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The End of the Summer

Here on the Silver Coast the summer seems finally to have come to an end. It’s halfway through November and we are still wearing t-shirts and continuing our outdoor lifestyle, but the last few days have brought some torrential rain of near monsoon proportions.

It’s a spectacular sight and must be doing wonders for the water table and the threat of drought in the future, something that is constantly talked about here in Portugal.

Obviously, the weeds are now growing in abundance and our newly ploughed field is as green as anything you might see in the West Country back in England. So CG is hard at it for hours on end trying to tame the unruly vegetable garden.

Roly the pig is fit and happy and seems to be enjoying her pregnancy. I don’t know if it is true but she appears to be making ‘nests’ in the mud in her pen. She digs a big muddy hole and then sits in it looking very pleased with herself! Most of our neighbours are amazed at the size of Roly, which is due not just to the fact that she is pregnant but because she is almost two years old. Most of the pigs kept around here are eaten before their first birthday! The new pigsty is under construction and will hopefully be ready by the end of January, weather permitting…..

I have had a rather busy time lately cooking all the usual favourites for Union Jacs and have added Fudge to the range, just in time for Christmas. The problem is that, I can’t actually stop myself from eating it! Unfortunately, a lot of the Bay Tree Farm home baked products are not going to be available on a regular basis for much longer as I have had a stroke of luck and been offered a job.

A real one….

It has come completely out of the blue and I am very, very excited about it. CG has declared himself to be a ‘house husband’ and as usual, has embraced the role with gusto. The other day I came home to find him dressed in an apron with a big pan of onion soup bubbling away and the house almost tidy! He was, however, still wearing his Wellington boots as he wanted it to be clear that he was not abandoning his garden. I love his enthusiasm but secretly wonder quite how long it is going to last.

So, although from Monday I will return to the world of work and be office bound from nine to five, I am still planning to continue writing for Silver Coast News and will cook the occasional treats for Union Jacs – Fudge, Chutney and Lemon Marmalade for certain. If you think you might miss the pasties then I have been assured that the frozen ones are not a bad substitute.

Today was the Boy King’s first school sports day. The coach load of very excited pre and primary school children all headed off to Sao Martinho Bay first thing this morning to run races on the beach against other schools from the region.

When CG and I went to pick our little darling up afterwards, I asked the teacher how he had done. She told me that he hadn’t stopped running all day, I was very pleased and asked if he had won anything. Unfortunately, I was told that he hadn’t because he constantly ran in the wrong direction. The poor teacher was exhausted because she had to keep running after him and bringing him back to the race.

Maybe next year then.

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