Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

There’s hope on the horizon.

Estoi Portugal Tuesday January 21 2024

This has been a wet beginning to my stay in Portugal. Not complaining, simply taking note. They need the rain here and in a few days everything will be bursting into bloom. Meanwhile, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping! So, on Monday, Randy, Marc, and Joann picked me up in the morning and headed off to the Mars Shopping Centre. Apparently, Ikea was the draw and i did find a couple of things there. The great thing about this time of year in Portugal, everything is in sale. I had a blast going from shop to shop finding deals on clothing – good quality, in colours I liked – to replace my current wardrobe.

When I arrived home there was a lovely surprise sitting on my doorstep in the rain.

A jar of homemade orange marmalade from the kitchen of Konrad and Ewald the owners of the property. Konrad does this every year to welcome guests and I appreciate it so much. Many thanks you two! Breakfast this morning was extra special!

Today, Tuesday, has been a similar wet day and this weather is forecasted o continue until the end of Thursday. Looking forward to Friday!

There is bittersweet sadness to this trip because Jackson isn’t travelling with me. At least not in the same way he used to. He’s very much here in my thoughts and on Saturday I received his ashes from Guido who had been kindly taking care of them since last year. Thus Jackson is with me again, in a way. He has his own special corner for the moment in the same space he took over when he first arrived here. I deeply miss him and I can’t begin to explain my grief only to say it’s real and thank you for sharing this moment with me.

And so another day is nearly done, supper is in the oven and libations are about to happen! There’s hope on the horizon.