Farm Girl for a Weekend
My last post talked about how peaceful and quiet life is here at Coelhosa. Over the weekend I spent three days back at Casalinho e Escabelado, my friends’ farm, looking after the animals while they ... Read More
A Simple Life
I struggled to know what to write about in this blog post because my life has become so simple and peaceful – and probably very boring to anyone observing from the outside! It’s lovely, don’... Read More
Hosting My Daughter at Coelhosa
After two weeks staying with family in the UK I headed back to Portugal with my daughter Katie in tow. Katie is a primary school teacher and tends to find the long summer holidays drag a bit as her bo... Read More
Holiday in the UK
It’s been ages since I wrote a blog post, and I guess that’s because I’ve simply been getting on with enjoying my new life here in the tiny village of Coelhosa, near Gois. I’m feeling very set... Read More
10 Days of Solitude
I’ve been in Coelhosa nearly a fortnight now, and in Portugal nearly six months – how the time has flown! Considering I came here to “scratch an itch” and was almost certain I wouldn’t like ... Read More
My first few days at Coelhosa
So here we go, the beginning of a new phase in this midlife adventure, a new chapter in my life. Living alone! It’s the first time I’ve done this since I was 20, I reckon … though ba... Read More
On reflection
Living on the farm in central Portugal has given me a lot of time to reflect on what I want and don’t want in life. I don’t know that I’ve had a huge amount of insight though, as yet! One thing ... Read More
Why Gardening is a Great Way to Stay Active
Getting enough exercise and living a healthy life can seem easy for some, but for most of us, it can be more challenging. Exercise programmes like DDP Yoga are hugely helpful when it comes to losing w... Read More
Trains, planes and automobiles
It’s been a good few weeks since I last wrote a blog post, so apologies … I travelled back to the UK on 1st May – just for a week, to see the family, celebrate my daughter’s 25th birthday and ... Read More
Life is but a day
“Stop and consider! Life is but a day; A fragile dew-drop on its perilous way From a tree’s summit.” John Keats I’m currently sitting at Lisbon airport, waiting for a flight to the UK. Don... Read More
The Sad Tale of Missy the Pig
As this is a working farm with animals raised for meat, I was (kind of) prepared to be involved with slaughtering at some stage, though I have to admit I was very apprehensive about the idea. But, sad... Read More
Things I’ve learned during my first two months in rural Portugal
I don’t need a lot of space – or a lot of stuff. If I had cooking facilities I could very happily live in the caravan. I’m truly wondering what all that “stuff” is I̵... Read More