Today!!

Hi

So today was my baby's first birthday, I cannot believe how fast it has gone, so much faster than my oldest daughter Sophie. A year ago I was pushing her out and she was a tiny baby.

And also I got some good news, the job I really wanted with Totstotravel.co.uk to be a marketing agent in the algarve, Im really happy. JUst need everything else to work out.

I have my in-laws and sisters in law here on holidays, which is nice.

Heat!

Hi

I am writing this as I sit here sweating, it is so hot at the moment and unfortunately we do not have air conditioning and live in a 3 storey house, so our bedroom is like a sauna. Think I will sleep outside if I wouldnt get eaten by the mosquitos.

So hopefully life is turning the corner, things have been unbelievably difficult and I know that at some point we will turn the corner, it just depends how far we have to fall and how much we have to lose before we get to that point. I feel a little hopeful.

Tough times

Hello All,

So here we are half way through 2010, and we didnt think it could be any worse that 2009 but we were wrong. Now I dont want to be miserable, but things are not good!

Times is running, money is running out and so are options. Why is life so hard? There must be other people in the algarve suffering. I just dont know where to go.

And to add to the sadness, I have been let down by someone who I thought no matter what would always be there for me, a true betrayal from someone close to me.

Where do we go next?

Work

I am currently looking for work and it is not easy. Not easy because the rate of umemployment is rising and unfortunately I live in an area of particularly high unemployment due to the seasonal work in the area. This is then impacted because I have young children and also I dont speak fluent portuguese. So what to do? What do others do? Many are retired, some start there own small businesses, mainly dealing with british customers or else they speak portuguese and work in portuguese companies, but jobs seem to be hard to find.

So if anyone knows of anything, let me know.

My body is a temple,
Holding this precious gift safe and sound
Like a priceless treasure
Never to be lost, never to be found

(Anonymous)

Family

Family is a wonderful thing. If it wasnt for them, I dont know where I would be, they are my strength and support. Im very lucky for the one I have, including my extended family. They're not perfect, but no-one is, but compared to some people's they are golden.

But lately I have been thinking how some people can link a family together and when they are gone, some ties fade. It's sad that these things happen but it seems to be a fact of life. I have lost several members of my family over the years and with them went the links to some family members. Some which I made efforts to keep in contact, but without receipt, it went by the way. Sad as it is, there is only so much you can do, until it becomes a waste of your time and energy.

This week was the 14th anniversary of my mother's death and the news of a loss of another as well. Neither will ever be forgotten, my angels

Fish!

The algarve is a great place for fresh fish and seafood, and we normally eat it several times a week. But lately I have gone off it and become especially sensitive to the smell. So we had a few fish things in the freezer and every time I opened it all I could smell was the offensive items. So I asked my husband to eat them or I would throw them away, so he cooked some but left some of it in the fridge, so now the fridge is the offensive one. I cant get away from it, nose pegs at the ready.

Life!

Hi

I wont go into detail but we have had some surprising, unexpected and disappointing news recently which lead us to several things, one is lots of trips to the doctor and the other is a longer stay in the Algarve, neither is completely unwanted but the circumstances could be much better. Oh well, life goes on and we keep trying.

At least the weather seems to have settled down.

Fabrica

Yesterday we went out for lunch to a place called Fabrica, a tiny little village right on the beach, well the Ria Formosa. But it is such a beautiful place, with golden sands, blue water, it looks so exotic, you could imagine you were in the pacific or east coast of Australia. And I think to myself, why did I never find this place before (its only 10mins from my house) and think how lucky I am to live in this beauty. Beautiful