Time Glides On!

I love that people send me private little notes demanding to know where my blog has gone!!! Heartens my heart to know folks are not only following along, but enjoying reading of our escapades.

This past few days has all been about long walks, leisurely meals, the occasional jaunt in the car in between running errands, daily household chores, and for Marc in particular, delving into a few ideas that have been brewing around a few new pieces of art. All in all we are quite content and time, as it always does, seems to disappear on us as it seems that one minute we are getting up and the next, contemplating going back to bed.

This new stone wall has been constructed since we were last here. We discovered it as we were hiking up the mountain road. Lots of new construction going on, which is wonderful to see.
The storks are rebuilding.
Marc has been enjoying a few wonderful walks/hikes with me, which makes me a happy man!

For those of you who have followed my blogs in the past you may remember that there are particular days you don’t hike in the mountains because of hunters. For those of you new to this blog, Thursday and Sunday is open hunting in the mountains therefore you don’t venture in there for a casual hike!! Marc and I learned this the hard way!!

It’s all abut the colour!

As it seems to be all around the world these days, prices are going up. We’ve found that Portugal is no exception to this as restaurant prices have jumped considerably since March 2019. (when we left here last). In the past we enjoyed many “menu completo“,which would include your bread/olives/vino/main plate/dessert/coffee for around 8 or 9 euros. Not this time. Now you find that the concept has completely disappeared, or at least we have not yet encountered it, and presently everything is priced separately. It’s till substantially cheaper than at home in Canada however so not complaining, simply pointing it out. For us Canadians, Portugal is an incredible bargain.

That would be the Olhão market building to the left of the photo. I had taken a walk out on the wharf this morning and enjoyed the entire place to myself. Not another person, just the sound of the crazy seagulls and other seabirds, squawking and circling the occasional fishing boat that was heading out to sea. I love the conversational sounds they make and the way they frequently seem to be laughing at us.
The beaches in Olhão are located on two islands – Ilha da Culatra and Ilha da Armona.  You can hop a taxi and be there in a few minutes. There is also a larger ferry that goes back and forth (ida e volta)…a great phrase to know when purchasing tickets for ferries/trains/buses etc.

Since arriving here it’s been endless sunshine, blue skies, with one short rain early morning while we were still in bed. The earth is quite parched and the farmers could certainly use a little rain but nothing in our forecast just yet. We don’t mind a day of rain as it permits us to stay home and work on a jigsaw, Marc paints, we read, etc..

Part of the old market building.

Over the years one of the habits that Marc and I have developed is to explore by taking roads that we have never been on before. Nothing here is necessarily in a straight line, unless you want it to be. I don’t think one could truly “get lost” as all roads lead to Rome! If it’s a dead-end road, it’s clearly marked, not that we haven’t missed a few of those signs and found ourselves trying to turn the car around on a dime! We have a few stories.

We love to take those roads as we find there is always a treasure to be stumbled on. Today we came across this:

Again, colour abounds. We often find ourselves chatting about what colour we would paint OUR house if we bought one here. So far we haven’t necessarily agreed BUT, we never shy away from vibrant colours in our daydreams.
A creative hand-made house sign.
The bottlebrush tree is in bloom in places. Full of vibrant red bristly-looking flowers, they grow well in full sun in Portugal, mainly as they aren’t too picky about the soil, provided it is well drained.
Callistemon is its official Latin name but is called ‘bottlebrush’ as the blooms resemble the brushes used to clean the inside of bottles

And finally, this small inviting lane that, had I not been in the car, would have most certainly been explored a bit more! These places call out to me.

As we have plans for this evening we’ve decided to treat ourselves to a lazy afternoon around the Quinta. The temperature is 18 degrees however the sky today is filled with large cotton candy type clouds which makes sitting by the pool a bit cooler than I enjoy. I think that’s the universe’s way of telling me to start that new book I’ve been itching to get into.

Até nos encontrarmos novamente (until we meet again)

15 thoughts on “Time Glides On!

  1. Great to know that your days are filled with sun and discoveries and joy, dear Randy et Marc.

    Marie & Bernard

    Hon Marie-P. Charette-Poulin, B.A., LL.B., M.A.

    On Sat., Dec. 4, 2021, 9:19 a.m. Marc and Randys Travel Adventures, wrote:

    > canadianboystravel posted: ” I love that people send me private little > notes demanding to know where my blog has gone!!! Heartens my heart to know > folks are not only following along, but enjoying reading of our escapades. > This past few days has all been about long walks, leisure” >

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  2. Is the Olhao waterfront redevelopment underway?

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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    1. Not sure what you mean? There is a great deal of work that has been done on the promenade, the park area around the market and of course the street has been completely redone over the last three years. Is that what you are asking about? Otherwise I’m not certain.

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  3. Love seeing your pictures and hearing about your adventures. Sounds like you’re having a wonderful relaxing time. Enjoy every minute of it!

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    1. Thanks Karen. Maybe one day you’ll get back and the weather will be better for you. Happy to show you around.

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  4. Ola MBB’s, was great to see you both yesterday and great to read your latest blog. Pics, as usual, are wonderful. Catch up again soon. Hugs, Us.

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    1. Love the spontaneity of yesterday! You keep us posted on your plans and we’ll look forward to another visit.

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  5. Will be oot ‘n’ aboot either Segunda or Terca – will let you know. Me and Him. ha ha ha.

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  6. All that great blue sky and colour! Looks wonderful! Love the photos of the “bottlebrush” flowers, so vibrant! Thank you for the chance to virtually enjoy sun and warmth!

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    1. Thank you for following along and for your comments. I appreciate them.

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  7. Anne Marie Dalton December 4, 2021 — 8:57 pm

    So lovely Randy. Thank you.

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  8. A perfect day in the neighbourhood, albeit, extended neighbourhood…lovely pics! So nice to pretend I am draggin’ my butt behind you! LOL! I look forward to your blog everyday! 🤗🤗

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    1. We have loads of photos of you draggin’ your butt behind us…LOL Glad you are enjoying the blog.

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