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START OFF PLUS
Jim
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H A I R A RT I S TS
W
elcome
So how has lockdown been for you? We’re coming up to seven weeks and knowing that every day spent at home means we are contributing to an improved world and a better and safer environment, makes it manageable. Our hearts go out to those who have lost beloved friends and family as a result of the virus, and our thanks go to those on the front line who are giving their all to help fight it and care for the health and wellbeing of the less fortunate. In this digital issue, we have focused on the new lifestyle that is emerging. We have accepted that our Agenda pages have no place here this month – up-to-date information about what’s on and changes in restrictions are best sourced in weekly papers and online – algarvedailynews.com tells it all. What we have concentrated on is a mix of interesting reads and pertinent information that may help you through this challenging time. From restaurants that will keep your taste buds happy at home and health advice worth following, to staying entertained with new interests, the travel opportunities that will open new doors, and people and places. Remain strong; we’re in this together.
SUSI ROGOL GOODKIND
Editor, +351 965 581 831 | susi@algarveplusmagazine.com
C O N T A C T S MARTIN GOODKIND
Publisher +351 963 146 398 martin@algarveplusmagazine.com
KIM COLLEY
Design +44 7973 426196 dk.colley@btinternet.com
T: +351 914 452 315
For advertisng enquiries, contact the Publisher
W: Jimhairartists.com APT 1093, EC Olivas de St Ant (Loulé) 8101-904
E: jimhairartists@gmail.com Estrada Vale do Lobo 947A | 8135-016 Almancil
Printed by Gráficas Piquer, Almeria Algarve Plus is published monthly. 6000 copies are made available through a hand-picked distribution network from Faro to Paderne, Almancil, the Golden Triangle, Loulé, Sao Bras and Santa Barbara. Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any written material or illustration in any form for any purpose other than short extracts for agreed review purposes, is strictly forbidden. Algarve Plus does not accept liability for loss or damage to any materials submitted for publication. The views expressed by interviewees or contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or Algarve Plus.
NEWS PLUS
LIVING THE DREAM
LISTEN TO THE QUIET Daryl Gabin of the Algarve Photographers Group used a drone – a DJI Mavic Air – to capture a bird’s eye view of the streets of Almancil in April which, under normal circumstances, would be busy with traffic and locals walking. F R O N T COV E R : Glorious colour everywhere. Here, tucked away in the narrow backstreets Rua do Ribiero da Graca, in Loulé
WHEN STAYING HOME TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING… Lockdown or not, now’s the time to polish your barbecuing skills and enjoy good weather and great tastes right there on your patio. BBQ Algarve in Almancil specialises in Broil King gas grills, a top US name, known for its high-performance and good looks. While the showroom remains closed in keeping with current restrictions, you can get advice from the experts by phone – 917 866 779 – or email info@ bbqs-algarve.com and when you’ve chosen the model that is right for your needs and lifestyle, it can be delivered to you free of charge.
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, EMAIL US
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From propositioning a builder, to battling bureaucracy, Alyson and Dave Sheldrake were determined to realise their dream of living in the sun. Follow them as they set up their own businesses, adopt a rescue dog and learn the language. Part guidebook, mostly memoir, worth a read. Visit algarveblog.net/ the-book for where to buy details.
NEWS PLUS
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PORTUGUESE LESSONS FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
A new online course has just started via the Amigos do Museum, with teacher Lia Muschketat from Kultlingua in Loulé. The weekly Thursday sessions are conducted on ZOOM (zoom. us/j/844123864 will open the platform). You will need an internet connection and a tablet/laptop with a microphone and camera. When ZOOM is installed the first time (automatically after clicking the link), click on ‘always allow’. You can install the program before to get used to it by speaking with your family and friends (zoom.us/ download). It is not necessary, but it does simplify things. A package of five session is €50. Call 966 329 073 for further details.
ARA (Animal Rescue Algarve) Cabanita, is probably the finest rescue shelter in the Algarve if not Portugal. Providing the highest levels of eco-friendly and all-weather insulated kennels, it rehomed around 25 animals a month during its first year. Usually staffed by eight full-timers and 15+ live-in volunteers, the shelter caters for some 100 dogs (including some 20 puppies) and 15 cats at any one time. Currently under lockdown with only three live-in volunteers, ARA is managing with an astonishing workload but certain areas of care, like twicedaily dog walking and socialising, has had to be significantly reduced for the time being. If you are looking for a four-legged friend to love, contact 910 476 885 / info@animalrescuealgarve.com and ARA’s facebook page
CAFEZIQUE DELIVERS In our April issue we featured Cafezique in Loulé as our Restaurant of the Month, just as it closed under lockdown rulings. Great news is that they are now offering takeaways and local deliveries, including this menu for two with wheat sourdough bread and kefir butter, coastal prawn bisque, presa of Bisaro pork with carrot purée and mustard pickles, and pears with a carob brownie. €35 and quite wonderful. See pages 12 and 13 for other delivery options.
Feelgood masks Martina, that inviting shop in the pedestrian street in Loulé is hand-producing masks in a range of prints in 100% cotton fabrics that can be washed at 70ºC. They come with either elastic earstraps or headstraps and have an adjustable metal wire above the nose. They are €12.50 and can be bought online at martina-loule.com/ or in the shop – call 964 222 612 to make an appointment.
New to ArtCatto, Robert McPartland is inspired by Zen philosophy; his paintings often have an ethereal sense of balance and clarity, which give the viewer space to find their own meaning. Dance 3 and other works can be seen by appointment at the Loulé gallery. info@artcatto for details.
Ready to adopt?
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D I S C O V E R
G U I M A R Ã E S W H E N T H E C OV I D 1 9 C L O U D L I F T S A N D W E O N C E AG A I N H AV E F R E E D O M O F M OV E M E N T, D O N ’ T WA S T E A M I N U T E . H E A D O U T A N D I N V E S T I G AT E T H I S W O N D E R F U L C O U N T R Y O F O U R S . S TA R T O F F W I T H G U I M A R Ã E S , T H E H I S T O R I C A L T O W N T H AT ’ S A 4 5 M I N U T E - D R I V E NORTH OF PORTO. IT IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN...
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HIS MONTH, on May 23, Portugal will be 841 years
of age. Or maybe not. Historians and scholars cannot consent to an exact date but what is a fact is that on that date in 1179 Pope Alexander III issued a papal bull – Manifestis Probatum – officially recognising the self-proclaimed king Afonso Henriques as the first King of Portugal, and Portugal as a kingdom separate and independent from the Spanish Kingdom of Léon. Afonso had waited a long time for this acknowledgement from the Pope because, despite all he had achieved in the name of Portugal, in medieval times the Bishop of Rome held ultimate authority over the Christian kingdoms of Europe. The new Kings heroic exploits had begun more than a half a century before on 24 June 1128, when he – along with the Portucalense barons – defeated the armies of Fernando Pérez de Traba who was attempting to take over the governance of Portucalense county. The battle was won at São Mamede field in the town of Guimarães north east of Porto. Later, in 1139, Afonso – who was ruling from Coimbra – left to do battle in Ourique in the southern part of the country, against the army of five Moorish leaders of Sevilla, Badajoz, Évora, Beja and Santarém. Afonso Henriques gained a territory vast enough to assert itself as a Kingdom; thereafter he began using the title of King. On 5 October 1143 the Treaty of Zamora was signed. In it, the king of Léon and Castile recognised Afonso Henriques as King and Portugal as independent entities thereby
BRIAN REDMOND
bringing peace between the two countries. These three key dates are each reckoned as being the birthday of Portugal but it is the northern town of Guimarães that is recognised as the birthplace of the country: not only did Afonso Henriques win a decisive victory there, but it is also the town of his own birth.
T h e n a n d n o w, i n t e r t w i n e d Today Guimarães is a busy, important industrial hub but at its core is a national gem. It is the location of one of the best preserved medieval towns in all of Iberia. Narrow cobbled streets are lined with tall stone houses with timber framed upper floors. One of the oldest of these streets is Rua de Santa Maria which was built in the 10th century to connect a convent with Castelo de Guimarães which dominates the hill above the town. The construction of this magnificent castle was ordered by the Countess of Galicia, Mumadona, as a place of refuge for the townspeople from the constant attacks by Vikings from northern Europe and from Moors who controlled the southern parts of Iberia. It This page, top: The Chapel of St Francis; left: Statue of Afonso Henriques, at Guimãraes Castle. Opposite, page top, clockwise: The Palace of the Dukes of Bragança; ceramic tiles of a royal hunting scene in 1140; narrow streets in the old town; a classical entrance behind gates
TRAVEL PLUS
was in this castle that the future first king of Portugal Afonso Henriques was born in 1106. Close to the castle at the base of the hill stands the equally impressive Ducal Palace or Paço dos Duques de Bragança built by the first Duke of Bragança in the early part of the 15th century. An imposing bronze statue of Dom Afonso appears to protect the entrance to the palace. Its unusual design was influenced by the European baronial styles which were popular throughout France and Germany and its multitude of red brick cylindrical chimney stacks are visible from most parts of the town. The Bragança dynasty moved to Vila Viçosa near Évora in the 16th century and the palace fell into disrepair. It was then occupied as a military barracks and in the 19th century was used and abused as a quarry by the town’s people who stripped it of a considerable amount of stone until finally it was rescued and restored. It now houses a museum containing beautifully carved antiques, detailed tapestries, painted ceilings and stained glass windows as well as exhibitions, recently Medieval Machines of Torture. It is also the official residence of the President of the Republic when he is in the north. The house of Bragança became one of the most powerful
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Left: Proudly announced: Aqui Nãsceu Portugal (Portugal was born here). Left below: The Church of Nossa Senhora da Consolacão and Avenue Largo Republica do Brasil
Catherine of Braganza is credited with bringing the custom of taking afternoon tea, a popular custom amongst Portuguese nobility, to England. families in Iberia. Catherine of Braganza, as she became known, married Charles II of England which cemented an alliance against Spain. She is credited with bringing the custom of taking afternoon tea, a popular custom amongst Portuguese nobility, to England and is also the inspiration for the naming of one of New York’s largest boroughs, Queens. Portugal is no longer a monarchy but if it were then the current Duke of Bragança, Duarte Pio, could lay claim to the throne. The old town contains a number of lively squares with cafés, bars and restaurants. Praça de Santiago and Largo da Oliveira are the most charming. The latter contains the Triumphal Arch of Guimarães’ built in 1342, known as The Salado monument, the church of A Nossa Senhora de Oliveira and, adjacent to it, the Museum of Alberto Sampaio housed in a former convent complete with decorative gardens and cloisters. The museum hosts a diverse range of important exhibits , religious gold and silverware alongside statues, wood carvings, ceramics and paintings. It was a favourite place of Portugal’s 1998 Nobel Prize winning writer José Saramago who liked the way the exhibits compared and contrasted in their medieval setting.
Around every corner As is common in Portugal’s historic towns there are churches and chapels dotted throughout. Back up near the castle is the Igreja de São Miguel do Castelo where Dom Afonso was baptised in 1106 and the baptismal font bears a descriptive testimony to the event. The church is a modest, perfectlyscaled rectangular stone building with a tiled roof and little
ornamentation. Outside the historical centre of the town but equally interesting is the Igreja dos Santos Passos. Originally built in the 16th century it has undergone modifications in the baroque style and in 1785 two bell towers were added which gave the church a unique almost top-heavy appearance. It is at the end of a broad avenue in Largo de São Gualter. During the first weekend of August each year the church becomes the focal point of the Festas Gualterianas. The streets and monuments are elaborately illuminated, processions take place and there is a ‘Battle of Flowers’. It is in honour of São Gualter (Saint Walter) who, along with a companion, Brother Zacarias, was sent by St Francis of Assisi to Portugal in 1217 to establish a friary in the country. While Zacarias moved south and established convents in Lisbon and Alenquer, Gualter remained in Guimarães and so began a long association between the town and the Franciscan Order. On a hilltop overlooking the city at 400 metres high sits the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Penha. It is set in a beautiful natural park with diverse forestry and giant granite boulders and offers amazing views across the country and to the ocean in the west. It is accessible by road but a more popular way to reach the summit is to take a ten-minute, 1,700 metre cable car ride, the first of its kind in Portugal. The summit also has restaurants, a hotel, cycle and walking routes and even a campsite. Portugal has a rich and varied history that is overlooked in the story of Iberia and Guimarães is an important part of that story and it is well worth a visit.
Melissa Jane
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E A T I N G
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N O R E S TA U R A N T O F T H E M O N T H C O L U M N T H I S T I M E R O U N D . I N S T E A D , A D O Z E N D I F F E R E N T Q U A L I T Y E AT E R I E S T H AT A R E D E L I V E R I N G S E R V I C E W I T H A S M I L E ( B E H
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FLORIANS
RESTAURANT FIGUEIRAL
PURE
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Q U I N TA D O L AG O
ON THE MENU: Fabulous five-star food from Piet – and an everchanging menu of designer dishes, at around €16 for a main course. Great starters and quality wines available too. The Lamb’s Shank on a bed of Couscous will have you coming back for second helpings. Delivery details: In order to be able to deliver to an area that goes from Tavira to Portimao, Florians is working with Azul at Home. Visit chefathome.pt/takeawayand-delivery/delivery for precise days, and also to see Azul’s Asian offerings at Azulathome.com. For home delivery order a day in advance. Payment: Visa/Multibanco or cash in a sealed envelope with the correct change, 961 828 630 info@chefathome.pt
ON THE MENU: Most popular dishes include Fillets of sea bass with mustard, €15; and Beef Wellington, €21. There are salads and pasta dishes, and puds include a wonderful banoffee pie. Delivery times: Monday to Saturday lunch, 12.30 to 2pm and dinner 6.30pm-9pm. 50 minutes notice required. Delivery area: Almancil (min €25 order); Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo, Quarteira, Loulé (min €40) Payment: cash or card 289 395 558 info@figueiral.pt
ON THE MENU: Homemade juices, great salads including pulled duck. Collection times: Daily 8am-5pm Payment: Cash or contactless card 289 390 708 pure@quintadolago.com
SUSHI YAMA ALMANCIL ON THE MENU: Most popular dish so far, 2-persons’ feast with 50 pieces of sushi and sashimi, €38.50. Beautifully presented, thanks to chef Gerson Alves insistence on detail. Delivery times: Monday to Saturday 5pm-10pm; 30 minutes notice required. Delivery area: From Albufeira (min order €50) to Olhão (min order €80) Payment: cash or card 289 040 399 pub.sushiyama@gmail.com
Pure
Florians
NO CONTACT CATERING ALMANCIL
NOUGAT TEA’N ALMANCIL
Sushi Yama
PIZZARIA LUZZO LO U L É
SOLAR DO POETA S ÃO LO U R E N Ç O
HARVEST KITCHEN & BAR VILAMOURA
JAYA LO U L É ON THE MENU: Bagels, toasties, pancakes, smoothies, all ready and waiting. The €7 Bang Bang tofu bagel has smoked tofu, peanut butter, carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber, avocado and spicy sriracha and there’s a breakfast bagel with bacon, English sausage, egg and cheddar for €6.50, in the selection. Miso Ramen and Tom Kha Gai Soup and more. Collection and delivery times: Monday-Saturday, 12am to 3pm. Take-aways and deliveries in Loulé. Payment: Cash or card 967 753 658 Jayacoffeeco@icloud.com
ON THE MENU: Some pretty tasty treats from this new eaterie which was due to open over Easter but since lockdown has specialised in 3-course meal takeaway and deliveries. The idea of Beef Carpaccio followed by Braised and Charred Octopus, topped up with Blueberry Pie, all for €18, is a pretty good indication of what’s to come when the Harvest Kitchen doors finally open. Delivery times: 1.30pm-7.30pm, within 10km of Vilamoura, free with min order of €20. Payment: Cash or bank transfer 963 847 552 reservations@harvest kitchenbar.com
ON THE MENU: Traditional menu that includes chicken, ribs and homemade fries, and an Indian menu with the likes of chicken tikka masala, chicken korma and beef curry, priced from €9 to €13. The legions of fans of Simon’s Sunday specials do not have to live without his carvery options – now available to take away or have delivered. €12.99 will buy you that roast with all the trimmings, plus a delicious desert. Farm shop offerings include packs of six pies for €30. Collection and delivery times: Tuesday to Sunday, 5pm to 9pm. There is a €6 delivery charge, but if you collect you get a 10% discount on your order. Payment: cash or card; home deliveries cash only. 289 398 489 Reservations@solardopoeta.com
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ON THE MENU: Traditional Italian pizzas, calzone, loaded with flavours, and with some unusual twists on toppings. Collection and delivery times: Seven days a week, lunch and dinner, email for times. Order and pick up or get deliveries by Ubereats, and prepare for an evening of some serious TV watching. That’s what pizza at home is all about. Payment: Cash or card 289 414 372 loule@pizzarialuzzo.pt
UNITED KITCHENS OF INDIA VILAMOURA ON THE MENU: Most popular dishes are chicken tikka masala, crackling greens, samosas and shish kebab. All delicious and with perfectly-balanced spices.And there’s a great lunchbox of a lentil special, with potato stir fry and a mains choice with pulao and a roti. Average main course is €11. Delivery times: Lunch and dinner every day, deliveries within the Vilamoura area. 20-25 minutes notice required. Payment: Cash or card 963 856 334 ukivilamoura@gmail.com
SOL E SERRA QUERENCA ON THE MENU: Chef Alexandre’s fish and chips are outstanding and a constant on the take-away menu which was launched mid-April and includes chicken wings, meat and pasta choices, starters and desserts. Average main dish is €15. The homemade ice cream is an absolute must with new flavours introduced all the time. Collection times: You phone, and they’ll let you know. Payment: Cash or card 289 422 344 alexandresantos1991@gmail.com
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ON THE MENU: Cottage pie with duck confit, guinea fowl with mushrooms, quiches, bourgogne snails...and every day fresh French pastry. Then, of course, there are the delicious cakes that have made this place a favourite find. Main course average price €10. Collection times: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-5.30pm. Order by phone or email in the morning. Payment: Cash or card 913 791 799 nougatteann@gmail.com
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ON THE MENU: Individual orders, meals for the week, fresh groceries and wines – this brilliant partnership between chef Jonnie Pratt and sommelier Justin O’Hanlon, takes care of every taste, including Sunday roasts for up to eight people and two-course dinners for four. Soups include roast pumpkin and coconut, mains a ravishing confit duck leg that comes with green beans, duck fat potatoes and homemade duck jus for an astonishing €10, and a favourite pud is the family tray of pear and ginger crumble. There are vegetarian and vegan options, too, on the extensive menu and next-day deliveries of fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh and frozen quality meats. Delivery charges: Based on location and volume. Payment: Cash or card 289 397 784 nocontactcatering@gmail.com
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A ND ENJOY JUSTIN O’HANLON, OUR NEWEST RECRUIT TO THE ALGARVEPLUS TEAM, IS AN EXPERIENCED SOMMELIER AND, T O G E T H E R W I T H H I S B U S I N E S S PA R T N E R C H E F J O N N I E P R AT T, R U N S ‘ N O C O N TA C T C AT E R I N G ’. I N T H E F I R S T O F H I S R E G U L A R W I N E C O L U M N S , H E C H O O S E S A T H E M E T H AT I S E N T I R E LY A P P R O P R I AT E T O T O D AY ’ S C L I M AT E
CHEERS PLUS
T in the sun HESE ARE most uncertain times:
R E C O R D 1 – Saline Lisbon Whites. Salty,
R E C O R D 2 – Dáo Encrezado. If ever
there was a bottled piece of music that could survive the sands of time, this is it. Encrezado is often seen as Portugal’s indigenous answer to Chardonnay, while the Dáo is viewed as its Burgundian counterpart. Dao whites offer all the same ageing potential, depth and complexity of many of their opposite numbers in France, but at a fraction of the price. Soito Encrezado Reserva R E C O R D 3 – Beira Interior. The unsung
hero of Portuguese wine production offers more distinctive altitude-driven wines than many other region on the mainland. Hot and dry in the summer, cold in the winter with frequent snows, and a more pronounced continental climate than the Dáo. This formative diurnal range, with hot days and cold nights, makes for wines that are ripe and fruit driven but maintain acidity, freshness and complexity. Best in show for me is Quinta do Cardo Siria Reserva R E C O R D 4 – Modern day Vinho Verde.
Gone are the days when Vinho Verde was just the low alcohol, effervescent, penny-cleaning afterthought of old. Bob Dylan sung The Times They Are A-changin’. No truer word for our northern wine-producing friends in Minho and Monção. A new wave of lees-ageing, barrelfermenting dynamos is on the march and their progressive and modern wine making techniques
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mineral-driven, with incredible oceanic influence. Unlike their southern Portuguese counterparts, where some less meticulous productions have resulted in high alcohol, prominent aromatic profiles and over-ripened fruit, these maritime climate whites offer freshness and acidity, minerality, and ageing potential. Quinta do Varzea de Pedra
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direction, destination undefined, the end far from sight. All we crave is contact and a little joy back in our lives. Needs must. In wine we trust! In these reflective times, I have been thinking about my childhood – the endless miles covered in my mother’s beat up Datsun, charging from school, to practice, to friends and back around again. BBC Radio 4 doling out the latest installment of The Archers or some radio play. One broadcast in particular stays with me: Desert Island Discs – a regular serving of survivalist techniques, cultural life rafts and musical flotsam, the brainchild of broadcaster Roy Plomley. In this imagined world, castaways are marooned on a tiny island with only eight records to remind them of their inspirations and life choices: a place with no human contact (imagine), social distancing (on an exaggerated scale): exactly where we find ourselves now. So, using Roy Plomley’s theme and stranded on our respective desert islands, with only a gramophone horn to guzzle from, and eight bottomless bottles of wine to get through, what would I drink and why would I drink it?
CHEERS PLUS
should be noted. Vinho Verde is no longer just a green wine but is now a classified DOC and the industrious northern winemakers are taking local varieties to dizzying new heights. Casa do Valle Grand Eschola Paint the town red (Alentejo). Alicante Bouchet is to the sun baked interior of Portugal what Cabernet is to Bordeaux, or Syrah to the Rhone. A nation of blenders, the Portuguese traditionally never focused on single varietal expressions, laying more emphasis on the harmony and marriage of varietal characteristics. In one of the most iconic wine producing regions in Portugal, for me one reoccurring factor raises its delightful head above all palate-made parapets…..Alicante Bouchet. Maladihnia Nova MM Series 2008 Alicante Bouchet
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RECORD 5 –
R E C O R D 6 – Southern wonders. The Algarve,
an area once teeming with vineyards, has a history of viticulture dating back to the time of The Tartessians, an ancient civilation from 2000 BC. Latterly impoverished locals, desperate rural and farming communities, succumbed to the cityslicking, money-waving, construction companies bulldozing their way into the future. A once rich history of wine production fell almost into extinction as local varietals all but disappeared in the face of modern infrastructure. Thankfully brought back from the brink and once again producing world-worthy wines, our almost extinguished Algarvian flame is burning bright again. Joáo Clara Negra Mole
Going green
2011 Douro! If you can get your hands on it. just a green wine but is Forget the desert island. Let’s say now a classified DOC and Death-Row Vinho, 2011 Douro the industrious northern is what you should be drinking. winemakers are taking local One last sip on the slippery slope. varieties to dizzying Very little of this historic wine is new heights still commercially available, most is already consumed or collected. This is the great iconic vintage of our time in the Douro. Whatever else you do, if you find it, there is no question – you must simply buy it, love it, drink it! Last orders! Quinta do Basilia Super Premium 2011 R E C O R D 7 – Dáo. A little elegance goes a long way but On your desert island you are permitted one luxury. Mine is it can sometimes be hard to find, among the heavy hitting, my corkscrew. Bear Grylls never taught us to survive inside, rambunctious reds so typical of Portuguese productions. never prepared us for the introspective weeks now upon The Dáo, among the first Portuguese appellations to be us. Instead of whittling sticks, we’re whittling the wheel of accredited with DOC demarcation in 1990, was once responsible for some of the most sought after wines in the time. What better way to do that, than in the company of country. New ideas, innovative winemakers, and a changing wine. Dust off the best of what you’ve left, take this sluggish of the guard has resulted in recent resurgence in the region. chapter in our lives and put the world to rights, one glass Land locked and sheltered in its mountainous microclimate at a time. Great wines are made to be savoured, not saved. Dáo wines tend toward a more refined profile. These terroir With so little left in this cloistered new world order, cast driven wines and their more complex elegant end product away to a distant place, feel the sand between your toes, make them an often overlooked gem in a whole host of the aromas on your nose and take the opportunity to enjoy national treasures. Quinta do Perdigão Alfrocheiro 2011 some desert Island wines. RECORD 8 –
Vinho Verde is no longer
To f i n d o u t a b o u t J u s t i n ’ s c h o i c e s , s p e a k t o N o C o n t a c t C a t e r i n g T: 2 8 9 3 97 7 8 4 / E : n o c o n t a c t c a t e r i n g @ g m a i l . c o m / F B : f a c e b o o k . c o m /n o c o n t a c t c a t e r i n g / instagram - @no_contactcatering
G A L E R I A D E A R T E
Art for all tastes VISIT US Travessa Jacques Pessoa 8 Tavira 8800-374 CALL US 962 012 111 FIND US taviradartes@gmail.com www.taviradartes.com
INTERESTS PLUS
T H E
I N
T H I N G
F I R S T I T WA S E M P T Y I N G C U P B OA R D S A N D S O R T I N G O U T T H E U N WA N T E D S . T H E N I T WA S H E AV Y T V WAT C H I N G . B U T A F T E R T H E F I R S T C O U P L E O F W E E K S AT H O M E M A N Y S TA R T E D T O D I S C O V E R N E W I N T E R E S T S
When the turmoil ends and reflection begins, some of the things we got up to in the previous few weeks will seem either mighty strange or very unlikely but there will be positives, too. In our house we have embraced vegan cooking, but I am still unconvinced about tofu. I have baked bread in a cast iron pot with a dough mixture that resembled all-purpose wall fillers and one afternoon, while sweeping away another flurry of dog hairs, I fixed the dog with a steely glare and got out the electric shearing machine and gave him a cut worthy of a US Marine. I have taken online Salsa lessons, isolated myself from FaceBook (marvellous) and signed up with the ‘Right to Repair’ movement (repair.eu). It would be wishful thinking to expect society to change into something more benign but at least we as individuals
USCHI KUHN This is the first time that I have time for me. I sit in the sun, sleep a
lot and walk my Max. I have been working on Rotary projects during the day – something I would normally do at night. I have started to write my life story, recalling all the cheeky things I have done and the hard work needed to be successful, the travels on my job and with my loved ones. I think if I had to go tomorrow, I would go knowing that I lived my life to the full, and that I am lucky to have two men waiting for me at heavens door.
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I have been cooking in the kitchen, dusting off my mother’s recipes and happily recreating Asian meals that were family staples. I am organising a catalogued inventory for our home wine cellar, learning European Portuguese online (practiceportuguese. com), and working hard at virtual fitness training three times a week with Vanessa Baraldi (conceptaryowellness. com). And I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to sit around a table with my husband and sons for lunch and dinner.
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CATHY LIEBMAN
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BRIAN REDMOND
JO GELLER
A R T
As a marketing consultant, I have worked from home for many years and am used to days without fresh air or exercise, with one online meeting after the other. So what’s different? Well, because of the restrictions I am now going out for one good, brisk walk a day; I am out to buying groceries whereas before I had weekly deliveries; I am stopping for proper lunch with my husband and kids – not on the previous agenda; and I am I am having zoom meetings with friends and family who I have had little contact with in recent years. It is different. And I plan for the ‘new’ way to continue.
TONY WOODS
I am spending a lot of time on my computer painting, digitally, flowers in colour. I take an original flower photograph and then, using very special brushes in Photoshop, paint over the image of the flower. MARTINA KAISER LYNNE BOOKER High behind our house on the hillside above the Ribeira do Alportel, we have a seating area from which we enjoy a view of the valley and the village. Up there we are now renewing old stone terracing to create a succulent garden on five levels. Next spring, it will provide a colourful beacon in an ocean of cistus, and in the meantime, we shall benefit from the necessary exercise as we look after it. .
I must confess I am not very good at sitting still. Since my local gym shut its doors I am restricted to workouts at home. With access to a rooftop terrace with a beautiful view, an online fitness coach and five litre bottles of water as substitute weights, the daily workout becomes my daily highlight. And when I am not working out I am working on getting my online shop running. Finally!
INTERESTS PLUS
DAWN ANNANDALE
PAUL TORZ It has been a shock to the system having to self-isolate due to the Covid virus. Nothing like this has hit the entire world within living memory. Even World Wars allowed you to go about your life without having to hide yourself away from society. So what to do? In my case, as one of the older members of the most vulnerable, I decided to go back about 40 years to the days I played the piano. I had done nothing since and it deserved to be re-incarnated. I had decided to have music lessons every two weeks from a very good teacher, John Evans. Of course, when the shutdown took on a new seriousness, lessons had to go by the way. However, I was seriously determined to re-ignite the old interest. And now I am pleased to say digital memory is still there and with a bit of determination I can enjoy the forgotten art of playing the piano. I play between two and three hours a day, and with all honesty, time seems to fly.
JILL ECKERSLEY Believe it or not, I have just bought my first smartphone and thought that lockdown would give me a chance to learn how to use it. Some hopes. There’s no instruction manual and online tutorials go far too fast. I’m struggling even to make calls, send texts, and transfer photos to my computer, which is all I need it for. Anyone want an almost-unused iPhone?”
I’ve spent some time drawing up lists of the categories stay-at-homers fall into. This is where I am so far: The all-day cleaners who bleach everything in sight, all day long The bakers who make muffins scones and cakes every day of the week The hoarders who still stock up on loo rolls Those who drink wine all day, even in their cereal The ones who sleep all day and have breakfast at 5pm The day and night gamers, from ten years to 60+ The over-30s who joined Tik Tok The DIYers who build anything from scratch, even a shed The house party Appers who are always ready for Pictionary The home school mums who love teaching The mums who hate it!!! The feeders who are making three meals a day plus snacks The stress eaters scoffing biscuits and crisps Those who watch everything on Netflix and some – like Ozark and Walking Dead – twice over The paranoid who hear coughing and freak out!
LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU’VE BEEN UP TO. EMAIL SUSI@ALGARVEPLUSMAGAZINE.COM
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HARRIETT PENA
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fountain. Pretentious? Moi?) and started playing backgammon online. All in my dressing gown. But it’s not all rosy though; need infills, need a cut and colour, need to stop eating so much and those red wine boxes have become a challenge rather than an accompaniment to dinner. Kids keep ringing wanting my Amazon password and can we upgrade Netflix for them and how do you make pastry and Mum, Mum, Mum, so I now leave my phone on silent and only answer in our family WhatsApp group. Joking aside, I really believe that this lock imposed on us will help go towards a 21st century renaissance of decency and caring. This is a wake-up call for the world to consider others and the environment and acknowledge how materialistic we are. The virus has shown just how misplaced some of our values are – let’s hope we learn and take stock.
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I am sooooo happy I have three dressing gowns. Have been playing that old game: one on, one in the wash and a clean one in the wardrobe! Have no idea when I last wore a bra or shoes. We have no dust in the house – not a speck. We don’t even have a ‘man drawer’ any longer – you know, that one drawer in the kitchen where he keeps the keys to the Fiesta he owned 20 years ago along with every Allen key he’s saved from every bloody Ikea purchase “just in case”? Instead, I have a tidy drawer full of tea towels, hand towels and clean, ironed aprons. Scarey stuff. In an effort to be productive, (showing off now) I’ve finished a novel and submitted it to publishers, have made jam and marmalade, made bread, knitted little hats and blankets for prem babies, washed curtains, planted so much fruit and veg, cleaned out the fountain, (yes, we have a 10ft
UNIVERSAL
T H E M E S
GALERIA CÔRTE- REAL is signposted from Boliqueime, Ferreiras and Paderne O P E N : T H U R S D AY t o S U N D AY, 1 1 A M - 5 P M
T: 9 1 2 7 3 7 7 6 2 / c o r t e r e a l a r t e . c o m
CREATIVITY PLUS
A L L G R E AT A R T M U S T H AV E A T I M E L E S S Q U A L I T Y. A P P R E C I AT I N G T H E ART OF DIFFERENT ER AS , MOVEMENTS , APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES HELPS ARTISTS AND ART COLLECTORS TO DEVELOP PERSONAL PREFERENCES AND STYLES
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A BIT OF BACKGROUND Lucy Doyle was awarded the Wilkinson Scholarship in 1979. She qualified with a BA (Hons) in Painting and Printmaking at Sheffield University and a Diploma in the History of European Painting at Trinity College, Dublin. Her work can be found in public and private collections around the world.
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displayed at Trinity College in Dublin, paintings by Lucy Doyle form part of Ireland’s permanent state art collection. Her newest works will be exhibited in the Algarve after lockdown has been lifted. One of Ireland’s foremost artists, there is a striking contrast between Doyle’s depictions of serene scenes and her use of vivid colours. Commissioned by Galeria Côrte-Real in Paderne, she will be bringing her joyful painting style to Portugal; in her latest works she is preoccupied with universal themes – themes of family life and nature that have resonated with her for more than 30 years. She lingers to capture the intent gaze of a mother and her child. The intimacy of the moment and the harmonious relationship between the two is compelling. Sometimes compared to the Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt and her artful ability to balance a painting, there are others who have equated Lucy’s flowers to those of Georgia O’Keeffe. Exotic and vibrantly illuminated, all three women have a core belief that art should communicate ideas through colour, line and form. After a long and self-directed apprenticeship at her studio in Wicklow, Doyle has developed her own artistic language. Her rich and textured application of oil paint onto canvas is a hallmark of her distinct style. Making complex observations, she plays with the perspective of objects, exploring space and decoration aiming to create timeless works.
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URCHASED by the Office of Public Works and
of the month
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PROPERTY
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A superb home M AG N I FI C ENT S E V EN - B ED RO O M R U S TI C-S T Y LE V I LL A S E T I N I M P ECC A B LY- P R E S ENTED GA R D EN S , C LOS E TO TH E D ELI G HTF U L TOW N O F LO U LÉ
Peaceful
rural setting
Beautifully-landscaped bedrooms, six en-suite bathrooms
features and gazebo
BBQ
pool (12x6m) with
SAT-TV
/ telephone / internet
Double
glazing / fly screens
Gas
and equipped kitchen with eating area
Automatic
High quality insulation throughout
Borehole/cistern/septic
Construction
Price:
Ref
Fully-fitted
Garage and ample outside parking
Swimming
Spacious living room with gallery Snug/TV room with gallery
Water
Seven
Workshop
central heating throughout entrance gate tank
approx 300sqm
Plot: 10,048sqm €970.000
P-SDE
T O V I E W : T: +3 5 1 2 8 9 3 0 1 2 9 4 / E : i n f o @ y e l l o w h o m e s . c o m / W : y e l l o w h o m e s . c o m
The time, effort and attention to detail that has gone into maintaining and presenting this property is evident throughout
PROPERTY PLUS
BEDROOMS
Seven and many special features
B AT H R O O M S
Six en-suite plus guest bathroom
LIVING ROOM
Large and with dining area
GAR AGE
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Plus ample outside parking space
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POOL
12x6m and bbq area
Vilamoura Office EN125 Benfarras Boliqueime 8100-068 Boliqueime T: +351 289 301 294 Tavira Office Rua Dr. Jose Padinha 178 8800-354 Tavira T: +351 281 320 281 AMI: 6232
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F O O D
for thought DAV I D E Y R E M A D E H I S N A M E A S T H E M A N B E H I N D LONDON’S FIRST EVER GASTROPUB. NOW LIVING NEAR TAV I R A W I T H H I S W I F E P H I L L I PA , H I S PA S S I O N F O R P O R T U G U E S E C U I S I N E C A N B E S AT I S F I E D
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PEOPLE PLUS
Then, in 1991, David opened The Eagle with Michael Belben, in Farringdon, which had been a dreary old corner pub. “Instead of serving scampi, we served scallops; instead of Captain Morgan rum, we had Havana Club. The Eagle was located near to the Guardian newspaper’s offices and those of The Face and Arena magazines, run by my old friend, Nick Logan. We had famous artists, architects and lawyers among the regulars. It was a very cool place. “We had a shortlist of four wines, red and white, all around the same affordable price, and delicious. And well-kept real ales – called craft beers now. There were no starters and only two cooks. “Our signature dish was a steak sandwich, which I brought from my childhood in Mozambique. Bifana here in Portugal is pork, but in Africa we had cattle rather than pigs. And we were the first pub in the UK to have bacalhau on the menu, which stems again from childhood memories of that smell, steaming Bacalhau with potatoes. Pastel de Nata was the only dessert we served.” In 1997, ready for a new challenge, David and his brother Robert, the first employee of The Eagle, opened a sandwich shop, Eyre Bros, in London’s yet-to-be-discovered Shoreditch. A take away but also a café where you could get a decent cup of coffee, it was at the rear end of an office
“Instead of serving scampi, we served scallops; instead of Captain Morgan rum, we had Havana Club. We had famous artists, architects and lawyers among the regulars. It was a very cool place”
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Portuguese cooking has long inspired David who was born in 1961 on a sugar cane plantation near the banks of the Zambezi river delta in Mozambique. It was a remote place where, if you needed anything like bread, you simply baked it yourself. From the age of six, David attended boarding school in what was then Rhodesia. “The holidays for me were all about food and I was lucky enough to have parents who both loved cooking,” he says. “My father had been in a Prisoner of War camp, and never wanted to be hungry again. He met my mother after the War in British Guiana in South America and they then relocated to Mozambique to work for a Portuguese sugar cane company. At 19, David arrived in the UK, and took an engineering degree at Newcastle University before moving to London where he worked initially as a waiter and lived on a houseboat in Chelsea. “In 1985, I was running a restaurant called Melange in Covent Garden. I learnt a lot there. it was a tiny restaurant on three floors and very chaotic. One busy Friday night two French chefs walked out; I cooked and I
And to follow
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First course
don’t think I have been out of the kitchen since.” Graham Norton was a waiter at Melange at the time. “He was great,” says David. “If you had a nightmare section, you gave it to him for a fee of £10 and the next thing you knew the diners were all laughing and gave him a massive tip.”
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HINK OF A CHEF, quickly…. I bet someone like Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver – TV chefs, who have now become part of the public consciousness – will spring to mind. Less well known, but no less important is David Eyre, a visionary who back in the early 90s changed the nation’s eating habits, when he and his brother Robert took on an old pub in Farringdon – The Eagle.
PEOPLE PLUS
“Anywhere that is full of locals is great. The cafés and tascas are where the real food is. Learn the words for different types of fish. You will find it very rewarding” run by photographer’s rep Penny Rich, who today operates a hugelysuccessful production company in the Algarve. Word spread fast of the quality on offer and the brothers were approached by a couple of savvy property developers. Eyre Brothers restaurant on Leonard Street, Shoreditch, was the result.
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Now the mains “The response was amazing,” says David. “The idea of a metropolitan restaurant, with a bit of a 70s feel, gave out all the right messages. And music was an essential part of the personality with Robert curating the selection of Latin and African World Music. Within a year, Eyre Brothers focused solely authentic Spanish and Portuguese cuisine with dishes such as Lombinho de Porco Preto, which I always cooked medium rare and Prawns Piri-Piri.” Over the years that David ran Eyre Brothers, he saw many changes in the area. “Shoreditch became ridiculously hip. When we moved in, it was a rough neighbourhood, full of car thieves and crack heads. Once gentrified, the rents and rates went up and then, with Brexit, the products we sourced from Portugal and Spain, overnight became more expensive to import. It was 110-cover restaurant and we employed 22 people from nine different countries. But after 17 years, I felt it was time to call it quits and move here, to this beautiful country.
Sobremesa “We’ve been here over a year now; it took us six months to find the right place to buy and we have a view and some land. We are busy with renovations currently, but having said that I am interested in doing something with food here, but not running a restaurant. I am thinking about designing outside cooking stations – I absolutely have a thing for grills and BBQs. The most reliable piece of equipment in the restaurant was the charcoal grill; it was fed with about 50 kilos of charcoal every day and never went wrong. “The great thing about Portuguese cuisine is that in this small country, there are five separate gastronomic regions. In the south and along the coast, you will find clams and fish, with bacalhau served everywhere. In the north, where the grass is green, you have great cattle. In the Alentejo
you have porco preto, great cured meat and chouriço. It is sort of classless cooking here; wealthy people and farm labourers eat the same food. If you go to the local bar, you have an €8 prato do dia, which includes a glass of wine or a beer and a coffee. I love that and also the fact that everyone just stops for lunch. It was appalling in London, with people rushing to buy a cold Pret A Manager sandwich on a 20 minutes break. “The Portuguese have a word for the lifestyle – Paciência. Everything is a process. We’ve unscrewed our London heads and relaxed. We grow figs, almonds, olives, pomegranates as well as citrus fruit. Nature takes its time, and so should we. Two wind-fallen grapefruits become breakfast. My wife Pip is amazing at harvesting all this natural produce; we dried several hundred figs, which were some the best I have ever eaten.” Does David have a favourite eaterie here? “Anywhere that is full of locals. The cafés and tascas are where the real food is.” And what about food shopping? “I really urge people to frequent one of the numerous daily markets here. The small butchers are also great, as are the fresh fish markets. Learn the words for the different cuts of meat. Learn the words for different types of fish. You will find it very rewarding. It is the honesty and integrity of the ingredients that you can find here that make the difference. For example, we brought a cauliflower, which came with a massive amount of greenery. For a €1 purchase we made three meals. Quite amazing.. three meals. “I love the Portuguese way of eating freshly grilled sardines on a piece of bread that soaks up all the juices. Delicious. Another fantastic dish and a delightful tale that goes with it, is Sopa da Pedra (Soup of stones). The story goes that a penniless guy walks into a village, stands in the square and declares that he can make the most delicious soup, only with his pot, water, salt and a stone. He proceeds to say, although this soup would be delicious it would be even better with the addition of a cabbage, whereupon someone kindly gives him a cabbage. He then says the soup would be enhanced by an onion and an onion is procured for him. And so it goes on, maybe some beans or even a piece of chouriço or a chicken neck for flavour, all of sudden you have an incredible broth. This for me this is the essence of Portuguese cooking, where nothing goes to waste.”
David Eyre’s TH E E AG LE COOK BOOK – Recipes from the original G astropub, was described by T h e I n d e p e n d e n t a s “ T h e g r a n d d a d d y o f t h e m a l l , t h e p l a c e w h e re t h e Lo n d o n g a s t ro p u b revo l u ti o n s t a r te d ”. F i n d it o n A m azo n a n d e b ay. C h e c k o u t B e n Au s ti n at b e n a u s t i n . p t
UNEXPECTED
P O R T S O F C A L L ‘ D E S T I N AT I O N U N K N O W N ’ S O U N D S W I L D LY R O M A N T I C
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S O M U C H T H AT I S W R I T T E N N O W F O C U S E S O N T H E E F F E C T S
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E X P E C TAT I O N S A N D A C T U A L I T Y M AY H AV E L I T T L E I N C O M M O N .
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AND FULL OF PROMISE WHICH JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW
O F C O V I D 1 9 , A N D T H I S TA L E I S N O E X C E P T I O N …
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T WAS the end of February when I flew from Lisbon to Dubai and boarded a cruise ship bound for India. Due to the growing health threat of Covid 19, I had made considerable effort to postpone my trip aboard the MSC Liríca. Dire warnings had been provided by the World Health Organisation, China and Italy were already in lockdown but, despite my pleading with the cruise company, I was informed the trip could not be deferred. The full cost would be forfeit by any passenger who failed to turn up. Being unable to face the loss of such a large amount of money, I decided I would go. My trip was a combination of work and holiday to include an assignment for AlgarvePLUS on Portugal’s ex-colony of Goa. Settingsail from Dubai we passed through the Strait of Hormuz in crystal sunshine. I noted with relief there were no Iranian naval vessels or US ships undertaking provocative military maneuvers. Earlier in the year that had been a matter of international concern but now I reasoned there was nothing to worry about. This was going to be a secure and worthwhile journey. Onwards we sailed into the Arabian Sea and I began to take a positive approach.
C A R O LY N K A I N
There were two and a half days of luxury travel to look forward to as we headed for the Indian Ocean and the coast of Goa. I took the opportunity to socialise with a truly international group of travellers – everyone was keen to share conversations over sparkling wines and cocktails. From the Pool Bar deck we sighted Goa on the far horizon, its shoreline shimmering in a humid haze.
Not a Goa Unfortunately, this mesmerizing scene was as close to our destination as we were going to get! A pilot boat was spotted coming from the mainland. Drawing up beside our ship, four officials in bleached-white turbans and immaculate uniforms climbed on board. With bureaucratic authority they clutched their clipboards and went up to the bridge intent on delivering a message to the Captain. That very morning, due to Covid 19, all ports in India had been closed to cruise ships. The Captain and his 2,000+ passengers were not allowed to land. The ship’s PA informed us in seven different languages: “Regrettably, Indian authorities have cancelled our visits to Goa, New Mangalore and Mumbai. A different itinerary, including other ports of call, will be announced later today.” A cacophony of international curses swept from bow to
TRAVEL MINUS
There were two and a half days of luxury travel to look forward to as we headed for the Indian Ocean and Goa
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in the sun
Opposite page, top: Khasab Castle, on the Musandam Peninsula, Oman; bottom: Bukha Prison in the mountains. This page, above and far left: Khasab Castle; left: a tourist captures a memory inside the ancient fortress at Fujairah
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TRAVEL MINUS
stern as the implication of our situation became entirely clear. There was definitely nowhere else in the vicinity that people wanted to visit. A Somali pirate village, a war torn port in Yemen and certainly not Iran, by then the Middle Eastern centre of the virus. A few hours later, during Happy Hour, the P.A. came to life again. This time it was our Captain full of deep apologies. Sweetening the pill he promised that the cruise company would provide financial compensation to cover the emotional cost of everyone’s disappointment. Admittedly a very difficult amount to quantify, but naturally everyone hoped that it would be a lot! Furthermore, the Captain explained that as an alternative to India we would be visiting the Sultanate of Oman. “The Sultanate of Oman,” I thought. “What’s there?” Stating his intention of docking in Khasab and Bukha he made them sound like desirable spots to see. I’d certainly never heard of either. None of the other passengers I spoke to on the ship had the vaguest clue. Nor had they heard of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, another place our Captain intended we should land. We looked it up on Google and found that Fujairah is a major oil terminal and refinery. More international swearing commenced since absolutely no one had an oil refinery on their bucket list. Our only consolation was that we were better off than many passengers locked down in other cruise
ships with the virus in their midst. Fujairah would not be as photographable as the World Heritage Site of Goa but at least we could disembark. With another two and a half days retracing our route at sea there was enough time for me to research our forthcoming destinations.
Didn’t know that Then, lying in my cabin with my iPad on my knee, a new chapter of Portuguese history opened up for me. In the 16th century the whole area we were about to visit had been fortified by the Portuguese. Castles, forts, sentry posts and look outs – most of them still standing today – were built to protect Portugal’s highly-lucrative trade routes to the Spice Islands. Significantly, this trade came about through a single voyage in 1497 made by the Portuguese admiral Vasco de Gama. The route he took around the tip of Africa led him to the real Indies where unlike us, the possibly contaminated passengers aboard a cruise ship, he was permitted to land. Invited to attend a private audience with a local leader, de Gama was given a letter for the King of Portugal expressing the Samorim’s wish to trade. Not just any old trade, you understand. Trade in spices, and especially pepper, at that time the most valuable commodity in the world. When de Gama returned home it was to a hero’s welcome and within six months another 13 Portuguese ships and 1,200 men set sail. This was followed every subsequent
From the ruined buildings new fortifications and would become a Portuguese domain.
Bukha fort near Khasab in Musandam Oman surrounded by rocks and scenery
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Top left: Bukha Prison in the mountains; right: Khasab castle. Bottom left: Musandam Peninsula, Oman; right: Bukha fort
prisons were constructed – the ex-Arab trading post year by another fleet, comprising military and commercial vessels laden with merchandise to barter. Eventually, the Portuguese monopolised all the trade in Oriental spices between the Far East and Europe, despite a continuous threat from Arab merchants who for centuries had considered the Indian Ocean their personal preserve. Portuguese fleets often engaged with them in naval battles, sometimes shelling Arab trading posts from cannons out at sea. Once a town had been bombarded soldiers would come ashore and terrify the citizens so that many of them would flee or be imprisoned. From the ruined buildings new fortifications and prisons were constructed and – leaving behind a garrison of soldiers and some ships for protection – the ex-Arab trading post would become a Portuguese domain.
Getting on with it On board our cruise ship an itinerary was produced for several off-shore excursions and many of these self-same Portuguese fortifications were listed as places we could visit. I trudged around three semi-desert sites paying attention to the Arab guides. They marveled at the Portuguese who, 500 years ago, had shown exceptional
fortitude in exceptionally inhospitable locations. I will admit that a 16th century fort made from rocks, stones, mud and hay cannot be compared to the glory that is Goa which, at a similar time, was being laid out like an emporium on a European plan. With renaissance churches and splendid buildings it became Portugal’s second city on account of its size. However, there was no point dwelling on what I hadn’t seen. Instead I’d learnt new and interesting facts about the Portuguese in the Middle East. Like most other passengers, I’d made the most of a cruise that turned out to be second best. We returned to Dubai two days before we were due to disembark, but before we left the Captain announced details of the compensation we’d been promised. No one expected that the Indian Authorities would refund the cost of our visas but we hoped that recompense from the third largest cruise company in the world would be generous. We shouldn’t have held our breath. Don’t forget this was the same company that had refused to allow me to postpone my voyage when the Covid 19 pandemic had already been predicted. It amounted to €200 provided as a voucher that is only redeemable if I want to take another cruise. You won’t be surprised to hear I don’t.
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I F YO U H AV E B U I LT, B O U G H T A N D D E C O R AT E D A H O M E H E R E , T H E R E I S E V E R Y C H A N C E T H AT YO U W I L L K N O W O F M E I N K E F L E S S E M A N A N D M AY W E L L OW N O N E O F H E R WO R K S O F A R T. I T C O U L D B E H E R A N I M A L S , P E O P L E , O R P L A C E S T H AT C A P T U R E D YO U R I M A G I N AT I O N A N D G R A C E YO U R WA L L S PA C E
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IF YOU GO to the studio in Olhao where artist Meinke Flesseman works, you will be dazzled by the sheer depth of her work, and the breadth of her output. Over the years her style and mood have shifted according to where her heart and head find her, but the effect is always overwhelming, enchanting, inventive and, above all, distinct. Born in Holland in Abcoude, a small artists’ village – yes, the influences were there early on – Meinke moved to Portugal in the late 1960s with her adventurous parents and younger sister. “Life here was deliciously simple,” she says. “The stuff that we take for granted now, like running water and electricity were a luxury then. I had a carefree childhood growing up in this amazing country. We had lots of animals – dogs, cats, chickens, and a donkey whose best friend was a goat. Hence the recurring animal subjects in my work.” And there are animals galore. Over the years we ourselves have gathered a menagerie of Meinke’s artworks – a fat duck with a golden beak, a cockerel strutting across a patchwork of flower-sprigged fabrics, a teeny tiny frog, and a great big array of goats. But I digress… this is not about my treasured paintings, but about the woman who created them.
Right from the start Meinke’s mother was an artist, as were many members of the family. So it came as no real surprise that her daughter followed suite, entranced by the freedom that creativity provides, especially when there’s a shortage of materials and a need to investigate every possibility, satisfy every curiosity. World travels cemented the passion – in Italy she studied the best with the best, and in the Netherlands at the Ruud Wackers Academy. She has lived in Florence, in Mozambique, and in Russia where, with little access to MEINKE FLESSEMAN Always smiling always creating
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art materials, Meinke sold her first painting. She showed in the gardens of the dacha where she and her husband were living. “The painting was in oils, an impression of the Moscow madness in those days,” she recalls. “It was bought by Paula, who became a dear friend and has remained so over the years.” In the late 90s, Meinke settled back in Portugal and, happily for us, she has no intention of going anywhere else. Since the virus outbreak, this talented lady has returned to oils. And, interestingly, to the subject of town scenes – in this case Portimao. “The emptiness, and the emotion it triggers. Full circle,” she says wistfully. “When I lived isolated with my then very young daughter, I painted portraits, then landscapes, then the goats which I bumped into on one of my daily walks. The goats were refreshing models, they didn’t complain about their features or age! “Later, when I moved to Olhao, the subjects changed. I started painting busy and crowded scenes, often with absurdity… a direct response to the new environment.
Going from a quiet and uneventful lifestyle to a sociable bohemian community gives you a very different take. Then, after a few years, I went back to animals, and in this past year I’ve returned to the human figure once again in watercolours, and to portraits and, very recently, to the town scenes influenced in no small way by the lockdown life we are living.”
Going from a quiet and uneventful lifestyle to a sociable bohemian community gives you a very different take.
The need to be single-minded
In an ideal situation, Meinke paints every day. “It keeps me balanced and brings me a sense of fulfilment. To me it’s also a form of meditation; when I am totally focused there is no space for excessive mind noise and clutter. But I do need an idea before I start any work and from that initial thought the path I follow often just happens and guides itself. “ Sometimes the creative juices just seem to flow naturally, but at other times it may be tougher and more challenging. I know that a work is finished when I leave it for some days, and then look at it with fresh eyes and a new renewed sense of satisfaction. Sometimes I know it straight away. That is the best feeling.” The commissions that Meinke gets are varied. “Sometimes I am asked for portraits, at other times beach scenes, pets, or perhaps an expression of a particularly personal subject. “The biggest commission I have worked on was from interior designer Eric de Bruijn for a tile panel for a hotel in Nijmegen, in Netherlands. It was 11.5 meters by 270cm and took around 2,000 individual tiles. When that was completed, I had further requests for tile work. Tiles came into my life many years ago, when I worked in a ceramics and tile studio, and in the recent years I’ve picked it up again. It’s an exciting process, giving a very traditional technique a thoroughly contemporary creative treatment; tilework is very permanent, it survives, sun, rain, heat and usage.” Meinke Flesseman’s work is in the private collections all over the world. You can meet her by appointment in her atelier in Olhão, and soon at her new space in Portimão.
M E I N K E F L E S S E M A N T: 9 1 7 9 3 7 5 6 4 / m e i n k e f l e s s e m a n @ g m a i l . c o m / m e i n k e - f l e s s e m a n . c o m
THREE-FLOOR apartment in the beautiful Old Village, Vilamoura
€360,000
A delightful three-bedroom apartment, set over three floors in the popular Old Village in Vilamoura. Within walking distance of the bustling marina with its shops, restaurants, bars, cafés and supermarket, it is the perfect home in a wonderful setting, overlooking the exclusive development’s swimming pool. A sun-filled roof terrace adds to the appeal. Three good-sized bedrooms | Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom | Family bathroom | Guest cloakroom | Bright, airy lounge/dining area | Open-plan kitchen | On three floors and withthe bonus of two terraces | Overlooking the main swimming pool | 144sqm For more information, do not hesitate to contact us. 7A Church Square, Old Village, Vilamoura, 8125-429 Quarteira T: +351 289 302 762 M: +351 965 392 755 / +351 969 190 361 E: info@fivestar-vilamoura.com W: www.fivestar-vilamoura.com AMI 10185
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STREAMING ALONG
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TREAMING TV off the internet is a lifeline for people living or soon-to-be-holidaying in the Algarve. Nowadays you can watch the latest movies, keep up with new sitcoms or just get your soap fix simply by logging on. We have the UK data – around three in five British adults now regard online services to be their main way of viewing TV and film, and more than half of UK households now subscribe to at least one online service. It is almost certainly much the same elsewhere in Europe Young people in particular are watching TV on their smartphones or laptops, but there is a backlash in favour of the traditional TV set which is bigger (often much bigger) and brighter, and provides a communal experience that watching on a phone cannot rival. The latest ‘smart’ TVs have what are effectively computers built-in, so that they can log on to the domestic wifi network and connect to streaming services directly. They are optimised for video streaming plus a little light browsing and even email, though why anyone would want to read their messages on a big screen a long way away is beyond me. And writing emails usually involves moving from letter to letter using the arrows on your remote, which is boring beyond belief.
If you want to connect your existing TV to the internet, a cheap and easy way to do it is with a streaming stick that plugs into one of the HDMI ports.
BIG DECISION WHILE WE’RE A L L AT H O M E – W H AT T O WAT C H T O D AY A N D D I A R I S E FO R TO M O R ROW ’ S VI E WI N G . STREAM STICKS INTRODUCE A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION, I N C L U D I N G T H E V E R Y L AT E S T H ITS . A R E R EG U L A R TR I P S TO THE BIG-SCREEN CINEMA A T H I N G O F T H E PA S T N O W T H AT SMALL SCREENS ARE THE FIRST CHOICE…
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Every brand is doing it Each of the major TV brands has its own smart system. Samsung’s Tizen and LG’s WebOS are discreet and slick, giving access to all the usual channels in a very easy way. Android TV is derived from the mobile phone operating system and is used by Sony, Philips and TCL branded TVs. Its big drawback is that the home screen takes over the whole TV screen. In addition, it does not support some of the key UK catch-up TV platforms. Possibly the easiest-to-use smart TV operating system is Panasonic’s smart system. It is based on icons at the bottom of the screen giving access to the various apps, and you can add more apps when you subscribe to more services. If you want to connect your existing TV to the internet, a cheap and easy way to do it is with a streaming stick that plugs into one of the HDMI ports. Streaming sticks are Wi-fi enabled so logging on to your home network is simple. They also come with their own remote controls, but as they can often be set to control all the other functions of the telly including on/off and the volume, the remote could replace all the other ones cluttering up your sofa.
TECHNO PLUS
‘Smart’ TVs have what are effectively computers built-in, so they can log on to the domestic wifi network and connect to streaming services directly.
Getting commercial “With The Roku Channel we are making it easy for consumers to find great free entertainment and provide additional value to Roku users, NOW TV device holders and Sky Q customers,” said Rob Holmes, VP of Programming at Roku. “Ad-supported viewing is one of the fastest growing categories on our platform and we are excited to meet the consumer demand for free TV.” Roku was one of the first streaming sticks, and they have assiduously signed up most of the streaming services from round the world since they launched, including channels such as Rakuten and lots of specialist
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channels for genres such as anime. A handy feature is a price comparison for the movies that are available on several services, so you can choose the cheapest option. It certainly makes the buy/rent decision easier. One of my personal favourite devices is also one of the simplest and cheapest – the Google Chromecast, which starts at just €39.99. Looking a bit like a puck on a rope, it plugs into an HDMI port with a flexible cable so it does not stick out in a way that can conflict with other devices, like all its rivals. Also, unlike others, it does not connect to any channels on the web but travels via your wifi network to a smart-phone or tablet. When you run a Chromecastcompatible app such as BBC iPlayer, All4, Neflix, Rakuten and many more, a little box appears in the top right hand corner of the screen. Click on it, and you’ll be offered the option of connecting to the Chromecast. Then the movie or video or game appears on the big screen. This ability to ‘cast’ from almost any app on your phone or tablet is both a big plus and a negative. It means that your device will be filled with a load of streaming apps. But if you are under 30 you will be watching them all on your mobile in bed or on the train so it won’t matter anyway. It is a bit of trick really – it looks as though the material is being played on the phone or tablet and magically ‘cast’ to the TV, but in fact the material is being streamed directly from the internet to the TV with no intervention by the phone – all it does is allow you to control the process. Another nice feature is that when you aren’t casting, a random selection of beautiful photos is sent to the screen. Worth watching in its own right, though a few captions would not go amiss.
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The main streaming sticks come from Amazon, NowTV, Roku, Apple TV and Google. All work in different ways and offer different services so it is important to choose correctly (though it has to be said that if you want to mix and match, you can get two sticks and plug them both in to get the range of services you want.) The Amazon Fire TV Stick range starts with a simple stick at a mere €59, which connects to HD TV streaming services and that is about it, though it does include a bit of storage for offline use. At the top of the range is the Fire TV Cube, which can download 4K images and includes Alexa so you can control the television by the power of your voice. It costs €123.99, but as its speakers will dramatically improve the sound quality of your standard TV set it is well worth the outlay. The Amazon streaming service includes all the big options such as Netflix, Disney and YouTube, plus an enormous range of movies to rent and buy from Amazon Prime. The NowTV stick is currently the only way to access catch-up content from Sky channels, so if you want to watch Sky channels it is your only option. It is also a bit slow and has a very small range of apps. The Roku Streaming Stick, €57.99, is a neat system giving easy access to a wealth of free, ad-supported content and paid-for content. Roku has just launched a new UK channel called The Roku Channel which features a selection of popular global and British TV series, including titles such as Homes Under the Hammer, The Commander, and Britain’s Best Bakery, alongside Hollywood hits such as Get Carter, The Wicker Man and Les Miserables.
READS PLUS
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FIGHTING FOR SPACE: Two Pilots and their Battle for Female Space Flight By Amy Teitel Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Genre: Biography This is an amazing story of tenacity bordering on obsession. Jackie Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier, and held more records (both male and female) for propeller and jet flying than any other 20thcentury pilot. Jackie had led the Women’s Auxiliary Service Pilots during WWII and wanted, above all, to be the first American woman in space. She had a rival for that spot in the form of Jennie Cobb who was 25 years younger and a record-holding pilot in her own right. Jennie wanted desperately to become an astronaut and undertook the same gruelling testing as the Mercury male astronauts. Unsurprisingly, the competition between the two women was intense. This book is not anti-establishment or a feminists’ flag-waving narrative but an explanation of the historical events that enabled women to become equals and realise their worth in a male-dominated world.
TYLL By Daniel Kehlmann Publisher: Penguin Random House Genre: Historical fiction Set in Germany in the 17th century, Tyll Ulenspiegel is a young boy growing up in a small village in the wake of the Thirty Years’ War. A cross between a fairy tale and a bad dream, this is historical accuracy combined with pure fantasy. The tale of Tyll – well known as a mischievous character who plays pranks and performs tricks on everyone he comes into contact with – makes for an awesome read; the contrasts of the situations he finds himself in, and the variety of characters he encounters, are wildly diverse. The book has been translated from German and nothing has been lost. My favourite quote is something to ponder – when Tyll’s mother goes into labour as he helps her take flour to the next village he questions why: “When God wants to make a person does he do it inside another person?” I did find myself googling to discover which parts of the book were fact and which fiction and enjoyed the learning curve that went with this strikingly different book.
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N O W T H AT W E H AV E M O R E T I M E O N O U R H A N D S T O R E A D , T H E L AT E S T N E W B O O K S E L E C T I O N F R O M A U T H O R D A W N A N N A N D A L E I S E S P E C I A L LY W ELCO M ED, A N D TH ER E’ S SO M E TH I N G FO R E V ERY TA S T E , W H E N W E A R E A L L O U T A N D A B O U T A G A I N , I T ’ S W O R T H I N V E S T I G AT I N G T H E W R I T E R S G R O U P I N S Ã O B R A S T H AT D AW N S E T U P F O R B U D D I N G AUTHORS AND THE BOOK CLU B SHE HOSTS FOR K E E N R E A D E R S W H O WA N T TO E XC H A N G E V I E W S
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TORPEDOED
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Book of the month
By Deborah Heiligman Publisher: Henry Holt & Co Genre: Conflict Billed as “The True Story of the World War II Sinking of the Children’s Ship,” Torpedoed is a true account of the attack and sinking of the passenger ship, SS City of Benares. The ship was evacuating children from England during WWII and had set sail for Canada in September 1940 with 406 people on board of whom only 148 survived. The ambitious venture was organised through a government relocation programme called CORB. This is not an easy book to read by any stretch and I wanted to scream at some of the decision makers. I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing and the powers that be – those decision makers who were ultimately inadvertently responsible for the deaths of those passengers and crew – will have had to live with their decisions for the rest of their lives. The burden of guilt they carried was immense and had such a detrimental effect upon many involved. Illustrated with some remarkable photo-graphs which add so much to the narrative and backed by the research which culminated in this incredible story is firstclass – the bibliography alone is immense. The photographs of the surviving children are deeply moving and although this is a tragic account of the sinking, there is also hope. The bravery shown by both individuals and collectively will leave you with a resounding feeling of sadness but also the triumph of ability of the survivors to carry on and persevere with the remainder of their lives in the most accomplished way. I felt humbled by the accounts of the rescue yet drained emotionally at the futility and sheer stupidity of war.
TELL ME I’M WRONG By Yangsze Choo Publisher: Independetly published Genre: Psychological thriller I love a good twisty-turny did-he-or-didn’the thriller and this one is definitely not a disappointment. Megan is a young mum married to the local primary school teacher who is popular, pleasant, and loveable. But, two young boys are murdered locally and Megan eventually realises that the deaths could be the work of her husband. She embarks on a course of action which leaves her in a terrible predicament – could her husband really be a serial killer?
It’s impossible to go on without spoiling the plot for you but it’s a great read, fast-paced and will have you trying to work it all out as you go along. It took about five hours to read in one session – so not too taxing – but wonderful escapism and truly believable characters.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW? By Sophia Money-Coutts Publisher: Harper Collins Genre: Chick lit This is definitely a classic ‘chick-lit’ tale of loveliness with a dash of humour and a few teary moments. It’s a happy, feel-good bit of escapism. Lil Bailey is our heroine who is dumped by her long-term love. Feeling a little bruised she decides to swipe right and it all goes a little haywire with Max the mountaineer after the first date. Lil quite liked Max but he vanishes which is no big deal until Lil pees on a stick and discovers she’s pregnant! If you love a bit of good old-fashioned happy-ever-after stuff this is a winner. Yes, it’s a very lightweight book but once in a while we need to lose ourselves in a fluffy dream world.
OTTOLENGHI FLAVOUR By Yotam Ottolenghi Publisher: Penguin Genre: Cookery This cookery book is just the best ever for all things vegetarian. With growing numbers of people embracing meat-free eating, this Israeli chef has captivated and wowed the world with his incredible books. Flavour is no exception and as a steak lover and definitely not a vegetarian I really was impressed with the incredible and thoroughly satisfying meals he has served up. The photographs are wonderful and, I must admit, a little intimidating but, as you try the recipes it’s all so easy. A little bit of prep and thought goes a long way with vegetarian cooking. By breaking the recipes into several sections – weekday quickies, dinner party meals and what compliments what, Flavour really is a winner. It’s not overly complicated or pretentious (I remember asking for oysters once and they came served with mustard ice cream – disgusting!) and the meals are packed with protein. There are so many excellent cook books out there but this one really stood out for me as different and exciting. If you buy it please invite me to dinner!
Fresco Galler y Estrada das Escanchinas Almancil 8135-105 Algar ve, PORTUGAL
Dunas Tribu Monsieur Tricot Outdoor lighting, Knitting and crochet Selection of different sizes and shapes From €775 289 355 333 dunas-style.com
Boconcept Futuna Glass and metal 8-pieces, eight 18cm high €599 289 813 209 boconcept.com
S P E N D I N G T H I S M U C H T I M E AT H O M E G I V E S YO U T H E C H A N C E TO R E -T H I N K YO U R D É C O R . A S PA R K L I N G L I G H T T H AT T W I S T S A N D T U R N S A N D SHIMMERS AND SHINES COULD BE THE ANSWER, ADDING PERSONALITY AND FOCUS
L I G H T I N G S T R I K E S
Delightfull Turner table lamp Brass, aluminium, steel, with moveable parts Height: 60cm €1,410 914 922 036 / Delightfull.eu
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Ikea Luxxu Empire Plafond Glass, crystal, gold-plated body Height 92cm €5,970 915 233 893 luxxu.net
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Grimsås Polypropylene plastic, nickel-plated steel 55cm, cable 1.4m €49 ikea.com/pt/en/
Simple taste Corte Real Vintage banyunibo wooden lamp base Height 78cm €435 912 737 762 corterealarte.com
Bybeau Dimple Hand-blown crystal and aluminium 180x90mm, 150x75mm, 120x60mm Price depends on project 289 432 615 bybeau.com
Atoma, Metal Height: 210cm €569 915 153 412 simpletaste.pt
When I opened my shop in 2012 the initial idea was to collaborate with local artists. This has worked well as there are many talented artisans in the Algarve, especially when it comes to ceramics. One of my first contacts was Ben and Nadrali, who arrived in my shop to present their works. I was enchanted by their young and fresh approach with clay. Now, some years down the line, their range of ceramics has widened and their pieces are becoming bigger and bolder each season. Another artistic couple creating ceramics are Tara and Sylvain from Studio Bongard. Their stoneware seahorses and fish come with their own character and expression while the sardines on a plate look as though they are straight from the barbecue. But what I can’t find locally is tableware – what is here is too traditional and ornamental for my taste. Therefore I go up north to handpick the best from a few workshops I know and trust for their fair and environmentally
friendly production. A successful trip is when the car is packed with boxes of plates, mugs, jugs and bowls in all shades of blue, green, grey and turquoise. This was the case very recently, so if you are ready for something new and something special, there’s much to choose from.
Rua 5 de Outubro nº 68 . Loulé +351 964 222 612 Instagram: www.instagram.com/martina.loule/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/martina.loule/
EGANISM is a plant-based diet that excludes any animal-derived products such as meat, poultry, fish, honey, eggs and dairy products. If you are flirting with the idea of giving up your gluten-free pizza, know that for true vegans, there are hidden animal by-products in foods that you would not consider. Jelly, marshmallows and the humble gummy bear (aka the jelly baby) all contain gelatin, derived from animal collagen. And have you thought about what goes into your glass of vinho? We all know that wine is made from grapes but what happens between the time they are picked off the vines during
harvest and before they end up in your wine glass? Clarifying agents derived from casein (milk protein), albumin (egg whites), gelatin (animal protein) and isinglass (fish protein) are often used when making wine and even brewing beer. Good news is that virtually every brand of hard liquor – bourbon, whiskey, vodka, gin and rum – is vegan. The no-no’s are cream-based liqueurs and some rums and whiskeys containing honey. Whatever level of veganism you plan to follow, please read labels carefully, become acquainted with vegan alternatives and refer to peta.org (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals website) for factbased information.
R E C E N T M O N T H S H AV E N E C E S S A R I LY A W A K E N E D A N INTEREST IN COOKING EVEN IN THOSE TO WHOM
GOING
D I N N E R M E A N T ‘ W H E R E ’ R AT H E R T H A N ‘ W H AT ’. A N D M A N Y H AV E T OY E D W I T H D I F F E R E N T E AT I N G REGIMES, WITH VEGAN BEING THE NEW FOODIE BUZZ
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Why vegan? The reasons to choose a vegan diet generally fall within three compelling areas – ethical, environmental and personal health. Plant-strong diets allow one to focus on animal rights philosophies and the exploitation of slaughterhouse workers. Meat and dairy industries are today recognised as a leading contributor to climate change with their production of greenhouse gases. Farm-raised animals are known to emit methane into our atmosphere. This formidable greenhouse gas traps at least 30 times more atmospheric heat than an equal amount of carbon dioxide. However, one must also note that greenhouse gases are emitted in the production of processed soy foods, even if you completely avoid beef. The health advantages of eating mostly plants are undeniable. That’s because a vegan diet will eliminate red and cured meats, two foods linked to colon cancer. Eating more fruits and vegetables is known to decrease rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Removing dairy from your diet has been shown to reduce chronic health issues, from nasal congestion to migraines, acne to digestive problems. Fibre-packed vegan foods help shed weight too, though initially the transition to veganism can lead to a sudden increase in weight as animal proteins are replaced with excessive amounts of carbohydrates. Vegan alternatives –quinoa, beans and lentils – contain more grams of carbohydrates than they do protein.
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Balancing act Still toying with the idea of veganism, yet finding that the information and knowledge available can be overwhelming? I felt the same, and stumbled upon these five guidelines, taken from Vegan Nutition Guide by Virginia Messina, which will ensure a healthy, well-balanced vegan diet. 1 Three servings per day of beans, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, vegan meats, peanuts or peanut butter 2 Include fruits and vegetables – leafy greens and good sources of vitamin C like peppers, citrus fruit and strawberries. 3 For healthy sources of fat, include nuts and nut butters, avocados, seeds such as flaxseeds and hempseeds, and walnuts. 4 Eat three cups of calciumrich foods daily including plant milks, fortified juices, tofu, cooked kale, collards, bok choy or turnip greens. 5 Supplements such as vitamin B12, Vitamin D and iodine are recommended. It is important to know when choosing a diet that aligns with your values, that food choices matter. The way we eat
impacts our planet, animals and of course our levels of health and fitness. If you’re not ready to commit to an all-or-nothing dietary change, even the smallest steps will deliver a positive result in the discovery of making vegan easy. A hearty start We asked Loulé resident, Rita Malvar, above, herself a practicing vegan, and author of two cookbooks, Comida de Verão, sabores para o ano inteiro (2016) and Como Assim, Só sopa (2018) to curate a daily vegan menu for us. Her meals are visually beautiful and equally delicious.
Lentil & mushroom balls INGREDIENTS
1 large Portobello mushroom 1 can of brown lentils 1tbsp of sunflower seeds (soaked) 50g almonds (soaked) 1 clove of garlic 1 grated carrot 1 grated courgette 1tbsp mustard seed 1tsp tamari 2tbsp nutritional yeast Thyme, flor do sal and black pepper 2tbsp pea protein (can be oat or rice flour)
In a food processor, grind
the mushroom, lentils, carrots, courgette, garlic, almonds and seeds. Transfer to a bowl and season with tamari, yeast, thyme, mustard seeds, flor do sal and pepper. Finally, add pea protein to dry the mixture. Make balls, like meatballs, and bake at 170ºC, allowing them to brown a little
B R E AK FAST
Golden Milk Smoothie Bowl with Carob Banana bread and homemade strawberry and chia jam
LUNCH
Avocado gazpacho topped with rosemary tempeh Lentil and mushroom balls served with spinach and mint pesto – see recipes
DINNER
Green Monster Soup – see recipe Quinoa and Green Salad with Cilantro Mayonnaise – see recipe Sweet Potato Muffins and Chia puddings topped with cubed apple, pumpkin, orange and passionfruit
Spinach & mint pesto INGREDIENTS
100g baby spinach 20 mint leaves 1/3 cup coriander 1/2 cup cashews (soaked 24h) 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds Juice of 1 lemon Salt and black pepper to taste 1tbsp nutritional yeast Optional: avocado for added creaminess
In a food processor, combine
all the ingredients and grind to a paste. Add a tablespoon of olive oil or nuts for extra flavour or to taste.
TASTE PLUS
Green monster soup (for 2 people) INGREDIENTS
TO P P I N G I N G R E D I E N T S
300g broccoli 2 handfuls of fresh spinach ½ courgette 10 mint leaves Olive oil Flor do sal and black pepper to taste
2 radishes ½ granny smith apple Juice from ½ orange Zest from ½ orange Dill Toasted almonds Coconut oil
Cook the broccoli, fresh
Pour a teaspoon of coconut
oil into a frying pan, and mix in the topping ingredients, until the apple cooks lightly in the orange juice. The almond can be roasted separately and added later.
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spinach, courgette and mint leaves. Puree them in a blender with a drizzle of olive oil.
Quinoa and green salad with cilantro mayonnaise INGREDIENTS
1 cup of quinoa 1 avocado ½ cup of cooked peas 8 mint leaves ½ green apple Pistachios, shelled C O R I A N D E R M AYO N N A I S E
50g of coriander 1 clove of garlic 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 cup of coconut yogurt 1 cup of silken tofu Salt, pepper and oil
ines
Wash the quinoa thoroughly
before cooking. For 1 cup of quinoa, add 2 cups of water, season with salt and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Cook peas in salted water. Slice avocado and apple Make the mayonnaise in a food processor. Blend all the ingredients and add seasonings to taste. Serve the quinoa with the avocado, peas, apple and mint. Drizzle with coriander mayonnaise and top with crushed pistachios.
WOOF PLUS
P U P S T A R S LIGHTS . CAMER A . AC TION . WO O F. A N D A N OT H E R F O U R L E G G E D S TA R I S B O R N , O N E WHO HAS UNDERSTUDIES AND S T U N T M E N AT T H E I R B E C K AND BARK, CRIMPERS AND C O S T U M I E R S S TA N D I N G B Y, A N D L E G I O N S O F FA N S . H E R E ARE SOME OF
MOVIEL AND’S
WE N DY M ITCH E LL
LASSIE
TOTO
SCRAPS
Adapted from Eric Knight’s novel, Lassie Come Home is a simple but moving story about Yorkshire lad Joe (Roddy McDowall) and his loyal and intelligent collie. Joe’s impoverished family has to sell the dog and Lassie is taken to her new owner in Scotland, where she meets Priscilla, played by 11-year-old Elizabeth Taylor. But the dog is so loyal to Joe that she is determined to undertake a perilous journey of several hundred miles to get home. A male one-year-old collie named Pal, owned and trained by Rudd Weath, was originally cast as a lowly stunt dog, but was promoted to the lead after he adroitly navigated a tricky river scene. As director Fred M Wilcox claimed: “Pal jumped into that water, and Lassie climbed out!” One critic called Lassie “Greer Garson with fur”; the movie grossied $238 million for MGM in the 1940s.
Kansas farmgirl Dorothy would have never run out into that tornado if she hadn’t been trying to protect her beloved pooch. Toto is in nearly every scene of this classic, from the opening Over the Rainbow to the emotional There’s no Place like Home finale. MGM had famously considered a man in a dog suit to play Toto; it’s hard to imagine that scenario after seeing legendary terrier Terry play the role. Trainer Carl Spitz adopted Terry as a shy one-year-old and brought her out of her shell. When the pooch suffered a sprained foot when accidentally stepped on by one of the Wicked Witch’s guardsmen, she took two weeks off the shoot and spent recovery time at Garland’s house.
Although the film’s title alludes more to Chaplin’s character than the canine, there are poignant parallels between the street dog and the down-on-his-luck street dweller, the Tramp. It is no wonder they become inseperable companions, stealing food and evading the cops together. Before finding a male rescue dog named Mut, Chaplin had screen-tested a dachshund, a Pomeranian, a poodle, a Boston bull terrier and an English bulldog. He said; “What I really want is a mongrel dog. These studio beasts are too well kept." It was, sadly, Mut’s only film role: after shooting A Dog’s Life Chaplin left on a tour selling war bonds. Mut was so sad that he refused to eat, dying three weeks later of a supposed ‘broken heart’.
Lassie Come Home, l943 B R E E D : Rough Collie
*** Pal’s long, thick coat helped conceal the canine actor’s manhood! For her 60th birthday, Elizabeth Taylor was given a collie puppy that was a greatgrandchild of Pal.
The Wizard of Oz, 1959 B R E E D : Cairn Terrier
*** Pup’s paycheck: Spitz was paid $125 per week for Terry’s services; not as much as Judy Gar|and’s $500 a week, but more than the $50 a week
A Dog’s Life, 1918 B R E E D : Mixed
***Mut started the film as a puppy and grew quickly during the production, so the team had to use oversize props and special camera angles at the end of the shooting. In the film, the Tramp is seen without his trademark cane because Chaplin needed his hand free to hold Scrap’s leash.
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FAVO U R I T E M U T T S
WOOF PLUS
MGM had famously considered a man in a dog suit to play Toto
Lassie
ARTHUR some of the Munchkins earned.
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The Wizard of Oz
THE PUPPIES
101 Dalmations, 1996 B R E E D : Dalmation After the 1961 animated classic, Disney brought this beloved story to the big screen in live action in 1996, complete with real dogs and one intimidating bitch: Cruella de Vil, played by Glenn Close. Canine couple Pongo and Perdy have a litter of 15 puppies who are doggnapped, along with 84 other puppies, because Cruella wants them so she can have a new fur coat. The production used 230 puppies and 20 adult dogs. Owners started training the dogs at six weeks old; at eight weeks old they were brought to the set working with 13 trainers. Health and safety measures were crucial with so many vulnerable young animals, and the set was disinfected daily. *** The pivotal scene with Lucky coming to life stars a puppy who was just three days old (it was swaddled in a disinfected blanket). Glenn Close, an avowed dog lover, said her Cruella voice could frighten the dogs. “Little Perdy would slink off the set with her tail between her legs,” she is quoted as saying.
Marley
MARLEY
Marley & Me, 2OO8 B R E E D : Labrador Retriever In this crowd-pleasing hit, newspaper columnist John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and his wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) adopt a hapless Labrador retriever, who quickly becoming an essential part of the growing Grogan family, despite humping the leg of his obedience trainer (the formidable Kathleen Turner), and gnawing on everything. The film employed 22 dogs (including 11 puppies) to play Marley during his 13-year life. The main Marley was a three-year-old named Clyde, while 14-year-old Copper played him in old age. Trainer Mathilde de Cagny lovingly remembers overzealous Clyde as“absolutely cuckoo… l wanted to work him to let him be even crazier than he already was.” *** Owen Wilson’s own Australian cattle dog, Garcia, has a small cameo in the baseball park scene. The book’s author, John Grogan, appears as the cocker spaniel owner in the training class.
Beginners, 2O10 B R E E D : Jack Russell Terrier In this poignant drama, Arthur played by Cosmo, isn’t a prop or a show dog; he’s a real member of the family. He first belongs to Hal (Christopher Plummer) and is adopted by son Oliver (Ewan McGregor) after Hal is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Oliver is coming to terms with losing his father, as well as his dad’s later-life coming out (based on the director’s own experience). Cosmo was so relaxed with McGregor that trainer de Cagny wasn’t even present for some scenes. “Ewan and Cosmo connected in real ways that could never be acted,” she said. *** Vegetable dye was used to make Cosmo look more like Bowser, the 13-year-old terrier who director Mike Mills inherited from his father in real life. Ewan McGregor adopted a dog of his own, a poodle mix called Sid, on the last day of the shoot. They later occasionally reunited with de Cagny and Cosmo for walks.
Legally Blonde 2
Annie
Bruiser’s role involves posing as a fashion icon SANDY
BRUISER
In this starry musical, the little orphan meets street dog Sandy when she rescues him from a pack of mean boys. She saves him from the dogcatcher, before taking him home to the orphanage. When she is offered the chance to move to billionaire Daddy Warbucks’ mansion, she won’t go without her hound. The lead canine actor was six-year-old Bingo, a pedigree otterhound – a rare British breed – who dined every night of the shoot on steak or prime rib. Sandy doesn’t have many challenging stunts in the film – except jumping into a pool to ‘save’ Daddy Warbucks – but he impresses with his natural charm, like when hiding under a pile of laundry and being serenaded by dozens of little girls. John Huston, the veteran filmmaker behind The Maltese Falcon who directed Annie, said: “That old belief that you should beware of children and animals is absurd. lf you know anything about either, they live up to your expectations, always.”
Size does matter: Beethoven, the lovable, bumbling, drooling Saint Bernard, weighs Bruiser was a fashion-forward sidekick to in at 185 pounds at his beefy best. As a the effervescent law student Elle Woods nameless puppy, he sneaks into the home (Reese Witherspoon) in the first Legally of the Newton family, led by grumpy dad Blonde. In this sequel, Elle George Newton (Charles Grodin). graduates to become a Beethoven – christened because Washington lobbyist of his unexpected appreciation of and Bruiser, played Ready to fall the composer’s Fifth Symphony by Moonie, is in love with a – soon wreaks household promoted to a pooch? havoc but on the plus side central character. There are many out there he saves one of the Newton Elle is about to looking for a special home daughters from drowning, and get married and and a new best friend. helps another meet the boy of wants her pooches See page 6 for an update her dreams. birth mother at the on ARA Chris played Beethoven, aided nuptials. Finding she’s by a mechanical dog for some stunts. being used for testing Animal trainer Teresa Ann Miller, by a cosmetics company, remembers Chris as “a beautiful, strong Bruiser’s Bill is launched – Elle’s congressional crusade to stop animal testing. independent guy. He wanted attention but he wasn’t a big cuddler.” Along the way we also find out that Bruiser is gay when he falls in love with *** For the scene when Beethoven saves Leslie, a congressman’s imposing Rottweiler. Emily in the pool and she rides him to safety, a man in a dog suit was used. *** Bruiser’s role involves posing as a Chris played Beethoven in the first two fashion icon and his best outfits include movies. After his death, it took three dogs a red, white and blue jumpsuit; a Jackie (Benz, Dolly and Boomer) to take on the O-inspired pink pilllbox hat… and some role in the other six sequels. black leather fetish gear to impress Leslie.
Annie, 1982 B R E E D : Otterhound
*** To entice Bingo to kiss her when needed, Aileen Quinn, the 10-year-old actress who played Annie, would rub an apple on her face. The 2014 remake of Annie saw Sandy played by a completely different kind of dog — Marti, a golden retriever-chow mix rescued from a shelter.
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, 2OO5 B R E E D : Chihuahua
BEETHOVEN
Beethoven, 1992 B R E E D : Saint Bernard
CITIZ E N C A N I N E by We n dy M itch e ll , is p ublish e d by L a ure n ce K in g .
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A Dog's Life
PAST PLUS
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TV quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne was the original presenter of University Challenge between 1962 and 1987, and the man who gave the world the well-known catchphrases “Your starter for ten…” and “Fingers on buzzers…”. A descendant of Clive of India, he is also a historian and the author of several books on British and Colonial history, many of them illustrated with photographs by his wife Christina. He had a highly successful career as a broadcaster but his life changed forever in 2014 on the death of his great-aunt, Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe. As just one of the late Duchess’s many great-nephews and nieces, he was astonished to discover that she had left him her entire estate, including the 15th-century manor house, West Horsley Place in Surrey, England, with its 50 bedrooms and vast grounds. The Duchess had only lived in a small suite of rooms and the rest of the stately home was in need of considerable restoration. Since then Bamber and his wife have devoted their time to restoring it. Many of Duchess Mary’s possessions had to be sold to raise money for the job, including her engagement ring which is reputed to have made £167,000. In recent years a 700-seat theatre and opera house has been built in the grounds and the Grange Park Opera company have moved in. Some scenes from the Netflix series The Crown were also filmed there and the Gascoignes say they are still exploring!
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BAMBER GASCOIGNE
TV quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne the man who gave the world the well-known catchphrases “Your starter for ten…” and “Fingers on buzzers…”.
W H AT E V E R H A P P E N E D T O … W E A L L G E T T H O S E S U D D E N F L A S H E S – A FAC E O R N A M E O R FA D F R O M T H E PA S T T H AT W E R E M E M B E R … S O R T O F. T H E Y M I G H T H AV E D R O P P E D O U T O F T H E P U B L I C E Y E O R C H A N G E D D I R E C T I O N S – Y O U O N LY K N O W W H E N Y O U S TA R T L O O K I N G WO R D S :
J i ll E ck e rsl e y
PAUL HENRY
70s
Birmingham-born Paul Henry made his name in the 70s and 80s playing ‘Benny from Crossroads’ – the bumbling, not-too-bright, but always well-meaning mechanic with a habit of going off to look for a spanner and not being seen again for three months. The Midlands-set TV soap opera had its critics but was much loved by the public and ran from 1975 until 1988. Benny was hardly ever seen without his famous woolly hat and during the Falklands War in 1982, British soldiers often nicknamed warmly-clad locals “Bennies” in his honour. Benny was taught to read and write in the soap by his adored ‘Miss Diane’ and this storyline led to a national literacy campaign fronted by the pair. Not long after Crossroads left our TV screens, Paul’s teenage daughter was tragically killed in a car crash and he took a break from acting for some years, returning to the stage in 2010 to play Tony Hancock in Birmingham, and also to appear in the BBC daytime soap Doctors. In 2017 he competed in Celebrity Pointless alongside EastEnders’ Shaun Williamson and won the jackpot. In Spring 2019 Paul was treated for prostate cancer at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. He credits the hospital and the NHS for saving his life and now recommends that all older men get a check-up for the condition sooner, rather than later. “When I told my GP I sometimes had to rush to the bathroom he recommended blood tests and a biopsy. I was then diagnosed, treated, and am well on the road to recovery!” he says.
DANCE CRAZES
70s
Ruth Lawrence, born in 1971, was a child prodigy. Both her parents were computer consultants and she was home-educated by her father, whose methods attracted considerable controversy. He once famously declared that “childhood was not a time to be playing around” and discouraged childhood friendships for both Ruth and her sister. At nine years old, Ruth passed her O-level in maths and a year later, she won a place to read mathematics at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, their youngest-ever student. She arrived there aged 12, on the back of a tandem steered by her father, who also accompanied her to lectures. Ruth took two years, instead of the usual three, to graduate with first-class honours, and later admitted she hadn’t taken much part in regular student life. She was the only maths student in her year to gain the top grade. She gained her PhD in 1989, still only 17, and went to teach at Harvard. In 1998, she married a fellow mathematician, Ariyeh Neimark, with whom she now has four children. Today Ruth is Associate Professor of Mathematics at the Einstein Institute, part of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and having adopted the Orthodox Jewish faith, lives quietly with her family in Israel.
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RUTH LAWRENCE
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The Charleston - now respectable enough to be featured on Strictly Come Dancing - was banned for leading to “outrageous behavior”
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The late 50s and early 60s were a top time for dance crazes anyone remember the Madison, the Frug, the Mashed Potato, the Watutsi? Of course there had been dance fads before, all hugely popular with the young and usually disapproved of by the older generation! In the 1920s, the Charleston - now respectable enough to be featured on Strictly Come Dancing - was banned for leading to “outrageous behavior”, and dance halls in the 1940s often carried warning notices saying “No Jitterbugging”. The rise of rock ’n’ roll led to more dance crazes, some of which came and went, but others, such as the Twist, made a huge impact all over the world. Many were born in the clubs of US cities like New York, Detroit and Philadelphia and were popularised on the US TV show American Bandstand, from where they spread via pop hits to the rest of the world. Even the jet-setters were snapped Twisting at New York’s Peppermint Lounge. Anyone needing instruction was simply told “Imagine you’re stubbing a cigarette out with both feet while drying your back with a towel”. Top stars included Chubby Let’s Twist Again Checker and Little Locomotion Eva, whose hit of the same name was written for her by songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King (Eva was their babysitter.) You could Twist or Shake or do the Freddie on your own, with a partner, in a group or in a long line. Even the Liverpool groups joined in, the Beatles recording Twist and Shout and the Swingin’ Blue Jeans Hippy Hippy Shake. It was all a long way from Victor Sylvester…
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MEMBERS PLUS
IN THE PICTURE T H E A L G A R V E P H O T O G R A P H E R S G R O U P I S A M U LT I N AT I O N A L B U N C H O F F R I E N D LY, E N T H U S I A S T I C I N D I V I D U A L S W H O E N J O Y P H O T O G R A P H Y, E X C H A N G I N G I D E A S A N D SOCIALISING . PRESIDENT DARYL GABIN TELLS ALL…
Who are your members today? They range from active and exprofessionals to keen hobbyists and casual snappers; there’s a difference of around 60 years between the oldest members and the youngest. Most European countries are represented, including the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France and Portugal as well as Britain and Ireland but we also have members from further afield. What they share is a passion for photography, the desire to innovate and perfect, and a readiness to experiment. Key is that they want to share views and experiences with others.
To nurture and encourage the growth of artistic
expression and technical knowledge To stimulate interest in photography through
exhibitions and community channels to share ideas and knowledge with each other
whilst having fun
With current social restrictions in place, the APG has had to adapt pretty quickly as all of the activities that were scheduled were based on members being present. Our first step was to update our website which was dated and as such prohibited interaction by members. So we moved to make changes and now have a brand new website up and running. We held our very first online exhibition on 30 April. We only started the new website project at the beginning of April and to get to the point of holding a virtual exhibition in this short space of time is quite remarkable. There is still a lot of work being done that will enable our members to have their own areas on the website where they will be able to interact with each other, take part in private forums and workshops and, of course, benefit from the social element.
They share is a passion for photography, the desire to innovate and perfect, and a readiness to experiment.
So who decides what and sets the pace and the projects? The APG is guided by a Steering Group which is formed each year through agreement by members; a President is then chosen. Since its formation, the group has only had three Presidents – the long-standing Mary McClay who presided until 2018 and Carol Sheridan who stepped down at the end of 2019. I took up the mantle in January 2020.
Can you spell out the vision? To accommodate an informal, friendly and supportive
environment for photographers of all levels
And after lockdown? Under normal circumstances, the group meets every fortnight on Thursday afternoons from 2pm to 4.30pm at the Museu do Traje. When some form of normality returns, we will be adding a further session, on an evening, to appeal to existing members and interest others who have commitments during the day. And there are further features in the pipeline for the website such as online competitions, public and private member galleries to name a few. We hope to attract a new generation of photographic enthusiasts in local communities and help them realise their potential.
WA N T T O K N OW M O R E ? V i s i t a l g a r v e p h o t o g r a p h e r s g r o u p . o r g f o r s t a r te r s . And see the work of some members on the following page.
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How has lockdown affected the Group’s work?
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The Group was founded in May 2007 by Peter Schilde, who had just launched a monthly photography course at the Museu do Traje in São Brás, and Gordon Railton, who was staging an exhibition of photographs there at the same time. The Group held its first public exhibition in December 2010 when there were just 16 members. Over the years, those numbers have swelled as awareness and interest increased and right now we have some 62 members. November this year will mark the tenth anniversary of public exhibitions at the gallery, and a decade which has seen 63 photography shows.
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A bit of background please…
I N T E R P R E TAT I O N S
S TAY I N G H O M E , S TAY I N G P U T, S TAY I N G S A F E , A N D T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y TO C A P T U R E W H AT I S H A P P E N I N G O U T S I D E D U R I N G LO C K D O W N , F R O M A W I N D O W. W E S E T M E M B E R S O F T H E A LG A R V E P H OTO G R A P H E R S ’ G R O U P A C H A L L E N G E …
ERNST NEIDHARDT CAMERA Nikon D810 with AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm WHERE São Brás WHEN 14 April 2020 WHAT INSPIRED YOU From one window, looking out on another, at a woman whose laughter was heart-warming.
FRED BOS CAMERA Nikon D80 – f 10 MEMBERS OF THE ALGARVE PHOTOGRAPHERS GROUP meet at the M u s e u d o Tr a j e i n S ã o B r á s a n d s t a g e regular exhbitions. As each new show opens, you can meet the Group, see their submissions, and vote for your chosen three favourite works . C all the M use u – 9 6 6 32 9 07 3 – to se e wh e n it is re o p e n i n g . . . h o p e f u lly s o m e ti m e i n M ay.
WHERE At home, in Soalheira São Bras de Alportel WHEN 2 April 2020 WHAT INSPIRED YOU Happy in our lockdown bubble, looking out at a neighbouring field.
PHOTGRAPHY PLUS
JUDY HOME CAMERA Olympus Tough WHERE From my window, São Brás WHEN 20 April 2020
JAN M TROMP CAMERA iPhone 11 Pro Max WHERE Loulé, Bean 17 WHEN 14 April 2020 WHAT INSPIRED YOU Bean17 opened the week after Easter for the first time in a month, not as café (although coffee to go is possible), but as a take-away gourmet ‘grocery’. Guests have to stay outside social-distancing, and are served one at a time. Mask for the owner, alcohol for the hands, everything according the rules.
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU This man lives in a ruin and was standing there in the street listening to music playing inside the house opposite. My thoughts? It’s a very sad situation for those less fortunate.
Y O U R H E A L T H DR THOMAS K AISER ADVISES ON THE LESSONS TO BE L E A R N E D I N T H I S C H A L L E N G I N G C L I M AT E A B O U T S TAY I N G F I T A N D H E A LT H Y AT H O M E .
THERE IS WORK AHEAD OF US,
HE BELIEVES, TO GET THE BALANCE RIGHT
W E L L B E I N G
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Dear Reader, I would like to raise awareness of the issues that effect our lives, not just today, but ongoing. I will also give you priceless health advice for free that can enable you to live many years longer and healthier. You just need to follow my guidelines. In the past six weeks we have seen that we can change our beliefs and attitudes radically from one day to the next. Governments across the globe have implemented State of Emergency directives that were unthinkable three months ago and citizens have complied to slow down the spread of a dangerous virus. The lockdown has worked, and it shows that if we really want to, we can change things effectively.
As a doctor I see several other epidemics that put our health in danger. The numbers in question here are much higher than the most pessimistic mortality figures for corona infections. It is important to bear in mind that the most common causes for death are cardiovascular illnesses like heart attacks and strokes, followed by cancers. We know a lot about the causes of these big killers and we understand how a considerable number of heart attacks and strokes could be avoided. There are literally thousands of well-designed studies that have given us powerful knowledge that enables us to save lives… thousands of lives every year.
As an exercise today, I would like you to visit worldometers. info and check how many deaths occur daily from heart attacks and strokes. Then check on Corona deaths every day and get worried about the numbers.
Allow me to mention also that we know little about the coronavirus but we have seen in the first reliable studies that almost all patients who died with the virus have had heart disease, cancer, obesity or diabetes. What I am getting at is the following:
We accept that more
than half the population in Europe and the US is overweight, has high blood pressure and eats the wrong food for the lifestyle they live. We accept that one third of our children are overweight as infants and in adolescence and as a result develop illnesses that were unseen in children when I
went to medical school.
We accept it because it is
our choice as free citizens to decide what we eat, how we live and what we weigh. We accept that every weekend the centres of cities are crowded with youngsters who drink until they are unconscious and subsequently hurt themselves and others. The US accepts that there
HEALTH PLUS
Do not fear, everything will be alright. Life has never been safer and humans have never lived longer. There are many things we have the knowledge and power to improve and change. Yes, we can do this! Best health wishes Yours Dr Thomas Kaiser
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1 Do not smoke. 2 Drink alcohol in moderation. 3 Exercise on fresh air at least 30 minutes five times per week. 4 Maintain a healthy weight and eat the best, fresh and unprocessed food. 5 Use prevention examinations your doctor offers. 6 Make good friends and spend lots of time with your loved ones. 7 Do not send text messages whilst driving. 8 Avoid too much flying. The cabin atmosphere is not healthy. 9 Consider the potential dangers of risky sports such as skiing, horse riding, kite surfing and others. Chess and bowling are very safe. 10 Teach your children and yourself to have a healthy attitude to smart phones and social media (the most difficult task of all) 11 Do not hug, kiss or go into the office when you are ill. 12 Wash your hands frequently, especially before you eat. 13 Wear a good facemask in crowds; facemasks make no sense when you walk by yourself in fresh air. 14 Check your home and especially that of your elderly parents for accident hazards. Most deadly accidents occur indoors in our own homes. 15 Make yourself useful. It is really healthy and good to help others and support a valuable cause.
ALGARVE P L U S
are deadly shootings almost every week in its schools, robbing many kids of their innocent lives. We accept that people who work in ‘business’ earn significantly better than healthcare workers. We pay the nurses of our parents in retirement homes a pittance and watch football matches on payTV where 20-year- olds earn a multifold of our prime ministers. We accept that our kids are addicted to mobile communication devices and are suffering significant mental health issues because of social media. We know that the most common cause for death in young people are traffic accidents (being on the phone has now overtaken alcohol as the cause) and suicides. However, we underfund psychiatric medical services and the police can´t stop drivers sending text messages while at the wheel, but it is now being considered that mobile phone Apps are used to locate people who have been in contact with the coronavirus.
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There are a few fundamental things that go wrong here and it is in our power to get them right – if we really want to. And here it finally comes – life saving, health-creating advice, based on proven evidence:
ORKING AWAY
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ADVICE PLUS
YOUR money R I C A R D O C H AV E S O F A L L F I N A N C E M AT T E R S I S O N T H E PLU S TE A M A N D H ER E TO A N SWER YO U R Q U ESTI O N S O N TH E I S S U E S T H AT A F F E C T Y O U R L I F E S T Y L E O N T H E A L G A R V E , E S P E C I A L LY N O W D U R I N G T H I S D I F F I C U LT P E R I O D
My income comes from the rental of a house I own here and usually at this time of the year, I would be fully booked with holiday makers reserving two to three, and sometimes even four weeks at a time. Those who had booked last year have cancelled and of course there are no new enquiries. How can I get assistance with my mortgage payments? I know the UK lenders have given mortgage ‘holidays’. Does such a scheme exist here? The government created a bank moratorium aimed to protect Portuguese families in terms of home loans, and companies that are experiencing business failures due to the Covid-19 outbreak, allowing them to postpone the payment of their liabilities during this period. In case of
I had a holiday booked for May. Someone told me that if I do not cancel but rather wait for the airline or travel company to cancel then I will get a full refund. Is this correct? If the cancelation is made by the airline company, then passengers are entitled to a refund of the full value of the ticket. The rules for the protection of the passengers rights also stipulate that in case cancellation is made at short notice, the passenger may be entitled to receive compensation for the cancellation.
Email your finance questions for Ricardo to martin@algar ve-plus .com for inclusion in the first available issue of Algar ve Plus . To c o n s u l t d i r e c t l y w i t h R i c a r d o C h a v e s e m a i l r i c a r d o @ a l l f i n a n c e . p t
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I ordered a new suite for my lounge a good few months ago and understand it has been delivered to the shop (which is closed now during lockdown). I have had an email asking me to transfer the outstanding 80% of the cost to the shop’s bank account, on the understanding the goods will be delivered “at a future date”. Where do I stand? I don’t want to lay out money now when things are tight, and have no idea when the shop will re-open. What do you advise? You are not obliged to pay if the goods haven’t been made available to you yet. In a normal contract if the supplier has committed to a delivery date, he has an obligation to respect it, but the consumer can accept an extension of that time if necessary. If the supplier has not given you any indication of the delivery date, then Portuguese law provides that this is a ‘reasonable’ term. After one month, you are deemed to have the right to send the seller a letter of complaint. If the supplier does not respond to your complaint letter satisfactorily, the consumer has the right to terminate the contract. Thus, you can cancel the order and request a refund of the amount paid. You can also claim compensation for costs and damages if you can prove that you have been harmed by not receiving the product on time.
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a mortgage, the bank moratorium in Portugal is aimed at permanent residency which is not your case. We suggest that you contact your bank and ask for an interest-only period. The bank, although is not obliged, should be open to negotiate with you. Please note that some Portuguese banks have included all their clients credits in the moratorium, even if they are not covered by law, so it is worth checking.
ALGARVE P L U S
I am NHR and have a small business here, with just my wife and I involved, making curtains to order. Because of Covid 19, virtually all the appointments we had to measure and quote on individual jobs have been cancelled, and the orders that were coming through shops have dried up completely as the shops themselves have closed. I am concerned we will have difficulty paying rent and outgoings on our small unit. Is there any help available to people in my situation? Unfortunately, most of the support measures are aimed at businesses with employees and may be insufficient in your particular case. As you have no employees you cannot use the lay-off to get help to pay salaries. But if you have been paying Social Security contributions and have done so during three of the last 12 months, you may be entitled to receive some support. This will be calculated based on your SS contributions and can be up to €635€ per month. You can also use the moratorium on rentals, by informing your landlord that you have been affected by Covid and can’t afford to pay the rent. The payment of the rents due during the state of emergency and the first month following the state of emergency can be deferred. The payment will be made in the following 12 months, in 12 monthly instalments, paid together with the normal rent for each month. Besides the moratorium on rentals, if you have any loans you should also speak with your bank to apply for the moratorium of credits related with the business and or the mortgage on your main residency.
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CURRENCY PLUS
PROTECTING YOUR CURRENCY TRANSFERS FROM EXCHANGE RATE MOVEMENT JOSE ALMEIDA OF CURRENCIES DIRECT REPORTS ON THE EFFECTS OF T H E PA N D E M I C O N WO R L D M A R K E T S A N D T H E R E S U LT I N G F L U C T U AT I O N S I N E C H A N G E R AT E S
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Exchange rates rocked by Covid-19 The global pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our lives and has caused significant currency movement over the past few months. The GBP/EUR exchange rate, for example, has fluctuated in a range of 15 cents. The pairing fell from a pre-crisis high of €1.20 to a low of €1.05 in March 2020, before recovering much of its losses in April. That movement would have meant the difference of €€15,000 on a £100,000 currency transfer. Other currency pairs have been similarly affected, with GBP/USD briefly dropping to a 35-year low as investors
1 Forward contract With a forward contract you can fix the exchange rate for up to a year ahead of making a transfer. While you would miss out if the exchange rate suddenly strengthened you’d be protected from any negative movements. 2 Rate alert With a rate alert you can target an exchange rate higher than the current market level. Simply pick the exchange rate you want to achieve and Currencies Direct will let you know by text or email as soon as the market moves to that level. 3 Limit order With a limit order you set your target exchange rate and your transfer is triggered automatically if the market moves to that level. 4 Expert insight Currencies Direct will keep you up-to-date with the latest market movements and help you pick the best time to move your money. Exchange rates are always moving and the current period of heightened volatility is expected to continue, but by looking into your options and taking a proactive approach you can get more for your money. Currencies Direct has helped over 325.000 individuals and businesses move money abroad since 1996. The company has an ‘Excellent’ Trustscore on Trustpilot, over 20 global offices and a team of more than 500 currency experts.
For more detailed information, please contact the local of fice on 2 8 9 3 9 5 7 3 9 or register at currenciesdirect .com/portugal
to get regular updates on the currency markets .
( U s e A l g a r ve P LU S m a g a z i n e a s t h e re f e re n c e .) .
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If you need to move money abroad, Currencies Direct offers a range of services that you can use to protect your currency transfer from exchange rate volatility.
ALGARVE P L U S
HEN YOU move money abroad the exchange rate you secure for your transfer can make a big difference to how much you receive. But exchange rates move on a minute-by-minute basis, with some currency pairs moving by as much as five percent in a matter of days. Some of the factors which have an impact on exchange rates include: Economic data – including unemployment figures and inflation stats Political developments – like general elections and – of course – Brexit Commodity prices – particularly fluctuations in the price of crude oil Environmental factors – like the bush fires in Australia However, in 2020 there’s been one main cause of exchange rate volatility – the coronavirus crisis.
Protecting your currency transfers
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flocked to safe haven currencies. As the currency market can move so rapidly it can be difficult to pick the best time to move your money – but that’s where leading currency transfer providers like Currencies Direct can help.
HUMPH PLUS
AND finally LO C K D OW N H A S M E A NT D I FFER ENT TH I N G S TO D I F F E R E N T P E O P L E B U T I T H A S TA U G H T U S A L L L E S S O N S T H AT W I L L S TAY W I T H U S F O R E V E R S AY S ANTHONY MARTIN
T ALGARVE P L U S
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ODAY IS APRIL 25th, my forty-first day of
lockdown and my thoughts and feelings are, like everybody else’s, all over the place. Over the years our lives have become accustomed to the random hiccups that occur, and the occasional need to reroute from a pre-designated path in order to achieve our objectives. However, up to now the blockages that we have come up against have been tangible, things that we can comprehend and, in comprehending, therefore know which route to take to get back on track. But not this... this is new. This is neither tangible nor understandable and, worst of all, the people who are making the decisions regarding our lives are the politicians, who are running around like headless chickens as they know bugger-all about anything other than politics, how to score points against the opposition, and getting themselves and their sound-bites on television. We are told that in February, not only did the UK ship hundreds of thousands of pieces of PPE to China but the Prime Minister who, we are informed, doesn’t work weekends, couldn’t bring himself to attend four COBRA meetings where strategy was discussed. Daily we hear of the inability of our leaders to organise the proverbial brewery activity; is this surprising? No, because they are professional politicians, not business executives or better still, military personnel who have the organisational skills for procurement of much-needed items. They represent the two sectors that should have been tapped for their best talents. History will look back on this time and wonder why, with everything that we have achieved in the past 100 years, nothing was learnt from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1914, and even now, it appears that the world’s greatest epidemiologists and virologists cannot agree on the way forward; every country has differing ideas regarding testing, containment and immunity. This worries me. For my family and others, it frightens me. And talking history, from time immemorial, invasions – and Covid-19 is an invader – always produced the same response. First there were the lookouts who would light
beacons; these would be picked up by others who would light more: these signals would be seen by the townsfolks who would immediately sound the alarm, raise the drawbridge and lower the portcullis, thereby sealing themselves off. What a good idea. The British Isles (there is a clue in the name) could, if it had wished, easily sealed itself off. They had the warning beacons, but did they raise the drawbridge or lower the portcullis – no they bloody didn’t – it might upset business. Instead they still have 15,000 bods arriving daily without being screened. This is a blatant case of putting commerce first. What did they do – work out an average cost-per-head of collateral damage (for collateral damage read deaths) with the equation presumably taking into account the savings made on the pensions that will not have to paid to an aging population? Shame on you UK government. Shame on you on so many counts.
The politicians are running around like headless chickens
On a lighter note... lessons learned at home – Beds are more comfortable at 10:30am – Coffee and cake at 11:30am can become addictive – Lunch isn’t necessary – Social media is resulting in a world of moronic conspiracy believers – When deciding to do the job you have been putting off for years – do it then or you will keep putting it off – Don’t try to cut your own hair – it’s possible but not to be recommended – Before a Zoom meeting in the kitchen, remove last night’s dishes – Don’t hold a Zoom meeting using a Dell laptop unless you want to show off the insides of your nostrils – I should have bought shares in Zoom – The air of the Algarve is not pollution-free – Contrary to the beliefs of Quentin Crisp, layers of dust do get thicker over time – The term ‘self-clean oven’ is an oxymoron – It is not necessary to iron underwear and never iron socks – they lose their elasticity – Bathroom scales don’t lie – Never put a jigsaw back in the drawer if you know there are four pieces missing – And finally... cheating at Scrabble is acceptable . .
REF: 7Q20102