Today we didn't wake up grumpy even though we fancied going out for a walk and the weather forecast was mostly for "precipitation".
We didn't let the weather get us get down though, as we had two tasks.
One: Get money from the cash machine (as when we tried the one at Lidl on Saturday 2 January, it wasn't working. That wasn't too surprising seeing as it was after the Bank Holidays). Two: Go to the main post office at Galizes AGAIN to see if is open to collect a parcel that we have been trying to collect since Christmas.
One: Lidl cash machine still out of action. We then drove down to Intermarche at Oliveira hoping that their cash machine was working. Thankfully it was. Trouble was, our timing was wrong and we turned up just as the senior school next door to the supermarket was emptying for lunch. This means the cafe at the Intermarche and the queues at the till are full of testosterone infused lads and giggling girls. We ask ourselves, we were that irritating as teenagers? Er....yep!
Two: Our visit to the the Post Office was a failure AGAIN as it was still shut. It has now been closed since 24 December! The card we had left in our post box on Christmas Eve to tell us to collect a parcel had some printed data on it about dates and times but we didn't fully understand it. So when we tried on the Monday after Christmas and the post office was shut, we were philosophical, ah, of course it was shut until...Saturday. Saturday came, Post Office still shut. Our card, at a guess, said it would be open on Monday (today) from 0900 hours. No, still shut...but sign on the door now saying it would open at 1400 hours. As you can imagine we were doubtful. If this Post Office ever opened again it would be a miracle.
So, all in all, by now, we were feeling pretty grumpy.
Anyway, the good news is that when we went back after 2pm the Post Office WAS open at last. There was a lovely long queue of people waiting to have some service. The girl tried to be pleasant but we weren't in the mood. We managed to strangle a "Boa tarde". Anyway, we retrieved our parcel successfully on showing Jon's passport, and managed to post some letters off to the UK. Cue fanfare!
Back at the cottage, there was a break in the rain. With the warm sunshine on our faces and the birds singing in the trees you could almost believe Spring has arrived.
Jon opened the parcel that had a Christmas card and lovely gifts from Laura and Graham. Grumps immediately gone. A ray of sunshine just when it was needed most.
Showing posts with label Lidl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lidl. Show all posts
Monday, 4 January 2010
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Autumn has arrived
There's a definite autumnal feel and we have just lit the Rayburn (1500 hours). We are fortunate that there is already a woodpile awaiting our use. We have measured the existing woodpile with the landlady, and agreed that there are 7.5 cubic square meters of wood stacked. At the end of our rental we'll gauge how much we have used. The going rate at the moment per cubic square metre is 35 euros. All of this is forming part of our research on the cost of living over here.
The radiators are all toasty and there's an extra cover on the bed just in case we get chilly tonight. As the clocks went back on 31 October, the nights are drawing in and by 1800 hours it's properly dark outside.
The temperature fluctuates throughout the day with the changing weather. One minute it's raining and feels like it's about 11 degrees Celsius, and the next the sun is shining and it feels rather nearer to 16 degrees Celsius. However, the dark wet spells are getting more prolonged, and the forecast for the next few days doesn't seem to change much. So maybe this is it. Autumn has arrived.
While we were out shopping a little while ago (Lidl) the Serra da Estrela was cloaked with dark clouds. Wouldn't fancy being up there right now. Our bill at the supermarket came to 33.33 euros. That made us smile as these little things serve as reminders of home, Treble Three (333) being the name of the support group for the Ogwen Valley Rescue Team that we are members of. With the memory you can't but help think of your friends back there in Wales, also with fantastic views of the mountains from their homes, and all the great adventures we have had over the past few years as part of the support team, walking, scrambling, raft racing, potholing, bonfire and Christmas parties at Base, the list goes on. If they were here now we would probably be trying to drink Portugal dry of red wine!
There's something really special about lighting a fire and feeling the warmth permeate. And it's funny how Jon, being a retired firefighter, makes a great firestarter.
The radiators are all toasty and there's an extra cover on the bed just in case we get chilly tonight. As the clocks went back on 31 October, the nights are drawing in and by 1800 hours it's properly dark outside.
The temperature fluctuates throughout the day with the changing weather. One minute it's raining and feels like it's about 11 degrees Celsius, and the next the sun is shining and it feels rather nearer to 16 degrees Celsius. However, the dark wet spells are getting more prolonged, and the forecast for the next few days doesn't seem to change much. So maybe this is it. Autumn has arrived.
While we were out shopping a little while ago (Lidl) the Serra da Estrela was cloaked with dark clouds. Wouldn't fancy being up there right now. Our bill at the supermarket came to 33.33 euros. That made us smile as these little things serve as reminders of home, Treble Three (333) being the name of the support group for the Ogwen Valley Rescue Team that we are members of. With the memory you can't but help think of your friends back there in Wales, also with fantastic views of the mountains from their homes, and all the great adventures we have had over the past few years as part of the support team, walking, scrambling, raft racing, potholing, bonfire and Christmas parties at Base, the list goes on. If they were here now we would probably be trying to drink Portugal dry of red wine!
There's something really special about lighting a fire and feeling the warmth permeate. And it's funny how Jon, being a retired firefighter, makes a great firestarter.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Castles in the Air
The past few days have been overcast but very humid. Today we are back to glorious sunshine again. The clocks went back on Saturday night, like in the UK, and this will mean that by 6.15ish it is dark. We awoke to find the valley in mist, but by 10ish this morning it had already almost disappeared. However, we drove up and out of the valley and could see it was still lingering in some areas. In fact, as we drove up towards Lourosa, we could see the mountains standing proud of the lower cloud forming a temperature inversion. What a great way to start a trip to Lidl!
Our mission today was to get an electric blanket from Lidl. It only took one properly cold night, a week or two back, for us to decide that we would get one when Lidl stocked them this week. Hopefully, we won't need it for a while yet, but it's there just in case. Mind you, there's something a bit special about getting into a cold bed and snuggling close to your loved one.
After our shopping trip we went to Avo. We first visited Avo in June 2008 when we spent a fortnight in a yurt near Tabua. The place looked different this time with the autumnal colours, and the water in the bathing pools had been drained. This time we also ventured to find the castle. On the way up we spotted a man harvesting watercress from the stream. The final climb to the castle was up through a narrow passage between the houses that felt quite mediaeval. We wondered, would it only be in Portugal that last week's washing finds itself on display outside a historical monument? These are earthy folk, seeming to have little or no pretension. Our fondness keeps on growing.
Views from the castle were wonderful. What our pictures don't encapsulate is the peacefulness of the place with the smell of woodsmoke hanging in the air, the distant crowing of cockerels, jangling goat bells, birdsong, and the hiss of the rivers converging below.
Our mission today was to get an electric blanket from Lidl. It only took one properly cold night, a week or two back, for us to decide that we would get one when Lidl stocked them this week. Hopefully, we won't need it for a while yet, but it's there just in case. Mind you, there's something a bit special about getting into a cold bed and snuggling close to your loved one.
After our shopping trip we went to Avo. We first visited Avo in June 2008 when we spent a fortnight in a yurt near Tabua. The place looked different this time with the autumnal colours, and the water in the bathing pools had been drained. This time we also ventured to find the castle. On the way up we spotted a man harvesting watercress from the stream. The final climb to the castle was up through a narrow passage between the houses that felt quite mediaeval. We wondered, would it only be in Portugal that last week's washing finds itself on display outside a historical monument? These are earthy folk, seeming to have little or no pretension. Our fondness keeps on growing.
Views from the castle were wonderful. What our pictures don't encapsulate is the peacefulness of the place with the smell of woodsmoke hanging in the air, the distant crowing of cockerels, jangling goat bells, birdsong, and the hiss of the rivers converging below.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Lidl and Tremocos
Not much to note today, apart from it's hot again, though there is a 50% chance of precipitation tomorrow so we may stay in and bake some bread. We also did a bit of shopping over at Lidl near Oliveira do Hospital (on N17) for staple provisions, like wine, wine, more wine, beer, beer, more beer, and some potatoes. Hmmm...think we overdid the food again!!
The Expat Portugal forum is a really useful resource for information on all sorts of subjects. One of the threads was re the best wines to buy for under 2 euros - see below link. So we have our list and we are religiously working our way down it, like we feel we should.
http://www.expatsportugal.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7665&highlight=
We bought some "tremocos" and were not entirely sure what they are, but Jon noticed them being sold on the markets etc. Apparently they are a snack item enjoyed with beer. They look like butter beans a bit, so we'll let you know how we get on.
The Expat Portugal forum is a really useful resource for information on all sorts of subjects. One of the threads was re the best wines to buy for under 2 euros - see below link. So we have our list and we are religiously working our way down it, like we feel we should.
http://www.expatsportugal.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7665&highlight=
We bought some "tremocos" and were not entirely sure what they are, but Jon noticed them being sold on the markets etc. Apparently they are a snack item enjoyed with beer. They look like butter beans a bit, so we'll let you know how we get on.
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