A Messines Christmas and an Armacao de Pera New Year

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer. Pre-scheduling hiccups over Christmas week means this won't actually be published until Monday though. Oops!
And my Month In Books for December will appear tomorrow.

We are now back at Camping Canelas, Armacao de Pera for three nights over New Year before we move on somewhere different on Wednesday. We spent Christmas out in the tranquil rural bliss of Camperstop Messines and the pictures are from the Christmas Day brunch which was a fun get-together for everybody on the campsite. We all brought a plate of food to share and sat around in the sunshine chatting. Dave and I got to try Dutch and Belgian foods including an interesting White Cabbage With Raisins salad which sounded odd to me, but the sweet fruit worked well with the sharpness of lightly pickled cabbage! I contributed two dozen Oatcakes piled with Chilli Lentil Spread - didn't look too exciting, but they all vanished! The other Brits there really went to town and made delicious Banoffee Pie.

We didn't really get organised for Christmas this year so our only hanging 'decorations' on Christmas Eve were actually drying laundry and we hardly had anything in the way of edible treats either! We're making up for that for New Year though. I made another batch of Slow Cooker Chocolate Fudge this afternoon. I suddenly realised a couple of days ago that I'll need vegan fudge (if there's any left) on New Year's Day though because, well, Veganuary! Fortunately when we first arrived in Portugal I spotted Condensed Coconut Milk in a supermarket alongside regular dairy Condensed Milk. I didn't previously know that Condensed Coconut Milk was a Thing. Unfortunately I didn't buy a tin at the time and haven't seen it again since. Grrr! But I wondered if it might be easy to make myself and googled it. Turns out it's so easy that I don't think the method even qualifies for the word recipe!! Guess what I'm experimenting with today?

In bookish news, I am currently reading a review copy of Nigerian novel The Bead Collector by Sefi Atta which is published by fab international publishers Interlink. This is the same company that publishes one of my favourite authors, Mhani Alaoui. They're currently looking for more bloggers to work with so if you're interested, let me know and I'll pass your name across!

Giveaways closing soon
31st Dec: Literary Flits Spotlight Post (for authors who want free book promo)
3rd Jan: My Dream Woman by C H Clepitt ebook
6th Jan: Derrick by Russell ebooks
(All current giveaways here)

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
My Top Ten New-to-me Authors of 2018 #Top10of2018
Cover Love: My Favourite 2018 Book Covers #Top10of2018
State Of The ARC - December 2018
Best of the Best: My Favourite Books of the Year #Top10of2018

Literary Flits
Betwixt by Evie Gaughan review + Free Book
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens review
Headstrong by Patrick Link audiobook review
The Broke Vegan Bible by Lauren McCuen review
Secrets Of Islay by Robert Kroeger review
The Book Of Fathers by Miklos Vamos review
The Waves by Virginia Woolf audiobook review

Airing Out
No new campsites this week

¡Happy New Year!

Graffiti street art near Armacao de Pera

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

We had eight fab nights at Armacao de Pera with several pleasant dune walks and a couple of cycle rides into the town for supermarket shopping. Food shopping is often a dull chore back in the UK, but for some reason I think it becomes far more entertaining overseas especially if I get to the shops and back under my own steam, and if I am buying food in a different language. There's all sorts of new packs and jars to investigate! We have noticed over the years though that globalisation has meant items are often packaged in exactly the same style regardless of the country we are in. For example a washing-up liquid bottle looks identical in England, France, Spain, Portugal,... On one hand this is good because it's easier to find what we need, but on the other hand much of the excitement of unexpected purchases has gone.

Our walks took us past now-abandoned and graffitied mills and storerooms from the wheat production that apparently used to be a major Algarve industry in the Arab era and beyond. Wheat was planted in between olive and carob trees so farmers could get three crops from the one piece of land. This still happens on a small scale, but I think it must be quite labour intensive to harvest wheat when there isn't room for large combine harvesters to manoeuvre. Probably not economically viable any more.

In bookish news, I read my Christmas Dickens which this year was Great Expectations and I will be blogging my review on Christmas Day. I've also got my review of a suitably chilling Christmas Eve story for you - and links to download it for free.

Giveaways closing soon
I don't have any giveaways closing this week, but please join me in congratulating Joanna who won the Unexpected America by Wanjiru Warama ebook giveaway. I hope you enjoy your prize Joanna!
(All current giveaways here)

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
2018 Reading Challenges WrapUp
Top 10s of 2018 signup
My new 2019 Reading Challenges

Literary Flits
Derrick by Russell + #Giveaway + Excerpt
A la folie ... pas du tout! by Valerie-Anne Baglietto review
Trespass by Rose Tremain review
My Dream Woman by C H Clepitt review + #Giveaway
Taxi Tales: The Fragrant Lady by Ergun Gunduz graphic novel review
Aya Dane by Mhani Alaoui review + Author Interview
The Passion According To Carmela by Marcos Aguinis review

Airing Out
Campsite - Camping Canelas - Armacao De Pera - Algarve - Portugal

A beautiful beach at Armacao de Pera

Armacao de Pera 

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

We've actually been camped up in two places this week: Camperstop Messines at Sao Bartolomeu de Messines and Armacao de Pera, but we're intending to return to Messines for eight nights over Christmas so I'll talk about Armacao de Pera today. It's a seaside town with a gorgeous long sandy beach and our campsite, Camping Canelas, is just a little inland. It's about a 2km walk or cycle along the Ecovia from the campsite to get to the edge of the white painted town with its smattering of cafes and restaurants. So far we've explored on foot in one direction and by bicycle in the other. Sitting with tea at a cafe while gazing out at a sea sunset is bliss!

Away from the town, there's a long wooden boardwalk above the dunes which we cycled this afternoon. It was tricky because, being a sunny Sunday, there were quite a few pedestrians and the boardwalk was only just wide enough for them and wobbly me. Sometimes I really do wish I'd learned to ride a bike as a child rather than having done so as an adult. Dave is a far more fearless cyclist than I am and I know my insistence on slowing right down for anything other than smooth tarmac road surfaces is annoying. He's very patient about it though!

In bookish news, I'm currently reading the new C H Clepitt novella, My Dream Woman. It's feisty diverse urban fantasy with fun characters that I'm enjoying spending time with. My review should appear before Christmas.

Giveaways closing soon
19th Dec: Unexpected America by Wanjiru Warama ebook
20th Dec: $50 Amazon gift card
(All current giveaways here)

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
I complete my 2018 Alphabet Soup Challenge!
Stephanie Jane's #Giveaway #Linkup

Literary Flits
Song of Sacrifice by Janell Rhiannon + #Giveaway + Excerpt
Watching Aliens by Elancharan Gunasekaran review + #FreeBook
Rust Is A Form Of Fire by Joe Fiorito review
The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga review
Dickensen Academy by Christine Grabowski spotlight
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher audiobook review
Lindisfarne by Terry Tyler review

Airing Out
Campsite - Camperstop Messines - Algarve - Portugal

Christmas lights at Tavira

We took an evening walk into Tavira last week. It's pretty rare for us to go out after dark, but we fancied a curry from one of the several Indian restaurants in the town and we wanted to admire Tavira's Christmas lights when they were all lit up. There's a blue and white theme which is particularly effective and I loved how the lights had been strung around the bandstand, plus the town has done a great job of decorating the old Roman bridge.

My phone hasn't really done the lights justice, but hopefully you get the idea!

Camping with the Portuguese Police!

Tavira 

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

That headline caught your eye, didn't it?!
This week we pitched up at Parque de Campismo da PSP which is a largish campsite at Tavira on the Portuguese Algarve. It feels rural with olive and carob trees for shade and terraces that are only vaguely marked into pitches. The campsite is actually owned by the Portuguese police and is only open to police families in the summer, but at this time of year anyone can camp here. The facilities are pretty good and we've enjoyed playing on the outdoor gym each evening! It's not a cheap option (€16.70 per night), but is beautifully peaceful and very handy for walking and cycling into Tavira.

Tavira is a lovely old town - a jewel of the Algarve! We visited here five years ago and it's still great. We cycled out to our previous camping spot - Cabanas - a pretty seasidey village to reminisce.

View from Cabanas 

What I've been particularly looking forward to showing you though is Street Poetry! Instead of the more usual street art, Tavira has placards up at various places displaying the poems of famous Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. Each poem is printed in Portuguese, Spanish and English so I could guess at the original meaning and then read the English translation to see how close I got! Dave and I are talking about buying a book of Pessoa's poetry which is great because I need a fifth Portuguese author for WorldReads! These are two of my favourites from Tavira: (Click in to the photos to enlarge them)

In bookish news I am currently reading The Light Of The Fireflies by Paul Pen. Is saw this one reviewed on Daniela's Bookiverse blog a while back which reminded me Dave had a borrowable copy on his Amazon account. It's a gripping, but seriously strange story so far.


Giveaways closing soon
5th Dec : Kindle HD Fire and The Lights Of Time book
(All current giveaways here)

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
State Of The ARC - November 2018
A Month In Books - November 2018

Literary Flits
The Diary by Vikki Patis review
The Blogger Trailmap by Chivi Frost review + #Giveaway
Death Going Down by Maria Angelica Bosco review
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger review
The Wooden Hill by Jamie Guiney review
The Lights of Time by Paul Ian Cross + #Giveaway + Excerpt
Christmas At Black Cherry Retreat by Angela Britnell review

Airing Out
Campsite - Parque de Campismo da PSP - Tavira - Algarve - Portugal

I will finish with this YouTube that Dave found during the week. Love it!

A rainy week at Isla Cristina + a new Kirsty McGee #Kickstarter

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

We've spent this week at Camper Park Playas De Luz which is just outside Isla Cristina in Andalusia. The campsite only opened in August of this year and consists of a two tiered gravelled plateau overlooking marshlands. Dave chose it for its proximity to a via verde which runs directly alongside the campsite entrance. We thought we would be able to cycle for quite a distance in two directions to explore the area. Unfortunately torrential rain on our first night followed by more rain on pretty much every other day has rendered the via verde more a canal so not ideal for cycling! We've had a few walks - tiptoeing along its edges! - though and cycled into Isla Cristina for shopping and sightseeing. The older part of town is pretty and quaint. I loved a seated statue of a man reading (couldn't spot a sculptor's name).

I was put off by the state of the litter- and glass-strewn cycle path over the bridge into town - and having to push my bike back with a puncture one time. Even by Spanish standards, the roadway looked uncared for. Once into town it was ok though and the red painted cycle route around the edge of town is nice to ride along.

We actually shopped at a Lidl too! Having been quite rude about them in the past because I couldn't ever find food there that I wanted to eat, I discovered this week that Spanish Lidls at least have improved drastically over the last few years! They had organic fresh fruit and vegetables, plus a good range of preprepared vegetarian foods. I had thought vegetarian and vegan food would be much more difficult to find in Spain, but in the supermarkets at least it's been as easy as in France and the UK.

For music fans amongst us,

There's A New Kirsty McGee Album On Kickstarter!!

Get pledging! I love Kirsty's music and she needs £5500 or the album won't happen. Pleeez join me?!

In bookish news I am currently (finally?) getting into the Christmas spirit by reading Christmas At Black Cherry Retreat by Angela Britnell. I got a copy as part of it's Rachel's Random Resources blog tour - Rachel gets some great books on her tours. Take a look and sign up your blog if you haven't already!


Giveaways closing soon
28th Nov: Anthony Spaeth books giveaway at Dab Of Darkness
29th Nov: An Unpromised Land by Leon Gettler audiobook giveaway at Dab Of Darkness
See all giveaways and free books in my Giveaway Linkup

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
2019 New Release Challenge sign-up post

Literary Flits
The Bees by Laline Paull review
Divided We Stand by Rachel McLean spotlight
Hildegard of Bingen by Honey Meconi review
Sweet Days Of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy review
Becoming Someone by Anne Goodwin review
The Dragon and the Lumberjack by S W Ellenwood spotlight + excerpt
The Girl And The Rat by Jari Jarvela review

Artisan Rainbow
Westie #Scottie Dog Tree Decoration by Cherish Handmade
House Number Sign by Sol Pixie Dust
Ceramic Daisy #Flower by JG Ceramic Gifts
Stained Glass #Mistletoe by Mayfly Mosaics
#Kawaii #Penguin Key Charm by Claytive Designs
#Snowman Toilet Roll Cover by Tilly Knits Shop
Upcycled Book Apple Ornament by Creaton Crafts

Airing Out
Campsite - Playas De Luz - Isla Cristina - Andalusia - Spain

Stained Glass #Mistletoe by Mayfly Mosaics

Upcycled Book Apple Ornament by Creaton Crafts

Red kites, Azure-winged magpies and our first Hoopoe of the season

on the walk into Caceres 

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

Of course, none of those amazing birds in this post's title would sit still for me to get their photographs so you'll have to take my word for us having seen them! There were dozens of kites soaring majestically as we drove across the Spanish plateau this week, and we had a chattering little flock of the Azure-winged magpies at Camping Caceres where we stayed for four nights. We last visited this campsite almost exactly five years ago and it's still great, both as a campsite and as a stopping point from which to visit the historic city. They've improved the free wifi too! The weird street-art bug pictured above was spotted on our hike up over the hills into Caceres. There were gorgeous views too - and a cheap and convenient bus back! The transport was especially appreciated because we indulged in our first Menu Del Dia, a three course lunch accompanied by wine/beer and a complimentary 'Bellota'. Bellota (pronounced bay-otta) was a new discovery. It's a rather moreish liqueur made from Cork Oak acorns. Gotta try these local specialties! Meson San Juan is a very Spanish little restaurant with a wonderful atmosphere. Well worth a visit

Excellent Menu del Dia lunch! 

It's been a strange week of highs and lows. We saw the incredible Segovia aqueduct for the first time. It's nearly two thousand years old and is a breathtakingly beautiful achievement. From the free aire where we parked up, we could walk alongside the aqueduct into central Segovia. It started at maybe a metre tall and is over 28 metres high by the end!

Segovia aqueduct 

Dave earned my applause for actually reading through the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement when it was made available this week. Of course it's not written in remotely accessible language so we still don't know if we will be able to continue travelling willy-nilly as we have loved doing these past five years, or if our freedom will be abruptly curtailed on March 29th. We're hearing of many other lives effectively being put on hold out here too because STILL no one knows what will happen. Retired Brit ex-pats who rely on their EHIC cards to get healthcare in France and Spain may have to return to the UK, just as the NHS is haemorrhaging EU nurses and support staff so won't be able to provide care. Spanish news yesterday was talking about all the people who live on Gibraltar and work in Spain and vice-versa. Will they be eligible (or even able) to cross a hard border every day? Meanwhile, watching the stupid Tories back home bickering and backstabbing each other instead of making a fucking decision is so frustrating! Aargh!!

El Burgo de Osma porticoed street 

In 'Amazing News' on the other hand, I have almost caught up with replying to and returning all my blog comments! And this is a much more enjoyable pastime than politics :-) Yay me and yay you all for stopping by. I love seeing you all here and on my other blogs :-)

In bookish news and (if I remember tomorrow!) linking up with What Are You Reading at The Book Date, I am currently reading Becoming Someone by Anne Goodwin. I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for Anne's new book and am loving this short story collection.


Giveaways closing soon
None closing this week
See all giveaways and free books in my Giveaway Linkup

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
Stephanie Jane's #FreeBook and #Giveaway Linkup

Literary Flits
Hearts Among Ourselves by A Happy Umwagarwa review
The Shapes Of Dogs' Eyes by Harry Gallon review
The Janitor and the Spy by S W Ellenwood spotlight + Q and A
Angel In The Shadows by Walter Lucius review
Driving Whiskey Wild by Melissa Foster spotlight
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George review
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters review

Artisan Rainbow
Christmas Skirt by Interrobangirl
Felt Gingerbread Man by Silvernight Studios
Reindeer Antlers Wire Headband by Scarlet Tiaras
Divers Print by Dreamy Meisme
Thistle Door Wreath by HL Freelance Florist
Rose And Violet Chocolate Truffles by Truffle Witch
Unicorn Dream Catcher by Cala Lily Treasures

Airing Out
Aire - El Burgo De Osma - Castile y Leon - Spain
Aire - Segovia - Castile y Leon - Spain
Campsite - Camping Caceres - Extremadura - Spain
Aire - Jerez de los Caballeros - Extremadura - Spain

Church tower in Jerez de los Caballeros 

Segovia street sculpture 

Thistle Door Wreath by HL Freelance Florist

Unicorn Dream Catcher by Cala Lily Treasures 

We're in Spain!

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

So having said in last Sunday's post that we would soon be on our travels again, I can now let you know that we are! We're already in Spain! The street art photo above was taken in the little old town of Falces where we spent one night (for free) in their lovely aire (a dedicated motorhome parking area) and walked up through the new town into the steep narrow streets of the historic old town. The two photos below show a view across Falces from the highest point within the town and, below it, the remains of what we think were troglodyte homes in sandstone cliffs above the town. I turned 180° on the spot to take each picture - a mind blowing contrast!

Prior to Falces we had parked up for two other nights on free aires in France, one at Castet en Dorthe where we were with yards of the picturesque Garonne canal, and one at Sauveterre in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains. We had to drive over the Pyrenees of course in order to get from France to Spain and I was glad that Dave did most of the winding-road driving. We have travelled along scarier roads in the past, but not in such a big vehicle! 

I've started keeping notes of our motorhome stopping points at a new Airing Out blog so I can remember where we have been and what we thought of each place. We want to take advantage of the free stopovers that we were excluded from as caravanners and I'm pleased with how we're doing so far - free stopovers for all of the past five nights. Click the place names in this post to visit their Airing Out pages for more photos and details of each one.

In bookish news and linking up with What Are You Reading at The Book Date, I am currently reading Hearts Among Ourselves by A Happy Umwagarwa, a Rwandan novel. I'm expecting it to be a pretty emotional read, but have only just started so I'll let you know in its Literary Flits review in a couple of days.


Giveaways closing soon
14/11: Signed copy of Thalidomide Kid by Kate Rigby
(See all giveaways in my Giveaway Linkup)

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
#WorldReads - Five Books From Jamaica
Challenge Wrapup October - Bookish Bingo
#ReadingWomen - November 2018

Literary Flits
Xingu by Edith Wharton review
Monarchy by David Starkey review
Cordial Killing by Vikki Walton + #Giveaway + #Recipe
Fishing for Māui by Isa Pearl Ritchie review
Children Of The Ghetto: My Name Is Adam by Elias Khoury review
The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan review
Thalidomide Kid by Kate Rigby review + giveaway

Artisan Rainbow
Crackers Christmas Card by Emoticubes
On Fleek Frida Kahlo Button Badge by The Artful Badger UK
Harris Tweed Pencil Case by Just Sew Yorkshire
Ivy Leaf Light Garland by Lumiihome
Sleeping Unicorn Card Kit by Della By Design
Skull Boots by Rock Your Sole
Panda Bear Print by Madame Memento

Airing Out
Tavistock Camping and Caravanning Club Campsite - Devon - England
Aire - Castet En Dorthe - Gironde - France
Aire - Sauveterre de Bearn - Pyrenees-Atlantique - France

Castet En Dorthe 

Sauveterre 

Skull Boots by Rock Your Sole 

Autumn colours in Chef Boutonne

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

I'm feeling pleased with myself right now because I submitted this year's tax return about an hour ago! It doesn't actually have to be completed until the end of January, but I don't know how good our wifi will be once we're moving around this winter so I thought getting it done before we go would be best. A note for other UK self assessment-ers, HMRC is migrating to a new system (all groan together) which requires new identity verifications. I could do mine ok online, but it took me twice as long to actually prove I was me than it did to fill out the tax form itself!

On that moving around theme, we're packing up our Hymer motorhome this weekend ready to depart to warmer climes on Tuesday morning. Of course not having travelled properly in it yet nothing has its set place so I am gaily stowing things in cupboards that seem logical right now, but I know as soon as we get on the road I'll be wanting to change everything around to more convenient locations - which will confuse Dave no end!

We had a lovely walk a couple of days ago, just locally. The trees here are looking beautifully autumnal with glorious colours. Sorry the orange maple tree isn't in sharper focus. The lizard was by a roadside and, sadly, already dead although it didn't look at all squashed. It's the biggest lizard either of us had seen which was pretty fab. The name is underwhelming though. On googling we discovered it is (or was) a French Green Lizard.

In bookish news and linking up with What Are You Reading at The Book Date I finished a great New Zealand novel yesterday: Fishing For Maui by Isa Pearl Ritchie. It's about a family trying to cope with individual issues and overcoming the social stigmas of their Maori ancestry. Complex but very readable. Full review to be published on Literary Flits on the 8th as part of a Rachel's Random Resources blog tour.

And on this blog tomorrow I'll be posting WorldReads from Jamaica so do pop back for that!

Giveaways closing soon
8/11: Cheeky Panda bundle from Ethical Superstore
8/11: $25 Amazon gift cards
(See all giveaways in my Giveaway Linkup)

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
A Month in Books - October 2018
State Of The ARC - October 2018

Literary Flits
Painting Blue Water by Leigh Fossan spotlight
Macbeth by Jo Nesbo review
Witching Hour: Sinister Legends Anthology spotlight + Giveaway
Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen review
Death Comes In Through The Kitchen by Teresa Dovalpage review
The Forgotten Pioneer by Anthea Ramsey review
Niedermayer And Hart by M J Johnson review

Artisan Rainbow
Rudolph Enamel Trinket Dish by Maisy Plum
Autumn Leaves Crochet Shawl by Parkview Creative
Dachshund Brooch by Ellies Treasures UK
Pottery Mug by Mudness Ceramics
Bird Cake Kit by A Short Walk
Witch Kitty Plush Toy by The Purple Saurus
Paint Rainbows Art Print by Dream Capture Artwork

Dave's neatly sawn and stacked log pile 

row of bee hives (not ours!)