Day 40. Thursday 17 April.

Yesterday we mentioned Shiva, but for some reason her photo disappeared from our library. So here she is, sharing our blessings with Mary.

Started the day proper by joining our Canberra family as they shared a meal prepared in the new Hughes kitchen. Marveled at Logan’s progress and push ups – better than D can do now!

Main aim today was to walk on the beach, so we headed to Manta Rota, via Lidl to pick up water and ‘chicken’ pellets for the combustion heater. No luck – charcoal, briquettes, firewood but no pellets.

Arrived at the beach, found a parking spot, and failed the Portuguese parking test. The two alongside were assessed as competent.

Bypassing a very swanky restaurant, we chose the only restaurant/cafe open  and eventually ordered two cappuccinos and a sweet cake, which arrived after a good 20 minutes! And there were not many customers, the day being blustery cool. The coffee is now rated as the worst on this trip – and  for 8 euros! And D had spent quite enough of his life under camouflage netting.

It was not the best day for a walk on the beach, but we joined a few hardy folk, including, of course some Brits who were sunbaking – in the absence of sun.

A rather intriguing situation, with a tractor towing a heavily loaded trailer stuck in the sand – it appeared that perhaps the motor wasn’t working. Preparations were happening for ‘the season’, with the laying of temporary, interlocking  boardwalk sections (good to see that a length of string would keep the sections straight, laid directly onto Atlantic sand). A crane was trying to drag the tractor out, unsuccessfully using the crane mechanism. That was an innovative solution that D approved of, albeit it didn’t work. No one seemed unduly fussed and the bunch of navvies did what navvies do (watch). D contemplated offering advice but thought better of it, not least because he had nothing to offer (yes, really)

On we went for a while enjoying the view.

It did become a bit unpleasant, but the ‘Constable sky’ was worth the walk, with some spots of rain, so we turned back, to see that the tractor and crane were successfully exiting the beach, with the crane towing.

Time to head home to cook the chook, Portuguese style. Keen to get the pellets, called into a nearby Aldi. No luck – charcoal, briquettes, firewood but no pellets.

On the off-chance, stopped at our local servo – no such thing stocked, but you could get a wine or beer and some locals had settled in doing just that. Using Google translate and a local who had some English, we were directed down the road to Sao Bras de Alportel where (with a name seemingly starting with M, and a wave of the hand indicating it was to the right) we would find some. Nothing seemed to fit the description except a shop that was closed, so back we headed. D noticed a big supermarket called Intermarche (Aldi like) so decided to take one last try. Yes! Away he came with 15 kg of pellets – 50% cheaper than buying half a kg. So the fires will burn tonight (if we can work out how the machine works). 

Quite close to our abode is a little stream, paralleling the road we’re on, quite fast flowing and on the upside a carpet of blooms makes a sweet scene…who knows whether it’s feral? And passing a little red vehicle (still in same place as this morning) we noticed Mr Toad(?)…perhaps he really does enjoy the open road.

As for that fire…he did get the flame roaring: by following the very comprehensive instructions to the letter.

Dinner. Portuguese chicken a la T, baked vegies (last potato for a couple of days, the cook advised).While waiting for the taties to catch up, D asked, ‘ Where’s the TV?’ This is actually the third night here and we’ve just noticed there’s no tv – and we haven’t looked at one for 5 weeks (at Madrid, where there was an old western playing ‘ Dodge City’ or something….Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland, dubbed in Spanish, with English subtitles)