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March 8th is International Women’s Day

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and there are many reports of today’s worldwide celebrations; there are lists of famous women who are remarkable for many reasons, women past and present who lead their chosen field in one way or another.  I thought I would salute one particular woman of the now and the future and share a unique piece of Portuguese Culture at the same time.

Shortly after I arrived in Portugal I was invited to attend the “Ribbon Ceremony” for the final year students at ESCS- Escola Superior de Comunicação Social, to watch Mr Ps youngest daughter, Lara, having her “Ribbons” being blessed.

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The Four Corners of Alentejo

Alentejo is a beautiful part of the world and Portugal in particular. It is famous for many things, including its stunning natural beauty, its history, and of course, its beaches. Here are four snapshots for today.  In the Northeast — Evora — one of our capital cities and one of our eldest cities, complete with ancient castle and university , quaint cobbled streets and one of the best cake shops ever!

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A Shed Story: 27 into 5 Does Not Go

Notwithstanding all the emotions involved the hardest part of moving several thousands of miles to a new country is what you take with you. Many people who undertake moves of this distance move en-masse as a family, often with the assistance of an outside agency such as work that will ultimately pay for your removals and help you through the last frantic months in one location and assist you at the other end. Large organisations have their own relocation services, either their own in-house or a specialist company contracted to do the same.

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Four Corners Revisited: My People

I am cheating a little and using the Four Corners concept to quickly introduce to you people and ideas so that future articles on Portugal make a lot more sense.

Introducing Mr P — who does not really wish to be on the internet at all. Ironically, I met Mr P online playing a rather silly game called Tribal Wars. Mr P was born in Morocco of French parents and has been living in Portugal for most of his life. He has a degree in Biology from Pau University. He speaks French, Portuguese and English extremely well and has knowledge of Spanish, Italian and German as well. He has a strong sense of history and of culture. The mix of our cultures and our language brings a lot of humour to our lives. We love to travel — not just in the broadest sense — but in the everyday sense of exploration; not only of ourselves and our lives but in the beauty found all around us. We have adventures everywhere! This picture was taken at our handfasting where we took our vows in front of friends and family.

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Portuguese Food is a Mediterranean Diet

One of the unexpected advantages of my move to Portugal is the change in my everyday diet and the results on my health and my weight.  Portugal is a low density population country, which means that its people can in most areas be fed by local foods and crops. Very few food miles – YEAH!

There are very few processed foods and very few frozen foods available where I am and almost everyone makes their food from scratch using fresh ingredients.  The nearest thing we have to a takeaway is a shop that sells freshly grilled chicken and a home cooked pizza shop where fresh pizzas are cooked on the premises.

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