WAGS 12.01.2022: Luckless Leader Again, and Paul Gets The Blame

 It was Lady Bracknall who said: 

"To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness." 

Of course, it was just the Leader´s bad luck -  Heaven forfend we should call it carelessness - that for the second week running his café of choice should be closed.

You see, what happened was this: the café we were expecting to find open like this

had become closed like this

and so we had to resort to the smaller, rather more down-market establishment close by.

Where and how Paul comes into the story will be divulged later.

Meanwhile here is Rod´s remarkably up-beat report.

Balked yet again by website misinformation about café opening hours, we found our usual café closed for extensive refurbishment. We were this time however saved by the convenient existence of a café next door but one. It was there that  gathered John, Hazel and Geraldine, Maria, Yves, Rod and indeed Myriam, yes indeed Myriam,  now seemingly on the road to a fully repaired phalange in her right little toe. (Now here's a suggestion...maybe some erudite blogger would care to expand on the connection between a toe bone ; phalange and the right wing, catholic movement in Spain, Falange and its sister movement in Lebanon, Phalangists....see what you have started Myriam!).

And so, after a short drive to the ford over the Bensafrim R on the back road between Cotifo and Bensafrim, and after the Starter Photo

off we set, with an small early diversion to avoid a particularly large herd of cattle (one of whom seemed to be suffering from what we subsequently learned from the web to be botulism. Ed). 

We walked uneventfully up the east side of the long valley heading north 

Time to strip

and eventually turned up to the east along the track up to Palm Tree Farm (as it is known by the local riding community). Despite rumours  over the years of various redevelopment projects it has remained unchanged and the resident caretaker with whom we have passed the time of day during years gone by was nowhere to be seen.  

Palm Tree Farm - you have been warned

Palm Tree Farm -a delicately balanced bulldozer

We descended some way down the track on the other side until we eventually turned up a narrow trail to the right back up to the ridge. Here the land has all been cleared but as yet not to the extent that it  threatens to become yet another avocado or photovoltaic project.

 

 The track along the  spine of the ridge as we headed south has splendid views to the south and west. On the descent our diversionary expert, Yves, took one of his regular decisions to take an alternative route. The now open landscape allowed him to remain in sight however so search parties remained inactive. 

View halloo- - there he goes

  Down below on the flat again JohnH decided it was time to enliven proceedings by sliding gracefully into a mud bath.  He wisely chose the moment just when he was surrounded by two sympathetic ladies, who comfortingly helped him to his feet...the men, and wife and daughter, of course remained laughing in the background. 

(If slipping is what you fancy, the Algarve does an exceptionally good mud, I can assure you. Ed)

No harm done -  on the move, as right as rain.

 We took a slightly different return path, passing by a couple of rather forlorn calves that seemed to have become separated from the main herd, and so back to the cars. 

Hazel washes her boots in the river, being ever-considerate of the interior of her driver´s car

Flowers in the hair -  Spring is in the air.

The Track and the Statistics

(These are the abbreviated statistics. Those enthusiasts who wish to study the more detailed and clinical analysis provided by Rod´s Outlander gizmo are invited to do their own research by copying, pasting and then clicking on this link. 

https://www.outdooractive.com/en/r/233328889?utm_source=unknown&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=user-shared-social-content 

Recommended. It will give them a lot more information; unfortunately I haven´t yet found a way to load it onto the Blog. Ed.) 

 Paul meantime had been in touch and had arranged a table in the café from which we had set off. Although small, they very willingly prepared most generous bifanas and tostas. The square there in Odeáxere is becoming extremely well endowed with cafes, a completely new one appearing on the windmill side. When our original one reopens we will indeed have plenty of choice for walks in that region.

Myriam, for one, had expected that Paul would explore the other possibilities for lunch available in Odeáxere rather than just settle for the  Cantinho Da Rosa, but there you go. As it was, the sun soon dipped behind the building and we all began to feel the chill and to get our warm clothing out.

Maria helped or hindered by Antje?

Antje had warm socks

No, we were NOT patronising the Hi-Pro Feeds establishment

Rod had a splendid tosta

There were bifanas but the Photographer neglected his duties.

Some one needs to keep a close eye on that photographer. He´s slipping up too much. The bifanas, ample and made with shredded pork, were excellent and merited a close-up photo or two.

There were some interesting cars to be seen in the town. This one hasn´t moved for some time:-

but this one was much better cared for:-

A Mitsubishi Eclispe (Spyder ?). 1996 number plate ?

Myriam went exploring after the meal and found that we could have gone to the new place by the Mill  AND have sat in the sunshine too!

Bifanas com alface, would you believe, and tapas. Wow!

And now a piece of folk philosophy to close with. Twice on recent walks, the topic of doing the washing-up has come up. I knew that there was a bit in a UK newspaper about that recently, and eventually I have found it. Here it is:

" How to be loved.  Always wash up. Wash up while you cook. Wash up after dinner. Wash up while at friends´ houses. Keep washing up. Never ask to wash up. Just wash up. Don´t ever say “I´d love to wash up but I don´t know where anything goes”. That means you don´t want to wash up. Just wash up. And everyone, everywhere, will love you."

I was struggling  a bit to think of closing music this week, and then of course....