Birthday presents can reveal a lot about one’s age, stage of life and current circumstances, and this couldn’t have been more true on the occasion of my most recent birthday.
I mean, could these have been any more self-explanatory?
- two chequered shirts
- working dungarees with lots of pockets
- steel-capped safety boots
- a two-pack of crowbars
I guess it means there’s stuff to do in the country.
We are, of course, all aware that Darth Vader knew what Luke Skywalker was getting for his birthday … because he felt his presents.
But I imagine even The Force wouldn’t have helped the bloke in the black cape work out what was in the long and extremely heavy silver-wrapped box.
In retrospect, the clue which my wife Ana always writes on presents should have given it away, but, in my defence, I had just woken up.
“Where Murders of These Would Go.”
Adding “…for a drink” still didn’t help me. But it was a high bar.
“Of course,” I exclaimed, as I excitedly ripped off the wrapping paper, forgetting how I’d mentioned a while ago how much I wanted a new crowbar.
But why two? You might ask.
Well, either – like dogs – you can never have too many crowbars … or Lidl were doing a special two-pack deal – and you can never have too many crowbars.
Itching as I was to get outside with excellent foot protection, carrying loads of tools in my dungaree pockets to start crowbar-ing stuff, there was a birthday to celebrate.
And so, the most colourful of the fabulous, chequered shirts was the first present to be pressed into use for a celebratory lunch.
The rain has given everything in the valley a surge of growth and every day I see the amount of gardening and fire-protection cleaning increase.
Gravel is great for fire protection but needs constant weeding so as not to lose control, but things need to be planted as well as cut.
No complaints, of course – there’s something very exciting about watching a 200,000-litre pillow tank filling up with rainwater to see us through the summer.
We managed to get a few raised beds built and a little pruning done, but we took advantage of a slower tourist season to take a couple of trips up to Lisbon to enjoy some city time in our suitably named Estrela neighbourhood.
The calçada cobbled pavements feature various black star designs which inspired those arranged in a constellation on our limestone deck in the valley.
We’re just across the road from the landmark Basílica da Estrela and one of my favourite places in the world (and certainly one of Simon-the-LA-dog’s favourites) – the Jardim da Estrela.
Dating back to 1842, it was designed in the style of an English garden and has the most incredible mature trees: towering palms reminiscent of LA (with matching streetlights) and giant spirit trees like the one Ana and I were married under in Bangkok.
Parrots play in the treetops, ducks do their thing in the ponds and a peacock puts in the occasional appearance.
Sculptures and statues, an old bandstand, lawns, coffee kiosks, a giant children’s playground and a maze of paths make it the go-to place for workout classes, dog walks and happy hour. Put it on your list for the next visit.
Simon, the ageing Hollywood dog, is utterly in his element, spending hours piecing together the pee-mail stories of every dog in Lisbon and becoming less obedient and more food obsessed with age.
Garfunkel, the 60kg Rafeiro Alentejano, is less keen. Order, security and control are what cattle dogs pine for – not the chaotic city sounds of trams and traffic.
There are only two safe spaces for Garfie in Lisbon: the flat, and the big red box of freedom which magically transported him here from his rural home at great speed (the Hilux) … and can just as magically take him back.
Most trips to Lisbon involve the running repairs required from a short-term rental property and it’s a good yardstick to how far my tinkering skills have come.
I’m pleased to report replacing toilets, fitting ceiling lights, extensive drain cleaning and advanced shower replacement are now firmly in my repertoire.
But Lisboa was not all work – courtesy of a friend’s birthday bash, we discovered the very cool Fábrica Braço de Prata – a former munitions factory in the artsy Marvila neighbourhood of Lisbon, on the river between the city centre and Parque das Nações.
It’s an area emerging from an old industrial zone to give vibes of San Francisco when artists could still afford to live there. Also, well worth a look.
Now firmly back in the valley hosting wine tastings, friends’ visits and dinners, the list of DIY tasks never seems to get any shorter but renaming it ‘craft-work’ makes it more of a hobby than a chore.
Anyway, a higher priority right now is to make sure all those people who will love the calm, the serenity and the undiscovered beauty of our valley will find us.
We’re on a huge learning curve – trying to understand marketing strategies, planning retreat proposals and getting down to the serious matter of website construction.
If you are an artist, chef, writer, or have other skills you’d like to build a retreat around, please let us know – we think our sustainable eco luxe lodge in the coastal Alentejo countryside will be a great place to get a group together.
