movingtoportugal

It’s sometimes hard to convince friends that just because we live in a holiday destination it doesn’t mean we are on holiday all the time (it’s Lou here, by the way). We still have to work, pay bills, go to the supermarket and complete all those household chores which are a part of daily life. So a couple of weeks ago we decided to take a break and go on an actual holiday in Portugal, to the idyllic Aldeia da Pedralva.

Holidays in Portugal – Aldeia da Pedralva

Aldeia da Pedralva is a tourist resort located approximately halfway between Vila do Bispo and Bordeira, on the Costa Vicentina area of Portugal’s west coast. Popular with surfers, the west coast is more wild and unspoiled than the beaches on Portugal’s south coast, so we were excited to be exploring a different part of Portugal than we are used to.

Aldeia da Pedralva has an interesting history. It was an almost entirely abandoned village when the owners first discovered it. They spent two years gradually purchasing the dilapidated houses and another two years renovating them. The sympathetic renovation work was designed to maintain a traditional Portuguese village feel, complete with winding cobbled streets, mismatched house sizes and white-painted walls. The atmosphere is one of tranquil relaxation – often the only sounds we could hear were the birds singing and the tinkling of the sheep bells as a small flock grazed on the village’s grassland.

Cobbled, winding streets

The houses themselves are a delight. Each one is different and has its own character and charm. We stayed in a one-bedroom house with delightful views over the open, hilly countryside, which is dotted with trees and flowers as far as the eye can see. Our house was quaint and rustic, yet spotlessly clean and with all the facilities we needed for a weekend away. It had a small yet perfectly adequate kitchen and a good-sized living space, as well as a large bedroom with an extremely comfortable bed. The bathroom was particularly charming, with a stone-walled shower very much in keeping with the whole feel of the village.

Unique houses in a tranquil setting

Aldeia da Pedralva is designed as a base for active holidays, yet it also makes a wonderful, peaceful retreat for those looking to escape modern life. WiFi is only available in the reception area, which was at once refreshing and a little unnerving (I am a massive iPhone addict). There are no televisions or radios in the houses. The emphasis is on enjoying the wonders that nature has to offer, along with fresh, clean country air and good food.

Quaint touches abound

There are two restaurants in the village, which I will review in detail on our sister blog Food and Wine Portugal, but suffice it to say here that the food in both was excellent and the service extremely friendly. Both are worth a visit on their own merits and we will definitely eat at them again next time we are in the area, even if we are not staying at the village. Breakfast was also included in our stay and consisted of a good continental spread, along with gallons of coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice (so fresh that it was actually squeezed in front of us).

The pretty blue house

We spent our weekend at Aldeia da Pedralva exploring some of the west coast, as it is an area with which we are largely unfamiliar. Driving through the winding hills, we visited a number of windswept beaches, splashing around in the huge Atlantic waves coming rolling in. The highlight had to be the beautiful Praia do Monte Clérigo, where we lazed about in the sun for several hours, treating ourselves to a drink and a cake from the (horrendously overpriced) local café.

The rugged west coast

Praia da Amoreira, a stunning and desolate beach accessed by driving down a mountain, also deserves a mention. The scenic drive makes a wonderful approach to the sands, while the beach is backed by flower-covered dunes which are host to a variety of wildlife.

Overall it was a delightful weekend. We came away feeling refreshed and reinvigorated, which is exactly how a holiday is supposed to leave you feeling. The combination of the local attractions and the village itself, with its hidden nooks and crannies for curling up with a book in the sun, makes the perfect break – it’s definitely somewhere we will be heading back to next time we take a mini holiday in Portugal to escape the stresses of modern life.

Beautiful countryside

In the interests of full disclosure we were invited to spend the weekend at this resort. However, be assured that all views are our own and that our opinions cannot be bought!

If you enjoy reading the blog and want to hear more about how our life has changed since moving abroad, why not check out our book: 

Moving to Portugal: How a young couple started a new life in the sun – and how you could do the same

During our time living here we have seen first-hand that property in Portugal can be a tricky subject. The apartment block where we live has, like many developments across the Algarve, suffered from the economic crisis. Of the apartments on our road, only two or three are occupied fulltime. Others are owned as holiday rentals, but the majority of them have been empty and unsold since they were built. With this in mind, I took a more in depth look this week at the property market across the country…

Property in Portugal – time to own your own balcony?

The property market in Portugal has suffered in recent years, in line with the country’s economic hardships. Prices have fallen and the average property takes some 16 months to sell. In our part of the Algarve, there are countless developments where either the building has been finished but the flats are mainly unsold and empty, or where the building work has simply stopped halfway through, ready to be continued once Portugal’s financial situation improves.

However, it seems as though some positive news may finally be on the horizon for the Portuguese market. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Portuguese Housing Market Survey February 2013 has highlighted that although prices are continuing to fall, confidence in the market is on the up. Inquiries from buyers are at their highest rate since the monthly survey began back in 2010 and the national confidence index (based on a combination of prices and sales expectations) is at its highest level for over two years.

The survey observes that the lettings market is also showing signs of strong demand, although, as with the sales market, prices are continuing to fall. This is good news for anyone looking to move to Portugal and initially rent their accommodation.

Property in Portugal

So is it the right time to buy property in Portugal? Perhaps. Prices are low and the market is showing the first signs of recovery, so now could be the time to pick up a great bargain. Of course, it’s certainly possible that prices will fall even lower, so it might be that even better bargains could be had for those willing to wait a few more months.

With rents continuing to fall, those looking to move to Portugal would do well to consider renting initially, regardless of whether the plan is to buy somewhere eventually. Renting allows you to get to know an area and be sure it is right for you before committing to purchase property. After all, going somewhere on holiday and living somewhere are two very different things. Just because a particular town or village is the perfect holiday destination doesn’t mean it will be the ideal place in which to live fulltime. Renting also affords you the time to make contact with your local estate agents, to ensure that you have the chance to explore all of the suitable properties in your area before deciding which one to buy.

Buying property is often a difficult and stressful business, but whether you choose to buy immediately or rent first, try to enjoy the ups and downs of the process, safe in the knowledge that your dream property in Portugal is just around the corner!

Image credits: flickr.com

Moving abroad is something that everyone does for their own personal reasons. For us, quality of life and better weather were two key reasons behind our decision to move to Portugal (it’s Lou here, by the way).

While sunshine and high temperatures aren’t guaranteed in Portugal in the winter, it’s fair to say that overall the weather here is a vast improvement on that in England. We’ve had a wonderful December, full of bright, sunny days, albeit turning cold the moment the sun goes down. January has been more of a mixed bag, with rain showers and cloudy days reminding us that it is still winter after all. This weekend, high winds have deterred us from venturing too far, so we’ve made the most of relaxing and appreciating the quiet life of the Algarve.

Moving abroad – where will your journey lead you?

After a wonderful meal of fresh fish at Vela 2 in Santa Margarida on Friday night, we battened down the hatches and spent the weekend indoors, hiding from the wind. Although some chores did intrude on our relaxation (our oven is now sparklingly clean!) I was able to indulge in some Portuguese cooking, finish knitting two scarves that I started before Christmas and bake banana bread with a chocolate spread centre.

One of the things that I love about the Algarve in winter – and the reason I can relax so thoroughly when the weather is bad – is that there simply isn’t that much to do here when it’s not sunny. In our local area, poor weather means that our choices are limited to the cinema or shopping. Although there are occasions when we do yearn for a little more, it generally means that we can spend the winter months hibernating and relaxing, saving up our energy for the frenetic life of Portuguese summertime.

Moving abroad – a new dawn

Of course winter doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work. Come rain or shine, my working day begins at 8.30 am. On days like today, when I have a huge ‘to do’ list, the day began even earlier. I got up and opened the shutters to see what the day was like, only to realise that it was still dark. It came as quite a surprise – my lack of a commute to work means that those weeks on end of getting up while it’s still dark (and getting home while it’s dark) during the English winter are a thing of the past. It’s something that I have almost, after more than three years in Portugal, come to take for granted.

This morning served as a wonderful reminder of how much our quality of life has improved, in subtle ways as well as obvious ones. We still have to deal with the pressures of work and the endless chores and trips to the supermarket, but we’re more relaxed while we’re doing it now. Instead of a hellish commute to work through London traffic in the dark, I drank my tea this morning while typing and watching the sun come up over our balcony. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer start to the week – it reminded me all over again how lucky we are to be living in Portugal and how much our life has improved since moving abroad.

Want to hear more about how our life has changed since moving abroad? Moving to Portugal: How a young couple started a new life in the sun – and how you could do the same reveals it all.

Hello, and a very happy new year (bom ano novo) from Moving to Portugal.

Whether you’re new to the blog, or if you’ve been following our move from the start (thank you!), I’m pleased to announce some exciting plans for the year ahead.

We’ve now been enjoying our “new” life in Portugal for over three years. As such, a lot of things about living here aren’t quite so “new” to us any more. With this in mind, we intend to alter the focus of the site slightly in the coming months.

Our first day in Portugal

While we’ll continue to provide regular updates on our life here in the sunny Algarve, we will also be stepping up the kind of content that we know people are looking for when they arrive at the blog after searching Google.

We can tell from the statistics that our posts about things like cost of living, gaining residency and the weather are amongst our most popular. We’ve taken that on board, and intend to supplement our updates, news and political rants with plenty more of this practical information.

The perceptive amongst you will have noticed my use of the word “we” several times in the above paragraphs. There’s a reason for this.

The old hands reading the blog will know that my wife Louise co-wrote our recently released book about moving to Portugal. Here’s a link to it in case you are interested

Moving to Portugal: How a young couple started a new life in the sun – and how you could do the same

Readers in the US and Canada can find it here.

Louise has received some wonderful feedback and reviews relating to her work on the book. She has also, in recent weeks, changed her employment status from “working for the man” to “freelance consultant.” As such, she now has a little more free time, which she will be spending working with me on the Moving to Portugal site. This means more frequent updates, and a whole new perspective on our life here, which we both hope will take this blog to the next level.

Louise is delighted with the feedback on the Moving to Portugal book

We have other plans too. In the coming weeks, there will be a long overdue cosmetic revamp to the site and an updated design. We also intend to step up the content on our sister site, Food and Wine Portugal. Hopefully that will give those of you with an interest in Portugal plenty to read and look forward to in the months ahead.

With all this free content on the way, you may like to Subscribe to movingtoportugal or follow our Twitter feed – just to make sure you don’t miss out on anything interesting! We look forward to sharing our life in the sun with you over the coming year.

Best wishes

Ben and Lou

It’s now around six years since my wife and I started thinking about moving abroad, and over three years since we touched down in Portugal on a one-way ticket.

I frequently say it’s the best thing we ever did. But, like so many things in life, not everything has turned out exactly how we thought it would.

I remember the way we used to imagine it, when we were stuck in the UK daydreaming about our future life in the sun whilst stuck on slow, packed underground trains. If you’re contemplating a move of your own, this post may seem as if I’m trying to dissuade you from moving abroad. That’s not my intention at all – but I am going to try to inject your dreams with a healthy dose of realism.

Here are five important lessons I’ve learned since I arrived in Portugal:

1. Research is everything – and nothing

A short while ago, I was on one of the popular expat forums, and a discussion about tax laws in Portugal became slightly heated. An individual had clearly spent plenty of time researching a particular tax incentive, but made the mistake of assuming that qualification for it was certain if certain boxes were ticked.

Research does not teach you everything

As a couple of us tried to explain, that’s simply not how Portugal works. I know that now, but I could see in the individual exactly the kind of naïve confidence that I myself had on the day I arrived in the Algarve.

The person in question said something along the lines of “it’s the law – they cannot refuse.” This made me giggle. Having spent many hours in official Portuguese government buildings, often walking out deflated and near to tears, I would dearly love to hear someone try to tell a Portuguese official that they “cannot refuse” something. And this, of course, is assuming that they speak the fluent Portuguese that will be insisted on by the officials; whether or not they can actually speak English themselves.

I thought I had researched thoroughly – I DID research thoroughly. But research can only tell you so much about how a country functions. Those of us on the forums who sound tired and cynical are only trying to help.

2. The weather won’t be what you expect

I lose count of the times I have told people back in the UK that it’s “cold and wet today,” only for them to say “yes, but it’s not as bad as England is it?”

We have seasons. It gets cold. Sometimes it floods. Last year we had wind that was strong enough to blow the roof off the airport.

Weather is not always perfect

There’s an awful lot that a headline temperature doesn’t tell you. Yes, we do get days when it hits 23 degrees in December – and it’s bloody great when it does – but it’s neither normal nor guaranteed – so don’t go relying on it.

3. Stress doesn’t disappear

Yes, moving abroad can undoubtedly remove day-to-day stresses from your life. I don’t commute, I work from a laptop (often reclined on a bed or sofa), and sometimes I don’t get properly dressed until after lunch.

That doesn’t mean there’s no stress in my life. I don’t have such easy access to well-paid work and I certainly don’t have the social safety net that those in the UK can take for granted. I live in a country that, last year, saw the second highest tax increases in the whole world – and next year we can expect to give around 10% more of our entire income to the taxman.

Stress doesnt disappear when moving abroad

People still get ill, have disagreements and occasionally get out of bed the wrong side. If you think moving abroad will change your life in this way, you’re going to be awfully disappointed.

4. You won’t become fluent in the language without serious effort

You don’t learn to speak a language simply by being exposed to it – not unless you’re four years old.

Learning a language takes effort when moving abroad

We’re getting there with Portuguese. I find that I now understand a fair chunk of the conversations I overhear. Day-to-day interactions in shops and cafes are now effortless, and I can get nearly as much entertainment from a Portuguese newspaper as one in English. However, it’s taken three years and I can still only talk at the level of a toddler. I wish I’d learned more before I got here.

5. You never escape the world’s crap

The first few months of moving abroad are months of blissful ignorance. You don’t understand enough of the language to comprehend the gory details of the latest political scandal, and you’re too blinded by the bright sunshine to notice things like poverty and unemployment.

You cant escape the politics

Once you’ve been somewhere a couple of years, you will become familiar with “warts and all” reality. There will be politicians you hate, TV shows that wind you up and government policies that seem like insanity. You can’t avoid reality when you live in it.

It all sounds awfully negative doesn’t it? But, as I said at the start, it’s not designed to put anyone off. If, however, you are considering moving abroad, you really need to know these things. If your dreams are realistic, they really can come true.

As for me, I’m going to upload this article now. Then, as I do every day, I will take time to cook myself a proper lunch with good fresh local ingredients. Then I’m going to hang out the washing, as it’s a bright November day without a cloud in the sky. After a bit more work, I have the family coming over for dinner. As I don’t have to travel, I’ll have a relaxed couple of hours of shopping and cooking before they arrive, probably bringing a couple of good bottles of wine with them. Would I move abroad again – what do you reckon?

Thinking of moving to Portugal? Then please check out my book.

Moving to Portugal: How a young couple started a new life in the sun – and how you could do the same

US readers can find it here.

Image credits: fotopedia, Dennis Mojado.

I’ll make this post reasonably quick, as it’s not my intention to turn this blog into a repetitive book-plugging machine!

However…Moving to Portugal – the book, is now fully available in both printed format and on Kindle. The book tells the tale of our first two years in Portugal and also includes a host of practical information about moving abroad.

UK readers can find Moving to Portugal in both formats here:

Moving to Portugal: How a young couple started a new life in the sun – and how you could do the same

Readers from other European countries should find the book on their own regional Amazon site.

US readers can find Moving to Portugal here.

The Moving to Portugal Book

I also have some copies to send out directly, so feel free to contact me if you have any trouble getting hold of one.

Louise and I are delighted to have already sold a pleasing number of copies and have received some lovely reviews that make the time spent writing the book worthwhile.

Last week, we were excited to receive our first pile of author copies. Fellow blogger Alyson Sheldrake of the Algarve blog has very kindly provided us with the opportunity to sell these at the Portugal 365 art exhibition, being held at the Holiday Inn in Armacao de Pera from 21st to 26th September. Even if you are not remotely interested in the book, I would urge you to visit if you are in the area to look at Aly and Dave’s wonderful art and photographs.

As time goes on, I am in the process of finding other outlets for the book within Portugal and hope to arrange a formal launch and signing later in the year.

A huge thank you to everyone who had already bought the book and those who plan to in future!

Exciting news today: our book has finally been published and is available from Amazon!

Moving to Portugal – the book, tells the story of our move to Portugal right from the start. The narrative has been written from my wife’s point of view, so while those who have followed the blog from the start may recognise some events and situations, the content is nearly all brand new.

This post marks the first time we have announced the availability of the book, so if you buy it now you will be one of the first to hold a copy in your hands! A formal launch will follow in a couple of weeks, by which time the Kindle version should be ready too.

In the meantime, you can find our book via the link below. Needless to say, we will be very grateful to anyone who buys it and hope it will provide lots of entertainment and helpful information:

Readers in the US can find the book on Amazon.com, and those in mainland Europe should also be able to find it via regional Amazon sites.

While most of my working time has been taken up with finishing off the book, we have also had some recent time off and enjoyed spending time with some dear friends and their son, who celebrated his third birthday while he was here.

Aside for spending time in the pool and time chewing the fat whilst working through a couple of bottles of duty-free booze, we managed to venture out to various local events. One of the highlights was the Olhão shellfish festival.

The shellfish festival is one of the largest of its kind in Portugal, and a sizeable area of Olhão´s waterfront is fenced off for the occasion. A small admission charge covers entry to the venue, where a large stage is erected and hundreds of tables and chairs are set up ready for some serious eating.

Olhao Festival do Marisco 2012

Upon arrival at the first bar, we were told we couldn’t pay with cash as a token system was in operation. When we reached the token counter, we were a little surprised by how things worked: eleven Euros bought us each a token book that was good for five beers, two soft drinks, a bag of bread and some butter. To us beginners, this initially seemed rather bizarre.

It all began to make more sense once we collected our bags of bread and (having bought a token book each) a huge collection of beers. The bread and butter came complete with a number of tablemats. We staked our claim to a table and started exploring the shellfish stalls.

The idea is that you buy the shellfish you want, much of which is sold by weight, then retire to your table and enjoy it with your beer, bread and butter. Shells are piled onto the paper tablemats and frequently cleared away by the friendly staff.

It’s fair to say we went for it. We started with a huge shellfish platter containing everything from large crabs to tiny prawns, and progressed to a lobster, a big plate of razor clams and some giant prawn skewers.

It truly was a shellfish lovers dream, although we did find ourselves wishing we had been a little more discerning in our choice of stalls. The last one we used clearly put a lot more time and care into preparing the food and, as such, our experience may have been even better had we spent the lion’s share of our money there instead.

Shellfish Festival Beers

When all of us were full to the brim, we still had a couple of bags of bread left, which went on to become barbecued garlic bread the following day. With the eating out the way, all that remained was to get through our abundance of beer while we watched the entertainment, which on the night we visited was a fabulous Beatles tribute band called the Bandit Beatles.

I never expected to enjoy the band as much as I did (though I imagine the beers helped!) Even our three-year-old companion joined the happy and good-natured crowd and enjoyed a few Beatles hits.

The Olhão shellfish festival really was a fantastic night; an occasion I’ll remember for a long time and prioritize as something to visit next year. If you’re in the Algarve next August, don’t miss it.

Before I sign off for the day, please don’t forget to check out our book on Amazon (link below) – we put a lot of love into creating it and hope you enjoy reading it.

Moving to Portugal: How a young couple started a new life in the sun – and how you could do the same

This week, I’ve decided to write a lighthearted yet serious post – a step-by-step, back to basics guide to moving to Portugal.

The steps in this guide are really rather obvious, but will hopefully help some people turn their dreams of life in the sun into reality. It is surprising how many people we come across who think they can miss out some of the steps, or do them in the wrong order, and still expect good results.

Life here is still real life – and while sunglasses are essential in this part of the world, those with rose-tinted lenses are best avoided. Here are the steps:

Fall in Love with Portugal

1. Fall in Love with Portugal – I said these steps would be obvious, and none could be more obvious than this. Remarkably, though, I have encountered people on expat forums beginning to make plans to move here having never visited the country, or having only ever holidayed in Albufeira!

If you’re going to move your life to a new place, you need to have a genuine passion for it – not simply be swayed by good weather or cheap property. These two things exist in many other places too.

2. Research – First off, you need to decide where you want to live. The Algarve is the destination of choice for many expats, but it is just one area in a country with much more to offer.

Next, you need to find out about healthcare, residency, taxation, schools, the cost of living in Portugal and all the other dull, real life things that you have to have sorted out if you are ever to manage to relax on the beach.

3. Do the Sums – If you are retired with a generous pension, this may be easy. For everyone else, it will (sadly) be money that dictates whether life in Portugal can be an achievable reality. Finding work in Portugal is incredibly difficult – and us expats who bang on about it on the forums are doing so to prevent people making a huge mistake, not to be grumpy killjoys.

Do your Sums Before Moving Abroad

4. Work out how to Earn a Living – This doesn’t mean getting on the plane with a few hundred Euros and “looking for bar work.” Portuguese people, many of whom are university graduates, are leaving the country in droves, advised by their own government to look for opportunities elsewhere.

This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to earn a living if you think outside the box. People do run successful businesses here, and more and more people manage to do so by working freelance or remotely via the Internet. But, if you have an idea and the people on the expat forums shoot it down in flames, listen to them – they are trying to help.

5. Visit Portugal Several Times (at different times of year) – Portugal is NOT a permanently hot country. Furthermore, if you’ve only visited the Algarve in summer, you will have no perception of how different the place is in November or February. Don’t guess or make assumptions – you have to see for yourself and accept that it may change your mind about a few things.

6. Make Plans – If you get through the first five steps, are still committed to moving here and have enough money in the bank to get started, then things can begin to get exciting. Decide where to live and start looking at property (ideally rental to start with, so as to be sure of your chosen area).

7. Learn Portuguese – Fluency can take years, so it’s never too early to start – most established expats will tell you they wish they knew more when they got here. Officialdom is a lot easier to get to grips with when you understand some of it, and the locals will be much nicer to you if you’re trying hard.

Learn Portuguese as Quickly as Possible

8. Set a Move Date – Once everything is in place, find a European removals company, book your shipping, and start to get excited. Now is a good time to have a clear out and get rid of some clutter via eBay and car boot sales. It all helps to boost the moving fund.

9. Get Ready for a Hectic Six Months – They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can ever do. Moving countries is worse – so don’t expect much sleep. Try to enjoy it, though – it’s a very exciting time.

10. Relax – Try to arrange to be “off” for a few weeks to enjoy your new home, and get to know your neighbours, bartenders and local restaurateurs!  You may now be in Portugal, but you probably still need to sort out an accountant, a lawyer, residency, insurance, a car, a library card, a TV package, a phone and Internet access. By the time you’re half way through that list, your first guests will arrive, and they’ll expect a barbecue.

I’m pleased to tell you that today’s post finds me finally enjoying some summer weather, with the mercury pushing up to the 30C mark yesterday. It also catches me in something of a rush as I have to do double work this week in order to free up next week to have a much anticipated holiday. So, today, here is a guest post kindly provided by Ben Slade, who discusses some of the essential things to consider before moving abroad.

For many Brits, retiring to the sun and enjoying the later years soaking up a different culture is a long-held dream. With the euro currently in a relatively weak position against the pound, UK homeowners could use the opportunity to get more bang for their buck by selling their home quickly and jetting off to warmer climes on the continent.

However, there are a wide range of points to consider before making such a life-changing decision. You need to get your finances in order, of course. This involves speaking to HM Revenue & Customs for an estimate on your state pension entitlement, as well as seeking information regarding your tax liability on any income over the UK personal allowance.

Getting finances in order is essential before moving abroad

Importantly, the amount of tax payable from abroad can vary depending on where you choose to live. If you’re retiring, however, you can reduce your tax liability with offshore banking. All of this can get quite complicated, so it pays to seek professional advice from someone versed in the intricacies of the tax system.

There are also healthcare considerations, which you must factor into your long-term budget for living costs. By moving to another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland to live permanently, you are no longer eligible for medical treatment under normal NHS rules. Living abroad you will need to budget for the potential medical bills you could face, including possible regular insurance payments. Again, this can get complicated if you’re retiring, so think about talking to an expert.

Buying any property can be stressful, but when you’re trying to deal with an estate agent in a foreign country it can be even more testing. Once you’ve found somewhere, you don’t want to miss your window, which is why some people use property buying firms to sell their property quickly and without the hassle of separate solicitor’s fees. Selling to one of these firms also reduces the potential for your plans to be scuppered by problems further down the buying chain, as the deal can be completed according to your timescale.

It’s always nice to start the year with an award and I am happy to announce that Moving to Portugal has been awarded with an ABC award from the Thought Palette site. ABC means “Awesome Blog Content!” I am always flattered when people enjoy the blog and it makes the hours dedicated to it seem worthwhile.

As part of the ABC theme, Alyson from Thought Palette suggests the winners create their own “ABC” post about themselves. The idea seemed rather fun to me, so here’s mine!

Apple Mac

Beach

Contradictionary

Distracted

Evolving

Floating

Generosity

Happy

Impatient

Jager

Kitchen

Laid-back

Milkshake

Nervy

Open

Paradise Garage

Quasi-religious

Rocha

Sunshine

Thankful

Unfit

Variable

Wine

eXpectant

Young at heart

Zantac

So there you have it – I may have revealed a few things you didn’t know about me!

That’s it for this week, but if you want to read more I am continuing my theme of “at this time in…..” At this time in 2011 I looked back over the time since I moved here and provided links back to some vintage posts about the time before we moved to Portugal and our initial arrival. It’s a great starting point for those who haven’t been reading the blog for long. You can find the “Living in Portugal – a recap” post here.