Tomorrow Lagos to Aljezur February 2017 Edition by Tomorrow Algarve Magazine

February 2017 | Edition 63 | 4,000 copies

www.tomorrowalgarve.com |

A community MAGAZINE covering Lagos to aljezur

Community Art beneath your feet

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On Photography workshops

Health Help your heart

Business A sustainable stance

Food & Drink Simple soups Plus much more...

The AlgArve ProPerTy SPecialiSTS

Photograph courtesy of www.birchphotography.com

TomorrowAlgarve

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SEDE: 86, Milborough Crescent, London, UK , SE12 ORW. UK . PERIODICIDADE: MENSAL . TIRAGEN: 4,000 | TIPOGRAFIA: C/ Al Mediterráneo, 29, Polígono de San Rafael, 04230, Huércal de Almería CIF: B04250056

Useful Numbers

Welcome to Tomorrow's February edition

Emergency 112 Hospital 282 770 100 Fire Service 282 770 790 Police Service 282 762 930 When we set this magazine up – over five years ago – one of our motivations was to try GNR National Guard 282 770 010 Telecom Nat. Info 118 to bring people across the community together. We have always believed that we all need City Council 282 780 900 friends, companions and acquaintances to help us cope with our lives and with all the Tourist Office 282 763 031 changes that we may face. It is never easy to reach out to people who are feeling alone Town Info 282 764 111 and isolated but we have tried with a string of different initiatives and events – some of Tourist Support 808 781 212 Taxi Service 282 460 610 which have worked and some have fallen by the wayside. However, we are, more than ever, Bus Station 282 762 944 determined in 2017 to find better ways to bring more people together. Train Station 282 762 987 Taxi : Pedro Costa 917 617 675 Lagos Cinema 282 799 138 One of our ideas last year was ‘Loose Ends’ and we would like to take it much further this Cultural Centre 282 770 450 year. The idea is to get people together to share activities, maybe a cinema visit, an indoors Health Centre 282 780 000 bowls night, a shared drink at a friendly bar and so on. The next meeting is February 27th Luz Doc (Luz) 282 780 700 at 4pm in the annex of the Madness/Smooth restaurant next to the Marina Bar in Lagos. Private Hospital 800 201 000 | 282 790 700 Chiropractor (Lagos) 282 768 044 Contact wareing.irene@gmail.com Dental Clinic (Almadena) 918 366 646 Lagos Vet 282 782 282 We promoted the start of the Western Algarve Choir with a great deal of help from Liz Funeral Services 282 769 827 Mobility vehicles 964 230 225 Roberts, this has proved to be a wonderful way for people to meet new friends. Please help all mobility aids 960 004 682

Pharmacies: Lacobrense Chemist (Lagos) Neves Chemist (Lagos) Ribeiro Lopes Chemist (Lagos) Tello Chemist (Lagos) Silva Chemist (Lagos) Odiaxere Chemist

282 762 901 282 769 966 282 762 830 282 760 556 282 762 859 282 798 491

CONSULATES/EMBASSIES: British France (Faro) German (Faro) Netherlands (Faro) Canada (Faro) Swedish (Faro) Irish

282 490 750 281 380 660 289 803 181 289 820 903 289 803 757 213 942 260 213 308 200

NO JOB TOO SMALL: Portuguese Lessons €5p/h 912 417 994 Translations ENG/PORT 916 618 527 Alice (Survival Portuguese) 914 269 118 Gavin Cox (General Builder) 916 430 132 Tristan (Plumbing & More) 282 101 010 Helio (Electrician) 917 288 966 Luis (Locksmith) 964 605 213 Chimney & Window Cleaner 926 860 123 Russell (English Mechanic) 282 639 778 Ana (Sewing) 919 747 591 Steven (Computer MOT) 936 387 512 Pedro (Computers) 917 165 238 Xeli (Florist, Free Delivery) 282 768 129 Parcel Delivery to the UK 0044 208 123 1966 Graphic & Web Design 916 606 226 Alison Hairdresser 918 663 352 Painting - Interior / Exterior 925 374 624

us this year to put other such activities into action. We will do everything to promote such worthwhile events. In the first instance call Tom Henshaw (919 918 733). Steven Sutton got the Tomorrow team to participate in ‘give something back to the community’ day and we will let you know more when we can. We are intending to make this a regular tomorrow help activity. Maybe readers would like to join in? Please remember we have started the JUST JOBS page on our website to help employees and employers alike to find and fill vacancies-please go to: www.tomorrowalgarve.com

And don't forget to book your tickets for the Summer Ball at the Tivoli Beach Club on June 17th email: steven@tomorrowalgarve.com Amber, Tom and the Tomorrow team  Call Tom on  919 918 733 or email  amber@tomorrowalgarve.com

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Community Crazy about Maine Coon cats

By Stephanie Wood

Rose-Anne

Anyone arriving at Rose-Anne Burgunder’s villa would quickly realise she is mad about cats. Stepping into the Porches property that she and husband Andreas have called home for the past two years, I am met by feline figures everywhere; depicted in the artworks on the walls, stitched into cushions on chairs - and then the real-life versions appear.

never been allowed a pet cat as a child, she was given a red-haired European house cat that she called Roucky. Sadly he passed away not long after, and so Rose-Anne set about replacing him with another redhaired cat. After much searching, the one she discovered just happened to be a Maine Coon, which she also named Roucky - and from thereon in she describes her love of the breed as “like a virus”.

But these are not your regular domestic cats. For one, the bushy figures that appear at my feet are at least double the size of any cat I’ve seen before. No, these are Maine Coons, a gentle giant of a cat (adult males typically weigh between 12 and 18 pounds) that Rose-Anne has been breeding for 20 years. She first came across the distinctive breed shortly after her 40th birthday when, having

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“I got one Maine Coon, another Maine Coon, and it just went from there,” she reveals. But what was it about this specific cat - other than its impressive size that so captured her heart? It was their character, she tells me, which differs from a typical house cat. “A Maine Coon is more like a dog,” she explains. “They love people and need a lot of affection. It really is a nice cat.”

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Taking their name from the US state of which it is the official cat, the breed’s distinguishing features include a silky, shaggy coat which comes in a variety of colours (Rose-Anne’s vary from black and brown, soft red and a striking deep grey), as well as a long, bushy tail that can be wrapped around its head to combat cold conditions. As Rose-Anne’s collection of Maine Coon cats grew she established herself as a breeder, naming her cattery Roucky’s Spirit in tribute to her first feline friend. Back then she and Andreas were living in Luxembourg (she originally hails from France whilst he is German), and they soon found themselves with a house full of cats, including a couple of prizewinners. One, Mona, a lovely female with a coat of white and grey - is now an old lady and has sadly gone blind, but Rose-Anne proudly tells me that she was a former Grand European Champion. Whilst Rose-Anne’s love for her cats is clear, I wonder if Andreas has always shared this passion. “Not until I met my wife!” he jokes. “No, I was a cat person but with other people’s cats; whenever I visited people that had them, I would sit down and find one on my knee. Cats can feel when you are a calm person, I think.” He adds that when he first moved in with Rose-Anne she had a total of 18 cats. “That was a bit too much!” he chuckles. Nowadays the couple have a slightly more manageable number in their charge: 11. In addition to Mona, the others are Do Menica, Faja, Faro, Froucky, Kiss Me Kate, Keshia, Money Penny, Ruby and Wally, as well as their European house cat Cameo. I spot the Portuguese connection in Faro’s

Despite the harsh winter climate that the breed is adapted to withstand, Rose-Anne says that - like her and her husband - the cats are happily settled in Portugal. “We had a special fence constructed to secure the garden so they can go outside and lie in the sun,” she says, adding: “It’s another life than the one they had in Luxembourg.”

Rose-Anne and Andreas

name, and ask how he got his moniker. “He was born in 2014, just before we moved to the Algarve, and that year all the names of newborn cats had to begin with ‘F’,” Rose-Anne explains. “It’s a rule of FIFe (the International Feline Federation) for pedigree cats - each year it’s a new letter. For cats born in 2014, it was ‘F’, in 2015 it was ‘G’, and so on. So my husband had the idea for the name because we would be landing in Faro.” Their move to Portugal was prompted by a 2008 visit to a friend’s holiday home in Armaçāo de Pêra. They loved it so much that they returned in 2010, and then again in 2012. With retirement just a couple of years away (Rose-Anne worked in electrical grids, whilst Andreas was the manager of a building company) the couple set their hearts on swapping chilly Luxembourg for the sun-drenched Algarve, and they made the move in April 2015. With Maine Coons an uncommon sight in the Algarve (Rose-Anne believes she is the only breeder in the region) their arrival in the area prompted a lot of local interest. “The first time I visited my vet in Alcantarilha, there was a procession of people coming in to see how big and pleasant a Maine Coon cat is,” she tells me. “Even now when my vet comes to our villa she is rarely alone - our cats are a real attraction!”

Rose-Anne is clearly pleased to be introducing Maine Coons to the Algarve, and even gave one of her latest litter of kittens to her local doctor. Yet, despite the time and effort that goes into caring for her cats, she reveals she has never sold one. “It is a hobby,” she says. “I’ve always given the babies to friends or to people that I know will send me regular updates and photos.” She adds that there are strict rules for anyone who takes one of her cats. “They have to sign a contract, and there are rules to respect. For example, if a couple gets divorced and they can’t decide who will take the cat, it is not allowed to go elsewhere - it has to come back to me.” So what sort of person makes an ideal Maine Coon owner? “There’s one thing you must be and that’s a person who loves cats, because they need a lot of attention” says Andreas.

>> Continues on page 6

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Community >> Continued from page 5

“Also, a Maine Coon must not be alone, so someone who is more or less home all day is ideal, or someone who has at least one more cat.” Rose-Anne adds: “They are especially good for elderly people. Some care homes in Germany have introduced cats because it’s proven that having a purring cat on your knee reduces blood pressure.”

already spread. She had anti-inflammatory medication and pain relief, and she was happy. But you know that the time will come when you have to make that decision.”

also drive into Armação de Pêra every evening where they feed a colony of four cats. “When they see the car they run to us they know we have food!” says Andreas. “We can even cuddle two of them now.”

She continues: “It’s a good thing that you can take the decision - it’s not the same for a human - but you still feel guilty. We had her six or seven months longer, but eventually the vet told us the moment had come. These are difficult times.”

Just before I leave, I compliment RoseAnne on the necklace she is wearing, a beautiful gold Maine Coon silhouette hanging from a hoop. It turns out to be a Christmas gift from Andreas, who had it specially made by a jeweller in Germany. Thinking of the lovingly wrapped toys and treats my family’s dog received on December 25th, I ask if their cats also receive Christmas gifts. “No, they have presents from us every day,” Rose-Anne smiles, before Andreas adds: “We are crazy about cats, but we are not crazy!”

Now retired, Rose-Anne and Andreas have found plenty to fill their time here in the Algarve. Care of their cats alone takes up two hours a day (not to mention the uncountable time spent playing with them) and once a fortnight they spend a couple of hours grooming them.

Of course, for all the benefits of owning cats, there are challenges too. It’s especially hard, Rose-Anne tells me, when one of her brood passes away, and when I visit she is mourning the loss of her cat Yin Yin just days earlier. “We discovered her cancer in June last year,” she tells me with palpable sadness. “We said no to surgery because it would have been a major operation and we did not know whether the cancer had

Unsurprisingly, cats play a central role in their lives outside of their home, too. They are actively involved with Carvoeiro Cat Charity where they have recently taken on administrative duties. In addition, once a week Rose-Anne goes to the charity’s centre in Ferragudo to help with the cleaning and feeding of the 350 street cats it houses. And, as if that wasn’t enough cat time, the couple

As I make my way home, I feel a little bit crazy about these gentle giants too.  For more information, visit Rose-Anne’s website (in French, but readable with Google Translate) or get in touch.  www.casadolobo.pt  +351 916 335 350  rose-anne@casadolobo.pt

Maine Coon cats: a history Another fanciful tale traces their ancestry to the longhaired cats belonging to Marie Antoinette. According to this story, an American captain named Clough brought the French queen’s cats to America after her execution, where they bred with other shorthaired breeds.

Maine Coons have inhabited America for centuries, but there is very little knowledge of how they first came to the continent. There are many tales relating to their origin, though the authenticity of these is doubtful. One far-fetched story claims that the Maine Coon's ancestor was a raccoon - an interesting idea, but biologically impossible! Others say the breed was produced by the crossing of the indigenous bobcat with a domestic cat.

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Yet another narrative is that they were brought to the United States in the 1700s by an American captain named Coon, who hailed from the northeast coast of America. This last tale may contain some grains of truth. Naval captains often brought cats from foreign lands on board to counter the problems of mice, which thrived on the ships. On their arrival in the US they may have made their home on the northeast coast in Maine. The climate was terrible and

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only the bravest and toughest cats could survive. However they came to be, the Maine Coon was one of the first breeds to be officially recognised in the early 19th century, and gained rapid popularity. Mr. F. R. Pierce, who owned Maine Coons as early as 1861, mentioned in his tome The Book of the Cat that a Maine Coon named Leo was awarded Best Cat in the 1895 New York City cat show, and was a consistent winner in Boston in 1897, 1898, and 1899. The breed’s popularity plummeted in the early 1900s when more exotic cats arrived and became instant favourites. By 1950, the breed had dwindled alarmingly and very few members were left. However, a few breeders displayed an active interest in the cat, throwing it a life line by holding Maine Coon-only shows, and in 1968 the Maine Coon Breeders and Fanciers Association was founded. 

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Community

Art beneath your feet By David Foot If you have been following this series of articles you will know that Laboratório de Actividades Criativas (LAC) invited five international street artists to decorate streets and walls around Lagos last year.

using rollers of different sizes. It was tiring work hanging off a ladder and repeatedly climbing up and down. Certainly a young man's game. Daan also produced ‘The Overthinker’ in a stairwell at LAC's headquarters in the old town jail. You can visit the jail (interesting in itself) and view this and a selection of other amazing art on the walls. There is no charge and no appointment is necessary, just drop in during the day and say hello.

In this issue we watch Daan Botlek as he creates his version of Newton's Cradle on the viaduct under the EN125 next to Restaurante Trinidade and the campsite. Daan lives in Berlin but originally hails from Holland and has an extensive online exhibition at www.daanbotlek.com. Before his visit the wall was painted white as a background. When Daan arrived he pointed out that the figures he was painting were going to be white so there was a hasty repaint in pale blue! The finished work was painted entirely

You will find the jail next to the GNR station, up behind the Tivoli in Largo Convento Sra. da Glória. In our next issue we meet the last of our visiting street artists, Anders Gjennestad whose creations are a little more subtle than those by the other visitors. 

Dialect Corner Jennifer Bertenshaw lived in the Netherlands for decades before moving here five years ago. She was brought up in Lancashire, however, and remembers some of the particular expressions used there: Corporation pop Water from the tap. Wot’s the scran? What’s to eat? Put wood in th’oyl! Close the door! She’s a gradely lass. She’s a decent girl. Wot yer skennin’ at? What are you looking at?

Stop yer mitherin’! Stop fussing. Susan Goodfellow has read with interest some of the expressions we’ve featured from the North East. Additionally she remembers two odd words they used in County Durham instead of ‘latch’ (as on a door): Sneck and Snib: “Put the sneck on!” and “Make sure you snib the door” ‘Sneck’ was also used instead of ‘nose’, as in “Hev yer seen the size of his sneck?”. Nose

was also ‘Neb’: “Don’t be so nebby!” and “Keep your neb out!” Thanks to Jen and Susan!  If you remember any local expressions, sayings, or examples of a particular use of words please email:  amber@tomorrowalgarve.com

Highlighting history The history of policing the Kowloon walled city of Hong kong and the history of the Jews in Seville are just two of the events being organised by the Algarve History Association this month. The History of the Jews in Seville will be the topic of a lecture by Virginia Palmer on February 6th at 11am at the Municipal Library Tavira and again on February 13th

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at 6pm at Municipal Library Tavira. You can also hear this talk on February 14th at 6pm at the Convento São José Lagoa. The History of Policing the Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong with David Thomas will be at Convento São José Lagoa on February 21st at 6pm. Peter Kingdon Booker will be talking about the The Portuguese Empire of the East 1497-1999 on February 24th

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at 11am at the Municipal Library Tavira. The Lacerda Quartet (Alex Stewart, violin; Regina Aires, violin; Paul Wakabayashi, viola and Luís André, cello) will be performing on February 26th at 4pm at Quintinha da Música, Covas de Prata, Tavira. Tickets cost 25 euros per person.  Please email  lynne.algarvehistory@gmail. com for details.

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Community

Achieving the impossible! Via Algarviana from the East or the Rota Vicentine from the North.

Riki Grahne has managed to achieve what everyone said was impossible! The statue of St Vincent designed by by Riki was officially inaugurated by the Bishop of the Algarve at the Cape of Saint Vincent on January 22nd. This was part of the general celebration of St Vincent Day in the municipality of Vila do Bispo.

Riki said: “My interest in the Cape of St. Vincent arose a few years ago. By then I had moved to Lagos and had visited the peninsula several times. However, I was never given a credible answer to the question of when and why the Cape, the Holy Promontory, had been renamed Cape of St. Vincent.

The statue, built in Finland, was delivered to Vila do Bispo and was in place by January 17th as planned. The statue’s granite base was produced in Monchique.

“After witnessing a procession at Vila do Bispo one January 22nd, I decided to start collecting information about the forgotten deacon, St. Vincent of Saragossa that was being celebrated. His fascinating history has resulted in the production of two books related to the Martyr and now I have also designed a three metre high statue that symbolises him." But why this personal financial investment and all the effort - and why a statue?

The three metre high statue stands at the final stop for modern pilgrims walking the

“The motive is as follows: By creating awareness and sharing the information

about the saint, in parallel with the existing profiling of Henry the Navigator, I believe it enhances local knowledge of the saint and the peninsula, which in turn could also revive the once flourishing pilgrimage activities along the ancient pilgrim route. Most of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who now visit the Cape have no idea of its historical significance. Since The Cape is a closed area, administered by the Navy, the historical heritage is hidden behind high walls. “With my contemporary statue, placed here in a central location in a highly visible place, I think I can arouse considerable interest in this magical Promontory. Perhaps some of the tourists will be coming back as pilgrims?”  If you would like to support the project and buy 'The Saint, Vincent and The Cape' (€20) or 'A Modern Day Pilgrimage to The Cape of St. Vincent' (€20) please contact Riki:  968811717  rikigrahne@gmail.com We will bring you photographs of the official inauguration in our next edition.

The Mustard Seed By Geoff Ives After a much needed and well-earnt break for their workers over the Christmas period, ‘The Mustard Seed’ (Lagos Soup Kitchen) started up again serving the first of their mid-week lunches in the New Year. 2017 began the same way 2016 had finished; many disadvantaged and homeless people very grateful for the opportunity to receive a free hot meal in a warm building and served by a friendly, welcoming team of volunteers. ‘The Mustard Seed,’ which is an outreach project of the International Community Church in Lagos, is serving the vulnerable people in this area with a hot meal every

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Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime between 1pm to 2pm and every Friday evening with homemade soup & bread around 8.00 pm. We estimate that we provided well over 10,000 meals during 2016 as well as hundreds of food bags and take-away meals. One thing is for sure; we definitely could not have accomplished this without the generous help and support of our regular donors and the many individual and oneoff gifts. We have truly been amazed and blessed already this year by several people willing to give very generous donations in their response to appeals on social media for urgent help with essential equipment,

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etc required for the smooth working of the project. Christmas may be the season of good will, but here in Lagos we are hoping that it will extend right into the New Year and beyond.  If you would like to donate something towards the ongoing work of ‘The Mustard Seed’ please contact: Daniel  915 808 490 (Portuguese) Elisabete  932 787 764 (Portuguese & English) Clive  918 754 416 (English)

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Community

Ambulance update The appeal to help buy a new ambulance for the Lagos Bombeiros has now drawn to a close and I am in the process of gathering in all the monies collected. If there is any more money that has still not been handed in, please contact me so that we can arrange for it to be collected. At the time of writing this letter, the collections of small change and ‘Tip a Tipple’ bottles has not yet been made so I am still unaware of the totals. I know that there have been very generous donations from the Boa Vista Golf Team, and the party-goers at both the Afpop and the Tomorrow Christmas events which will all boost the fund.

the area asking if they would contribute. Sadly, it appears that they do not want to help us out, with the sole exception of Continente, no-one even bothered to reply. Continente were the only ones who took the time to respond – though with the answer that they get many requests for charity and that they were unable to give to all. They have their chosen charities and have to turn down the rest – and that I understand. At least they had the manners to let me know their decision and why. As for the rest – well, if they need an ambulance for themselves or their clients, I hope they stop and think where it is coming from! Bitter – me?? No, just sad, really. Anyway, I am gathering in anything outstanding, meeting with various authorities over the next few weeks and sorting the finer details of costings and

As I think we will be short of the outright total, I also wrote to about 20 large and medium sized well known organisations in

sourcing a new Ambulance for Lagos. I hope by the March edition of Tomorrow that I will have all the answers and can update you fully – to let you all know what a tremendous job you have done. Any final banking or donations please to: Patricia Mary Allen Fundo para Bombeiros at Credito Agricola Caixa: 7210 CCAM Algarve C.R.L BIC/SWIFT is CCCMPTPL IBAN is (PT50) 0045 7191 4018 8770 5586 1 and if there is any other money that needs collecting please contact me. Thank you once again.  Pat Allen  patallen@sapo.pt  282 697 548.

Diplomatic ramblings By Doug McAdam For historic reasons too complicated to set out succinctly Kazakhstan is an ethnic melange. When I was there ethnic Kazakhs comprised less than 50% of the population of 14 million – the others predominantly Russian (mainly in the industrial north) but including some 130 ethnic groups.

In my last ramblings I spoke of my appointment in 1996 as Ambassador to Kazakhstan and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. So, after a gap of nearly 20 years it was back to the Wild East of Central Asia (after postings in Ulan Bator in Mongolia in 1966 and 1976). It may be worth giving some detail of fascinating Kazakhstan – the largest landlocked country in the world at one million square miles (the size of Western Europe). A tiny fraction of the country in the far northwest lies on the western side of the River Ural, thus giving Kazakhstan European as well as Asian status. It was part of the Soviet Union, only gaining independence in 1991, following the breakup of that Empire. As in most such countries the Communist Party leader (Nazarbaev) became President and remains so today!

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When I arrived the capital was in beautiful Almaty in the extreme southeast and flanked by the imposing Tien Shan mountain range. Mainly for political reasons the President decided to move the capital to the city of Akmola (now Astana) in the north. This city (at the time called Tselinograd) was the centre of Khruschev’s ill-fated ‘Virgin Lands’ scheme in the 1950’s which aimed to convert the northern Kazakh steppe into the Soviet Union’s second bread basket. Akmola (or White Grave in English!) was named Astana (capital) after it officially became the capital in 1997. In winter the coldest and windiest, and in the summer the hottest with the biggest mosquitoes I have ever seen, this was not a popular move and I and other Ambassadors stoically resisted pressure from the President to move our embassies

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from Almaty. But I believe all embassies are now based there. We arrived in Almaty to find we were to live in the largely diplomatic quarter on the outskirts of town about 40 minutes by car from the embassy. A nice enough house with the main arterial road to the south at the bottom of our garden in something of a smog trap and surrounded by electric pylons (view pictured). But it was functional and good for entertaining. Our embassy was housed in an office block alongside the main road in town – a building shared with the large German and French Embassies (we had four UK staff, the Germans about 205 staff and the French about 10 staff). We always felt we punched above our weight – especially since we were also covering Kyrgyzstan whereas the French and Germans had separate embassies there. Shortly after we arrived I was astounded to bump into the former warden from northern Nigeria who had told me at a meeting in Lagos that he was being posted to Central Asia by his company. He simply said: “Oh hi Doug – read you were being posted here”! It turned out he was living two houses away from us. Whoever said it’s a small world!  Doug retired to the Algarve 12 years ago after over 40 years in the Foreign Office

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Community

From warships to artwork By Sophie Sadler Mickey enjoyed over 40 years in metal trades, during which time he displayed some artwork in Dubai and Connecticut and was commissioned for individual pieces for people´s homes and businesses. Having retired he is now free to pursue his love for metal craft full-time. He does not use a mould or heat the metal but works from a flat sheet which is hand-hammered with an anvil so each work is totally unique.

Metal artist Mickey Craig, has spent his working life in the building trade but is now using his retirement in the Algarve to indulge in his love of metal working. Originally from the USA he has lived much of his working life in the Middle East but has found his personal utopia in the beautiful countryside near Odiáxere. Texan-born, he trained as an art student but didn´t want the life of a “starving artist,” so he served in the US navy for four years during the Vietnam conflict and on leaving the military he took an apprenticeship in sheet metal building trades. Mickey worked on industrial buildings creating interiors, exteriors and ventilation and has even worked on the roof of the Astrodome in Houston. When the building trade went into a lull in the late 1980s he went to Qatar to find work and spent two years employed there. On returning to the US he joined the marine ship building trade working on nuclear submarines for the US Navy. A visit to his sister in Dubai took him back to the Middle East, where he has been living until moving to the Algarve. He got a job offer in Abu Dhabi working on building ships for their navy and after 10 years he was managing the 1200 people working on building the Baynunah class missile corvettes.

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I visit Mickey and his wife Mary at their idyllic stone clad cottage which they are renting in the beautiful un-spoilt countryside which is providing him with the inspiration he needs for his artwork. A keen angler he enjoys being close to the ocean and much of his work is inspired by the ocean and marine life. He shows me his workshop in the garden and explains that it started out as wooden pallets with a tarpaulin for shade. Not surprisingly for a man who has spent his life working in the building trade, he has constructed a makeshift building out of recycled materials he has found around the property. His biggest challenge since moving to Portugal has been sourcing the equipment he needs for his craft, all his own tools being still in a shipment carrier in Dubai, the most difficult being an anvil which they finally found on OLX and needed to collect from Sintra. Fortunately, his partner Mary has Portuguese ancestry and was born in India but has lived in Brazil, so she has a good grasp of the language. They have found tools in flea markets and even travelled to Lisbon to buy a roller set which Mickey had to carry back on the train. Currently, his favourite working metal is aluminium as he says it is so light that you can create large artworks which are not too

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heavy to hang on a wall without support. He would like to work more with copper but is yet to find a supplier locally. He is now looking to expand his commercial enterprise but Mickey is not looking to make a big financial gain, he is merely wishing to fund his art which he does for the love of working with metal. He shows me some examples of creations, which range from abstract to incredibly realistic depictions of sardines, which he is currently selling very successfully in a gift shop, Martina in Loulé, to abstract statues. It was by no means a foregone conclusion that they would stay in Portugal but Mary tells me it has been almost serendipity how everything fell into place since coming here, from finding their quirky cottage on Facebook to finding a scrap yard from where Mickey is now sourcing recycled metal. They have found the Portuguese to be particularly friendly and welcoming to them and find that Europe is a happy medium between the US and Dubai which they thought had lost its identity in the last few years. He is expecting his children and grandchildren will be regular visitors and Mickey´s sister already has a house in Loulé. “I take what´s available and work with it;” Mickey grins, his work demonstrates his artistic flair with each individual piece reflecting nature in a different way, from a table he was commissioned to make with legs expertly crafted to look like coral, to a shoal of fish he created for the walls of a fish restaurant in Muscat. If you ask him which is his best work the answer is always ‘the next one’ which seems an apt response from this thoughtful artist, who is truly the epitome of a craftsman. 

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13/09/16 17:19

Community

Royal Palaces of Portugal - from first to last By Ray Gillman Palácio de Belém The Palácio de Belém stands near to the magnificent Jerônimos monastery close to the River Tagus. Dom Manuel I originally acquired the land and constructed a modest building of three salons and two atria for recreational visits away from central Lisbon.

Palácio Nacional de Sintra The Moors had two castles at Sintra - one on top of the hill overlooking the town, which still exists - the other built in the old medina as the home of the Governors. After the Moors were vanquished at Santarem and Lisbon by Afonso Henrique the first king of the new country of Portugal - this castle became the National Palace and the town developed around it. Dom Dinis (reign 1279-1325) was the first king properly to develop the palace and it was then much enlarged by Dom João I (reign 1385-143). João had been helped by English bowmen to defeat the Castilians and this began the long-lasting alliance between the two countries. One outcome was that Dom João married the granddaughter of King Edward III - Philippa of Lancaster (whose second son was to become Prince Henry the Navigator). They built the stately ‘Swans’ Hall’ at the palace, surrounded by grand ante-chambers including the ‘Magpies Room and the ‘Sala do Arabe’.

The extravagant King João V, who succeeded Manuel, constructed a new palace on the site and had it painted a ‘hot’ pink colour. This was also used for ‘recreational visits’ - João had many amorous liaisons and had children by at least two nuns (one of his illegitimate sons becoming Archbishop of Braga).

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Dona Amélia - the wife of Carlos I, the penultimate king of Portugal - turned the Riding School and stables of the Belèm palace into a museum to house the national collection of coaches - reckoned to be one of the finest in the world. Why not pay it a visit? The palace itself is now a working building - accommodating the staff of the Office of the President of the Republic.

Palácio de Queluz When it was built, Queluz was a village set in rolling parkland used for hunting, 5km outside Lisbon. Now it is an unprepossessing dormitory suburb only a 10 minute train ride from Rossio Station on the line to Sintra. The architecture of the palace is emblematic of the extravagances of the Portuguese monarchy in the 18th century - funded by gold from Brazil. The style is fanciful - sometimes described as looking like a ‘very expensive birthday cake’.

Palácio de Mafra João V was good at begetting children outside the royal bedchamber, but less successful within. In 1711 João had made a vow that he would build a ‘convent’ if his wife (Queen Maria Ana of Austria), gave him an offspring. It took six years, but a first daughter, Princess Barbara, arrived in 1717 and the building started. The statistics, and the costs, of Mafra are staggering. A daily average of 15,000

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Not only a convent and monastery, but a huge church, hospital, library and Royal Palace, Mafra is only about 25kms north of Lisbon and must be seen by anyone interested in Portugal’s rich history and architectural heritage.

Belém palace was abandoned when the Royal family fled to Brazil after the French invasion of Portugal. Other royal palaces (Mafra and Queluz) had been built and favoured as residences and Belém was mainly used to house visiting dignitaries.

King Manuel I (enriched by the wealth generated by Prince Henry’s Age of Discoveries) added a huge tower to the palace crowned by the ‘Sala dos Brásões’ containing the coats of arms of all the noble families of Portugal. Sintra is just a short, suburban, train journey from the centre of Lisbon - you should try to visit the palaces and other marvellous buildings there.

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construction workers were employed; at one time rising to 45,000 when 7,000 soldiers were permanently garrisoned to keep order on the site; 1,385 workers died during the construction. In the end 5,200 doorways were created, 2,500 windows, 880 halls and rooms, 154 staircases, 29 courtyards, and two towers boasting the world’s largest collection of bells that can be heard for 24kms when they are pealed.

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Originally built in the reign of João V (again) on the orders of his second son Dom Pedro of Bragança. Pedro’s older brother, José, ascended the throne in 1750. José I had a daughter Maria, who married her uncle Pedro, who eventually ruled as regent, with Maria I, when she succeeded to the throne on her father’s death in 1777. Poor Maria, apparently, became mentally unstable following the death of two children in infancy and ‘descended into madness’ after Pedro died in 1786. >> Continues on page 18

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Community >> Continued from page 16 She was quietly incarcerated in Queluz palace and a surviving son João eventually ruled as regent (later King João VI). His wife, Carlota of Spain also exhibited eccentric behaviour - she entwined her dirty hair with pearls and diamonds and wore an old green cloth coat embellished with gold lace. Outdoors, she sported a man’s cocked hat. She converted one of the palace’s salons into a ‘cocoon house’ hung with silk worms. It was this family - Mad Queen Maria, Regent João, dotty Carlota and sons Pedro and Miguel who were whisked off to Brazil by the British in 1807. But the palace remains beautiful and - although no Versailles (to which it is sometimes compared) - very much worth a visit.

age of 15, and reigned until she died, aged just 34, giving birth to her eleventh child. Her father, Pedro IV, had proclaimed himself Emperor of the newly independent Brazil, (where Maria had been born during the royal family’s sojourn there). Not wishing to leave, he abdicated the Portuguese throne in favour of nine year old Maria and betrothed her to his younger brother Miguel - who was to rule as regent. This wasn’t good enough for Miguel, or his scheming mother Carlota (Maria’s grandmother). Once back in Portugal they rose up against Maria proclaiming Miguel the rightful king - supported by many members of the nobility and landowners who feared the new, liberal, constitution which had been signed by King João before his death. This sparked the ‘Liberal Wars’ between the two brothers. For her safety, young Maria was shuttled between the courts of Europe - Vienna, Paris and London. The war ended in defeat for Miguel after Pedro sailed back to Portugal (supported by the ‘masses’ and the reformers) forced his surrender and sent him into exile in Austria. Soon after poor Pedro died of diphtheria (at only 35), making 15 year old Maria queen, again.

Palácio de Pena This ‘fairy-tale’ castle is an expression of the heartfelt longing for security and comfort of the young queen Maria II. She took the throne (for the second time) in 1834, at the

Almost immediately Maria was married to the Empress Joséphine’s grandson, Auguste, who, incredibly, died just two months later. The tall and dashing Duke Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (only 19) ‘rode to the rescue’, so to speak.

Ferdinand was a talented watercolourist and friend and patron of artists and designers.He and Maria purchased an abandoned monastery in the hills high above Sintra and set about creating their own ‘Ideal Home’, their ‘Grand Design’. They commissioned a German architect (Baron Von Eschwege) who drew inspiration from medieval chateaux of France and Switzerland. Romantic, frivolous, eccentric - painted in yellow, pink and blue, Pena Palace could not be more different from the grandeur, pomp, and religiosity of Mafra and the other royal palaces. A mish-mash of architectural styles - Moorish arches and domed towers, Manueline windows and doors, an incredible ‘trompe l’oeuil’ Sala dos Arabes imitating in paintwork the carving and stucco work of the Alhambra - but still, surprisingly, not ‘grand’. The rooms are domestic in scale, even ‘cosy’ - with armchairs in front of fireplaces, comfortable window alcoves and soft, plush, fabrics. With Maria almost constantly pregnant it is easy to envisage that the young couple didn’t get out much and they made sure that their home, high in the Serra de Pena, was a sanctuary for their family. Several bus services run from outside the railway terminal at Sintra to take visitors through the town and up the winding hill roads to the palaces, castles and grand houses which make Sintra such a marvellous, unique, place to visit. 

Do you know João José Gomes da Silva? life. My mother says he's from Lagoa and I'm hoping maybe I can get some help. His name is João José Gomes Da Silva. I live in the United States and I have never spoken to him. I've tried reaching out to people on Facebook but I cannot find him. I'm hoping that maybe someone locally can help.”

The Tomorrow team was recently contacted by Priscilla da Silva, a 26-yearold woman living in Orlando, Florida in the United States who is searching for the Portuguese father she has never met. Can you help? Priscilla told Tomorrow: “I've been searching for my birth father my whole

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Priscilla also shared some of the precious little information she has about her father. He was born on June 9th, in either 1963 or 1969. He has homemade tattoos on his arms and was a lifeguard when Priscilla’s mother dated him over 26 years ago. Her mother’s name is Anna da Silva, but he called her Silvia or Sylvia. They met in Carvoeiro and she last saw him in November 1989, before she moved to the United States to give birth to Priscilla.

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Priscilla has shared two pictures of herself as a baby with her mother, one of which is published here - you can see the other one on our Facebook page. She added: “I would like to be in contact with the other side of my family and see where I come from. I'm hoping to meet my father someday and introduce my son, his grandson, to him.” Please do share the details of Priscilla’s search for her father with anyone in the local area that you think may be able to help. Anyone with information should contact Priscilla via Facebook or email.   priscilla.hampton.5  sillyboo429@gmail.com

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Community - West Coast

When Aljezur was a port The forgotten Algarve earthquake and Tsunami of 1722 On December 27th, 1722, an earthquake destroyed many towns, cities and villages in the Algarve with a tsunami inundating lowlying areas of Tavira. Scientists remain divided as to whether the epicentre was offshore to the north-west of Tavira, or offshore, close to 37°01'N, 7°49'W. The 1722 earthquake was 33 years before the great earthquake of 1755 which remains an integral part of Portuguese history, mainly due to its effects on Lisbon which was wiped out by structural collapse, fire and then the flooding from a tsunami that raced up the Tagus. Most of the documentation of the 1722, Algarve event was sent to Lisbon for archiving and so was lost in the fire that followed the 1755 earthquake.

earthquake describe a destructive series of events affecting several Algarve cities with earth tremors so strong that they made the bells ring out in Tavira, Faro and Loulé. The 1722 earthquake was felt throughout the Algarve. In Tavira a caravel moored on the river Gilão was left high and dry before the tsunami hit with the dumbfounded crew able to walk to shore. The intensity is estimated to have registered 7.8 degrees on the Richter scale which triggers general panic, collapse, destruction and serious damage to many buildings, general damage to foundations, fractures in the ground, and the formation of springs and mudslides. The later Lisbon earthquake measured at 8.7 - 9.0 on the Richter scale, not that anyone was measuring things with such accuracy back then. The earthquake of 1722 was probably caused by a diapirism, where dense rock from deeper levels, under high pressure, pierce shallower materials.

But the few existing records for the 1722

As a result, Loulé was all but destroyed. Recent studies of seismic risk estimate there would be around 12,000 deaths if an earthquake equal to that of 1722 occurred now. One person commenting on this article on the Algarve Daily News website, recalled: “Aljezur was a sea port; today the river that was navigable for sea going craft is barely a stream. “Odeceixe was a fishing port, but today you can barely get a canoe that far up river. “I was told that the whole area actually rose 1 meter during the quake. “The Rogil plateau [between the above mentioned points] is about 80 meters above sea level, and is mainly sand, shells, and rounded washed stone in other words, sea bottom. “So it's been happening here for a while now”. 

Things to do in Aljezur and the surrounding area Castelo de Aljezur (Aljezur Castle) This 10th Century Moorish castle was built to guard the ancient river port that once provided direct access to the sea and was one of the last Moorish strongholds in the Algarve to be captured during the Christian re-conquest in the 13th Century.

main altar; a 16th Century Manueline font and two 17th Century statues in the side chapels which originated from the Monastery of Nossa Senhora do Desterro in Monchique.

Two towers, ramparts and a cistern are still standing and its hilltop position affords beautiful panoramic views of the surroundings.

Museu Municipal (Municipal Museum) Housed in the 19th Century former town council building, the museum exhibits art, archaeological findings unearthed in the region and an ethnographic section containing examples of agricultural tools and a reconstruction of the inside of a traditional Aljezur house.

Igreja da Misericórdia (Church of Our Lady of Mercy) Situated in the historic town centre, this original 16th Century church was rebuilt in the 18th Century after the 1755 earthquake. It retains its original Renaissance doorway. Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Alva / Igreja Nova (Church of Our Lady of Dawn / New Church). This 18th Century church was built by order of the Bishop of the Algarve to replace the original main parish church that was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Its most noteworthy features are the 18th Century statue of the patron saint of Aljezur, Our Lady of Dawn, behind the

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Museums

Museu de Arte Sacra Monsenhor Manuel Francisco Pardal (Sacred Art Museum) Adjoining the Igreja da Misericórdia church, this museum is named after an important local canon and exhibits a fine collection of religious art. Casa Museu Pintor José Cercas (José Cercas Museum) This museum contains the various antiques and works of art that belonged to local artist, José Cercas, bequeathed to the town after his death.

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Archaeological sites in the Aljezur region Ribat de Arrifana (Arrifana Fortress) Situated above the cliffs of Ponta da Atalaia and commanding panoramic views of the coast, this 12th Century Moorish fortress/ convent is one of the largest found on the Iberian Peninsula. Built for defensive and religious purposes, excavation has revealed the existence of various mosques, a minaret and a prayer wall facing Mecca. Povoado Islâmico Sazonal de Pescadores (Islamic seasonal fishing settlement) The remains of this 12th Century Moorish fishing settlement are located in Ponta do Castelo, near Carrapateira. Various fishing instruments, pottery and fish and animal remains have been discovered. Necrópole de Corte Cabreira (Corte Cabreira Necropolis) A Bronze Age burial ground near the town of Aljezur thought to date back to 1800 BC. Most of the objects found on the site are exhibited in the Municipal Museum.  Parts of this article first appeared in The Algarve Daily News

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Community - West Coast

New hiking trails boost Aljezur tourism Three new hiking trails boost Aljezur Council’s rural tourism offer.

out of season rural tourism which increasingly is putting Aljezur on the map, while boosting the local economy.

Work has been completed on upgrading the three old routes near Bordeira, out west in the Aljezur council area. The Aromas Trail, the Tides Trail and the Hills Trail, (Trilho dos Aromas, Trilhos das Marés and Trilho dos Montes) add 42.5 kilometres of hiking opportunities for the increasing numbers of outdoors folk who travel to the western Algarve for leisure pursuits and holidays.

The new trails complement the Rota Vicentina, a network of walking trails in Southwest Portugal, totalling 400 km of walks, along the most beautiful and best preserved coastline of Southern Europe. Comprising the Historical Way, the Fisherman’s Trail and several Circular Routes, the Rota Vicentina offers a unique experience of two worlds, between a living and authentic rural culture and a surprisingly wild coastline – fully within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park.

According to information from Aljezur council, the three routes were subject to detailed study, with several improvements introduced in order to make walking the routes a fun experience for hikers. The council said that the new routes project proposal was shown to locals who had a chance to comment before the work was finally assessed, carried out and the routes launched. The work was developed by the Parish council and the Rota Vicentina organisation and benefitted from the financial support of Aljezur council to the tune of €30,000.

The route is fully marked in both directions, and can be travelled independently and in total security, preferably from September till June. The sections sections into which it is divided are mere suggestions and can be shortened or extended according to your preferences or the location of your accommodation.

in a rural itinerary with several centuries of history. It covers a total of 230km along 12 sections, composed mainly of rural trails, this is a classic Grand Route (GR), fully accessible to hikers and mountain bikers, with stretches of cork tree forests, mountain ranges, valleys, rivers and creeks, in a true journey through time, local culture and nature trails. The Fishermen's Trail Runs along the coastline and follows the trails used by locals to get to the beaches and hot fishing spots. It is a single track along the cliffs, with plenty of sand, which can only be travelled by foot, and is more demanding from a physical point of view. The challenge is a permanent contact with the ocean winds, the harsh coastal scenery and the wild and powerful natural landscape. It comprises a total of 4 sections and 5 complementary circuits, totalling 120km.

This investment was justified as the Aljezur council area, in particular the parish of Bordeira, is increasingly sought after by hikers from all over the world.

In February 2016, the Historical Way of the Rota Vicentina was certified by the European wide label “Leading Quality Trails; Best Of Europe”, a certification from ERA – European Ramblers Association – joining the exclusive group of the best walking destinations in Europe.

The Circular Routes Short routes with start and finishing points right in the same place, so that it becomes even easier to discover the pleasure of walking in the Southwest of Portugal, without transfers, complications and with a duration of just half a day or less. There are 5 different circular routes to choose from, at Almograve, S. Luís, Troviscais, Santa Clara and Sabóia covering a total of 46km. 

This is why the municipality funded the project as it aims to continue to encourage

The Historical Way Runs through the main towns and villages

Parts of this article first appeared in The Algarve Daily News

Is Praia Da Amoreira the best beach in Europe? One UK Sunday newspaper certainly thinks so. Last month the Sunday Times made its case for why journalists there think it is the perfect beach. This is a boiled down version of what they said: Praia da Amoreira is on a stretch of wild coast. At the single catering option on Amoreira — the Paraiso do Mar restaurant, at the beach’s northern end — a whole grilled sea bream with spuds, at current exchange rates, costs less than £13. They said that they loved it because it is a bit remote: you’ll find it down a winding road off the n120, five miles from the town of Aljezur but it’s only 1½ hours from the airport, and you can park right by Paraiso do Mar on a quiet day.

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Third they said, it’s an amalgam of pleasing geology: dark, moody cliffs, dunes and soft sands that blend into sticky as you approach the shoreline. The tidal range is epic, revealing rock pools to play in at low tide. Although the article does warn that Amoreira can be a bit blowy. The writer Martin Hemming said: “This is the Atlantic, after all, not the pond-like waters of the Aegean. So the sea isn’t always ideal for swimming — the lifeguards (another tick for their presence) will put out signs to that effect. But where there’s wind, there’s surfing, and at Amoreira the waves are beginner-friendly.” "There’s a surf school on the sand, too, Surflife Atlantic Riders (surflife.eu/

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atlantic-riders), housed in a little shack on stilts, and staffed by hot and hunky salty twentysomethings. "The best bit, though, is the river. The Aljezur drains here, a shallow, sheltered, warm, slow-flowing snake with its own dune-backed beach to the east, cliffs rising to the west and mini islands popping up at low tide. It’s for kids, for stand-up paddle boarders, for everyone." The final thing the Sunday Times loved was that the beach car park was free.  If you want to tell us about your perfect beach please email:  amber@tomorrowalgarve.com

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What's On Spring horse riding By Jinny Harman

take a trip up to the ‘windmill’ from where you have a view right out to sea. For all these rides we are offering local residents a ‘packet’ of four hours riding for €70 valid for 2 months. For the more experienced how about trying our Restaurant Ride? Two hours riding to Pincho for a fabulous lunch at the renowned Solar do Pincho. The ride back is shorter and quieter after the huge meal – but it's ok – the horses know the way! In the summer months we organise picnic rides to the Barragem da Bravura as well as one and two hour rides. For small children we can offer pony rides on Bolinho the Shetland or on Penny the pony. QPA is also the base for the AEAB – the Western Algarve branch of Riding for the Disabled who hold sessions three mornings a week – volunteers always needed!

Spring is just around the corner and in the Algarve that means wonderful sunny days, wild flowers and almond blossom not forgetting the wild life that is so abundant in the Western Algarve.

Maybe you used to ride - or always wanted to try. We can give you the chance to have a go without breaking the bank and give you a great experience; you don’t have to go at more than a walk, in fact to appreciate the wonderful scenery that is the best way to go. You may see the Almond Blossom (or a bit later on the Mimosas); ride through the Eucalyptus woods or over a carpet of tiny iris.

One of the best ways to see and enjoy this spring weather is on the back of a horse. At Centro Hipico QPA near Bensafrim we offer local residents a very special deal throughout the next two months.

If you are a bit more adventurous you can

The centre is also a popular venue for children’s parties; apart from offering pony rides there is the swimming pool, table tennis and trampoline available to keep them all occupied. Visitors are always most welcome, or you can contact us by email or through the website.   www.qpahorseriding.com  qpahorseriding@gmail.com

Tuning up for a new year By Liz Roberts The choir began its 2017 programme with a very special performance at the inauguration of Riki Grahne's statue of Saint Vincent at Cabo de S. Vincente - and we are now planning our next performances for this year. New members are accepted all through the year, but the beginning of a new programme is a particularly good time to join as the choir are starting to learn new pieces together. In case you are thinking of coming along to one of our rehearsals, but you're still not completely certain, this might answer some of your questions: I've never sung in a choir/I haven't sung since I was at school - will I be allowed

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to join? Absolutely. Everyone is welcome, regardless of experience, nationality, gender or age. Will I have to audition? No! You will not be asked to audition in order to join. Just come along to a rehearsal and join in straight away. What if I can't read music? No problem at all. At least half of the current choir do not read music which does not affect their ability to learn or join in. There are many ways to learn new music and we use as many of them as possible to help you pick up the new songs. If you are interested in joining the choir, please feel free to come along and see how we work - you will be very welcome! And if

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you have any further questions or niggling concerns about joining, please email me directly on the address below and I will be happy to answer them.  The Western Algarve Community Choir is a group of people who sing together for fun. For more information on joining or for booking the choir for future performances and events, please contact choir leader Elizabeth Roberts. And check out our Youtube page 'The Western Algarve Choir' to see some of our performances.  elizabeth_roberts15@hotmail.com

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What's On

Spring Garden Fair By Rosie Peddle Mediterranean Algarve climate. With this in mind local nurseries are invited to sell their plants at the fair. This year apart from ornamental shrubs, trees and plants we want to emphasise edibles in the garden and so will encourage the sale of fruit trees, vegetable plants and herbs. It makes sense therefore to include invitations to wine producers in the area to participate. The Mediterranean Gardening Association Spring Garden Fair is taking place this year on March 4th at Quinta da Figueirinha in Silves.

In addition to the sale of plants there will be a talk on permaculture.

The Quinta da Figueirinha near to Silves provides a lovely rural setting for the fair. There will be small and specialist nurseries, natural history and gardening book sales and native plant seed sales and advice from members together with tours of the Quinta. There will be an opportunity to see a different range of plants from those offered at the Autumn Garden Fair. There will be specialist succulent nurseries, drought tolerant perennials, fruit trees and shrubs. The main aim of the fair is to encourage gardeners to buy the right plants for our

‘An Introduction to Permaculture’ by Julia Thiemicke, as well as a speakers corner with a talk about the PH (relative acidity and alkalinity) of soils and an introduction to the exciting new MGAP project for an indigenous plant demonstration garden which is on the same site as the Spring Fair. Best of all perhaps is the chance to see selected specialist nurseries coming together in one place to show the best of their plants for sale. At the same time you will have the opportunity to talk to them about those plants and how to get the best performance from them. Spring is a great time of year to see plants looking their best

Adult ballet for everyone! Adult ballet is becoming one of the new fitness crazes of 2017.

hand-eye co-ordination and speed. Studies have suggested that this can help to reduce the risk of dementia and also help those with Parkinson’s disease.

TV programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing have helped us rediscover our love of dance and one style of dance that has been enjoying a surge in popularity is ballet. Forget the traditional image of little girls in pink tutus. These days’ ballet classes are just as likely to be targeted at older people as they are at pint-sized prima donnas. But new dancers aren't lacing up their pumps with the intention of being the next Darcey Bussell or Matthew Bourne, they’re taking up ballet to keep fit.

Don't be intimidated, everyone is welcome! For more info contact:  913832335  move-ment@outlook.com

Concentration and brain stimulation is essential in a Ballet class. Routines and combinations constantly practice memory,

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So give it a go this year! Push yourself both mentally and physically. Nicola’s MoveMent Dance Academy in Porto de Mós have Adult Ballet: Monday and Wednesday from 1.00pm to 2.00pm

A ballet class will target all the muscles in your body, arms, legs, abs, feet and ankles, strengthening and toning them. Regular participation will also improve posture and balance, resulting in a long, lean elegant figure, in only a few lessons.

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And it’s not just the women getting involved. Many sportsmen have discovered how ballet can help them. Famously, Rio Ferdinand trained in ballet, while in America many American footballers have taken to ballet classes.

Children (2-16yrs) Dance Classes are also available Mon-Sat. 

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and ready to go into the ground before the summer heat, come along on March 4th and you will find plenty of choice for your garden. One of the aims of the Mediterranean Gardening Association here in Portugal over the past few years has been to encourage, if not actively pester, local plant nurseries to widen their range of plants. The smaller family run nurseries and garden centres which propagate their own stock have been responsive to our demands and, we hope, have benefited from the increasing demand for waterwise and robust plants. Plants which are native to Portugal, and also the wider range from other Mediterranean climate zones, provide rich pickings. The fair will open at 11am until 4pm. There will be free parking on site, plant creche and catering available. Last year we had over 800 visitors. The Entrance fee is €1.  For more information:  www.mediterraneangardeningportugal.org Directions:  www.qdf.pt/en/Contact_Us

Photography workshops The Fototeca Municipal de Lagos will be organising a series of free digital photography workshops for beginners. The first ones will be on February 18th and 25th and are aimed at over 16-yearolds that want to understand how to use their digital camera (the camera must have the manual mode function). Registration should be done by email and should include the following: name, phone, brand and model of you camera.  fototeca@cm-lagos.pt

Monthly support The next meeting of the Alzheimer/ Dementia support group will be on February 15th at 11am. The monthly meetings take place at Restaurant Pirilampo in Rua do Moinho do Azeite in Lagos. Everyone is welcome.  Carol  926 297 527 Kirsteen  968084946

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What's On Calendar What's On - Your weekly events calendar... Fitness

Sports

Pilates Mat Classes Mon, Wed & Fri 9.15 & 10.30, & Mon 18.30pm (1hr) | €10 or €90 for 10 | Equipment Classes Duet Reformer, Semi Private & 1-2-1  926514613 | Pilates Room, Lagos |  www.pilatesroomlagos.com

Espiche Golf “Roll Up” Lesson | Wed 14.00 | €10 pp Women’s Group Golf Lesson | Fri 09.30 & 14.00 | €10 pp Junior Golf School | Sun 10.00 | €10 per lesson (buy 3 get 1 free) Espiche Golf |  282688250

Golf Academy with PGA Pro & Tennis Academy with certified Pro Contact us for details | Golf Santo Antonio, Budens |  282690054

With Lucienne | Wed 11.00 | €6.50 | Hotel Belavista, Luz |  968288258

Hatha with Kathrin | Tue 10.00 & Thurs 09.30 | €8 | Alma Verde  919297638

Tennis Clinics for Children Mon & Wed 09.30, 10€/1 hour Boavista | Tennis Courts Equipment inc. Booking required | Soccer School Children Wed 17.30 & Sat 09.00 | Boavista Golf Resort, Luz |  282000100

Flood-lit Paddle-Tennis Courts | Available for booking (inc. non-members) Clube Tenis de Lagos, Lagos |  282086485 |  936568858

With Monica | Wed 9.30 | €5 | Golf Santo Antonio, Budens |  282690086

& Dance with Lucienne Wed & Fri 10.00 | Zumba Step! (pre-booking) Thurs 10.00 - 11.00 | €6.50 | Hotel Belavista, Luz |  968288258

With Debbie | Mon & Wed 18.00 | €5 | Burgau Sports Centre |  282697350

Practical Portuguese Lessons with Susana | Fri 10.30 - 12.00 | €5 | Lounge Bar, Marina Club Hotel |  964696345

Step/Body Toning Mon & Thurs 08.30 € 5 | Personal Training € 25 | Tennis Club, Lagos |  965337973

Stain Glass with Dianne | Tues &Thurs 10.30 | €10 | Espiche |  919117108

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Tomorrow Calendar (free of charge) Promote your events and activities in the Tomorrow Calendar. Advise us by emailing: for.tomorrow@hotmail.com

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What's On

Hunting the Neanderthals of the English Channel By Jane Robertson On Tuesday February 7th, the Algarve Archaeological Association (AAA) will be presenting two lectures, in English, by Dr Matt Pope. The first lecture will be at 2.30pm at the Museu do Trajo in São Brás, the second lecture will be at 5.45pm at the Convento de São José in Lagoa. Dr Matt Pope is Principal Research Associate in Palaeolithic Archaeology at the UCL (University College London) Institute of Archaeology and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He has led field research in Southern Britain and the Channel Islands during the past 15 years. His research focuses on how early humans used and responded to their landscape in terms of tool use and hunting strategies and how these populations responded and adapted to climate change in Northern Europe over the past million years. He is passionate about communicating the results of human origins research and explaining why understanding human adaptation is important to society. Matt Pope has appeared regularly on the BBC documentary series 'Digging for Britain' with Dr Alice Roberts and has also been involved in the investigations about the Piltdown Man fraud. The English Channel is a largely unexplored submerged landscape which lies between the southern coast of England and Northern France. Like the more famous Doggerland, it is a landscape which was dry land to some degree over much of the last million years. Transforming through a dramatic flood water breach 480,000 years ago from an embayment in the Atlantic to a large river system including the Rhine, Thames and

Seine, it would have provided a varied landscape of ridges, hills and deep valleys useful to early human hunters. Since 2009 Matt Pope's team have been exploring the potential of this landscape through archive research and a detailed study of the Channel Island of Jersey, and in this lecture he presents the results of this work by focusing on La Cotte de St Brelade, a large Neanderthal occupation site with a sequence spanning 200,000 years of Neanderthal occupation. The results of this work and survey of the sea bed around the island suggest that parts of the English Channel have excellently preserved, submerged, landscape of the Ice Age, rivalling that of Doggerland. This landscape, which we call La Manche, offers a chance to examine in fine detail the degree to which the La Manche River represented a frontier, barrier or corridor to Neanderthal movement into northern Europe. Along with the record for Neanderthals from Wales, Britanny, West France, Spain and Portugal, he considers how Neanderthals responded to being close to, or separated from, the Atlantic Ocean. This lecture is of particular interest since the discovery, last year, of a cave on the banks of a tributary of the Arade River near Portimão which contained evidence for occupation by Neanderthal Man 40,000 years ago in the Middle Palaeolithic period.  Lunch in São Brás can be arranged in advance – please contact Maxine.  917267948  contact algarvearchass@gmail.com  arquealgarve.weebly.com  'Algarve Archaeological Association'.

Put on your (ballroom) dancing shoes If the end of Strictly Come Dancing has left a hole in your life, then be sure to head down to the Lacobrigense Art Club in Lagos on February 24th, where a ballroom gala will be taking place. Featuring the Algarve Jazz Orchestra and organised as part of the 365 Algarve initiative, attendees are invited to take to the dance floor to show off their best ballroom moves, or simply sit back and

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enjoy the music. The setlist for the Lagos event - which starts at 9.30pm - will feature bossanova and Latin jazz, whilst a second event scheduled to take place in Lagoa on April 1st will feature more blues, gospel and a pinch of swing. Tickets can be bought from the venue.   www.orquestradejazzdoalgarve.com  @Orquestrajazzalgarve

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It’s carnival time! On February 24th Carnival celebrations will kick off in Lagos in what promises to be a colourful event. Lagos Experimental Theatre (TEL) have joined forces with the Centre for Studies in Lagos, the Orquestra Ligeira and Lagos Philharmonic Society to offer this year’s carnival something special. The Carnival Parade organised by the consortium of schools with the support of the Municipality of Lagos takes place at 10am in the centre of town. Normally it is a parade of pre-school and younger aged school children. This year the four associations have taken on board the theme of the Circus in order to offer children and the public additional animation, enjoyment and live music. The general public is invited to come along and have their share of fun. There is also an opportunity to take part in the parade itself.   associacaotel@gmail.com  96 6726920

Valentine event to help charity A local charity which looks after abandoned dogs and donkeys is holding a fundraising event at 5.30pm on February 12th. The event for Associação Bamboo is taking place at Picanhas Grill (Rodizio Brásil) in Praia da Luz. This special Valentine’s buffet dinner includes ½ litre wine or beer or soft drink, dessert and coffee. The price is 20 euros 10 euros for children. There will be a magic show featuring Paul Philippart and a raffle with great prizes. Tickets are available from Harmony Earth in Luz, Intermarche Budens, or contact: Davina  davina_murphy@hotmail.com Nana  968858924 All proceeds to the donkeys and dogs of Associação Bamboo. 

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What's On

Easter Festival at Santo Antonio Golf Course

Speed skating By Diogo Marreiros Inline speedskating is a racing sport, practiced in a 200m banked track, 400m road circuit and marathons. The races goes from 300m time trial to 15km elimination in the track and 100m to 20km on the road.

This year’s Easter Festival at Santo Antonio golf course, former Parque da Floresta, will take place between 14th and 17th April and will comprise of four golf competitions:

In Lagos we have the biggest club in Portugal, Roller Lagos Clube de Patinagem, producing champions since 1998, Roller Lagos has the 3 skating disciplines (Speed, Hockey and Artistics).

• 14th April (Fri) – Texas Scramble – teams of 4

On speed skating the club is organised by level, starting at Speed Skating School to the Racing level where are two of the best athletes in Portugal, Diogo Marreiros

• 15th April (Sat) – The Stock Pot / Pairs Better Ball Stableford • 16th April (Sun) – Dubai Stableford – teams of 4

and Martyn Dias. Diogo Marreiros and Martyn Dias were both Junior European Champions, and won medals at World Championships, the most recent one from Diogo last year at the 10km points in the road. Roller Lagos will have a great year in 2017 by hosting the 1st stage on the European Cup 7.8.9 of April and also the European Championships during the first week of July. For everybody that wants to join the club or sponsor should contact the club by the email.   velocidade@rollerlagos.pt

By Lena

A wish comes true for Algarve child Strang

• 17th April (Mon) - Am Am – teams of 4

their lives. Hundreds of people participated throughout the day. In the morning a 10 kilometre charity walk was organised and in the afternoon a series of activities were on offer. Fun was had by everyone and all for a good cause.

The festival is open to all, with a special green fee rate of just €25 per competition, plus the entry fee where applicable. Santo Antonio Resort is organising an evening full of entertainment for the Prize Giving Dinner. With a delicious menu, a professional service and live entertainment, all the ingredients are there for a memorable evening.

Lucas, a 12-year-old old boy from Olhão was granted his dearest wish following a successful fundraising event organised by Boavista Golf and Spa Resort at the end of last year. In total about £1600 was raised to aid the foundation ‘Make a Wish Portugal’ which is dedicated to grant wishes to youngsters with serious progressive or degenerative illnesses and offering them a moment of hope in a difficult phase of

Details for the Easter Festival events are available from Santo Antonio Golf.   golf.reservations@saresorts.com  +351 282 690 054  www.saresorts.com

There was a strong feeling that a local child should be supported and Lucas was on top of the list in the Algarve. As he spends much of his time in hospital, a computer would aid him greatly in doing homework and study. Lucas and his family were invited to spend the day at Lagos Zoo on behalf of the ‘Make a Wish’ foundation, which he enjoyed very much. At the end of the visit he was presented with an even greater surprise – the computer which will make a difference to his life. 

Take a flight of fancy Photo credit: BJ Boulter

now well into rehearsing a sequel. With a theme of flying on budget airlines the 2017 Revue, Flights of Fancy, is a hilarious take on what we have no doubt all experienced with air travel comprising of 16 short, humorous sketches with musical interludes. David Butler-Cole, a long-time member of the group, conceived the revue and is also directing the cast of fifteen.

In Rehearsal - Steve Dackombe, Trevor Herrington and John Havery are clearly riveted by the cabin staff’s safety instructions

Following the success of ‘God Save Our Leaking Roof’ two years ago, The Algarveans Experimental Theatre group is

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The show will run at the Mascarenhas Gregório Theatre in Silves for three evening performances, March 2 – 4 starting at 8pm. The following week there will be two more performances at the Auditorium in Vale de

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Lobo, March 10 and 11 at 8pm and 5pm respectively.  Tickets cost €12 and can be reserved by calling  966 211 634 or  913 723 611. Photo credit: BJ Boulter

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What's On - Boavista

Celebrating in style More than one hundred people welcomed the start of 2017 at Boavista’s New Year’s Gala event. It was a fantastic evening with wonderful food including foie gras with red onion chutney, pumpkin soup with croutons, prawns with butter sauce, Fillet Mignon with Roquefort cheese sauce and delicious walnut cake. There was live music and fireworks that really wowed the crowds. There were some great comments from party-goers. One couple, Tia and John said: “Thank you for an amazing event, please thank all the guys and girls for their

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hard work. You should be proud of what you have achieved.”

a crystal clear view out to the Atlantic Ocean from most holes. 

Boavista runs events throughout the year. It’s one of the venues that Tomorrow holds its very popular balls. In February alone there will be craft beer tasting, a Valentine’s Dinner and a wine tasting event.

 www.boavistaresort.pt

Boavista Golf Resort opened in January 2002 and quickly became established as one of the Western Algarve’s most popular resorts. There’s an 18-hole championship course bordered by properties all designed to harmonize with the land’s natural contours. You can get

Essential Fitness & Spa:  essential.reception@boavistaresort.pt  +351 282 790 930

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Clubhouse Restaurant:  eventos@boavistaresort.pt  +351 282 000 114

Golf Reception:  golf.reception@boavistaresort.pt  +351 282 000 111

Tomorrow 190x65 01-17.indd 2

17/01/2017 09:07

Kiko’s Tasca

Wine, food and friends. Portuguese food. Tapas, lunch and dinner. Come and try for yourself. Open daily* from 11am * Starting from the 8th February

Tel.: +351 282 046 037 • Email: one.destino@gmail.com Centro Naútico Sopromar - Estrada Sopromar (Meia-Praia) • LAGOS • GPS - N 37º 06.433' / W 08º 40.176' • f facebook.com/tascadokiko  TomorrowAlgarve

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Readers' Letters We are always really pleased to get letters from our readers. If you would like to send us your views on anything that’s going on in the western Algarve or if you have any suggestions to make about the newsletter please email: amber@tomorrowalgarve.com

The Algarve Network for Families in Need Dear Editor, Throughout 2016 The Algarve Network for Families in Need has continued to facilitate the distribution of donations to those families who are most in need. This has varied from individual items to the provision of everything needed to furnish a house. None of this could have happened without the kindness and generosity of people throughout the Algarve. We are so grateful to each person who has made a donation. You will never know the difference you have made to the lives of others. Thank you. We remain so grateful to AIM Transport and Storage for the continued support in providing, free of charge, a storage container in which we can store clothing, bedding etc. until they are needed. In addition to this great resource we now need a larger facility where we can store donated furniture until it is needed. Too often we have had to turn down donations because we have nowhere clean and dry to store them.

These items were delivered to the Home for Older People at Espiche where they were very gratefully received. All of this has been brought to the Algave, free of cost by Algarve Removals. We are so grateful to this wonderful company. Another consignment was due in January and we await in anticipation to see how this can be used to enable greater mobility to those in need.

to burn off excess energy and take pride in their bodies. None of the above would be possible without the warm generosity of many of your readers. Many thanks, The Lagos Orphans Fund 

This coming year we are hoping to maintain and increase our collaboration with other community groups both statutory and voluntary so that we can work together to better meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Many thanks to Tomorrow Dear Editor,

If you can help this cause either with donations or your time please contact us through the Facebook page. Yours sincerely, The Algarve Network for Families in Need 

Orphans Fund thanks readers Dear Editor,

I just wanted to write to say thank you to Tomorrow for helping Delhi Darbar to have such a superb sell-out New Year’s Eve party. I took a half page in the magazine just solely to ensure an excellent take-up on the evening but had no idea that it was going to be a sell out! The restaurant was full and music from Emma Louise had everyone up dancing and enjoying the whole night. One of all the positive reviews on ‘Trip Advsior’ reads: “Just had an amazing New Year’s Eve meal with fantastic entertainment” and another read: “Everybody loved it”. You can’t get much better than that!

One of the great achievements of this year has been a much increased collaboration with other community groups such as Mustard Seed, the soup kitchen in Lagos, the Conexao drop in facility provided by the Oasis Fellowship, the Santo Amaro home for the Disabled and many of the local charity shops.

The Lagos Orphans Fund hosted a lovely Christmas lunch party at Os Lambertos in Lagos in December which was attended by 30 children. They each received a voucher to spend in Agua Shopping and a personal gift supplied by numerous kind individuals.

Yours,

In addition we have developed links with the security team at Stansted Airport who, led by Sarah Lees have provided much needed donations of clothes, boots, household items etc. In August of this year they sent us a large consignment of equipment for disabled people which included a wheel chair, a hoist, crutches, commodes and much more.

The Lagos Orphans Fund has recently been asked to buy basics such as slippers and underwear which are not often donated, so the children can buy those themselves with their vouchers.

 282 762 249 |  923 206 701

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We have also promised to buy new dining tables and chairs. In the future, we want to provide an outdoor gym for the children

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Thanks again to Tomorrow.

Vikas Arora from Delhi Darbar. 

Stéphane Rambaud for Fermob

Find your favourite

OUTDOOR FURNITURE

Sunbeds, chairs and tables in 24 colours Fermob Shop at Q Garden in Odiáxere/Lagos (N125) Buy online at www.happyfurniture.pt

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Health inflammatory response is so intense that the tongue will swell to many times the normal size. This will then lead to ischaemia and necrosis of parts of the tongue…in English: Bits of their tongues fall off, innit. Dogs are much less licky after this sequelae. If you see your dog drooling loads and find a swollen tongue inside, take action.

Pets Mate By Lars Rahmquist

Things to do at home are to wipe the tongue and as much of the mouth (i.e. under the tongue and the roof of the mouth) with a damp tea towel. Then phone your vet with a view to going there for antihistamine and cortisone injections.

The hairy Caterpillar emerging from a nest

Well, it sure has been quite an agreeable winter here in the Algarve. Bring on global warming, hey?! I might even trade-in my Prius for an old diesel-spewing 4WD and do my bit for local tourism. On a more veterinary related topic, the hairy caterpillar has been out and about by now. At the time of writing, I have seen the spider web-looking nests in the pine trees around the countryside. The hairy little blighters are just starting to sprout out

now, so by publication, they may even be gone but they are of extra interest for dog owners. For those that do not know, the small white hairs on their bodies cause immense irritation to the lining of the mouth, and dogs being such ‘licky’ chaps are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon. When dogs lick or mouth the caterpillars these hairs become imbedded in their tongues and surrounding structures. The

We advise our clients to buy Ceterizine anti-histamine tablets from the chemist and to have them at home. If your dog is found to be suffering from the caterpillars then your vet can instruct you on how many tablets to give. That way the animal has the medication on board ASAP. You should still go to the vet for further treatment to give the tongue of the dog its best chance of staying whole and with further lickyablness in future days. Have a look at some images on the old ‘tinternet to bone up on what they and the nests look like. Keep your dog lickable this spring and keep them away from the caterpillars. See you in March!   www.lagosvet.com

Help your heart By Ann De Jongh support a healthy heart, a healthy diet plan and adequate exercise.

So now we are into the New Year, and hopefully after following the sleep recommendations from January’s edition, you will be now feeling more rested and getting your 7-8 hours of sleep a night. The area to focus on for this month as it is Valentine’s Day is Heart Health. There are two main areas to focus on to

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Next month we will go into the details as to what makes up a healthy diet plan, but simply put you need to eat more fruit and vegetables, remove processed food from you diet, and minimize the amount of sugar. Focus on oily fish and lean meat, nuts and legumes, as your protein source and having a few meals without meat can also be beneficial. Be physically active, as a minimum walk daily, ideally doing 10,000 steps a day, which you can build up to. Adding to this a couple of days of muscle strengthening exercises (such as body weight exercises or using weights), and including some vigorous intense aerobic exercise, such as

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jogging, cycling. The combination of healthy eating and exercise will go towards maintaining a healthy weight, which is a key factor in heart health. It is often thought that the closer your waist to hip ratio is to 1, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease. So if you think that your waist has expanded a little, then use this month to start to make changes to reduce the waist line and to start to focus on your heart health.  Ann de Jongh is a trainer, Yoga Teacher, sports massage therapist.  +351 913202621  www.fit2lovelife.com  ann@fit2lovelife.com

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Health

Scars: Types and treatments By Niki Medlock Scars can take up to two years to fade but this can vary from person to person. Appearance/ severity of a scar is dependent on: - Size/depth of the incision/wound - Blood supply to the area - Tension of skin - Type/colour/thickness of the individual’s skin tone - Age - Direction of the scar

boundary of the wound. Initially red and raised but becoming flatter and paler. 4. Atrophic (sunken/’ice-pick’) – depressed, serrated or flat against the skin. Causes include injury or skin conditions such as acne or chickenpox. 5. Contractures – commonly caused by burns, occurring when the skin ‘shrinks’ leading to tightness and restriction of movement.

Type of scar: 6. Stretch marks – happen through extreme weight gain/loss as in obesity or pregnancy causing the underlining dermis to tear. They initially look red or purple in colour but lighten over time.

1. Flat, pale – the most common. Initially can be red/raised as the wound healing, becoming paler and flatter. 2. Keloid – an overgrowth of tissue whereby too much collagen is produced. Appear raised above the skin, much larger than the original wound, can feel painful and itchy, are hairless and shiny and red/ purple in colour.

Although scars cannot generally be removed completely they can often be made less visible. The first step for treatment is to go to a professional, either your GP, a dermatologist or a specialist in aesthetic medicine, who can identify the type of scar and inform you of treatment options.

3. Hypertrophic – an overgrowth of collagen not extending beyond the

These include: - Over-the-counter/prescription creams and lotions. - Corticosteroid or other intra-lesion injections which reduce swelling and flatten some scars. - Silicone Gel/sheets and pressure dressings reducing redness, flattening and softening scars. - Camouflage makeup/medical tattooing. - Laser therapy targeting blood vessels in excess scar tissue or removing the top skin layers stimulating collagen production in the deeper layers. - Surgical removal/treatment including skin grafts or excision (which will still leave a scar!) - Dermal fillers which ‘plump up’ pitted scars. - Skin needling which causes micro-trauma to the area of the scar stimulating the body to repair it with new tissue.  Niki Medlock is head nurse at  www.luzdoc.com

Cock-a-doodle-doo By Dr Wen Oates DC MChiro Christmas dinner at the Lagos International Community Church’s Mustard Seed Soup Kitchen was a little more substantial, due to the generosity of Lagos Health Chiropractic’s patients, who donated their treatment fees to the Church during the clinic’s ‘End-of-Year’ Charity Days. Thank you. After the Christmas and New Year festivities, have you noticed that your back is aching a bit more than usual, or you’re feeling a bit stiff? Too much sitting about has probably affected your back muscles and may have put the vertebrae in your spine out of alignment, so now might be a good time to

have a check-up with your Chiropractor. Perhaps you’ve put on a couple of extra kilos over Christmas! Being overweight puts extra stress on your spine and can give you back pain, so you may be considering going to the gym to lose that weight or get fit. If you do, please don’t overdo it…do things gradually and carefully. And if you DO pull a muscle or put your back out, we’re here to help! If you come into the clinic this month, you may spot some chickens…they’re for Chinese New Year, celebrated this year on 28 January. It’s the Year of the Rooster, so if you are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 or 84

years old, wear something red for good luck! People born in a year of the rooster are typically hard working, courageous, talented and healthy, enjoying sports such as hiking and swimming. And they don’t get ill very often, so we may not see you in the chiropractic clinic anytime soon! But if you do have back pain, shoulder pain or neck pain, Dr Wen and her team at Lagos Health Chiropractic (+351 282 768 044) will look after you. Happy Chinese New Year to you and your loved ones. 

Choking and pregnancy By John Clifford We received an enquiry about an incident where a reader saw an obviously pregnant woman choking. Luckily the woman coughed up the obstruction but the reader was wondering what she could have done to help as she wouldn’t have been able to get her arms around the bump. An excellent question! You would never perform abdominal

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thrusts on someone who is pregnant.

object is cleared or help arrives.

Presuming the person is standing or sitting, you could follow the guidelines as outlined in our course – inform the person what you are about to do, then proceed to give 5 backslaps between the shoulder blades with the person leaning slightly forward and supported, followed by 5 thrusts above the bump, then repeat this sequence until the

Always advise the person to visit their doctor or hospital immediately to ensure all is well. If the incident occurs at night time do not wait until the following morning as some people do. 

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 firstresponder@sapo.pt

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Health

The surprising benefits of real listening By Laura Newman Do you feel triggered when your children’s behaviour gets out of hand or seems to never stop?

- feel deeply supported and empowered - give your limbic system (emotional brain) a cleansing shower

You feel like a policeman in your own home, constantly giving orders but nobody is listening?

- think clearly and more intuitively - cope better with children’s big feelings

Are you fed up with sharing how you are feeling with your partner or friends and then being told what to do? You still feel frustrated even though you know what you could do but you just can’t put it into action? Can you remember the last time someone really listened to you without judgement? If you answered YES, YES, NO, then you could benefit from being really listened to and:

She's now setting up face-to-face groups locally. Groups are confidential and deeply nourishing. Once parents have learned this technique they can set up their own Listening Partnerships for free and use this invaluable tool for life.

- improve family relationships

Laura offers free initial consultations for parents on any parenting issue with a specialism in children with special needs.

- decrease stress levels (with multiple benefits)

Laura Newman BSc BSc MSc Speech Therapist and Parent Consultant

- learn one of the most transformational skills for any social human being! 

 myconnectedchild@gmail.com  961633995  connectedchildfamily  bookwithLauranow.acuityscheduling.com

Laura Newman is a parent consultant, experienced in running Parents Listening Circles online.

Find the food that’s good for you By Andrea Schoonheim Ancient eastern philosophies tell us there is not such a thing as a healthy diet. It is different for different people. Apart from allergies and intolerances, some food is good for one and not for the other. According to these philosophies you can’t say, for example, that milk is healthy, because for some it is and for others it isn’t. Some consider fish healthier than meat, but others think a vegetarian diet is healthier.

As we get into February, many people will no doubt be kicking themselves for ‘failing’ at their New Year’s diet. Before you give yourself a hard time, realise that everybody has a diet. It’s not only about restrictions, it’s also just the way we eat. But finding the approach that’s right for you can be tricky.

So, in these times of conflicting information and viewpoints, how do you know what’s good for you? Young children know. What they don’t like is not good for them. Nature has given all of us the talent to follow this easy principle, but when we grow up we learn to listen to our educators. With the best intentions, they tell us what is supposed to be good for us and we start to believe them.

When we explore this theme we see that many western governments encourage healthy eating, providing advice from various experts and organisations. However, these recommendations change regularly, making it difficult to assess their validity. Besides that, people in different regions in the world have very different diets. Who knows if what people eat in Japan, India or the Mediterranean is more or less healthy than what we eat - but it is a different perspective.

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Now say as a two year old you didn’t like vegetables and now you do - how does that work? What is good for you can change over time. You grow older, your body changes, you move to another part of the world where the availability of food is different, you are happier, more

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stressed, you exercise more, you see less daylight - whatever it is, it will influence what is good for you food-wise at that time. A way of finding out what is good for you is to go back to the beginning for a few days by fasting. There are many different ways of fasting and there are professionals that can help you find a way that suits you and is safe for you. After fasting you start adding foods slowly, so you can feel how they benefit you - or not. By working this way a friend of mine found out, to his surprise, that potatoes don’t agree with him. He’s not intolerant or allergic to them, but when he had his first potatoe after fasting they caused massive cramps and that’s what triggered him. When he adds potatoes to his diet now they don’t bother him in the same way, but he says: “I just feel a lot better when I don’t eat them.” So try listening to your body - and not all those experts, fads and points of view - to find the diet that’s just right for you.  Andrea is a qualified yoga teacher who leads classes in Carvoeiro and Lagoa.  andrea.schoonheim@gmail.com  www.yogalagoa.com  www.yogacarvoeiro.com  +351 911 510 641

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Business A sustainable stance By Sophie Sadler

Level 2 certificate in Horticulture via evening classes at the same time and continued to work for private clients and nurseries during the first two years of the course. I ask her how she ended up in Portugal. “When my degree came to an end, I saw an advert for the Head Gardener position at the Romantik Hotel Vivenda Miranda in Lagos so I applied and got the job. I didn't speak Portuguese and had actually never been to the Algarve before my interview! I spent 18 months learning about managing a garden in this climate, which I found hugely exciting.”

Marilyn Medina Ribeiro has turned her passion for gardening and design into a successful enterprise creating beautiful gardens without the water bill. After moving to the Algarve from the UK in 2008, she is now the brains behind Waterwise Gardens, a new sustainable approach to gardening in the Algarve. The ethos behind the fast-growing business is to create gardens which emulate the balance in nature rather than imposing artificial conditions. Marilyn bases her garden designs around the Mediterraneanclimate plants which are native to this region. She points out that these species feel so much more ‘of their place’ and provide an alternative to the typical lawn, palm trees, subtropical shrubs design, which you see everywhere and demands a huge amount of water and maintenance to look good. It is not rocket science that with aquifers running out, reservoirs getting low, boreholes drying up and rainfall trending towards less each year that we cannot justify the quantities of water traditionally spent on gardens, so we need to learn to appreciate the beauty and the massive diversity of a new range of native plants. It is on this simple premise that Waterwise Gardens is expanding and gaining popularity. Marilyn is passionate about the natural environment of the Algarve and its plants. She enthuses: “All the amazing

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plant species that grow and flourish here should be the model for our gardens. I do understand that most second homeowners use their properties more heavily in these months and want to have an attractive garden at this time of year, so I turn to nature for inspiration. There are actually many plants that continue to produce flowers despite the heat, but beyond this, I emphasise the value of foliage. You can achieve beautiful colours without flowers.” Marilyn’s career in gardening was by no means a foregone conclusion. Growing up she had two grandmothers who had green fingers and were enthusiastic gardeners, so she developed an interest in horticulture early on. “In my teens, I decided gardening wasn't all that "cool" so I qualified as a graphic designer and lived and worked in London for a short time, but quickly realised something was missing,” she said. It was only after she moved to the Ashdown Forest and re-connected with nature that she remembered her childhood passion for plants. In this area of England, there were lots of nurseries and gardens offering work and within a couple of weeks, she was fully employed between gardening rounds and part time work in a couple of nurseries. She then took a BSc in Landscape Management at the local horticultural college at Hadlow. She obtained the RHS

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Then the opportunity arose to work as Garden Manager at the 11-hectare Hapimag resort near Albufeira, supervising a project which would transform large parts of the lawns and conventional gardens into a landscape of native plants. This was a dream project for her, going right to the heart of her landscape manager principles of choosing the right plant for the right place. This project led to another happy event in Marilyn’s life. After being in the Algarve just 9 months a chance meeting on a midsummer’s evening in Lagos with Pedro, culminated in their marriage almost two years later at Hapimag, in the gardens she had helped create. They now have a 2-year-old daughter Sofia and are expecting a little boy in March. By the time her contract at Hapimag had concluded, the budding entrepreneur realised there was a big gap in the market for more appropriate landscaping for the climate and felt the time was right to start out on her own. I am interested to hear how she started the business on her own with no financial backing. She started the business in 2013 and explains to me that as her work contract had come to an end she was entitled to unemployment benefit. What many people might not know is that you are entitled to take this as a lump sum if you can prove you are investing it into starting a new business. “As you can imagine there were hundreds of forms to fill in;” she laughs. “I qualified for the subsidy, however, the fact that I now spoke almost fluent Portuguese was a >> Continues on page 46

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Business >> Continued from page 44 big help and those that don’t would need assistance with all the documents. It may incentivise others to know that the support exists in Portugal as this money helped me get started.” In the beginning, Marilyn did literally everything - designs, planting, path laying, pond building, you name it! Although she still loves to be hands on, as the company has grown she has made links with trustworthy gardeners to help on the ground and now has three landscape architects in the office to assist. Now that she is expecting her second child she is trying to delegate more. Marilyn is keen to pass on her passion to others and advocates gardening as a fantastic way for people to connect with the natural landscape but warns that you do need some help from an expert before embarking on this type of garden. Daily watering in the summer is the total antithesis of the natural instincts of the plants in the Algarve, they don’t want to be forced into growth with water and feeding and many people kill plants with overwatering. Ultimately, you will save money if you use an expert who can guide you; Marilyn offers as little or as much support as the client needs. I ask what advice Marilyn can give to other people who want to start their own business in Portugal? “You might have to build the road you walk on;” she tells me contemplatively. “I think there are many business opportunities in Portugal for motivated people with innovative ideas, but many of them might not have been tried before, so it is often difficult to find suppliers or suitable staff. If you keep persevering the rewards are there just make sure you know your market and most importantly how to promote yourself.”

Selling Algarve Real Estate in VR We know the difficulties of selling real estate: When I am looking for a property, I go on a long trek from site to site, only to find out - often at first glance - that most of them are not for me. Annoying and time consuming, especially when I live far away. As a real estate agent, I also require a lot of effort to present houses to interested parties. After all, I do not know exactly what fits, ahead of time. In addition, I can hardly reach some of the potential buyers if they live far away, on another continent for example. It would be ideal to avoid these geographical and temporal obstacles, if I could only look at houses without leaving my place at all. Well, this is now possible using a booming technology called virtual reality! Real estate is one of the first industries benefitting from virtual reality – a good opportunity to stake your claim. Pioneers like Harrods Estate have been showing real estate in VR for some time now. Up until recently, this required special sales rooms and expensive headsets. But thanks to smartphones and YouTube, we can assume that VR will soon become a part of

This month, with recent news stories regarding hacking of passwords here is some useful advice on creating a strong password. Here is a fact for you to think about, statistically one in four of you reading this article has a password that you use which is a combination of the following:

Marilyn has expanded by advertising herself in community-based channels and by interacting with local interest groups and I am sure that she will now be able to watch the seeds she has sown, bloom into a flourishing business.   www.waterwisegardens.com  info@waterwisegardens.com  +351 92 648 4864  waterwisegardens

Scary isn’t it, some of these sound familiar? There are endless ways to create memorable and strong passwords. Go with what you think would be the easiest for you

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everyday life. There are different possibilities for real estate offers: Virtual Tours from 360-degree panorama photographs. This allows you to walk through all the rooms of a house and even the garden directly on your web browser. Information can be linked to all the details. The same is also available as a 360 video. Particularly interesting: A 360 video, in which a person guides you through the property, just like a regular visit with an agent, giving a highquality presentation. However, this kind of tour is available to hundreds of visitors at the same time. And, of course, for properties which do not yet exist: computer-generated VR. Many opportunities for real estate marketing. So why not take the first steps into marketing properties in VR, this year? Stephan Magnus offers VR services in the Algarve region. He has been producing videos for the automotive and IT-industry for the past 10 years, and he also knows a lot about houses.   sm@VReedom.com

I.T. can be easy By Steven Dunwell

• Your partner, child, or pet’s name, possibly followed by a 0 or 1 (because they’re always making you use a number, aren’t they?) • The last 4 digits of your NI or Fiscal number. • 123 or 1234 or 123456 • Your football or sports team name • A company you’ve worked for • Your, your partners or your child’s date of birth • Or the old favourites: password, god, letmein, money and love • Any of the above but in reverse sequence • Any of the above with a number at the front or back.

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By Stephan Magnus

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to remember. As long as you follow these basic guidelines below, and use the same rules for all your passwords, you shouldn’t have any problems. To foil would-be hackers, the general advice is to create a password that is at least 8 characters long (the longer the better), includes numbers, upper and lower case letters and symbols such as @#$%^& and it shouldn’t contain any words found in a dictionary. Some basic advice would be to change your password regularly and never send it to anybody electronically. Don’t write it down and don’t type your password when somebody is looking over your shoulder (after all, you don’t do this when you’re typing your PIN in the supermarket). If you have any questions on this topic, suggestions for future tips or require assistance with any I.T. challenges, I am very happy help. Have a great month, see you for another tip in the March issue.   sdunwell@sky.com  00351 936 387 512

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Business

Onwards and upwards dramatically because we are buying in such big quantities. We have a quote service, order and collect service, we deliver across the Algarve. In 2013 we moved into a big showroom which we have increased in size three times in three years. 3. What is the businesses unique selling point? Attitude – we are customer focused and always ensure the right products are available when people need them.

Every year Linen-etc aims to improve its products, prices and customer service. The plans for 2017 have to be introduced within three months. We caught up with owner Karen to find out why.

4. We gather changes are afoot in 2017. Can you tell us what changes are being made please? Two new websites are being launched in February so buying online is easier for trade and private customers. A new customer relationship management system is being introduced so we can review our customers changing needs and deliver them in a timely manner. We also have an extra team member now.

1. Please tell us about how you started Linen etc? Linen etc. evolved from our first business called Key Solutions. At the time our clients were mainly villa management companies who asked if we could supply other products. We found there was a need for sheets and towels suitable for commercial laundering in all sizes.

5.Can you tell us a bit about why you are stepping back? I now have to work remotely as I am undergoing chemotherapy, my prognosis is very good. Once I complete my chemotherapy a bit of beach time may be necessary and I will be back. The difficulty is chemo lowers your immune system so working in the showroom with many

2. Please tell us about how the business has grown since it started? Since we opened we have grown year-on-year not only in turnover and stock, but in the choice of products now available with over 2000 lines. Prices have improved

customers from many countries coming in daily means unfortunately it is not the best place for me to be. My surprise illness has driven the rapid changes initiated this year, thanks to my son Matt Love from Algarve Business Consultants who has driven through all the improvements. 6. What are your business hopes for this year? With all the changes that have been implemented, that we continue to improve our products and service to our private and trade customers. I hope we can supply more and employ more. 7. What would you like to say to your customers? Thank you for you continued support we certainly could not have done it without you.  When it comes to Linen-etc you can buy in store, buy online and pay on delivery (mobile card machine).  (PT) 282 697 791  (UK) 0845 862 0443  info@linen-etc.com  www.linen etc.com  Located on the EN125 Budens, 8650070 (400 metres past Intermarche, the green and white building)

Is the Algarve sun starting to shine on golden visas? The Golden Visa scheme was introduced in 2012 and was seen by many as a fast track way not only to sell property to foreigners who wanted a European Visa but also as a get rich quick scheme for many would-be agents. At B&P we looked at this scheme with great interest as our background had been property investment consultants and many of our partner agents from those days had jumped onto the band wagon and were looking for properties to sell. At that time we chose to back away from the scheme for two primary reasons: 1. We felt the way the agents were finding the clients was too lax and lacked integrity. 2. We felt that the Algarve did not offer what many of the clients wanted. We are after all a holiday destination. If people were moving half way across the world, we felt they would expect the facilities offered by the major cities of Lisbon & Porto.

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The legislation for the Golden Visa was also a concern. The vetting of clients appeared to be onerous and this came true in 2015 when the scheme was suspended following a really successful 2014 where around 1400 visas were applied for. The scheme was suspended while the authorities introduced further legislation to tighten the prospect of fraudulent applications and this led to the resignation of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Miguel Macedo. Following the lifting of the suspension, 2016 saw a rejuvenated scheme start to move forward with an estimated 2000 applications in the year. The total investment in this scheme since its launch totaled around 2.5€ billion. In fact, SEF, the controlling body that manages this issue of the Golden Visa claim they can approve most applications in under 3 months! Having said all of this and even with B&P achieving record year after record year since 2012, we had only closed around 3 Golden Visa sales. Until the last few months!!! It appears

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By David Westmoreland

although many of the Chinese clients prefer to buy real Gucci handbags rather than the choice section available on Lagos avenida; they are starting to realize what the Algarve does have in its favour. In addition to the Chinese, we have also sold to a number of Russian clients looking to relocate to a calmer environment. That being said, there does need to be a minimum of €500,000 invested to gain the visa, not just for the investor but also for direct family members. In 2016 approximately 2000 investors made a purchase under the Golden Visa scheme resulting in around 3000 visa applications for their direct family members. Because of this, and after another record year, we are now in need of high quality villas and apartments over the €500,000 price threshold.  If you have a property to sell email me at  david@bpaproperty.com or call in to the office for a free consultation.

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Food & Drink Simple soups By Kate Inácio

to Minestrone, to a Tomato Chowder with croutons. The ideas are endless. For this type of soup you must start with a vegetable or meat stock and add the chunks of vegetables, meat, rice, grains, beans, noodles, spices etc. Then all you do is simmer until all the ingredients are cooked and blend if you prefer a smoother consistency. If you blend the soup so it is pureed that then falls under the puree soup category. A meat or vegetable soup is also a fantastic way to get rid of leftovers. With my business Algarve Gardens one of my most popular soups is ‘Algarve Gardens Soup’ and that is simply what we have in plenty on our farm at the time. Utilising seasonal produce is the key to scrumptious dishes.

Every evening it is still so cold outside we all fancy something nice and warm to make us feel comforted on the sofa. What better way to keep the calories down and to eat healthily than a nice homemade soup.

categories to make it a bit easier:

To know how to make soup (which isn't hard at all with some great results), you need to follow a few basic guidelines and then you will be away in no time. First of all you need to start with a good stock. Stock is the base for any good soup because it adds the depth of the flavour. You can buy it in cans or cubes or make it. If you are making a chicken soup go with a chicken stock, beef soup with a beef stock and vegetable soups can be done with either chicken or vegetable stock. There are so many different kinds of soup it is difficult to know where to start. Generally you can fit any soup into the following

• Clear soups • Meat soups • Vegetable soups • Pureed soups • Cream soups • Fish soups Here are a few guidelines: The simplest soup you can make, and a good starting point for beginners is a clear soup. They don’t add lots of ingredients like vegetables, meat or grains and only focus on the stock itself by concentrating on the stock ingredients and basically intensifying them. The main trick is to concentrate on the consistency as there is a big difference between a broth and a jellied soup which are both in the clear soup category. A chicken broth is just perfect for the flu.

For those cold winter nights a comforting soup really is the key to a happy evening and a cream soup is just the ticket. You can make one by thickening the broth of any soup with milk or cream. Since the focus of a cream soup is the velvety texture of the liquid you don’t normally have chunks or veggies or meat. Creamed soups work well with tomato, cauliflower, courgette and mint... So many lovely choices! So get your saucepans at the ready and have a go at some recipes you have being dying to try or why don’t you order a soup from us at Algarve Gardens? We deliver all our fantastic homemade soups to your home or alternatively we can put a box of all the ingredients you need together for any soup you fancy. Along with the recipe! All organic, fresh and from our farm. Just get in touch with Algarve Gardens to find out more or come to our cafe and try one of mine! 

Meat and vegetable soups have such a large array, from a Thai Chicken Noodle,

 algarvegardens@outlook.pt

The previous owners of the Fontenario Restaurant in Espiche are returning to take over the reins again. Debbie and Julio Marcela have owned the restaurant for almost 30 years but rented it out for a year when Julio needed to take a break.

their two children, Lexie and Cristy. Debbie said: “We are all working as a family to get started again. We are going to work with more cocktails, we are making a few changes in the bar. We have a new chef too but Julio will start working with him to start with.”

folk to feel welcome and of course to enjoy the ‘Font’ experience.”

Julio is now working for a golf course but Debbie is going to front of restaurant with

She added: “We want to hold the same atmosphere as we always had. We want

Back to the future

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Debbie said they were all happy to be back where they belong and were looking forward to the changes that they are going to make.”  To book call  912546661 or  917795841

Rua Silva Lopes, 30 8600-632 Lagos Portugal +351 282 792 165 info@mardestorias.com

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Shop Café / Bistro Roof Terrace Bar Homeware Books & Music Gallery

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Outdoor

With warmer, wetter weather becoming the norm across much of Europe, the risk of flooding increases too, as evidenced by more frequent urban flash floods in recent years. According to Leeds University Climate Science Professor, Piers Forster, extreme rainfall increases by 7% per degree rise in temperature. Scientists widely agree that climate change is anthropogenic, so the flash floods that wreaked havoc in places like Albufeira just over a year ago were not necessarily the ‘Act of God’ that Portuguese Interior Minister, João Calvão da Silva, suggested. We caused the problem, but there are ways we can remedy it. Whereas forest floors filter stormwater and modify runoff to groundwater and streams, urbanisation replaces natural ground with impervious surfaces. This results in amplified, accelerated stormwater runoff and increased flood risk. Sponge-like ‘living’ roofs can re-green surfaces to compensate, prompting several European cities to make them a legal requirement for new buildings. Stormwater handling, however, is proving just one advantage of green roofs. Contrary to expectation, European research suggests that green roofs can double the life expectancy of roofing membranes, reducing likelihood of leaking and diminishing the debate that their arguably higher structural costs are prohibitive. Furthermore, in a warming climate a green roof can significantly modify a building’s internal temperature, reducing the thermal action of sunshine on the roof by up to 90%. Where daily temperatures might normally require air-conditioning to maintain comfortable indoor working conditions, the insulating

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effect of living roofs can provide significant summer energy savings. They can also moderate winter chill. Green roofs also contribute to a broader cooling effect on urban fabric. The term ‘Urban Heat Island’ describes significantly warmer urban temperatures compared to those in rural environs. Greater activity levels, energy use and building fabric all contribute to UHI, which contributes to global warming. Fortunately, it can be moderated by vegetation and evapotranspiration of plants on surfaces such as green roofs. Plants also absorb CO2, reducing urban air pollution and mitigating climate change by reducing atmospheric emissions. Green roofs are relatively uncommon in Portugal, perhaps owing to perceptions regarding water requirements and maintenance. There are different types of living roof, but properly designed extensive (low-maintenance) living roofs using indigenous plants suited to this climate could be very beneficial. The University of Lisbon is currently evaluating green roofs, planting various native plants in Biological Soil Crusts (biocrusts). These desert soil surface assemblages include many living organisms that photosynthesise when water is available but stop metabolising under drier conditions. Hopefully, the experiment results will inspire ubiquitous greening of our roofscapes, transforming them into aesthetically pleasant and cooling biodiverse environments, which provide real and sustainable environmental benefits.   www.friedlanderdesign.com

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I Spy: Algarvian architecture With distinctive features that set it apart from the rest of the country, traditional Algarvian architecture reflects the combination of history, popular taste and practical necessity in this warm and sunny region. See how many of these typical Algarvian features you can spot… Traditional chimneys Historically, no two chimneys in the Algarve were alike. The decorations depended on the wealth of the owner; the more intricate the job, the more expensive it would be. Açoteias Introduced by the Arabs, an açoteia is a rooftop terrace. They are common in the Algarve, and many great examples can be seen in the cubist architecture of Olhão. Castles & forts Military architecture in the form of castles and forts - such as the 16th Century Fort of St Catherine of Ribamar at Praia da Rocha in Portimão - are symbols of the Algarve’s defence and conquests. Hipped roofs Unlike Olhão, sharp four-edged roofing is a more common sight in towns such as Tavira and Faro, and demonstrates a strong Oriental influence. Fun fact: the number of pyramids you can see outside matches the number of rooms inside. Tide mills and windmills Fuelled by the forces of nature, tide mills (near rivers) and windmills (in the mountains) were used to ground corn and wheat for bread making.  With thanks to the Algarve Tourism Board.  www.visitalgarve.pt

Picture credits: Windmill courtesy of TM, Fort of St Catherine of Ribamar courtesy of Francisco Santos

A budding urban strategy green roofs By Claire Friedlander

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Gardening Another highly scented plant with a long hallucinogenic and medicinal heritage is Mirabilis jalapa, otherwise known as the ‘four o clock plant’ - although ours tends to open around 5.30pm and floods the garden with scent until the flowers die the following morning. Often regarded as a weed, it produces masses of small trumpet-shaped flowers bearing petals in yellow, magenta, pink or white spots, stripes and solid colours all on the same stem. It forms a huge tuberous root and is found growing through rocks and paving across the Algarve, but makes a fine garden specimen up to 1m high in any soil. But be sure to give it a little winter protection and don’t be surprised when it virtually disappears in late autumn.

Scents and sensibility By Clive Goodacre

Brugmansia

It seems odd to write about scented flowers in February, but a bunch of wild narcissus by the roadside near Praia da Luz recently took my breath away. In the search for colour and architecture, it is easy to overlook this aspect of gardening. Scent locks in memories and experiences that are released many years later in an instant. On a summer evening a single Datura or jasmine plant will flood a terrace with scent evoking memories of holidays in tropical climes. Most scented plants perform best at night when they provide a flight path for pollinators to zero in under the safety of darkness and do their work, so don’t be alarmed by the large fluttering moths round your Stephanotis floribunda! The problem with many exotically scented plants is that they can be hard to establish and need care and attention in their early days. Also frequent requests for plants that last forever, can take full sun, don’t need water and come cheap deters garden centres from stocking examples other than tried and tested favourites. Stephanotis or Madagascar Jasmine falls in the tricky but worth it category, mainly because it prefers neutral to mildly acidic conditions, regular water and is cut back severely by the mildest frost. Given the right spot on a south-facing wall Stephanotis will grow into a magnificent long-lived evergreen woody climber. Try not to prune or adjust its vines during the flowering season otherwise it can become stressed

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and drop buds. If you don’t have ideal conditions, plant one in a pot, give it regular feed, mildly alkaline bottled drinking water preferably and enjoy its heavenly scent. Scented flowers don’t come much bigger than Brugmansia which can easily have more than 100 ‘angels trumpets’ dangling from its spindly trunk. Incidentally there is a great deal of confusion regarding Brugmansias and Daturas. To set the record straight, Brugmansias are much taller than Datura, often forming small tree-like plants with flowers that hang down. Daturas are more sprawling shrub like in form and have flowers that tend to point up and eventually develop into spiky round seed pods. Both enjoy shelter and some warmth during winter – under a veranda will do. Brugmansia and Datura scents are intoxicating in the true sense of the word since they have been used as sacred, visionary and healing plants throughout the world from Mexico, South America and the Caribbean to China and India and a variety of Asian countries. Aztec priests used it medicinally and to prepare victims for sacrifice, the Shamans and Brujos of the new world used it for astral travel and shape shifting while in the Caribbean Datura is known as ‘herbe aux sorciers’ (herb of the sorcerers). Then there is its use by the Kali-worshipping sect known as Thuggees and so the list goes on. All this in a beautifully scented plant obtainable from all good garden centres!

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There can be too much of a good thing and rich flowery scents can become overpowering so it is a good idea to mix them with something spicier. For example, adding basil plants to patio planters gives a refreshing scent when brushed or squeezed and also helps repel mosquitoes. Basil is available in many attractive forms including curly leafed dark green and purple varieties making them also useful as foliage plants. Fragrances vary from traditional Mediterranean Basil to liquorice, anise (Thai Basil) and cloves. When it comes to spicy ‘foody’ scents Helichrysum italicum has no equal. Better known as the curry plant it resembles lavender and gives off an aroma that is closer to Indian restaurants than seems possible. Originating from Turkey it is a very easy perennial plant that likes to be kept warm, thriving on poor soil and dry areas with occasional summer watering. A good practice when planning a scented garden is to mix as many plants as possible covering everything from sweet to spicy rather than concentrating on one variety. This will produce scent over a longer period and avoid being overpowered by one aroma. 

Wild Narcissus

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