Category: weeknotes

– our small town’s festivities are taking place, and i’ve eaten farturas 2 days in a row! :D if that isn’t nice, i don’t know what is.

– doctor appointments! finally got the chance to go to faro to get my back checked, and it was fine. the doctor didn’t think it was serious enough to do anything about the back, and her recommendations were massages, relaxing and maybe some physiotherapy. sounds good with me!

– we found out about al-gharb coffee roasters sometime ago, and have been drinking their coffee since. it’s expensive, but really nice.

– we’ve met friends for night walks, and to go to the beach. i’ve finally dived in the ocean this year, and it was bliss — the water is fresh, in a way that feels good. as is already tradition, the boy got himself a sunburn on his only beach day of the year…

– construction begins! it’s been a week of hammering and destroying the balconies and terraces, so that they can be properly insulated and hopefully stop letting water in. banging and dust abound… but also relief at getting this done before it starts raining, and a bit of pity for the workers who are doing the job in the middle of one of the hottest weeks in the year (and the neighbors). :( we were only expecting the builders later in the year, but they decided to come earlier.

– which means i’m home alone, babysitting the construction while the boy visits his parents. it’s been a restorative week for my little introverted soul, who really enjoys the silence… but it’s also starting to feel (more than) a bit lonely. :|

– this furry looking specimen decided to bloom!

– in order to see people again, i ventured into the book fair in tavira on friday, and was almost eaten alive by mosquitos! it was almost like a comedy sketch: me and other tourists frenetically waving around, trying to bat away the mosquitos as if we were insane 😂 luckily i had packed the repellant (just in case…), and ended slathering myself and half a dozen other people with it. it’s not usually this bad, but oh boy, i must have hit the jackpot that day!

ah… home, sweet home. picking up new books to read from the library. taking walks on the beach. checking in on the neighbors and watching movies with friends. writing postcards. taking a day to properly celebrate having lived 40 years on earth, with some birdwatching and a nice meal. painting my hair. walking on the treadmill again. swinging by the chinese shop to stock on things and discover new stuff. hiring people to fix the house (but only after summer, sigh). checking the mail. working for long stretches of uninterrupted time.

it’s just been really nice to be back.

one thing that hasn’t been all that nice though is the pins and needles on my right arm that come and go at odd times, without seemingly any cause. :( i’ve called a doctor and they recommended a cervical MRI, to check for any nerves being pressed on my back (even though i have no pain). so into the machine i’ve gone this week, and next week we’ll have the results and go from there.

these were a difficult couple of weeks. as the novelty of being north wore off, it gave way to frustration and impatience. i had my 40th birthday, but we barely celebrated it because we were just drained.

we forced ourselves to be patient and kind while we procured home assistance services for the in-laws. we tried out a couple of them until we found one that could deliver cooked meals and do some hygiene tasks, and when everything was finally set up and working, they took our place and we drove back home.

oh, the feeling of being home, and sleeping on one’s own bed. it’s magical beyond words. and to have your parents waiting with arms wide open, ready to relieve you of the task of cooking 3 meals a day… bliss.