This morning I thought I’d pick some more figs for drying and discovered that they naturally dry on the tree, they just need picking before they fall; so we now have two trays of semi dried figs on the table outside in the sunshine.
At lunchtime we went, with Pam and Mark, into Castelo Branco for our Portuguese class introductory lunch. There were ten students there; the four of us, Gail and Steve, and four other ladies, who have lived here 5/3/2 years and 3 ½ months. The class will be taught by Pastor Allen, who is an American; his wife and Gail had prepared a lovely buffet lunch, the most exciting part for the four of us was ice in the drinks!! It was all very friendly and we’re quite excited about actually starting to learn the language properly.
On our way home we called into see Mark and Glenn; they have cut their roof timbers and are assembling them on the ground, to check measurements etc before they’re lifted into place. It’s a work of art; huge timber beams with lovely hand cut joints, held together with laser cut steel plates (painted black) and large steel nuts and bolts – like something out of ‘Grand Designs’ – I should have taken a photo.
After tea we met up with Pam and Mark (again!) to go to the festa in Penamacor; the literature said there were artisan stalls and live music. The artisan stalls were all local crafts people, nothing commercial, it was really quaint; there was a man selling chorizo from his free range, acorn fed, black pigs – we tasted some, it was delicious; of course we bought some. There was local honey, biscuits, hand woven rugs, paintings by a local artist, jewellery, stuff made out of cork and a few other stalls – next year there will be a local glass artist, local quilt maker and papier mache artist!
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