YAWN, YAWN, WAKEY, WAKEY - 2022

Bella is fine, nothing bothers her, but sometimes she wanders about the garden and goes out to the back road.
I can't go anywhere when she's wandering because I keep worrying if she has come back so I wait until she goes to sleep, either in the shed or in the house, and I know she'll be there for several hours.

Today she stayed out for just enough time to make me miss the bus. I caught the next one but then missed the connection. It made the journey an hour longer than it would have been.

Never mind, while I was waiting for the connection I had a wander around a market and bought some nice cherry cakes (one of which I ate in the cemetery !) and some laverbread to have for supper

I did have a cat once who would go a bit wild every time there was a full moon

 

Oh, Michael, I SO empathise with you. xx

'My day turned out quite horrid. Got to my appointment on time ... and there were three lots waiting. Turns out machine had just went kaputz!!! I saw doctor leave (recognise him from photo) older Frenchman. then girlie comes out and says machine down and system cannot be logged. We have to go to Reception to get new appointment. Fortunately small place so got appointment in Guia for mid November so had to change Neurologist and that is mid December!!!

Got home and have had a couple of Rum & Cokes. Dinner now ... Fish Finger in buns with tarter Sauce.

Speak tomorrow. Vxx

 

My goodness @Victoria that had to be frustrating but having your medicinal rum and cokes probably helped you recuperate.

@Michael Hewett sounds like your missing the connection was tasty! What is a laverbread? I've never heard of those.

On a sad note, I spent some time on the phone with a friend. I call her every 10 days or so as she is in our group of gals that go on a monthly outing and she hasn't been able to come for quite awhile since her husband's cancer is morbidly aggressive. We had some tearful exchanges as the doctors are coming back next week to help him with dying. Very sad.

 

@Victoria, how very annoying for you and inconvenient having to wait until the other appointment.

@CanadianLori Laverbread is made from a special type of green seaweed found growing on the coast of the Gower Peninsula and surrounding areas in Wales.
People with a special licence go out at low tide to collect it (and also cockles), then it is processed (boiling I think) until it becomes a black mush. It is a traditional food in these parts and usually eaten with cockles and bread. We often had it when I was little.
I'll take a photo of it tomorrow to show you.

How sad about your friend's husband, I know how difficult it is for someone with a dying partner/husband/wife. It's nice that you could give her some support.

 

Good morning !


Oh Vicky how very disappointing/ frustrating for you about your appointment that didn't happen after all yesterday. Grrr .


That's very sad news Lori.
I have a friend who's husband is terminally ill with cancer that has spread. I spoke with her a fortnight ago and he can't walk any distance now and she's having to push him in a wheelchair. She said he can just about struggle upstairs to bed each evening but she is now converting a room downstairs as their bedroom. I feel so sad .I long to give my friend a hug ,and she says she really needs one, but she can't take any chances with catching a bug and passing it on to her hubs as he has respiratory illnesses too . So she has to avoid all comforting close contact with others at a time when she really needs some. We've been friends for 57 years and it's distressing to be unable to offer her physical comfort at this terrible time.
I know she gets support in other ways, but we all need hugs don't we.

Not sure of my plans today, depending on how long this rain hangs around for will determine when I check out the state of the garden as we've experienced some strong winds and whether I visit my sister this morning or leave it until this afternoon.

Decisions, decisions.

Hope you all have an enjoyable day.

 

I think this is what is needed here for us all!

Lori, so sad about your friend. Is Euthanasia permitted there?

Upsy, xx

Michael, I have been watching Michael Portillo's programmes of going around the UK and in Wales there was a segment on Laverbread. I take Spirulina, seaweed tablets.

To add to my stress and distress I had an e-mail when I got home yesterday saying I could apply for mt Biocard here under the Withdrawal Agreement. But I have on the Portugal Expats Forum and everyone who has got one say they have to go to Lisbon to get it ... a five hour round trip by car!!! Our friends, Donald and Brenda who live in a different county got theirs last week in Loule County where they live. I am dreading to press the link ... I have till 5 November to do it. I will come back on this.

At 8.45am our friend Stu is coming with his mate to pollard our Jacarandas and the Almond tree.

I will catch up later.

More .... Vxx

 

Morning Vicky.....that 's good , another job to cross off the list.

Have a good day.xx

 

Guys have arrived spot on time. Van has dashed under the bed!

 

I saw that too @Victoria

Here you are @CanadianLori, this is laverbread or Bara lawr as we call it ...
Sorry it's a bit blurred.



Some people think it looks horrible, but when I think of other things people eat this doesn't look horrible at all.
On tv cookery programs (which I never watch but B did) I've seen them faffing with it and trying to think of different ways of using it, but the best way is to eat it as it is with cockles or maybe bacon or something.
I can't really describe the taste ... it's like the sea, and it has a sort of irony taste too, but that doesn't describe it properly. I suppose it's an acquired taste, but I was brought up on it

On Saturday mornings when I was little, the 'cockle woman' would come around. She was from Penclawdd on the Gower peninsula. She'd open the door and call into the house "MISSES !" , and she'd have a basket full of cockles, and laverbread in a container, and bunches of flowers. My mother would buy cockles in their shells and laverbread and we'd have them for tea

 

Good day
The clouds are clearing out and it is 40f 4c. The guessers say it will be going down to 32f 0c tonight. The leaves are taking the cue and are dropping off the trees now.

@Michael Hewett thank for the picture and description. I like things that taste a little "hinky". For breakfast I'm going to have heated up beets with some sour cream.

Yes, we have MAID - Medical Assistance in Dying. It is very very carefully meted out and pretty much only to those who are spirally toward death and in constant pain like my friend's husband. I always liked this fellow. He was a ferry captain, could sing like Joe Cocker and sometimes was in the movies as a double for Morgan Freeman. Just an all round fun and very nice man.

Today I meet the other girls in the group for lunch and will tell them about this sad event and since there are two ladies who aren't coming today, I'll phone them this morning to let them know what Norma is going through. This is not something for emails.

I've got a bit of shopping to get done this morning and then I will not be in the young people's way in the grocery stores, on the weekend. I can never understand old farts going shopping or banking on a weekend and adding to the lineups that the young people already must wait through! We have a choice for heaven's sake... hmm, maybe I should have posted this to latest moan.

That said, Cheers all

 

Good morning everyone.

How are you all today and I hope everyone got a good night's sleep.

Suppose to be a good drying day today ( jinxed that now I expect ) so the laundry has all been done.

I have some brain games to complete today, I have been putting off doing them but can't for much longer.

I'm hopeless at doing them and get flustered as some of them are set against the clock!!
This is my 2nd year of being part of a study group on brain function and dementia. I'm in the sub group of doing these games ,there are other different groups as well.
I have to log onto to the University site once a year ( they email you when to) and then work my way through a series of games that target the usage of different parts of my brain. Have to say that some are a bit tough going!!!

If my brain isn't frazzled before I start then it most definitely is after I've completed them or should I say...'tried' to complete them!!

Wish me luck please that my brain does prove to have signs of life!!

Have a great day everyone!

 

Morning all. It is a calm morning and should be a fine day.

Upsy with your brain tests!

Sounds like my kind of man! Portugal keeps talking about it.

J is meeting John today then John will come back here for a visit.

I had some plants arrive the pas two days so may pot them up ... or wait till tomorrow.

We had disaster with the tree polllarding yesterday. I will put pictures up in An Algarve Garden ... we are quite angry!

Have a good day all.

 

Morning Vicky

Oh no that doesn't sound good , I'll wait with dreaded concern to read your post.

Enjoy John's visit, is he keeping well now?

Have a lovely day.

 

Morning Upsy

Just downloaded the photos.so will play around with them for a bit.

Yes, John is fine now thank you. He has received his e-mail from SEF (Border Control) and his says Lisbon too. They are in a right mess. I have written them. I am not necessarily concerned as my 10 year Permanent Residency card is valid till February. This does not affect J as he is American, only Brits here.

Will answer your e-mail later. xx

 

Good day
It is a little cloudy and the sun is trying to muscle through which I hope happens as it is 34f 1c and we could use a little bit of warming! I've been busy getting the rubbish, recycle, garden waste, bulk items out to the kerb for today's pick up. And had lots of emails to answer. I'm halfway through those.

I had a lovely lunch yesterday and enjoyed the company of my friends. Plus it wasn't outrageously expensive either

@Upsydaisy those brain games sound interesting. I regularly do one that measures any differences between last month or last year to the presence. So far it says I'm holding my own. Hope that keeps up!

@Victoria I'll head over to your Algarve gallery a little later to see what's going on. Pics really do say it all!

@Flumpy I hope work is going well and you days off are sunny. You deserve nice breaks.

@Michael Hewett I wish we had your laverbread over here as I'd like to try it. I've heard about marmite too but we don't have that either. Even just to sample. If I get to come back over that way, I think I'll be sure to include "foods to try" on my to do list. Last time I pretty much stuck around the greater London area only venturing as far as Salisbury and Shineyland. Next time I'd be expanding to ocean's edge in all directions!

I have a super puttering day in the works and will start it as soon as I've answered the rest of the emails.

Cheers