two straight weeks at home! the weather is finally warming up but not yet too hot — just perfect really, shorts and tshirts and sandals all day, and no need for the AC. bliss!

it has been so nice that we went on a long walk with friends to see some birds in castro marim!

the bee-eaters are back, filling the air with their gurgling sound. it’s always a joy to hear it again every year and realize they are back.

we’ve had good news from an apartment we saw and liked in aveiro! we successfully managed to negotiate a more affordable rent and are now reviewing the rental agreement. hopefully we can get it signed soon, and then we’ll have a new headquarters in the north, so that we can spend more time there exploring and also getting stuff done while we’re there. it’s really difficult to get anything done when we’re at the parents…

i’ve started supplementing with iron again, because my ferritin levels are still low and my heart has been doing some funny hiccupy dances. the vitamin D levels are also low, but the doctor told me this is normal after winter and that i should just make an effort to get a bit more sun. i’ve been trying to do that, in the form of bike rides in my shorts in the middle of the day. i hope they’re working!

entertainment-wise, i listened to the river has roots and read the irresistible urge to fall for your enemy (another dramione fanfiction turned book) — both entertaining. we re-watched howl’s moving castle, which was a bit disconcerting after having read the book — they’re so different! we also watched a complete unknown, the movie about bob dylan’s early years.

because it was sprouting everywhere around the garden and constantly shedding leaves, we decided to take out the bamboo we planted some years ago… well, easier said than done. the roots have spread wildly all these years, and are super stuck to the earth. in the process, paulo accidentally damaged a water pipe, which meant we couldn’t turn on the water in the house until a handyman came to disconnect it. 😩 thankfully, the person came earlier than expected and was able to do a temporary fix, so we can shower again. pffew!

this week, we finished this 1000 pieces stamp-themed puzzle, which had been a christmas present. it looked nice on the cover… but the image was annoyingly blurry up close, which made the experience a little frustrating. :(

we finally watched “project hail mary” with friends, and it lived up to the expectations and then some! also, the cinema in faro had a super huge fancy screen, and half-sweet, half-salty popcorn which were amazing too.

sadly, we did some bloodwork last week, and my LDL cholesterol is still a bit high, while my iron and vitamin D levels are too low… *sigh* some stuff to fix in the coming months.

this was also the week in which we shared the news of the US Postcrossing stamps! these are so much fun, and the community has been asking for them for years! i can’t wait to see them being used on postcards!

then, we cleaned the place up for some houseswap guests and came north — this time by flying. this is a change of pace for us, as we’d usually prefer the train… but we’ve been here so often this year, that we wanted to save a bit of time this time around. the stay was the usual mix of elderly doctor appointments, celebrating birthdays and spending time with family.

little niece is now almost 3 years old, and this is a really nice phase: she can express herself well, can be reasoned with, is a little cheeky and overall just a lot of fun to be around and play with. she and her village cousins get along like a house on fire :D

also, the days have been warm and long, thick with the scent of orange blossom. spring is in the air!