We finally grew our first Cauliflower!! It may not sound much to the seasoned gardener, but we made some raised beds using reclaimed wood and planted some vegetables. So far we have had a few beans, lettuce, some giant squash and now a small Cauli. (Couve-flor in Portuguese). We celebrated with vinho tinto, and made an awesome Cauliflower cheese which tasted amazing. This is great inspiration to grow more. Our land is a bit nitrate sparce, we have found out – so we are trying to suppliment with used coffee granuals etc. We have also been planting some lemon, clementina and orange trees – with the help of my mother when she visited. Of course, our neighbour Ze put me to shame when he came over with some of his produce, as a show of skill. Next time Ze, next time…….

In other news, I have been making an outside toilet and shower set up for our future guests. We have some friends coming at Easter to be the first to try it out. It’s not finished yet, but I have utilised free pallets to get this done, which are from our other neighbour who works for a local business that make sacks for dog food, animal feed etc. It’s amazing what becomes important to you in Portugal, and how much “stuff” you start to hoard, but the other side of that is it is a really awesome feeling to build something from items that otherwise would be broken down, scrapped or burned.

Also, Carla has now started to teach Nutritian and English at the local Camera (Council) run School, based at the Library in Penamacor. For a couple of hours a week, Penemacor’s finest are subjected to Carla saying “Obrigado is thank you” and “Bom dia is Good day”. She is finding it very rewarding and its great to be involved with the locals in the community.

More coming soon – Mike