WAGS 23.11.2022:Messines Memories

We will start this blog with some music because Paul slipped a music link into his comment on last week´s edition and, continuity being important, we should not miss the piece.

Now that that is over, we can turn our attention to Wednesday´s outing which was an attempt by me to remember one of Terry Ames´s favourite tracks from Messines. We started from Cafe´ João de Deus despite it being shut for three days rest, because that is where we always start from. Traditions must be maintained. We were only five.

JohnH, Hazel, Maria, Rod and Yves.

 Apologies were received from Ingrid and Frank.

We walked past some of Messines´ stunning modern architecture

and received a cheery wave from one of its occupants.

A pause at the top of the first incline

Then our numbers were augmented by a flock of some hundred or so sheep and goats who accompanied us for the next one or two kilometres.

Their proud shepherd showed off a kid just a few days old

and this allowed Maria and Hazel to be suitably sentimental.

The flock then led us under the railway bridge which thankfully was not flooded.

 and up the hill to the St Ana Chapel.

where we had a long pause at the picnic benches while the shepherd told us his life story.

If I remember correctly, he came originally from Odemira where he had left his family; he had picked grapes near Perpignan but had not had enough time off work to learn French; he had driven heavy machinery; and was living in a converted container on his own land because the Camera refused to give him permission to build his own house.

Eventually we got the walk under way again, passing by a small barragem

which is the ideal site for playing skipping stones

Looking towards the Rio Arade and the Funcho Barragem.

Human memory being what it is, we lost our way when we came upon some Via Algarviana wayposts  which seem to have been uprooted by a disgruntled land owner. This caused us to lose our bearings and we only realised our mistake when we came up to a house with decorative statuary which should not have been on our route. 

Never mind, it gave Yves the opportunity to practice some of his artistic photography again with live models.

Un Tableau Vivant

and there were mushrooms

and cats.

Luckily for us, Rod had brought an electronic memory device with him which had details of the track we should have been taking so, without too much back tracking, we were soon on the correct road home and managed to get back to base with no great loss of time.

The other café, Café Kapheina, was open and there we found Terry and his carer Philippa waiting for us.

Modest average speed but 25 per cent of time spent standing still, most of it listening to the shepherd probably.

Café Kaphenia´s food and service gave  excellent value. Yyes ordered his food first, the speciality of the house, bifana baguette, so the waitress was very careful to serve everyone else their meal first, before triumphantly bringing him this masterpiece

Well worth the waiting for

 

Last week we had a puzzle. Sort these 16 random words into four groups of four connected words. The grid picture might have been misleading at first because it seemed to high light the names of four British Prime Ministers

but in fact the grid had seven words which could have been the names of Prime Ministers: Perceval, Major, Canning, Peel, Eden, Baldwin and Heath.

Here is the solution.

First row: all go with the words " Garden of.....".

Second row: these are the Prime Ministers.

Third row: famous majors, three fictional, one real life.

Fourth row: all synonyms of grassland or field.

This week´s puzzle is simpler:-

What can come next in this sequence?

and we will finish with some music too.

and one more time....