11 Comments

plaint!!!!!!! I should read what I type more often. Weeding could be fun!

Expand full comment

What a great shoot of the two of you. We definitely need to come plant some walls!

Expand full comment

While there are still some left to paint...or else you will have to help with nine hectares of weeding!

Expand full comment

I’m not sure standing firm always works especially in Sudan. I was running the Verification and Monitoring Team and flew in to investigate a massacre and stood firm only to be floored by soldier with a rifle butt to the face loosing my front teeth and flying back to Nairobi a bloody mess to the aptly named dentist “the smile centre”

Expand full comment

There's a fine line eh John? Sorry to hear that...thankfully things are a little calmer here in the Alentejo!

Expand full comment

Standoff sounds very dramatic...having survived so much please don't fall in front of an Amazon delivery driver - the irony would be too great. I sympathise with address frustrations - we are working through immigration issues in France and my husband's birth certificate from Brazil is now lost in the Parisian postal system as the Brazil delivery side too long. Deep sigh, more money, and start again....... Loving your tales here - keep up the good work and wishing you every success, Gary D

Expand full comment

Haha. Inddedy. It can be incredibly frustrating everywhere I think...especially in a new place with complicated systems (and bureaucratic language!). Thanks for reading!

Expand full comment

We can certainly relate to your address issues. Google has arbitrarily mis-allocated our post code to another village within our freguesia and despite our village having a totally different name, São Domingos not Guisado it all turns into a stew! Without the honesty of understanding neighbours we would be missing many items. Can I suggest asking a question about your electricity generation on "Building, Renovation and DIY in Portugal (No Adverts)", a Facebook group with a wealth of knowledge and free advice? Probably the reduction in the UK red list has stymied that potential revenue stream.

Expand full comment

Thanks for the tip...I'll join that group and ask. We thought getting a PO box at the end of the road might have helped...but it only appears to be confusing people further!

Expand full comment

I love your beautifully written stories!!

Expand full comment

Thanks for reading Marrin!

Expand full comment