Hello well what’s happened so far

Lost 4 fenders (burst) as when the swell comes in to the marina, we sway about and you can imagine 22 tonne of boat dancing about against the pontoon !

There was a Carnival at Sines, its was cold and to be honest after finding out it would cost us 5 Euros each to stand in a small enclosed area to watch the floats going round in a loop, we decided against it . We were told that years ago it was good, now its all Brazilian Carnival not Portuguese.

Our friend Scott (the Austrian) came over to stay with us for a couple of days we went on a bit of a road trip, which ended up at Alcoutim... On hindsight do not creep up on old age pensioners and shout boo ! Poor Tom Mair.... We did end up with a box of English Tea... But this might of been a bribery for us to leave.

My Mum and Allan come over and stayed at the local hotel, and again we went a few road trips, we went to Porto Covo and interestingly in the UK we have Kiss Me Quick hats there they have carved Willy bottle openers with Porto Covo painted on them... Some had the place name spelt wrong on them !

On one trip we were a couple of cars behind a van... And watched with amazement as it approached the roundabout and then instead going round it went straight over it.. Coming to a stand sill... The driver then tried to back off, but the sign he had knocked over was wedged under the van.... We had to pull in a little further up to sit and laugh and it appeared the guy just in front of us was doing the same thing... He managed to video it... I think its now on You Tube !.... We think it was very old guy and been to the pub ! Now it did say in the Tourist Information Guides beware of Portuguese drivers ..... No kidding !

We went to Alcoutim again... This time Rob kept shout Daddy at Tom Mair (lots of people think Rob is his son and think its lovely that he goes to visit him) ... Tom refers to Rob as Rob the Bastard... I do believe this is Scottish Term of affection.

We have been spending a few evenings at Club Nautico (if you come out of the back door of the Marina Office, walk past the other Marina you’ll see it, he is open from 9 to 2am each day apart from Mondays) Francisco or as his friends call him Xico, the land lord always sets up the Dois Galoes (two milky coffees) and now we believe this our nick name as one of the regulars in Portuguese said the two milky coffees have arrived !

Xico has been introducing me to the local tipples and one night i nearly had to be carried home ! He has been teaching us a few Portuguese words. Rob was explaining to him that he had read that during the war in the Portuguese Cinemas every time Hitler come on they all coughed and when Winston Churchill was on the screen they all shouted Viva Benfica ! Which he found amusing, now when we go there we are greeted with Viva Benfica. Xico is coming to visit us in Alcoutim.

So were here for a little longer, there has been so much rain that both Portuguese and the Spanish have opened the flood gates of their dams. We would be able to get under the bridge and there was so much water that the pontoons at Alcoutim were damaged, now without water or power and the river is running at 6knots, we can only do 5knots flat out lol

Sines is not a bad place to sit waiting for the weather