The Days They Are a Blurrin’

As the heat builds and the days lengthen we find ourselves up earlier, heading to the beach sooner and eating dinner much later…….it’s amazing how the sun affects us!! We both seem to be moving at a slower pace and are seeking shade a bit more often than is normal for us….well certainly for me!

We’ve hit the beaches twice in the last few days and the pool here at the quinta is getting much more activity, not just from us but also from a couple of the new folks who have moved in.

Mother Nature is amazing. This plant has taken up occupancy right where a large piece of seawall was destroyed with the tornado in March. It looks as if it was always there but it wasn’t

I love this particular succulent which grows with wild abandon near the dune line along the beach.

Locals working, tourists playing……seems wrong somehow.

You hang it to dry where you can!

Marc enjoying a stroll through the old fishermen’s village on Faro Island.

us Canadian Boys!!

I liked this very much. It seems to be growing right out of the all. I couldn’t see how, if at all, it was attached.

We enjoyed our final visit to the Olhão market on Saturday morning.  We didn’t need much, which made the wandering that much sweeter.  We could stop, look at things, people watch, enjoy a bica on a patio and then wander around again.  We did manage to purchase a huge basket of fresh raspberries and local vegetables for a soup.  The place was packed, very much hip to hip or shoulder to shoulder.

Flowers were for sale everywhere today! It was fun to watch how many people were purchasing them.

Fresh olives, eggs and snails…….now, what a great omelette that would be!!

A shot to show how busy it was.

Loved this particular display of flowers. The bottle brush is lovely.

Enjoying our bica at “Gwen’s table”!!

You can see he is not enjoying himself!!!

I love the varieties of pumpkin they use here.

What can I say….this cactus was very photogenic!!! Do you think it’s the lovely pink flowers?

And yet more flora.

We decided to come home after the market and enjoy lunch on our patio then later in the day Marc and I walked down to visit a local art show that was opening.  We enjoyed it but it wasn’t well organized…….nothing overly spectacular but still, pleasurable to participate in something local in the village.  There was a wedding at the square and we saw this gorgeous car.

And of course, there is always something else that catches my eye.

This was in the lower level of the restaurant where the art show took place.

The top of the primary school. I’m sure I’ve photographed it before but with the lovely blue sky, it stood out for me.

This is a huge tree which is just starting to come into flower. I;ve made a not to go back in a couple of days and see how much has evolved.

Today was our final gypsy market of the trip.  Happily it was in Moncarapacho, a short jaunt from us, which allowed us to enjoy a lazy morning and not have to rush off.  It was chock a block full and much much larger than normal for that particular market.  I’ve been trying to find a new cap and that was our focus  No luck however, only synthetic and I won’t purchase it.

Lots and lots of clothing today. Tables piled high and people surrounding them.

You can see how busy it was.

This old Citroen was sitting at the entrance way to the market grounds when we were leaving. Great colour!

We had thrown the beach towels in the trunk, just in case and happily, they found their way to the Fuzeta beach.  There was a lovely breeze and we stayed a couple of hours soaking up the rays and people watching.  We are so fortunate to have so many beaches so close to us.

We finally had enough of sun and sand and headed back home to spend the rest of the afternoon around the property.  Sundays are always quiet here and for some reason, perhaps the heat, this one felt quieter than most, and certainly a lot less traffic and people out and about.  And so, we enjoyed lunch, some skyping with friends and family and finally……..a lovely gin and tonic beside the pool,

Don’t we look like two old geezers??

This was our view as we enjoyed our drink and the quietness. We sat and watched the swallows diving in and out of the pool. Free delightful entertainment.

Discovered a huge bed of alstromeria totally surrounding the base of the lemon tree. Beautiful and about to burst with flowers

And here we find ourselves, entrenched in routine and happiness and one week away from returning home!!  It’s going to be difficult to leave but, we will be returning and we are very much looking forward to seeing family and friends we miss so much during our time here.  Life continues to be wonderful and grand!