Personal A to Z of Portugal. T is for Time

Oh, the irony of this post!

There’s one thing I’ve realised since our move to the Algarve.

Time is like money. However much you have of either, it is never enough!

T is for Time

One of the things that prompted our move to the Algarve was the idea of having more “time”.

Well, OK, not actually more time, there are only 24 hours in a day after all, but removing ourselves from the dull, grey humdrum of the UK has afforded us the opportunity to be more selective about how we spend that time.

Sure, we spent a lot of time before leaving the UK, setting the business up so we could manage it more effectively from our slightly-remote location, but it has definitely been time well spent.

Now, we are blessed with enough time to do more fun things… such as…

Entertaining friends and family when they visit.

Pursuing new outdoor hobbies such as archery…

… and go-karting. (expensive hobby – for occasional use only!)

Exploring new places (This is at the Barragem da Bravura) up high…

… and down low (Ponta da Piedade, Lagos)

Enjoy a sunrise…

…or a sunset.

To play at the beach…

…or the water park…

…or relax by a pool

To cook…

…or bake.

To eat out…

… or with friends.

To experience local traditions…

…or play tourist.

All in all, it’s not a bad life really

Eliot approves!

“Did we do the right thing?” (not a cheery post really!)

Goodness knows, I’ve asked myself that a lot since we moved here in July 2010.

There’s no denying that moving to a different country with children is a very difficult thing to do. However much you tell yourself you’re doing it for “the greater good”, there are worries and doubts at every step of the way.

Obviously, these doubts and worries are not helped by plunging those children into a foreign language school environment. In fact, I think that language is, and probably always will be, our number one hurdle.

There is only so much preparation you can do before moving to a foreign country. You can visit and research local areas, amenities, schools etc. What you can’t do, unless you happen to be fluent in a second language already (that’s you AND your family, of course) is remove the language barrier completely. Some basic language skills in advance are a good thing, of course, but they really won’t prepare you for what it’s like to be surrounded by it 24/7!

I’d be lying if I said that our boys’ education hasn’t suffered in some way. Jake used to be a Maths whizz in his UK school. Now he struggles, even in this subject. His first 2 years here, he actually did really well. He passed both years and seemed to be doing ok. He’s been having one-on-one Portuguese lessons at home, for an hour a week, for around 18 months now and these have definitely helped. Jake has gone from “I am NEVER speaking Portuguese” to being (or claiming to be) fairly confident. He says he doesn’t feel that way any more. That’s definitely a step in the right direction.

In his first term of year 8, however, it seemed like we’d taken huge steps backwards. He went from only failing the “least likely to scrape through” subjects, to failing, well, nearly all of them! 6 negatives on his end of term report were a real shock. They’ve prompted change though and I’m hopeful that the changes we’ve made will help. His end of second term report will tell us, I suppose.

Eliot is also struggling. He was held back last year and remains in year 3. This was a good thing really because he needs the extra time in the lower classes and his teacher tells us he has improved a fair bit. There’s no denying his verbal Portuguese skills are confident but reading and writing lags behind. His reading in English, however, is very good (something which bemuses us because nobody has actually taught him this!) and that’s reassuring. His Portuguese reading will catch up. Now he just needs to learn to spell. Either language would be good!

Jake’s last report plunged me into doubt and regret, of course, and renewed all the “are we doing the right thing?” feelings. I actually ran through my mind how returning to the UK could be better. For Jake, perhaps the move back wouldn’t be a problem in his education (in fact, the stuff he’s learning/studying here is far beyond the UK equivalent school curriculum) but it would be a huge problem for Eliot. When we moved here, Eliot was held back a year. He was also held back again last year. This means he is currently in year 3 (which, in Portugal, isn’t a problem as there are many 9 year olds in year 3) but his UK “peers” and old school friends are in year 5. Even if we returned to the UK next school year, he’d be at least 2 years behind everyone he knew and that can’t be a good thing.

Does that make me feel any better? Does it hell?!

It’s not just the kids that throw up doubts and worries, of course. Work is a constant fear. Running our own business remotely puts a lot of pressure on. There’s no steady income. If we don’t get sales, we don’t make money and, if we don’t make money, we can’t transfer it here to live on! We don’t make a huge amount of money (we pretty much live off our 2 minimum director’s salaries here) but  we still have to cover that transfer each month. Most months, it’s OK. Some months, the quiet ones (and don’t all businesses have those?!) are quite unnerving. As anybody who relies on this sort of self-employed income will know, it’s hard and a constant worry.

Oh hell, that really sounds like it’s all doom and gloom! It’s not of course. Aside from money worries and kids, everything is fine!

*insert maniacal panicked laughter here*

There’s a fine line between worrying unnecessarily and sticking your head in the sand.

Here, have a sunny photo to brighten things up!

My beautiful boy. January 2013

Personal A to Z of Portugal. S is for Seasons

Yay! I’m back on my A to Z, finally!

I had a whole load of choices to pick from, for my “S is for” post but, in the name of photo goodness, I’ve made my choice.

S is for Seasons

Meia Praia Beach

One of the first things that people ask about, whenever we find ourselves talking to people about where we live, is, of course, the weather!

Everybody knows that Southern Europe knows how to “do” summer. Long hot sunny days during the summer are pretty much a guarantee. I won’t lie that it was definitely one of our reasons for moving!

What many people don’t know, however, is what kind of weather the Algarve gets during the other seasons.

Spring weather in the Algarve

Since being here, we’ve become aware that, during the Spring (particularly early Spring), when the UK has, in recent years, enjoyed it’s “summer” weather, we in the Algarve have actually been having worse weather than the UK! It can be cool and wet for days on end although often there will be periods of warm sunshine mixed in (for example, one day in early May 2012, it registered near 40C!)

Sunny Spring afternoon in Portimao – April 2012

Autumn weather in the Algarve

Autumn seems to be rather an unpredictable seasons. It seems perfectly capable of holding on to its summer heat one minute and the next minute it can rain for a full 24 hours straight!

Recent visitors of ours will agree that you take your chances the further through Autumn you decide to visit. After about mid-October, don’t bank on wall-to-wall sunshine for days on end. Factor in some “rainy days” too”

Some of the wildest weather comes in Autumn too. From the 2011 mini-hurricane that relieved Faro Airport of much of its roof (mentioned in this post), to the 2012 tornado that causes significant damage through the central Algarve (which I mentioned in this post) it’s easy to see that hot 30+C days come at a price!

Beach afternoon late October

Winter weather in the Algarve

Perhaps the most surprising season, here in the Algarve, is winter.

Mild days and cool nights are pretty much par for the course. If the sun shines (which it usually does!) temperatures can regularly reach the high teens and low 20s during the day but beware the cool breeze as it can certainly make you feel a good bit cooler in the shade (something the tourists seem not to bother about, as they pad about in their shorts and t-shirts!)

Overnight temperatures on the coast rarely drop below about 5C but, with houses having little in the way of heating (we just use our wood burning fire, not central heating) it can feel particularly chilly during the evenings and night-times. Slightly further inland or on higher ground, frost can develop but we have never seen it here on the coast, since moving here.

If you’re heading out in the daytime, just grab a few layers because, if the sun is in and out, you’ll be warm/cold/chilly/hot in possibly equal measures over the course of a day!

Portimao early November (note the removed jacket!)

Vilamoura early February

It is even biking weather in early December!

Summer weather in the Algarve

Of course, it goes without saying that summer in the Algarve is beautiful. But you didn’t need me to tell you that, right?

 

It’s beginning to look a bit like Autumn!

Autumn comes late here in the Algarve.

Mild days and cool (rather than freezing!) nights mean that trees don’t even begin to look autumnal until nigh on winter.

This weekend is the first time we’ve seen a hint of autumn on the trees outside our apartment.

Camera was facing directly towards the sun here but you can still see the leaves starting to change

The old railway station (in the background – with the tiled bottom) and engine shed (foreground)

View towards town, from main balcony (engine shed on right)

It’s cool indoors due to not having (well, we have but don’t use) central heating. Our wood fire isn’t usually lit until later in the day so indoors is usually a “multiple-layers-of-clothing” zone until late afternoon/early evening.

Our wood fire. The only source of room heating in our apartment

It’s rather warmer outside in the sun!

Maybe that’s why we enjoy such regular café trips

“No Stress Café” at the Skate Park (November 2012)

 

Another long overdue catch up. Where does the time go?

View of Lagos’ Avenida (main street) from the other side of the river

Well, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?!

It has been far, far too long since I posted a blog update so let me see if I can manage something of a catch up.

Since the boys went back to school, in mid September, it’s been a pretty hectic few months. We have had several trips back to the UK (2 for Nik, one for me) and a LOT of visitors out here to the Algarve.

As it’s nearly the end of term, let’s start with a quick school update.

Both boys settled into their new terms without too much trauma. Eliot has settled nicely in the new school and, according to his teacher, is coming on nicely. His language (written and comprehension) is improving steadily (can we have a “Hallelujah!”?!) and his verbal skills are, as ever, verbal (he has the gift of the gab in 2 languages now. Oh joys!)

He seems happy enough overall. There are a few trouble-makers in his class but nobody is giving him any particular grief, I don’t think (well, no more than they are giving anybody else anyway) Eliot doesn’t seem particularly troubled by it all and I’m inclined to believe whatever his position is. He’s not backward about showing his opinions and emotions and I’m fairly sure that, if there was a serious problem, we’d know about it.

Eliot at the skate park

Jake has also taken the new school year in his stride. He was very bothered by the fact that he’d been split from the majority of last year’s class (who he’d been together with since he started in the school) but has settled fine with the new class. He shares a few classes with his old classmates (French, I think) so he still sees them around and he’s making new friends in the new class. Academically, he seems to be doing ok. There are a few subjects he’s not doing so well at (including one or two that, perhaps, he ought to be doing better at) but there’s time for those to improve before it becomes a pass/fail-the-year issue.

They’re both ready for the Christmas break, I’m sure. This week is their last week of school (they finish Friday 14th) and then we can start to get ready for Christmas!

Like I already said, we’ve had lots of visitors in the past few months. Some have stayed with us (my Mum and Rod, Nik’s Mum) and some have stayed locally or elsewhere in the Algarve. It’s always nice to have visitors here, enjoying our beautiful local area and nice weather.

Recent visitor Tim and his giant club sandwich at the Skate Park (December 1st 2012)

Visitors Lee and Nicola on the beach (October 23rd 2012)

Mum and Rod (and Jake) at the Sand Sculptures (October 13th 2012)

We’ve continued to have some great weather this year. Once you get to October, it starts getting a bit unpredictable but, in amongst the odd raining or dull day, we still have some beautiful warm sunny days. Even in December you can get away with wearing a t-shirt if the sun is out!

Of course, the slightly cooler but sunny weather lends itself to better biking weather too. This pleases Nik greatly.

The bike parked up at Salema Beach (December 8th 2012)

I’m sure we’ll have some good weather over the Christmas and New Year period too. My sister, Wendy, is visiting again, this time for the whole holiday period, and she’ll no doubt be needing to be taken for regular walks (it’s kinda like having a dog!)

Plus, we have a Boxing Day tradition (if you can call “2 years so far” a tradition!) of visiting Alvor and walking along the river to uphold.

Alvor Christmas 2011

Of course, it’s not all lazy days here in the Algarve. We are still working (our visitors rarely see that side of us but we DO work when we are visitor-free, honest guv!) because, well, if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be here. Laziness doesn’t pay the bills, unfortunately!

It’s not all perfect sunshine either. As our autumn guests will tell you, Autumn in the Algarve brings with it unpredictability. Lee and Nicola (mid October) had 2 days of torrential rain during which they holed up in their rental apartment and watched movies all day. Tim and Sue (end November) also had a couple of rainy periods and, when it rains in the Algarve, it really rains!

Sometimes, although thankfully rarely, it does a bit more than that too.

Mid-November saw a freak tornado in the Algarve. From what I can gather, it passed us, here in Lagos, still out at sea (small mercies) and landed about 15-20km away in Carvoeiro. It then travelled inland to Lagoa and ended up at Silves, causing huge destruction on its way.

Early photo at Dona Ana Beach, Lagos (courtesy of Antonia Veigas Facebook)

Destruction in Lagoa and Silves (image courtesy of Sul Informação) Click image to view more photos

There is also some “good” home video of this tornado as it arrived in Silves. How this person stayed at the window so long, I have NO clue!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WJcdNHg23iI

I’m not sure I can embed the video from YouTube but please DO click and watch. It’s not long but it’s certainly impressive

Anyway, fortunately, this kind of weather is very rare here and we’re hoping not to experience any more like it. Hopefully, those affected by the damage and destruction can get at least remedial repairs done promptly and have some sort of normality in place for the holiday season.

Speaking of which, presents to wrap etc etc. Jake’s birthday is tomorrow so Christmas takes a back seat until after December 11th. No early decorations for us!

I’ll try to keep updated a bit more often in future

Back to school (finally!!) and a general catch up.

 

I’m already in the WordPress dashboard, having done my next “Personal A to Z of Portugal” post so figured I might as well do a family update while I’m here!

The boys finally (can I emphasise that word enough? Does bold, italics underline do it?) went back to school on Monday 17th September.

Considering they’re been off school since 15th June, it has been a long, long 3 months of summer. Eliot has spent 7 of the 13 weeks at Click Kids Club, which has helped both him and us and Jake has spent most of his entire 13 weeks in his bedroom, as teenagers (well, nearly!) do, I suppose. The sun has shone pretty much incessantly during the entire summer, of course.

Click Kids dolphin watching trip

Eliot and I did a trip to London, as a birthday treat for him, to visit Aunty Wendy. We had all sorts of visitors, my aunty and uncle and their friends who all stayed in a small town fairly locally, My Mum, Nik’s Mum and Nik’s sister and her son, who celebrated his 5th birthday surrounded by his Portuguese family and his English family.

We did a trip to Aqualand, towards the end of the holidays, which was a great way to round off a long, hot summer!

The not-so-rapid Rapids

My preferred pastime

It’s been quite a busy summer, in fact. Coupled with the fact that it is also our work busy season! As business slows down for the autumn (something which is both a relief and always a worry at the same time) and the boys go back to school, we can start to get back to some sort of normality again.

The boys seem to have settled in ok to their new school years.

Eliot is, of course, at a completely new school altogether, as I mentioned in an earlier post. However, when we went for our introduction day, on the Friday before term started, we discovered that his entire school HAD indeed been sent to the same school and, in fact, they had also kept all the students together. Not only does his new school class consist of everybody he would have been with in his old school but he also has the same teacher! He’s in a new environment but surrounded by familiarity. Best of both worlds, I’d say! He’s loving his new bigger school with all its places to play and new people to get to know. It’s definitely a good thing for him.

Jake had a bit of an upset when the new school class lists were released because he has been moved into a new class away from the people he has been with for the past 2 years. This is mostly due to his subject choices are requirements (choosing Music over Photography and requiring a different Portuguese class to most) and, while he was not pleased at ALL about the change of classmates, he seems to be coming to terms with it gradually.

He had another slight upset in that he has most of the same subject teachers as last year and his head of year (DT – diretor/a de turma) is his Maths teacher who he, well, let’s just say he doesn’t favour her much! He finds her intimidating and scary which isn’t good for the teacher who is supposed to be your “go-to-person” if you have any problems! I, however, find NO school teacher scary (I just have a problem with schools themselves!) and will have no qualms about giving her what for if she upsets my boy!  He’ll be ok, I think. Certainly, there are a few students from his previous year who it will benefit him to be away from!

So, we head into the new school year making new starts. New schools, new classes. Bring it on!

Gratuitous blue sky shot!

Related articles

• Summer update. Two down, one to go. (handsinportugal.wordpress.com)

 

Personal A to Z of Portugal. R is for Recycling

I had a few ideas in mind for my R topic. Some more personal (and, perhaps, more opinionated) than others but actually, I decided to go for something along the “useful information” lines. It’s a rare treat

R is for Recycling

Image courtesy of http://luzportugal.com/utilities/water-and-waste-in-luz/

In the UK, you could say we were (well, I was) passionate about recycling and reducing unnecessary waste. We used washable nappies on both of our boys, to save sending hundreds of disposable nappies to landfill and, for the past 10-15 years, probably 80-90% of our household waste has been sent to recycling rather than the dump!

In fact, we used to fill our big blue recycle dustbin (which was only collected once a fortnight) in just one week while our weekly collected household waste bin wouldn’t fill in a fortnight! I recall numerous times when a small child would be lifted (feet first, obviously!) into the top of the blue bin, in order to trample down the recycling to make more space!

I was very pleased to notice that Portugal (certainly down here in the Algarve, at least) has a very good network of recycling facilities for the general public (whether the general public, particularly holiday makers, choose to use them, of course, is a whole other matter!)

Portuguese households don’t generally have a dustbin collection themselves. Household waste and recycling is taken, by the householder, to the nearest recycle point (ecoponto) or large green skip (for general waste)

Ecopontos, such as the one pictured above, are commonplace. Blue for paper and card, yellow for packaging (ANY packaging), green for glass and brown for biodegradable waste such as food scraps.

The above bins are a fairly new design, being emptied by huge trucks which life up the entire underground chamber, accessed by lifting the large square panel that the metal bin is sat on (like below)

Image courtesy of http://blog.emap.com/footprint/2010/06/16/goodbye-to-all-those-black-recycling-bins/

It’s quite an impressive system.

There are also numerous recycle points like the one below which sometimes also include a small orange bin, on the front or the side, for old batteries.

Image courtesy of lxversusporto.blogspot.com

Even the beaches are equipped with a basic version of the ecopontos you find elsewhere.

A typical recycling point on the beach. Image courtesy of http://oeiraslocal.blogspot.pt

It’s also worth mentioning that there isn’t much you CAN’T recycle here in Portugal. All paper and card (blue bin), plastics, metal and all packaging (yellow bin), clothing (there are clothing banks around too) and food/organic waste in the brown bins. Pretty much everything has some sort of collection point really and it’s not really much effort to split it all (if only the majority of tourists bothered)

In fact, our kitchen says it all.

We make far less general waste, in our small white kitchen bin, than we do recycling!

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that I use my green bag for my yellow recycling because I don’t have a yellow bag! My bottles (which would go into the green bin) are better in the box anyway so, while this set up does seem to confuse everybody else in the world, it works in my head!

Don’t worry about all those wine bottles either. I’m not an alcoholic! We just don’t take our bottles as often as the rest of the recycling gets emptied. It is Jake’s job to empty the blue and green bags (and the kitchen bin) as and when required. He usually cycles with the rubbish and recycling to our local bins which are only about 2 minutes cycle away. We don’t ask him to take the bottles though because they are both cumbersome and heavier. Eliot usually gets the pleasure of dropping in the bottles when we take them in the car. To be completely honest, this often only happens when the box is running out of space which delights Eliot because he loves the smashing sound they make when they drop into the underground bins (an experience which makes me pleased we don’t live right next to an Ecoponto!)

I’m pleased that Portugal has such widespread recycling facilities. In our 21st century world, it’s a small thing we can do that could potentially make a difference.