26th June CASTELO BRANCO

Another really hot day and tomorrow is supposed to be 42°). We moved the camper before we left; hoping that the new pitch would give it more shade from the sun. We checked emails (on the Kindle); there was one from Gary saying he was in Madrid, had been held up at gunpoint and robbed of all his money, credit cards etc. and could we send 2000€ to cover his hotel bill; it was a scam, his email account had been hijacked!

Brett continued digging behind the house and then started clearing one of the vegetable beds for me. Unfortunately once I’d watered all the plants and dug a few drainage ditches the heat got the better of me and I didn’t get my seeds sown.

I completed my quest to empty the large water tank by wasting it!!! I figured if I poured it onto the ground it would seep back to the water table anyway. We re-homed two of the three frogs that lived in the tank to the smaller tank (the third frog refused to be caught). The bottom of the tank was covered in a thick layer (6”) of stinky ‘primordial soup’, which Brett scooped out, and into the wheelbarrow, then I wheeled (slopping over my feet) and deposited behind the small tank, so that anything living could climb into the tank in the night. We managed to fish out the large newt thing, about 10” long, wide head, marbled body, that we’d seen coming up for air, and re-homed him in the smaller tank too;

Newt thingy

Then, as we were flushing the remnants of the soup out of the tank another newt came through the tube (so we put her with her mate). We half filled the tank with fresh water; it took half an hour with our super duper water pump but we didn’t want to run the engine for too long in the heat. And then we got in, up to our thighs; it was exceedingly cold and it made our ankles ache; but we got used to it after a while and it did a good job of cooling us down. When we got out we noticed the third frog swimming around; we have no idea where it had hidden while we finished cleaning out the tank, as the whole of it was scrubbed with a wire brush.

When we topped up the small tank, it leaks slightly so needs a daily top up, five of the green tree frogs were washed out of the spout; they obviously live in it.

Tree Frog - it looks greener in real life

On our way back to the campsite we saw two fires; one between Castelo Branco and Fundao (nearer Castelo Branco) and one in the distance. The estate agents said this wasn’t a fire risk area, I’d hate to live in an area that was!

The van was only 41.4°C, when we got back, so the new position seems to have helped a little bit; but not enough, so we went into town and bought a fan (which we left running all through the night). We cooked outside again and then realised we didn’t even fancy hot food; we’re drinking litres and litres of water; including some from our well, Brett more than me, we have been assured that it is drinkable.