tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261182024681249105.post7402915057576534250..comments2023-07-29T11:03:02.940-04:00Comments on black dogs and blue skies: First frostAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06117910696854588286noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261182024681249105.post-75510464843053980622012-11-20T06:01:01.997-05:002012-11-20T06:01:01.997-05:00Hi Katrina,
What a lovely blog this is. In a minut...Hi Katrina,<br />What a lovely blog this is. In a minute I’ll try to Subscribe then I can follow how life goes for you.<br />We live on a small farm in central Portugal, 20km from the Spanish border. Our weather is warmer and drier than yours, so our first frost has not yet arrived.<br />You have set up your trailer nicely and it looks inviting, set in those lovely trees. I bet you look forward to the Spring and the first day back in the trailer again, making that first cup of steaming tea in the chilly spring air with the trees coming green again, that fresh smell . . .<br /><br />We wanted a smallholding and emigrated from suburban Surrey England to find sunshine, tranquillity and space to move. We now have our farm and are making our dream become reality, and every morning I am thankful of what we have now. It is lovely. For you too, it’s lovely.<br />I had to learn a new language (started aged 52, now fluent) and if you come to Portugal you’ll need the lingo if you want a rural life. At least you speak the local language where you live – without it you would soon feel isolated. The folk here are simple and definitely not modern. No support for the iPhone, iTunes store or Kindle (no copyright agreements made). Shops are over 40mins away, no discount stores, jumble sales, record shop, thrift shop etc. Thank goodness we have brought electricity and telephone into our quinta, so we have the internet and Amazon. In Fundão we have a weekly market where you can buy homegrown veg, chicks, trees, farming stuff and clothing. The region is poor, no industry only subsistence farming with chickens, sheep and goats. Like you, we have little cash but good seasonal food and a healthy lifestyle.<br />We will try making your mum’s plum and coffee cake this week, it looks good!<br />Isn’t life good when you can put aside the work and bake a cake?<br />Any chance of a few more pics of your farm? I like to imagine visiting new places, and although it will never really happen I can dream . . .<br /><br />Best wishes from sunny Portugal<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com