some pictures from the picturesque PR8, a 11km circular trail around alta mora that goes through some hills with almond trees. it’s perfect to visit this time of the year!
the first time we did this trail some years ago with friends, the ribeira do beliche had so much water we had to take our shoes and pants off to cross it… not this time. the extent of the drought in the region in getting scary, and there’s no end in sight to it. :(
– after a break of almost one year, i’m back to chinese lessons in preparation of the level 5 exam. the deadline at the end of march is a bit ambitious and i don’t think i’ll be able to keep it up until then, but it’s something to aim for. i found a coursera that should help, and still do skritter revisions every day. wish me luck!
– we tried the flying jacob, a swedish recipe, invented by someone who worked in the flight industry. combining chicken with bananas and peanuts was unexpectedly nice.
– another long walk, this one of 25kms or so, between vila real de santo antónio and tavira. we took the train early in the morning, and walked our way back home. the weather was perfect for it, and walking in urban environments (instead of just the hills) was fun for a change. we had a stop in a café to recharge, and also had time to check out some eurasian coots along the way!
our southern shores.
remember the bee-eater from week 27? turns out, the little guy had some spinal trauma and paralysed legs, and we were told the prognosis wasn’t great… so we held our breath and held on to hope for a while, and it paid off!
although he wasn’t 100% recovered, the doctors at rias thought he was strong enough to have a good chance of survival, and the timing was right to release him before they all migrated to africa… so off we went to do that. our friends were around and took some really nice photos.
isn’t that the most beautiful bird? i was a bit sad we hadn’t gotten pictures of it on the day we delivered it, as we were too scared to hurt him further, and thought for sure we would never get another chance to see a bee-eater so close again in our lives… but he pulled through, and so we were lucky to be able to send him off. :)
i did a little video too, to mark the day:
hurray! fly safely little one!
long days, perfect for long walks on the beach.