Memo to Monarchs and Politicians

It was while we were in the Ticino that we learned of the death of her late Majesty.  Skulking indoors in the wet, windy Algarve, we’ve been watching the resignation speech of our latest Rt Hon First Lord of the Treasury.  Perhaps we should notify our future travel plans to the Palace and N°10.

Yesterday being Martyn’s birthday, we went out to lunch at a nearby hostelry overlooking the beach and some dramatic sandstone rocks.  A good skewer of big prawns and dollops of monkfish, served with fries and some sautéed vegetables.  As we dined, we watched the local surfing school practising with varying degrees of success.  We had an enjoyable stroll earlier round the boardwalk at the nearby bird sanctuary in warm but overcast weather.  By the time we were at lunch, the rain had begun, and has continued on and off ever since.  The weather forecast threatens showers (at best) for the rest of the holiday.  

Our shopping yesterday included a vitally necessary bath mat: the bath is extremely slippery, and showering scared us both.  I don’t want a repeat of a trip to Barcelona a few years ago, when I slipped and fell in the bath.  Luckily, my arm made contact with the marble edge of the wash basin: had it been my head, I don’t think I’d have been reporting the episode now!  That too was a trip to celebrate Martyn’s birthday, so a repeat performance would be highly unfortunate.

The garden here is beautiful: lots of bougainvillea, strelitzia, oleander and other subjects that enjoy the sub-tropical climate.  The geraniums hereabouts have obviously overwintered many times, judging by the thick woody stems.  As for the fauna, a couple of sparrows come and make off with whatever we leave for them, and I’d a good view from the roof terrace this morning of azure-winged magpies.  Unmistakeably magpies in flight, they lack the awful machine-gun call of their northern relatives that disturbs our peace at home.

I did a spot of research earlier into our rental car.  It spins along happily enough, but lacks a lot of the refinements of less pretentious VWs.  Mechanical refinement is there in spades, however: I had wondered about the sound when I put my foot down: it turns out to be a turbocharged 3-pot of just 999 cc.  I’ve yet to try it on the motorway, and have no great expectations.