Dolly loves cork... She tempting me to buy a new bag.

During our drive from Porto Covo on the west coast, the country side just opened up. Portugal is more than just beaches and beautiful coast line. Wondering what I could share with you, it dawned on me as we drove through an area with pockets of cork oak trees, here and there. It had to be the cork industry. Portugal are the world leaders in cork. It always amuses me the way the tree stands there with the bottom part of the bark removed, as if someone has taken off its trousers. Its branches and upper half left with the jacket on... my imaginations running wild again.

True to form and because of my limited knowledge I had a look at good old Wikipedia and was pleasantly surprised. Realising that I actually knew quite a lot already, see how we can doubt ourselves, at times and without cause. However they did help me out with facts and figure, for instance I didn't know that there are about 2,200,000 hectares of cork forest worldwide; 34% in Portugal and 27% in Spain. Annual production is about 200,000 tons; 49.6% from Portugal, 30.5% from Spain, 5.8% from Morocco 4.9% from Algeria, 3.5% from Tunisia, 3.1% Italy, and 2.6% from France.

The trees have 25 years of growth before they are harvested, this is carried out by the cutting and stripping of the bark/cork from the trunk. This occurs every nine years and you will often see trees marked with a number, painted on the trunk. I was told this indicates the years since the previous harvest. It makes sense, if you have a forest of trees, how else would you remember which was which. Apparently the first two harvests generally produce a lower quality cork. So it's quite a long time before you can boast of a good quality, I guess. The trees live for about 300 years, so defiantly a business to be past down the family line. Can you imagine planting a tree and never seeing the fruits of you labour, I'm not that patient.

The good thing about the cork industry is that its considered environmentally friendly and sustainable, the tree isn't cut down to obtain cork it's only the bark thats removed. The tree continues to live and grow and we all know the benefits of forests on the environment. Way to go Portugal... you have something right.

 Apparently the wine stopper made from cork is the most environmentally friendly in comparison to the alternatives. So when people try to convince you otherwise, you have the facts .
Wikipedia explained that ("Analysis of the life cycle of Cork, Aluminum and Plastic Wine Closures"), was developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, according to ISO 14040.Results concluded that, concerning the emission of greenhouse gases, each plastic stopper released 10 times more CO₂, whilst an aluminium stopper releases 26 times more CO₂ than does a cork stopper.

Myself I'm not that interested in bottle stoppers but I do love some of the cork products that we find here in Portugal. I've seen some amazing craft work using cork.  I'm now on the look for a handbag that catches my eye and ticks all the boxes with regards to its practicality, I even seen stylish shoes but not sure about that.

Once the cork is harvested it is stacked  to dry in readiness for the next process and ultimately the end result.

These products were seen in a local shop. I must say I've seen an awful lot better.

 I shall continue my search for my idea handbag.

Dolly's first day on the west coast of Portugal.

Dolly is our perfect travelling companion these days, as we have a habit of going off without plans.

We once arrived in Denver Colorado USA, with our baggage and a car booked, that was it. We climbed into the car and then decided to go to Canada, we had a fantastic seven week trip. On another occasion we drove to the Channel Tunnel, boarded the shuttle, came out the other side and got the map out. On that occasion we ended up spending 2 months in France and a further 3 months in Spain. In those days we would just throw a tent into the back of the car and sleep under canvas, that was before arthritis moved in. The tent had to go, but the bug never left. After 10 years of being grown up we found Dolly, a great compromise and we love her.

True to form we set off towards Sagres, lots of history there and a castle/fort, but I'd promised this trip was not going to be focused on history. It was to be about the natural beauty that surrounds us. We had a great afternoon and evening. Maybe it's because we've visit the area many times but for some reason I didn't take one photo. 

However I made up for it when we reached Porto Covo. I just love this time of year when your able to visit an area, without the crowds of holiday makers who take over during the summer. Of course tourism is a very important part of the Portuguese economy so we wouldn't want that to diminish in anyway, however selfishly I love the beauty and tranquility without too many people around. 

Just take a little look at what I'm talking about, I get transported in my mind to a time when life was simple and unspoilt by the modern world. Call me a dreamer if you will, but it is so much more relaxing than hustle and bustle.

Can you imagine your holiday with empty beaches, shopping without crowds. Just a quite cafe to drink coffee or large glass of wine... if you prefer and your kindle in your bag at the ready. Choose your read for the day and just unwind... my idea of heaven. 

At the end of the day have another large glass of your preferred tipple and watch the sun go down, what could be better.

Dolly had thoughts about Medieval Portugal.

There I was calmly sitting with Dolly, telling her about the Medieval festival we were off to on the 1st January. Explaining that she wouldn't be coming with us, as the streets were too narrow and parking would be a nightmare, wasn't an easy task. She's itching to get out and about again.
However I said I'd tell her all about it and find out more about the history of Portugal. I'm no historian and I don't claim to be a wiz at research, but how hard can it be I thought.

To me the Algarve has always seemed like a very large holiday resort with its golden beeches, tourist areas, bars, clubs and restaurants. Thats without mentioning the retired folk from all over Europe who have made there homes here.  Every year in August the town of Silves puts on a Medieval festival and for New Year the town of Paderne have their festival. For those of you that have been reading the blog you may remember that was the area where I found the amazing model of the Presepio.

About 10 years ago we visited the area of Sintra and Mafra, it was there that I first felt a sense of the counties history, with the palaces and amazing buildings. Having said that, I soon got back into life on the Algarve and didn't think much about it, until now.

Walking around the cobbled streets, looking at the various displays and stools that'd been set up, it wasn't hard to let the imagination run free. I tried to block out the modern from my mind and imagine how things might have been back then. Then remembered that the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which took the lives of approximately 60,000 people would have also destroyed what infrastructure they had and many of the buildings. I was once told that the earthquake had reached as far down as the Algarve coast, so I guess there wasn't much left... or was there. A few days ago I was told by a friend who had visited, some 20 years ago, the ruins on a Roman bath house, which was found buried on someones farm land, in the Alentejo region, I'd never really thought about the Romans being here.

I Know the more recent history and that on 25th April 1974  a military led coup overthrew the regime of the Estado Novo, which also led to the withdrawal of Portugal from the African colonies and East Timor. The 25th April is now known as Freedom Day and celebrates the independence from a dictatorship. The Carnation Revolution obtained the name because almost no shots were fired during the uprising and when the people took to the streets celebrating the end of the dictatorship and war in the colonies, carnations were placed into the muzzles of rifles and on the uniforms of the army.

The earthquake and the carnation revolution being the extent of my knowledge, regarding the history of Portugal I began looking on the internet. I wanted a site that could give me some easy to understand history and I found: A Short History of Portugal by Tim Lambert.
I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I paraphrase a little. 

ANCIENT PORTUGAL

People have lived in Portugal since the ice age approx 30,000 BC.  As you might imagine they were hunters and fisherman and gathering what they could find off the land, wore leather clothes and made there own tools. It was 5,000 BC before farming was introduced to Portugal, they continued to use stone tools as Bronze wasn't introduced until approximately 2,000 BC
 Celtic tribes entered Portugal from the north. around 700 BC, thats when iron was introduced.

 By 800 BC the Phoenicia, an ancient civilisation, which lay along the mediterranean coast had began trading, wanting Portuguese tin for making bronze. The independent city states of Phoenicia are now known as Syria, Lebanon, northern Isreal. The Greeks also began trading around 600 BC. 

The Romans invaded the Iberian Peninsula around 210BC and conquered the south but the Celtic tribe (Lusitania) held onto the central part of the country. Led by the ruler Viriatus they rebelled again Roman rule in 193 BC. They fought for decades and were defeated in139 BC when Viriatus was captured. In Time there was full integration into the Roman ways. Wheat, olives and wine were exported from Portugal to Rome. 
However by the middle of the 3rd century AD the Roman Empire was in decline. In the 5th century Roman rule in Portugal collapsed. In 409 Germanic peoples invaded the Iberian peninsula. A race called the Suevi invaded Portugal. However in the 6th century another race called the Visigoths ruled Spain and they attacked the Suevi. By 585 the Visigoths had conquered the Suevi.
The Germanic invaders became the new upper class. They were landowners and warriors who despised trade. Under their rule trade was dominated by the Jews.


As I said I'm no historian and unless I set about plagiarising another mans work in full, I'm afraid I will be here for a very long time sorting out dates times and places. By the middle ages we get into all sorts of interesting stuff. Reading through Tim Lamberts, Short History of Portugal I've become quite fascinated.   
It is so difficult to just take snippets out of the text when there is so much that links to the next point of interest. I do believe I'm getting hooked on history. It's like a grand soap opera, looking into peoples lives. The thought that we are creating history every day gives me goosebumps. I wonder what legacy we'll leave behind?

As an Author I like to write about peoples lives, how they rise to the challenges of life's dramas. Trying to look at the historic facts of Portugal made me realise how much work goes into research, when looking for historic facts for novels. I found my little research into Portuguese history quite time consuming but a lot of fun. 

I suggest for those of you who are interested in the history of Portugal, take a look it's really is fascinating. For those of you who just like to use your imagination Ive posted photos of my medieval day in Paderne.


Next week we're off to the west coast with Dolly, in search of another adventure.

Dolly's planning a Victorian Christmas

Having looked at the Caganer and not really coming to terms with the connection to the Nativity, I wondered about our British traditions. Considering Christmas, we have a lot to thank the Victorians for, especially Queen Victoria and Albert, who having nine children, were very family orientated.  Before that time Christmas was very low key, in Britain and without any real traditions. Hard to believe when you think of all the excitement and hype around it now. So where did all the sparkle come from and why have we become so caught up in a Christmas that often has very little bearing on the Nativity. Recently I spoke to someone who said I absolutely love Christmas... But not the religious thing. I can tell you that made me smile and was probably the spark that made me think about it.  Now, I'm not going to get into the religious side of things either, that's for an individual to decide, however wasn't that the whole point to celebrate Christianity? made me wonder.

The Christmas tree: I think its become common knowledge that Prince Albert was born in Germany. The evergreen tree then decorated with candles, probably real as they didn't have the fancy little fairy lights, sweets and fruits was a German tradition, it was likely that he chose to bring that celebration into his own home. In 1848 The royal family were pictured around the family Christmas tree and from then on it became fashionable among the more wealthy. I imagine the Queen was a bit of a trend setter, well we didn't have TV celebs or sports personalities to follow. If it was good enough for the Queen, then lets all have one... if you were in the position to afford one, a bit of decadence. So you might think well what about the artificial Christmas tree, surely we had something to do with that? Well, no we didn't it was the Germans who developed the idea. The first wooden tree, a pyramid shape lit by candles was developed in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by the German Moravian Church in 1747. In the 19th century artificial trees were made, using goose feathers, they became popular and tended to be dyed green, again created by the Germans. So for whatever reason we have embraced the wide variety of artificial trees, I think we can safely say the idea was German.
I love my artificial tree, its clean, it comes out every year, is still fit for purpose and I'm saving the planet, not chopping down trees... However not sure if it would be biodegradable if I had to discard it.  Not that I'm planning to anytime soon.

As much as I love the smell and appearance  of a real tree, some of the artificial trees are stunning and have improved over the years. This is the tree that currently stands proudly in the Algarve shopping area in Guia, Portugal. 

 This is Dolly's little tree, not much to say about that, I think she was disappointed not to have lights, and you may not see this clearly but she has the strangest bauble on the top, which makes it look more like an festive alien.

This is my old tree, not much to say about that either other than the fact that it has hidden treasures and memories that go way back.

The Christmas Cracker:  In 1848 Tom Smith a British sweet maker came up with the idea of a Christmas cracker, whilst visiting Paris. He observed some sugared almonds that had been wrapped in twists of paper. He was inspired and developed a cracker filled with sweets,(sugar almonds), the paper snapped apart revealing the sweets when the ends were pulled. During the Victorian era Mr Smith's Idea was adapted and by the end of the Victorian period the Christmas cracker was much the same as the ones that we now place on our dinner table... and don't we all love those paper hats. 

Christmas cards: In 1843 an artist was asked to make a card for Henry Cole, so that he could send it out for Christmas. The card featured a  Christmas message and a family sitting around a dinner table. Many wealthy Victorian families adopted the idea and were sending out their own cards. Making cards became a popular activity. There is some evidence that the Royal Children were encouraged to make there own cards as an activity before the festive season.The first printed cards were very expensive but the price came down significantly due to improvements in colour printing and technology during the Victorian era. in 1880 over 11 million Christmas cards were posted due to the halfpenny postage rate., which was established in 1870. With the price of stamps now so many people I know are donating the money to a charity of their choice. I still think its a nice gesture to send cards to people whom we seldom see, I couldn't imagine not sending a card to my elderly aunties' who don't sign in to social media sites. To them a social would have been a good old get together.

Not a great photo but you get the point. 

Christmas food:  Many of our traditional foods are attributed to the Victorians. The first mince pies were made with meat, a recipe that dated back to Tudor times. Later in the 19th century the recipe changed and were pretty much like the ones we eat today, with minced dried fruits.
Some Victorian families would celebrate the Christmas dinner with roast goose or beef, however it was the Victorian period when the roasting of Turkey became more fashionable and is still a recognised tradition. 

Victorians have had a tremendous influence on our current Christmas traditions but I think it is necessary to say that we are talking about the wealthy Victorians, the average person was lucky to have dripping , bread and vegetables. Often the food of the less fortunate was of a poor quality, quite frequently the food would be rotten leading to poor health and difficult growth in children. No fast food. I imagine many were happy if they had a meal, let along a good meal. How fortunate most of us are,.I say most of us because we still live in a world where people are less fortunate, starving, homeless and suffering poverty. 

I don't want to get deep into my own views about excessive spending during the festive season, however it makes me wonder why we do it... are celebrating Queen Victoria or the birth of Christianity? 

What never seems to change is the importance of family and friends, a time of giving of ourselves and sharing... do we need a special day to do that, surely we should do that all year. Although having a holiday period enables the coming together of people that might otherwise be working or living away from each other. 

Dolly's had plenty of fun with friends and on the lead up to Christmas I've found her entertaining at every opportunity. As soon as my backs turned she has friends sharing her space.

At this time of year we seem to focus more on the less fortunate. An accident or death always seems so much worse, and yet the reality is life is life, when every tragedy strikes. What is it about Christmas that heightens our senses?  

However you choose to spend your Christmas and what ever your thoughts are, make it a special day and a memorable one.

A very Merry Christmas to you all and a healthy and happy New Year. 

See you in the New Year xx

Dolly's day in the garden

Looking around the garden and couldn't help thinking of my old pot plants, that I once had in the UK. Small cacti, Poinsettias at Christmas and other house plants. The same varieties now grow in my garden extremely large and profusely. You'll notice that I'll say other house plants, thats because I'm useless at remembering names of plants, or peoples' names come to think of it... It's a weakness of mine. I also have difficulty with the names of celebrities, singers and the famous... wonder if it's a condition or just a lack of concentration. Just as well Dolly has been given an easy name, she'd hate it I forgot to mention her. I've decided to give you a tour around the garden today so that you can see where Dolly lives.

The truth is we can't be out everyday in her, even if she does have a sulk. Today was one of those days when we just had to stay home and enjoy the garden. This Poinsettia once sat on our coffee table in a small ceramic pot, during the Christmas season. four years ago. It was planted out after the holiday but didn't do too well, it was moved again last year to a new location and take a look at it this year. It's really surprised us, so beautiful and probably one of my favourite plants in the garden.

 Behind the area where Dolly rests is an very old almond tree. This week it had to be cut back, some of the old branches were split and at risk of falling. It was so sad to see the grand old tree looking half its size. Sometimes we just have to do things we don't really want to and cutting the tree was one of those times.

 On a happier note look at one of my two money trees. Thats what we called them when I was young, we had one on the window sill. It's a succulent I know that much but no idea what the real name is.

 Now this one I know, it's a yucca, it's not the largest one in the garden but its the one that replaced our palm tree, which died of palm weevil. For me that was another sad event in the garden, I hate loosing trees, it looked fantastic by the pool and gave great shade. Yuccas done well and looks pretty good now.

 There are so many varieties of cacti and succulents in our garden, I'm sure they all have individual latin names. I haven't a clue and to be very honest, I've never taken the time to find out. I love the garden. I've enjoyed watching it develop over the years and I appreciate the amount of work thats involved, mostly carried out by my husband... I confess to having little input when it comes to the garden. Look at it this way, I appreciate art but I'm no artist, I enjoy listening to a piano concerto but I don't play the piano. I love the garden but I'm no gardener.

 This one is Rosemary. I know that because of the smell and of course I've used it over the years in the kitchen, it's great with lamb. That's probably why sheep keep away... Just in case.

And of course we have our orange tree, no garden would be complete in Portugal without at least one orange tree. However it doesn't seem to be giving very sweet fruit this year. 

We can't leave the garden with out giving Dolly pride of place, she's been working very hard finding out about the Victorian Christmas. I'm sure she will be posting very soon.

Bye for now xx

Dolly went in search of a caganer.

 I was having a chat with Dolly and explained that I had become rather fascinated with the idea of a Caganer, what the origins were and why on earth would it have become a tradition. It just all seemed a little bazaar to me. Looking on line it appears that the origins have been a little lost. As far as I can find out it all started around the 17th or 18th century, in Catalonia and then spread through Spain, Italy, France and Portugal...in no particular order that I could find. It appears that it was thought to be symbolic of fertilising the for good luck.  Sergi Alos, a caganer maker in Barcelona explained that Caganers are now made using the images of celebrities, foot ballers and even royalty. Apparently this is an honour and not an insult to the person. He also explained when interviewed by the BBC that he has actually been thanked. Not sure that I'd like an image of myself, squatting with my knickers down.

Nevertheless when I found out that town of Paderne had a Presepio, (model village of Bethlehem) I just had to have a look to check if they had included a caganer. It seemed unlikely as it was put together by the local scouts, but you never know.  When I arrived I was taken aback at the detail. It  was beautiful, the moss was live and kept moist by a water system, which also included a flowing river, so cleverly thought out... I have to say, far superior to the Presepio I'd seen in Ferragudo and not a Caganer in sight .

We've decided that we like the Presepio and Nativity without a caganer present. However if any of you have seen one or know more about them please feel free to share that information...It's good to share.
My friend pointed out that the baby Jesus was missing from the crib and feared it might have been stolen. As you may remember from my previous post, baby Jesus often doesn't get added until after midnight mass.