I absolutely love Porto. It’s such a beautiful city with a wide variety of attractions. Porto is a coastal...
Nazaré beach, with a mild climate and natural beauty, has one of the oldest traditions in Portugal linked to...
Although I have visited Coimbra on many occasions I have not ventured on a walking tour to explore all...
Serra Da Estrela Natural Park Serra da Estrela is one of the greenest regions in Portugal. It has an...
Figueira da Foz is a city located in Coimbra and is famous for it’s stretch of beautiful golden beaches...
My daughter was only 17 when we relocated to Portugal on 31/12/19. She stayed in the U.K and moved...
Lilo’s We have been spending a lot of time at local river beaches and had plans to visit some...
I was visiting the recycling bins just down the road from our casa when I heard the sound of...
I have already written about Côja in my post titled ‘Welcome to Vinhó’, mentioning that it is our nearest...
Anyone who knows me will be aware that I have a severe fear of the dentist. This stems back...
Foz d’Egua river beach I was very excited to visit Foz d’Égua river beach as it appears high on...
All about Milo I am a dog lover but I am not keen on cats unless they are the...
The enchanted forest Mata da Margaraça is a spectacular forest and one of the most notable deciduous forests in...
Avô river beach is located in Ilha do Picoto, Avô, a small idyllic mountain village located close to Oliveira...
For the love of smoke I absolutely love BBQ’s and food grilled on a BBQ. I’m not sure why...
I am beyond excited to find out that between July – September there is a drive-in cinema at Parque...
Côja river beach is our nearest river beach and less than a 10 min drive from our casa. It...
The cost of garden furniture At long last we have outside furniture! The tax rebate cheque cleared and we...
Portugal has over 200 river beaches and I am keen to explore as many as I can. Some river...
Secondhand cars are ridiculously expensive to buy in Portugal. In my experience cars are 4 times more expensive here...
You may have read my post on bugs, bites and going slightly bonkers. Well I am still getting bitten...
Portugal is obviously known for it’s glorious sunny weather. At the moment we are having a massive heat wave...
Central Portugal has over 200 river beaches and our nearest one is located in Côja. Just a bit further...
One thing I really love about living in my little village of Vinhó is the vans and trucks which...
This morning I went for a jog and saw a ‘for sale’ sign on the property next door but...
Built in cupboards, a bar and a fridge! This room definitely was in very poor condition and our biggest...
Today is 1st July and we have been living in Portugal for 6 months. It has gone by so...
Caldo Verde (Portuguese kale soup – green broth) is the most famous soup in Portugal. Not to be confused...
After our successful visit to Piódão (minus the car drama) we decided to explore some more local attractions. Fraga...
I am very excited to write a post titled “A trip to …………” as we haven’t had an actual...
There are some fantastic fathers out there and there are some shit ones too. Let’s celebrate and say congratulations...
??? The big question ??? After the question of “What amount can I live on per month in Portugal?”...
My mindset is that I am living in Portugal so I will embrace the culture including food and drink...
Currently there is a lot of coverage in the news regarding BLM and I would like to express my...
Happiness comes from experiencing things not from materialistic stuff that is marketed to enrich your life but ends up...
Today Wednesday 10th June is Portugal Day and a national holiday. It is known as the Dia de Portugal...
So the office is finished and we can now move hubby from the lounge to the office space. Bless...
Captivating Coimbra I have only left our house on a couple of occasions since March but I needed to...
I have way too much time on my hands at the moment hence why I’ve been researching Permaculture. Learning...
I have had quite a few people message me to ask me what is an estimated average monthly expenditure...
We have been here for 5 months now and considering I am out in the garden most days I...
So I’m gonna have a little rant now so be patient with me. Back in Jan I received a...
Bring on the chickens The title of this post is somewhat slightly misleading as although we are indeed renovating...
We have started growing a lot of fruit and vegetables in our garden and I thought it would be...
Today is Dia da Espiga or Quinta-feira da Espiga, a Portuguese celebration that takes place on Ascension Thursday. It...
Almost on a daily basis I am discovering a new creature in our garden so I thought I would...
You may be aware by now that we had the most sweetest brush with nature recently. This is only...
The weather was absolutely gorgeous over the weekend so we decided to continue working on the garden. The plan...
Exposure to nature not only makes me feel better emotionally, it contributes to my physical wellbeing. Portugal’s nature is incredible and you...
Helen’s Weight Loss Journal I have been debating if to write this post for a while now but decided...
This post is not really Portugal related but something I feel I need to have a rant about. Not...
A tribute to my daughter and Bob the builder I always remember this motto ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ as it...
Welcome to my secret garden, only it’s not so secret anymore (ha ha). I have named our upper top...
After all that nasty rain we eventually just had a glorious sunny weekend in the garden which enabled us...
I thought I should start a specific Covid-19 post and update it regularly. Portugal declared a 15 day state...
Tradition Happy Good Friday everyone! I hope you are enjoying your extended weekend. Easter is very respected and hugely...
With so many oranges just falling into the road below our house and getting squished by cars, I thought...
Here is our anniversary meal. This classic Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, or Portuguese salt cod-potato-onion casserole, is authentic...
Happy anniversary to my wonderful husband (5 years married today) it only seems like yesterday when we were exchanging...
OBVIOUSLY MOST OF THESE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL OUR CURRENT SITUATION AND STATE OF EMERGENCY (LOCK DOWN) HAS...
Welcome to Casa Valhal, a rustic 3 bed schist house, located in the village of Vinhó, a few minutes...
The Portuguese food is amazing. You will find that there are many famous dishes which vary from region to...
I love nature and gardening and just being outdoors makes me happy. I have no clue what I am...
So we thought we were buying a house that was pretty much up together and just needed a lick...
I will update this post regularly as I am often faced daily with LOL moments. There’s a voice that...
Welcome to our little village of Vinhó which is situated in the parish of Vila Cova de Alva, in...
Markets There are loads of markets in Portugal. We have one in Côja and Arganil. They run on different...
There are tons of river beaches dotted all over Portugal and our nearest is in Côja. The Fluvial Beach...
I’m not really a beachy type of person as I hate sand getting everywhere and no shade but I...
Weather – although day times can be glorious and sunny, evenings can be very cold in winter. I did...
Portuguese drivers – don’t get me started! They drive like maniacs (like Jenson Button on LSD). They tailgate, flash...
Obviously the weather – we have just had a glorious spell of really hot weather in February and March....
My wonderful grown up children – one preparing for university in Nottingham and one who has recently returned from...
I used to enjoy my weekly jog in Bristol so re-started jogging in Portugal. It’s very hilly around here...
I used to get my hair done every 10 weeks at home, half a head of highlights, wash, cut...
I wear contact lenses, am very shortsighted and have astigmatism. I used to have my lenses delivered to me...
We got a quote online from Medal as it was recommended by someone on a forum. They have special...
TAP is an affordable local airline and you can take animals. Easyjet & Ryanair are affordable airlines back to...
Personally I didn’t come to Portugal to sit in an English put and eat a roast dinner but I...
Portugal doesn’t have many charity shops and I have not seen any near us not like the U.K. There...
There are multiple car hire companies to choose from. We have used Centauro located close to Porto airport on...
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OUR PAPERWORK PROCEDURES WERE CARRIED OUT PRIOR TO BREXIT DATE EXCEPT FOR EXCHANGING OUR DRIVING...
WE PAID THE FOLLOWING: Holding Deposit: 10% paid when completed Promissory contract Stamp duty: 0.8% IMT: property price under...
I quite fancied the idea of a motorbike in Portugal but it was not realistic as I wouldn’t be...
This is a simple process and we decided to bank with a local bank who was recommended to us...
Municipal Council of Arganil Praça Simões Dias, post office box 10, 3304-954 Arganil 235200150; 961 989 589 [email protected] www.cm-arganil.pt...
With learning Portuguese I feel you need to do what works for you but actual classes where you meet...
1 January (Wednesday): New Year’s Day (Ano Novo) 25 February (Tuesday): Carnival Tuesday – NOT A PUBLIC HOLIDAY 19 March (Thursday):...
This was a very easy procedure. Firstly you need to obtain proof of address known as Atestado de residência....
You qualify for a flat 20% income tax rate on salaries for 10 years. You must spend more than...
Serviço de Finanças – Tax Office of Arganil Avenida das Forças Armadas, 3300-011 Arganil 235200280 [email protected] 9:00am-12:30pm | 2:00...
National Emergency Services Telephone Medical emergency (ambulância), Police (Polícia) & Fire rescue 112 Maritime Police in Lisbon 210 911 100...
There are many Portuguese radio channels. I found an old radio in our house and it is perfect for...
If you own a house in the country or near a forest you are more vulnerable to fires. Eucalyptus...
I have found the following Websites/Facebook pages/forums and information very useful indeed: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BritishinPortugal https://www.facebook.com/groups/413115937699774 https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/ http://www.sns.gov.pt/ https://pt.weatherspark.com/ WEATHER INFO...
I really like the refuse system here. Compared to Bristol City Council it is amazing. Some areas have collections...
Our solicitor met us in Arganil to assist with putting electricity, water and house tax in our names. IMI...
Post is delivered to your mail box not through a letterbox like most of the UK. You need to...
We live in a rural remote area so a car is essential as buses are very infrequent. They run...
