All about you

EVERYONE HAS THAT DREAM OF A DAY WHEN EVERY SECOND IS YOURS TO SPEND EXACTLY AS YOU CHOOSE. WE ASKED AROUND TO SEE IF THOSE DREAMS WERE SHARED….

Daryl Gabin

“My ideal day starts by naturally waking and lying in bed for two and a half minutes. Longer than this and my back starts to ache! Need a massage… I’d then be instructed to make my way to the balcony with a sea view (I can see a yacht), where my in-house chef would serve the best breakfast one could imagine…yes, that’s the one, you got it!

“I’d then have a lazy walk along an empty beach heading to a wooden shack with glistening white curtains gently lapping in the warm breeze where I’d indulge in an openair, four-hand massage, simply amazing! That’ll be my back in shape again.

“Wouldn’t say it would be a perfect day for everyone but for sure an interesting one. I would love to be stranded on a tropical island with my brother and childhood friend, having with us only a knife. The plan is to try to survive for a week and build a camp on the island, having no way to contact anyone from outside, except a satellite phone that could only be used in case of an emergency.

“We couldn’t be more free, distracted from the usual problems and focused on basic instincts, finding and hunting food, building a shelter and having fun surviving.

“After all that, I think our everyday lives would be easy to endure and we’d appreciate the too-easy, taken-for-granted luxury of it.”

“Lunch would follow this. Naturally inviting a few friends over to enjoy the fresh seafood and some bubbly while on the 133ft Benetti anchored just off the coastline (the one I could see from the balcony), listening to some live music, just for us.

“I’d like to go on with how the afternoon and evening would progress but I just woke up to an alarm clock and I don’t have a balcony!”

“This hasn’t happened yet, but I now know that one day in the not too distant future it will… I’m finally on the plane, it’s a long haul, but that day I won’t care about the cramped environment, the man next to me with the runny nose, the baby crying or even the noisy woman opposite. I’m going to be soooooooo excited. I will enjoy every scrap of the food I’m served and watch all the films that they show. I will chat, get up and stretch and repeat it all again.

“You see, I will not have seen him for several months. It was always his dream to visit the States, and now he’ll be a chef in a fancy place somewhere on the other side of the world. This Mum could not be more proud of her son.”

Anthony Martin Debrah Broadfield

“MY PERFECT day would have to be longer. I would need at least a 36-hour weekday in June, with a temperature in the early 30s to really enjoy myself.

“My day would start with a long lie in with the morning paper. This would be accompanied by an unhealthy breakfast (sliced white toast, salted butter and lashings of marmalade) all presently banned from this house. Around one o’clock I would gingerly step into the pool and on to a giant lilo (bugger this swimming lark), and float aimlessly around to let the sun have a quick go at me.

“A couple of hours later I’d be at a beach restaurant devouring barbequed prawns before taking a water taxi to the islands. Doesn’t matter which island, as I get bored lying on a beach so I wouldn’t be getting off the boat, but rather be sitting in the stern, feet up, and enjoying the wind in what’s left of my hair.

“Later, it would be time for a decent rib eye steak in a beautiful setting, before heading home to close the day playing jazz piano. Not easy, as we don’t have a piano and I haven’t played Rondo Alla bloody Turca since I was 12. But what the hell, it’s my fantasy, isn’ it”

Alyson Sheldrake

“I’LL START my day with a leisurely walk beside the river in Aljezur with our rescued Spanish water dog. If I’m lucky, I’ll time it to coincide with the swallows sweeping past us only inches above the ground and the white storks whirling overhead. Then we’ll head to the Ribat at Arrifana for a picnic lunch to enjoy the amazing clifftop views and marvel at the crumbling remains of this Muslim fortification. That will lead us nicely into experiencing one of our favourite events of the year, the Silves Medieval Festival. We’ll spend the evening enjoying the colourful costumes, lively performances and delicious aromas of food wafting through the air.”

Michelle Relph

“ALL THE best times are never planned they say and I for one have to agree. I was asked at the very last minute to give you an idea of how I would spend my perfect summer’s day and without a doubt it would definitely be spontaneous! Preceded of course by a strong coffee and a feel for which way the wind is blowing, its sails up as we set off for a day of adventure.

“Given calm seas, an early boat ride to one of the islands could be top choice! Or a thrilling ride and new hair do in a race up to the hills of Monchique. No cutting corners on this trip! Food is always an important factor, too. What’s on the menu can also be the decider; from East to West, we are spoilt for choice with amazing eateries, there’s no end and often we can have two or three pit stops in one journey. If there’s good ice cream to be had, it’s a must! Inevitably, we lose track of time and arrive home later than planned, a sure sign of a good day out and about... and who knows where next?”

“THREE little snouts topped with wide eyes are persuading me to get up for breakfast. I don’t even pay a thought to the weather for the day; I know it will be sunny! There are more mouths to feed before my own. Impatient hooves are banging on the stable door and the cats are determined to be trampled on as I make my way with mismatching shoes and a slightly foggy head from one too many vinhos from the night before. Luckily, it’s not long before I’m back at the kitchen table strategising the best way to eat my brekkie – hashbrowns first or last? The rest of my ideal day? Poolside with a nice icy rosé and someone else to do the night-time feed!”