am came and went. Finally, my patience (excuse the pun) gave up & I went back to the reception desk at 11:00 am, much to Geoff’s disapproval (he seems to have adapted very well to the laid back lifestyle). When I arrived at the reception desk there was a huddle of medical people, some on mobile phones, some using desk phones, but they all seem to be discussing the same thing. I asked if there was a problem with our appointments. A young lady stepped forward and introduced herself as Ana, she explained the English speaking Doctor was on holiday, but she had agreed to ‘sit in’ and interpret for the Doctor. Ana introduced Dr Jose to me, who was going to conduct the consultation. Now the best way I can describe Dr Jose is to imagine a very nice and kind elderly Uncle, who had a lovely warm smile & gentle eyes. He wore a knitted green ‘tank top’ which seemed to suit him. It was agreed that Geoff and I would have our consultations together. Once in Dr Jose office, Geoff thanked Ana for her assistance & asked her what she did at the Doctor Surgery. Ana smiled and said, “Oh, I don’t work here, I had an appointment this morning & I overheard the conversation in Reception about a Doctor needing an English speaking person, so I offered to help”. Geoff and I looked at one another, analysing what Ana had said, neither of us said anything but both thought ‘this is going to be interesting’. Dr Jose explained, via Ana that here in Portugal the Health system is aimed at prevention rather than cure, therefore we both going to need a series of tests. Ana’s first question to Geoff was “would you like a rectal examination?” Geoff didn’t bat an eyelid but simply replied; “It’s very kind of you to offer but no thank you!” Ana seemed not to notice the English humour (thankfully). Geoff and I accepted Dr Jose advice & agreed to a series of specific tests beneficial to men & woman. Dr Jose set about producing the official paperwork for the tests. Ana in the meantime told us about her work & family. Dr Jose handed Geoff and I are official paperwork authorising the tests. On inspection of the documents, Geoff was to receive a mammograph & other female related examinations and I was to have a Prostate Ultra scan. It was pointed out to Ana that whilst my name (Tracey) is a unisex name, within the United Kingdom it is more generally considered to be a female name and Geoff is most definitely only ever given to a male. This caused much laughter and embarrassment to Dr Jose. Geoff made one or two jokes (awful humour) at what the possible results might have been, had we not spotted the errors and gone for the original tests, but Ana either didn’t understand or kindly decided not to explain to Dr Jose. It was a weird and surreal experience and not to be forgotten. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to Ana for her kind help & assistance. Sorry, I couldn’t post any related photos for this blog, might have been considered offensive!

Soon after Geoff & I had finalized the deal of purchasing Herdade da Avessada (May 2018) we met the ‘Shepherd’ who had his horse (Branco) and sheep (150) on the 20 acres of ground and he had come to ask if we wanted the animals moved off our land. We thought it would be best if he left his animals grazing on the land to help control the grass. The ‘Shepherd’, was delighted & offered payment, which we declined as it was his animals doing us a favour. The ‘Shepherd’ being of a certain generation insisted that he would pay us but by way of a sheep for each year’s grazing and the deal (handshake) was done. Geoff & I never really expected to collect the rent owed, but true to word, the ‘Shepherd’ arrived baring payment (18Kg) of skinned/jointed lamb.

Now trying to identify & separate different cuts of Lamb was for me an exciting challenge and with a little help and advice from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (RIVER COTTAGE), the process became much easier. I have to admit I did squirm a little at having to handle the head, with the tongue hanging out, but I persevered & bagged all of the different joints. Next challenge was to see if 18 Kg would fit into the freezer? No need to have worried, with a little rearranging all of the lamb was now safely tucked away in our freezer.
Now to challenge Geoff to cook (BBQ) are first rent money (Lamb)!

Since Charlie & Bella arrived, as part of the strict training schedule (not really), Geoff & I walk the dogs to introduce them to the lead & the big World outside our gates. The byproduct of these walks is meeting our neighbours, who will stop their cars & seize the opportunity to introduce themselves. Good Friday was no different, out walking the dogs & a car stops & the occupants explain they live in Lisbon but have a weekend house further up our track and are very pleased to have us as neighbours. Our dog walk continues until we find an escaped neighbours dog, which I duly return, much to the thanks of our neighbours. Now the characteristics of the Portuguese is to identify; easy-going, welcoming, and friendly, who always offer to provide any form of assistance to foreigners. That same evening, the main front gate doorbell was activated & to my amazement, the family from Lisbon who we had met earlier had arrived bearing gifts. Three generations (grandmother, daughter & granddaughter) had that afternoon baked us a delicious traditional cake (bread+meat) & had picked their grandfather best rose for decor. Geoff and I were humbled to think the family had gone to so much effort to make us feel welcome.

Geoff’s photograph of the Rose, we have commissioned STAPLES in Evora, to print it onto canvas & frame it for us, so every time we look at it, it will remind us of being humble.

Easter Sunday Geoff and I celebrated with a leg of Turkey ( which looked more like an Ostrich leg) which Geoff did (perfectly) on the slow cook bbq, washed down by a nice glass of champagne.

Last week was the run-up to Easter, what better way than to spend it with one of my oldest (not her age) & dearest friends. Anne-Marie, Bruce & daughter Lily arrived last Monday, our very first visitors! It’s been three months since Geoff & settled here in Evora, but it seems a lifetime of not seeing our friends! Anne-Marie and I first met back in March 1989 (where has that 30yrs gone?), when we both joined Air Europe as cabin crew and have been best friends ever since. Our friends having travelled nearly 1,500 miles to visit us, arrived hungry & thirsty, so thankfully Geoff already had the bbq up and running the time they arrived. Not only were we celebrating our first friends arriving but also our first dinner party in our new home, best open the Champagne! The evening just flew by, if you will excuse the pun, as we talked about our time with Air Europe.

Geoff & I hadn’t seen Lily for several years…OMG, what a stunner and apparently very excited about meeting & riding Branco (horse). Anne-Marie & Bruce took themselves off to Evora’s equivalent of Stonehenge (ancient neolithic Cromlech of the Almendres), but are 2,000 years older. Lily and I found ‘Branco’ and with a small bribe (horse nuts) she came willingly, and then with Geoff’s help saddled her & hoisted Lily into the saddle, off we go!

The next couple of days was spent sightseeing in Evora, during which time I gave them a ‘whistle-stop tour’ of the city. We started our tour in the beautiful gardens of Evora Royal Palace (King Afonso), which was constructed around 1468. We then walked through the main city square named after Portuguese hero (Geraldo the Fearless) up to the ancient Roman ‘Temple of Diana’. After a bit of ‘retail therapy’ for Lily a visit to the
Chapel of Bones in Évora, which gets its name because the interior walls are covered and decorated with human skulls and bones.

Geoff & I can’t thank Anne-Marie, Bruce & Lily enough for coming to see us and our new home. We miss you already & particularly, Bella, Charlie & Branco, miss Lily.

All comments on 1989 fashion & hair styles welcome.