Rainy day in Porto

Ola

We awoke to consistent rain that did not let up until 3.00pm, so we decided on another do nothing day. Bob went back to bed for a nap around midday while I tried to catch up on some blogs (but still didn’t advance very far).

When the rain stopped we did attend to fixing the rear side running light which was not working. Bob found that the wiring was disconnected, another victim of the rubbish bin that was mounted right of the edge of the gutter that the busted rear plastic molding got caught on. So after a bit of fiddling we were able to reconnect the wiring, then manoeuvre the busted light (you might recall it was broken when we picked up the van 8 weeks ago ) back into place and get it held solid with just one end screwed in. And we were able to use a scrubbing brush and some detergent to remove the surface marks - the result is that the panel is definitely more secure than when we picked up the van, and sitting more aligned with the way it should be. Job well done.

And the other great thing is that Pedro, the owner here, sourced a new screw cap lid for the toilet cassette,and picked it up in his way home. Cost - €8.20. He is our new hero for that.

Pedro also hosted a little Port tasting at 5pm, with 2 different Ports and some bread, their olive oil and almonds, and a cheese to go specifically with the 2nd Port, a 2019 Vintage. Pedro commented that it was notable for 2 things:

- firstly it was the year they opened the campground,
- secondly some guests tonight also were here in 2019 soon after they opened (guess who that was?)

We also got chatting to 2 couples. One a younger 30s’ish couple from the UK, travelling for 3 months (he works for Sound Cloud a music streaming app, she runs and manages the trip and is a content creator for their side hustle). They are suggesting that this trip is a way of deciding where they want to live for the longer term, which could be UK, Spain , Portugal, or Asia (she has Singaporean heritage). Instead of using their money for a house deposit they have bought an old 1965 Ford trades van, put a new v8 motor in it, and rebuilt the fit out before they embarked on the trip.

The other, older, Dutch couple also very interesting, he a Maintenance Tech working in Dementia Aged Care facilities, and she an Art Conservator who restores old paintings for a living (including a client in Perth that buys old paintings in Europe and sends them to her to restore before they get shipped to Perth). They also have sold their house and travelling for 12 months before deciding where they want to live (most like in the Dutch countryside). There was a loose Indonesian connection between the two couples and some discussion of cooking up an Indonesian feast tomorrow night- we offered to supply the wine!

Interesting evening.

Over and out for tonight