Great news last
weekend. Lifelong friend and former work colleague Les and his partner Gill are
to visit and stay with us in early June. This inspired me to fire off a long
e-mail describing to Les a typical weekend
in our new life.
Not having touched on
any of those dark secrets lifelong buddies share I am sure Les will not mind me
sharing it with you and so reproduce it here in full.
I think it gives the
flavour of the place.
Good Morning Les
I am just sitting
having my morning coffee at Ria Cafe, the sun is shining, god is in his heaven
and all is well here in Santa Luzia.
We have had a steady
little weekend.
Friday night we went
to Virgilio's with a group of friends. We had the usual starters of bread and
sardine paste followed by conqillas (the small clams) then the usual chicken
pork or fish all washed down with four
litres of white wine and topped off with coffee and a large glass of Figo
(aguadente/firewater).
A wander down the
front and an hour in cafe Santa Luzia was enough to ensure that I woke up on
Saturday morning with a still bloated stomach and something of a muzzy head.
We ate a small
breakfast of "cowboys" (bacon and beans) and bread and then both
settled down in the armchairs that we have moved up onto the sun terrace to
read and bask in the sunshine.
Having been invited
over to Pete and Lynn's for a curry night that evening we spent the whole day just lounging around
reading and enjoying the occasional sounds of village life that reached us up
in our hideaway, excepting of course one short interlude at Ria Cafe for a fix
of caffeine and an hour on Facebook.
Saving ourselves for
the evening feast we lunched on sliced ham and salad (very English) consuming only half a bottle of wine with
this frugal repast!
Arriving at Pete and
Lynn's around eight along with five other invited guests we enjoyed a splendid
evening of ethnic fare.
Popadums and somosas
were followed by Thai green curry, Chicken Korma and Chicken Dopiaza with rice
and plain, garlic or peshwari nann breads. As I was driving a couple of glasses
of white and a couple of mini pretas were all I dared risk as accompaniment.
After dinner the
ladies retired to the garden whilst us men remained at the table each
trying to outdo the other with stories of base depravity and over indulgence.
I judged myself
winner!
We dwelt untill
almost one in the morning and on arriving home I was asleep before my head hit
the pillow and slept soundly untill almost 8.30 Sunday morning.
Having pretty much
abstained from both grape and grain on Saturday night I woke up on Sunday with
a much clearer head, which was just as well because Joan had on one of her
cleaning, tidying and reorganising heads and was firmly resolved to involve me
in every stage of the operation.
To forestall this I
became very attentive both to her, offering endless cups of tea, cigarettes and
other distractions from the tasks in hand, and also to the numerous aircraft
endlessly passing overhead on their final approach to Faro airport.
Each time I heard the
distant drone of jet engines I would immediately drop whatever I was doing and
grab my binoculars to observe the graceful passage of the assorted Boeings and
Airbuses, hanging it out until the plane had disappeared into the distance and
the engine sound had subsided completely.
At some stage of the
morning our friend Janice appeared at the door bearing fresh mackerel which
here Portuguese neighbour had thrust upon her that very morning. This was
despatched to the fridge alongside the Piexe Aranha which I had caught the day
before from Santa Luzia's pier. Piexe Aranha (spider fish) is a member of the
same family as the Weever and though one needs to be mindful of the poisonous
spines on the small dorsal fin just behind it's head it is a meaty white fish
which is excellent battered and fried English fish and chip shop style.
Notwithstanding this
minor diversion the clean up continued apace but, having convinced Joan that a
years worth of east Algarve magazines should be dispatched to the recycling bin
down near the boat landing, I managed, for a short while anyway, to escape the
house and the attendant chores .
I have however to concede that Joan's need for a fresh
pack of Chesterfield wasprobably as responsible as anything else for the granting of
permission to dispatch this duty!
On my return I was
delighted to be turned around post haste and dispatched to neighbour Andre's
house. His wife Maryse had just rung to inform us that a local fisherman had
delivered a large bag of fresh Choco (cuttlefish) and for just 12 euro 2 kilos
were ours.
A half hours
instruction on how to gut and clean the fish (the longest I dared to spin it
out) was accompanied with an excellent bottle of french Chardonnay and I
returned home ravenous for lunch.
Joan, as ever, did
not disappoint. in her own inimitable fashion using the donated Mackerel, the piexe aranha, some chopped
salad, a handful of broad beans and a couple of large potatoes she produced in
her own inimitable fashion a meal fit for a potentate.
The reigning prince
washed it down with the half bottle of white left over from yesterdays meal!
 |
| Joan's ad-hoc offering. |
This morning of
extended effort and conspicuous consumption of course called for a lazy
afternoon lounging in the easy chair in that wonderful state of semi
consciousness that only a bottle and half of
fine wine and a copious plate of food can induce.
My observations of the
passing aircraft were now not so urgent but when I could raise enough steam I
cast the occasional glance to the skies and the great silver machines seemingly
gliding by.
By nine o'clock that
evening I had recovered sufficiently to drag my weary body round to the Largo Do
Igrejia for a couple of bottles of cerveja Preta in the Cafe da Villa in the
company of friends Bill, Janice and her sister Joyce, and Maryse and her Daughter
Aurora (( family of aforementioned french neighbour Andre).
As it was ascension
Sunday a candlelit procession of the faithful had been organised around the
village and this provide a spectacle for this heathen observer and the assorted
onlookers to enjoy with their drinks.
Midnight heralded the
end of my weekends exertions and my bed called irresistibly to my weary body
and soul.A good nights sleep and as I said earlier all is well in Santa Luzia.
It is a busy life and
not for the feint hearted but I am
determined to persevere and make a success of it.
See you very soon and
give my regards to all in Leeds.
Stewart
