Mon
3
May
2010

In a Siesta State of Mind

A blog in motion stays in motion?

April was a blog-free month.  It was entirely unintentional, I just wasn’t feeling the bloggy love.  So here’s a quick summary of last month’s events:

  • It rained. A lot.
  • The DaddyP Gang stopped by on their way to the Algarve bearing gifts of Humax and cheddar cheese.
  • We practiced land husbandry and set fire to things.
  • The rains stopped and the temperature rose. A lot.

Not much blog fodder …

Siesta? by mbac on Flickr

Alas progress has been slow in Cabril, much like in the rest of the country. Indeed Portugal has been getting a bad rap from other members of the EU:

“Its feckless and uneconomic farmers should continue to soak up the hard-earned wealth of the north, while it lives the life of Riley, or at least the life of a Swede, with a welfare state which its economy cannot even dream of supporting.”

(from It’s not just the Greeks – beware of all the siesta states by Rod Liddle)

So it’s time to pull up our socks and get back to work. Time to increase productivity and get this place back on its economic feet.  Time to work hard, dig deep and produce results. Time to get busy!

Ooooh but the loverly birds are singing, the sun is shining and it’s really too hot to work outside. Maybe just a little siesta first …

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PS: Obrigadinha to Daddy P, Sue, KPX, Penfold and Alice for their comments on Jardim de Abril.

By Tango | Posted in Work | Tagged , , | Comments (10)
Tue
6
Apr
2010

Jardim de Abril

The sun has finally decided to stay for a while so we’ve been working in the front garden this week.  Yesterday, as I was digging in the rocky dirt in an old pair of jeans and sensible shoes, I remembered buying a lemon picking outfit in Vancouver with djbeat just days before moving here. The perfect outfit for living the dream, living in a place where people pick lemons in the sunshine from the veranda and retire with a gin & tonic under a shadey canopy of vine leaves and bouganville.

jardim de abril

Cleaning out winter leftovers ...

However, the dream brochure left out the part where you’re schlepping hundreds of ancient clay roof tiles and tijolo bricks back and forth.  The part where ridiculously heavy stones get heaved around and coaxed into place until they form garden steps.*  The part where the perfect lemon picking outfit will hang in the closet until you actually build that veranda, grow those vines and plant that bouganville.

Living the dream is hard work. I’m popping Advil like candy today. But hey, the sun is shining and we’re outside. And after a few more hundred hours of landscaping and growing lemons I might actually fit into that perfect outfit.

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* obviously Penfold does the heaving and coaxing while I do the test stepping …

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PS: Muito obrigada to Daddy P, daisyfae, KPX and stinkypaw for their comments on What’s the Buzz? And special thanks to Ted Neeley for being Jesus.

By Tango | Posted in Work | Tagged , | Comments (11)
Sat
3
Apr
2010

What’s the Buzz?

It must be Easter because my head is filled with lyrics from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1973 masterpiece, Jesus Christ Superstar.  Religion was fairly subdued in the Bravo family, the focus was definitely more on the loopholes of hell than on the obstacles of heaven. So JCS served as the total of my education about this mysterious crucifixion that resulted in annual chocolate bunnies and multi-coloured eggs.

To this day I can’t imagine Jesus not looking like Ted Neeley.

Feliz Páscoa to all and remember … chocolate calories won’t be resurrected until the third day after you try on your new spring bikini.

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PS: Obrigadinha to Daddy P, Penfold, Alice, KPX and stinkypaw for their comments on A Primaveira!

By Tango | Posted in Watch | Comments (12)
Sun
21
Mar
2010

A Primavera!

Huzzah! Hooray! Yippee! Yahoo!

The long, dark, wet winter is over — spring has finally arrived!  As soon as I arrived home in Cabril I noticed the first blossoms on one of our plum trees. The same plum tree that sadly limped through the seasons in 2009, bearing only six sad plums.  Penfold went a bit overboard with some tough-love winter pruning and left it looking even sadder than before.

But now look! Each sad little branch is covered with these gorgous, tiny white blossoms. And that’s exactly why I love this ugly plum tree – he’s a feisty little bugger.

not yet plums

May the sneezefest begin …

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PS: Obrigada to daisyfae, djbeat and Daddy P for their comments on ReboundTAG.

By Tango | Posted in Watch | Comments (11)
Sat
20
Mar
2010

ReboundTAG: Product Review

I’m no stranger to lost luggage so before I left for Canada I agreed (via the good folks at FMB) to review ReboundTAG, a microchip bag tag. Fortunately for me, my suitcase was not lost on this trip. Unfortunately for this review, my suitcase was not lost on this trip.

Lost Luggage by lopolis on Flickr

I received my ReboundTAG when I arrived in Calgary and tore open the instruction package. According to the company information sheet:

The patent-pending ReboundTAG Microchip Luggage Tab is a permanent, robust RFID tag [...] with a barcode and human readable ID number.  … We use a patented military-grade encapsulation to insure robustness [...] and a second microchip that allows RFID-enabled airports to automatically encode their own flight data onto the tags.”

The tag itself is definitely robust.  So robust, in fact, that I had a difficult time opening the twisty thing that allows you to attach the tag to your luggage.  But this is less a criticism of the product and more a harsh reality for arthritic hands.

For some reason my instinctive reaction was to hide the tag, to keep it private from prying public eyes.  But after some logical analysis* I realized that it was safer than my normal bag tag which contains my personal contact information.  In fact, ReboundTAG allows you to remain anonymous; which means that airlines will not be able to see your details and will only be able to send you messages through the ReboundTAG system. I also think the price is reasonable (£19.99 for a 3-year membership) with family and corporate discounts.

The website (www.reboundtag.com) is basic but functional.  Tag holders log into the Members Area to record personal details, tag status, register tags, purchase tags and enter travel itinerary.  Finders of lost luggage use the website to report found luggage and to contact the tag owner. Of course, this assumes that everyone has access to the internet and will make the effort to report your found luggage.

Had my luggage been lost, it would have been interesting to test the ReboundTAG system. In theory, it sounds fantastic. It’s kind of like drawing up a business contract for custom software.  You do it in the hopes that you’ll never need it.  But if things go wrong, you’ll be thankful that you did.

* No spreadsheets were harmed during the analysis of this product.

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PS: Muito obrigada to Alice, Penfold, daisyfae, Esta(!), Daddy P and KPX for their comments on A Rocky Mountain Afternoon.

By Tango | Posted in Work | Tagged | Comments (8)
Mon
15
Mar
2010

A Rocky Mountain Afternoon

You can take the girl out of Alberta but you can’t take Alberta out of the girl.  In the last ten days I’ve spent quality time with Daddy Bravo and taught him how to use his new computer. I’ve caught up with family friends and eaten the best filet mignon you could ever imagine. I’ve shared sushi, good memories and laughed my head off with old friends.

It only seemed fitting that I should spend my last day on a short road trip to one of my favourite spots in Western Canada. Built in 1887, the Banff Springs has been a luxurious playground for the rich and famous as well as the ordinary tourist. There’s something so indescribably decadent about sipping wine in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. It’s just plain gorgeous.

Banff Springs Hotel by Jim Nix on Flickr

I’m looking forward to going home to Portugal tomorrow, I miss Penfold something fierce. But there will always be a tiny place in my heart for Alberta.

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PS: Obrigada to Shannon, Daddy P, Penfold, KPX and daisyfae for their comments on Hockey Night in Cabril.

By Tango | Posted in Play | Comments (13)
Thu
11
Mar
2010

Hockey Night in Cabril

In the last week it feels like I’ve gone from the Dark Ages to the Ice Age.

Xynthia came storming through Europe and made a huge mess of Central Portugal before wreaking havoc in France.   We lost electricity early Friday morning and were plunged into life without power for five challenging days.  While Papersurfer Jr anxiously waited to skateboard on the X-Box I fretted about our food-filled freezer. After two days of jigsaw puzzles, Lego and Scrabble the novelty wore off and we spent the next few days stacking firewood in the barn, clearing trees from our track and alternately cursing EDP (Energias de Portugal).

By the grace of the hockey gods, generous friends let us borrow their generator just in time for the final Canada-US game. It was 7:40 into overtime and we sat on the edge of our seats, fingers crossed that the generator wouldn’t run out of petrol. When Sidney Crosby scored one of the biggest goals in Canadian hockey history I thought I would burst with pride. Gold medal celebrations kept powerless spirits up in Cabril while I packed my suitcase by candlelight.

EDP finally showed up a few days later and our power was restored but telephone and internet remained out of reach. I reluctantly left Portugal and a mere 23 hours later I arrived in Calgary, the land of ice and snow. This city keeps growing and new buildings appear every time I visit but it’s still the same urban sophistication and warm western hospitality that I remember from my childhood.

True Patriot Love by Brendan Lynch

But something has happened here in my home and native land. The air may be frosty but the hearts of Canadians are glowing. The 2010 Winter Olympics changed something. No longer shy or reluctant about feeling patriotic, I finally see the Canadian flag waving with incredible pride.  As a nation I think we have always been proud to be Canadian, but somehow it’s more than that. It’s louder without being obnoxious. It’s more visible without being in-your-face.

I may no longer call this country my home but I will always carry its true patriot love.*

After all … I. am. CANADIAN.

* For the record, I am totally okay with the rest of the lyrics and have never been offended or felt excluded by all thy sons command.  I suspect Parliament probably has more pressing issues than exploring gender-neutral wording …

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PS: Thank you and merci to Daddy P, Penfold, Emma, Web-Betty, and daisyfae for their comments on Papersurfer: Now in Print! And a special thanks to everyone who bought a copy of Penfold’s book!

PPS: And obrigada to Esta, who reads this blog faithfully even though he never leaves a comment … ;-)

By Tango | Posted in Watch | Comments (12)
Thu
18
Feb
2010

Papersurfer: Now in Print!

If you haven’t already read about it here, Penfold’s first book has been published! Champagne corks have been popping all over Cabril (well, actually it was more like two cups of warm tea with honey). But we’ve been celebrating wildly and we hope you’ll join us.

Papersurfer: Diary of a middle aged surfer – age 38 and a half is written and illustrated entirely by Penfold. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon with this surfer stuck in the moutains of Portugal you’ll know he’s really very funny. I think the book captures his sense of humour brilliantly.

Some surfers are real men. They put their lives on the line every day in search of the ultimate wave. Jaws, Mavericks, Teahupoo – these are the waves that take names. Heaving tons of water pushed by storm and moon to create a thundering wall that only the true hero can ride.

You are not this man.

A portion of proceeds from the book will be going to Sri Lanka with Paddle4relief to help forgotten victims of the 2004 Tsunami. We met Tim Tanton, founder of P4R, on our trip to A-Bay in 2008, and continue to be amazed by his creative dedication and motivation to help.

If you want to help Tim make a difference in Sri Lanka and if you want to make Penfold’s day (and yours), please buy the book. If you really want to make everyone’s day, read the book and review it on your blog. It’s available here in print or electronic copy from Lulu.com.

Thanks for your support and happy reading!

.

PS: Muito obrigada to daisyfae, Daddy P, SCWInk, Stinkypaw, KPX, and surftwin for their comments on Tango Bravo’s Day Off. And special thanks to everyone who voted for AtomicdogmA.com on bab.la’s Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010. I limped in at a respectable rank of 47 …

By Tango | Posted in Read | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (11)
Sat
13
Feb
2010

Tango Bravo’s Day Off

Yesterday marked the anniversary of Tango arriving on this earth (also known as Lincoln’s Birthday). With the exception of last year’s big one, the event is generally regarded as a low-key celebration. Penfold, in his intuitively loverly ways, celebrated the day with me exploring things and places I love.

O fadista by Punk Jazz on Flickr

Eating our tostas mistas and sipping wine in the afternoon, we drank in the sights and sounds of my favourite café in the city. Not a coffee bar where people line up for ages to order non-fat skinny foamless mochaccinos in paper cups and breakfast sandwiches à la McMuffin. This place is so much more than that. It’s a place where students philosophize, where waiters wear red vests and walk carefully to avoid china crashing onto the marble floor, where men earnestly wear chunky-framed glasses and black turtlenecks, a place where they sing Fado in the February evening. Café Santa Cruz is a slow trip back in time, a glimpse into the historical Portugal I adore.

Obrigadinha Penfold, for a perfect day.

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PS: And muito obrigada to Alice, Daddy P, daisyfae, Stinkypaw, Penfold and surftwin for their comments on Penfold & Tango: Um Ano em Cabril.

By Tango | Posted in Play | Comments (15)
Mon
8
Feb
2010

Penfold & Tango: Um Ano em Cabril

Many of you already know the story of Penfold & Tango (you can read most of it from Tango’s perspective starting from about here). If you remember, it began as Operation Beige-Free.

When Penfold asked me to live with him in the hills of Central Portugal and I agreed, most everyone I knew thought I was crazy. And most everyone was worried and concerned but quietly excited for what a ridiculous adventure this could be.

So far the adventure has been amazing in wonderful and unexpected ways. At the risk of being smooshy, we decided to put together a collection of photographs to remember our first year in Cabril.

Um Ano em Cabril

Um Ano em Cabril

It’s called Um Ano em Cabril (A Year in Cabril) and it’s available as a series of blank cards at tangoNovemberbravo.com. Let us know what you think!

I do hope djbeat will be happy to see a smattering of beige …

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PS: Muito obrigada to Daddy P and daisyfae for their votes and comments on Vote for Tango.

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