The Dimming of the Day

Where does the time go I keep asking myself?  We are here now more than two weeks, we don’t seem to stop and yet I can’t really tell you what, if anything I have truly accomplished.  That is not a complaint as I love how, in my retirement, it’s all merging together into one fabulous memory after another.  Thank goodness I am organized in labeling all my photos, when I need to know what I did on any given day I simply have to look in my photo file!!!

This past week feels like that!  Sadly I didn’t take many photos, therefore, am forced to have to actually recall!

I know I visited my friends Sarah and Henrique on Wednesday and we enjoyed an afternoon of catching up, remembering and dreaming about what is to come.

On Thursday I headed off to explore a wonderful park near Olhão that our friends Ana and  Simão told me about.

The trails, which wind through a gorgeous pine forest, are well marked and one loop is one km.  I did five of them and only called it quits then because the sky was threatening rain.  (Not that I have to worry about melting)!  I am happy to have learned about this place as it’s not far from home and provides a wonderful destination for a walk away from traffic and asphalt.

Part of the trail and the pines.

So many birds live here and happily there are nesting houses placed in many of the trees.

The azure-winged magpie is a bird in the crow family. They are challenging to photograph as they tend to fly off the second you stop to try and get a photo.

Yesterday we had a few errands to run as Monday is our appointment with the immigration folks for a renewal of our residency cards and I needed to have some documents printed.  We are now all set and ready to meet with them.  I’m confident it will all go smoothly and we are then done for another two years.

Today, Saturday was as always, the Olhão market.  We were meeting friends, Sanders and Robert, and spending the day together.  It turned out to be lovely and sunny and although I didn’t take many photos of the market itself, I did get a few of our wanderings.   We explored the market, enjoyed lunch at the restaurant at the Marina then headed onwards to enjoy a walk in Fuzeta.  A marvelous day for all.

Flowers were on display and for sale all throughout the market today.

Robert, Marc and Sanders in her new chapeau!

This fellow was teaching a few younger folks how to parasail.

This young man got the hang of it quickly and while his friends were still floundering in the water he was off and running.

Speaking of running, this group had obviously challenged one another and ran into the water en mass. Lots of screams!!!

Marc and Sanders in a serious moment.

The tide was not quite in and the sun on the rolling waves was quite exquisite.

We strolled about and finally settled on a patio near the harbour to enjoy a Sagres and a final chat as Sanders and Robert head to Lisboa on Monday morning then back to Montreal on Tuesday.  We totally enjoyed our time with them and know it’s not the last time we’ll share experiences with them here on Portuguese soil!

 As we arrived home the sun was setting and we, once again, reminded each other of how fortunate we are.