Well, thank goodness 2021 is behind us. To say it has been a bit of a challenging year would be a bit of an under statement. We saw the new year in very quietly really, the usual video calls to family around the globe and the kids back in the UK. Wayne’s sisters are the furthest with his younger sibling living in Canada, whilst his older sister was accompanying her daughter on a break in Poland, and looked to be having a much more action packed experience than we seem to be enjoying in our tranquil surroundings here in Portugal.
We did enjoy the usual hilarity that ensues from the Canadian clan, who put together this funny rendition of a traditional favourite. Ladies and Gentlemen, please give it up for the ’Family Von Kräpp’…
The run up to New Year has been unseasonably warm. Wayne had his final session for his vertigo in Leiria, and watched folk walking along the riverside in t-shirts and the streets and parks full of children playing in the sun! Also while in Leiria he discovered a nice Nepalese/Indian restaurant, which was very impressive with a lovely tandoori dish for tasters, and is definitely worth another visit!
It was also worth taking the opportunity with the nice weather to get out on the many lovely walking trails just on the doorstep, and killing two birds with one stone. It was a good opportunity to test the repair to Wayne’s drone after in was returned, with all the latest firmware updates added and the batteries charged for the first time in a while, he managed to successfully test it and was very happy with the results. He just needs to get better with the camera settings!
Finally, after the usual late night and little sleep, we decided to spend the morning at Nazeré. This was an opportunity to test how long it takes to drive there from our current home. Wayne’s initial estimate of twenty minutes was only slightly out, but we arrived there in under half an hour, which considering a trip to the beach from our UK home was about three and a half hours to the nearest, is very satisfying.
It was quite surprising how many shops and restaurants were open, and once again how warm it was, even with the sea breeze.
Some other news is that Wayne managed to get his booster vaccination for Covid and a flu jab at the same time. It did effect him in the same way as the first injection, but it was only one day of sore arms, aches and pains, and back to normal after the second day, so well worth it in our minds at least.
Annete has been keeping busy with experimenting with new vegetarian recipes and has some craft projects on the go too. The Christmas decorations were taken down for another year and some cleaning of the house kept her busy. Meal times are now interesting, with our bestie going vegan, Annette continuing to eat veggie and Wayne a confirmed carnivore. It makes for some interesting organisation!
It was great to see our new friends Bruce and Paula and their daughter Cat, just before New Years Day too. We look forward to enjoying their company in the coming weeks as well as visiting Phil and Claire too.
We still have not picked up our build permit, but thats not surprising as most of the businesses and services are shut for the holiday period. However, the house project is looming large, and 2022 promises to be an exciting year ahead!
Thanks for stopping by to join us and we wish you all a Happy New Year.
Our Portuguese Life 