Life on site and stork-watch
Hello all and we hope you are all safe and well. Another update from us here in Silves, Portugal.
Portugal exited the State of Emergency just over two weeks ago and then entered a State of Calamity, which nearly sounds worse! There has been a slow progression of return to business, although it’s certainly not business as usual yet.
Cafés and small shops are open again, with restrictions, but we are erring on the side of caution and staying put. We have hired a car to get down to the beaches, which was amazing- nearly a sensory overload to see new sights and feel the sea again! Many of our lockdown neighbours have left, some to travel elsewhere in the Algarve, and some to return to their homes. We also have new vans arriving on site which was unsettling to begin with, not knowing how tightly others had stuck with the restrictions…
Our original (very loose) plan had been to go to Greece via Italy, but clearly that is not going to happen any time soon. We are still waiting and watching, to see if there is a second wave which could cause a fresh lockdown. We don’t want to leave the relative safety of Portugal, and especially the Algarve, to travel through Covid hotspots… so, for now, we are staying put and enjoying what we have around us.
The temperature has shot up in the past week and it’s now in the low 30’s ☀️ We invested in a small paddling pool to keep us cool on site, as it’s impossible to keep the van cool in daytime. We may rent an apartment for a while if this heat continues, or move to a site by the sea.
The craic you can have when your French neighbours kindly hook up a hose pipe to make a shower! Spot Olwen checking out the fun Morgan is having, and dashing for her togs:
The storks are still very busy feeding their young:
Nelly spends a few hours with us each time she needs to see the vet for further injections. We’re always delighted to see her and spend time with her, but it can be a little bit tricky when Pip catches a glimpse of her because he gets jealous!
Early morning mist in Silves:
Saul and Pip head out early each morning for a walk before the ground begins to heat up, much to the delight of Saul’s FitBit. The rest of us lie on, oblivious to what sunrise looks like!
Walks around Silves and environs are still our main form of exercise (aside from John’s daily stretch and tapping session of course!) and the jacaranda trees are blossoming:
