Thoughts of a practical nature

We have been here now for just over 5 weeks with 5 days left before we leave, so time to think about the coming days.

Don't forget to click on the photos to see the larger image.

It's quite amazing what two people accumulate in 5 plus weeks, in addition to the extra personal weight from eating way too much excellent Portuguese bread and desserts and, I suppose, too much food in general. But we have been very judicious about eating out and have done so, apart from on our trips, only 3 times since we have been here. Ruth has prepared great dinners with lots of vegetables and mostly fish for protein. That should be good, correct? But desserts, sangria, black olives, wine and snacks are clearly the enemy, so, in spite of walking 5 or more kilometres every day there is fairly clear evidence that too many of those calories have remained on board. Fortunately the airline will not count that in our weight limit. 


Accumulation of calories will definitely have to be taken more seriously when we get home.

And now we have to be attentive to what food we buy so that we can use it up, without over eating, before we leave so that we don't have to throw food out. Ruth has, as you might imagine, lists that make sure that is all sorted out.

The next accumulation matter for attention is that of things purchased while we were here - personal things and gifts, all of which must find a place in the available suit case space. It turns out that Ruth has accumulated more personal stuff than I and she has also attended to the matter of gifts more than I. So, in spite of an acknowledged significantly limited sense of how much will fit into any given space, she will also take responsibility for sorting out this matter of space. 

Fortunately, what she lacks in the sphere of space assessment she more than makes up for in the capacity to adapt to the impending crisis, from my point of view, when it appears that there may not be enough room to accommodate all the stuff in the closet.  One bag is already packed and, at least at this point, there is general, though cautious, optimism that the extra duffle we brought in my suitcase, the space freed up by removal of the duffle and the expansion capacity in my case will provide the necessary extra volume. 

Of course, we will only be sure next Tuesday evening when everything, even those things we have forgotten to include on the list, will have to find a place, or the gods forbid, be left behind.

Stay tuned.




The photos included may seem, on the surface, to have nothing to do with this somewhat frivolous commentary. 


But they were taken on my way to or at the beach this morning while I was trying to avoid thinking about the matter under discussion here. So, in that context, they are at least somewhat relevant.