WAGS 2026 06 03: Conspiracy Theories and Bagpipes

 

I was never much taken with conspiracy theories myself, although I had noticed that, on a suspicious number of occasions over the past two years, whenever a WAGS member needed medical attention here in the Algarve, their appointments always fell on a Wednesday. But then recently, I needed to make an appointment myself for some entirely routine stuff connected with a big toe. "Oh yes, we can give you an early appointment. How would 3rd June at 10 am suit you?" "But that´s a Wednesday. Can´t you give me Tuesday or Thursday, please?" "Oh no. She only comes down from Lisboa on Wednesdays."

Now, I am not so sceptical.

And so it was that WAGS Quorum - I believe that three will just suffice -met at Bensafrim and ran into difficulties with the Starter photograph. Read all about it in Rod´s report which follows. 

A quorum, whatever that might be, this time of three; Myriam, Maria and Rod gathered at Bensafrim Market ever-busy cafe. Well, Paul also appeared ... although barely visible after his enforced starvation regime....but this was just to prove that he actually existed.

After coffee, the necessary photo shoot was attempted through a selfie process but this proved beyond anyone's capabilities so a suitable chap who looked as though he might not have anything better to do was called upon to push the button. His response was in a scottish burr but it took a while to realise that it was in fact none other than the Algarve's, or even Portugal's  one and only bagpiper, Malcolm MacGillivray.

Malcom MacGillivray, without his customary kilt

Paul was not a Starter

Nor were these other two figures.

Inevitably this delayed our departure  a bit but, after a while, we eventually set off, without any particular destination in mind, along the main track towards the Aljezur road.  We forked off to the west along a track we had taken before, which climbed gradually up to the ridge, before taking another track right down.

..which we had not previously been along....

 to the bottom of the valley and then ascending sharply to just north of the old wind mill which we know so well. 

We fiddled around there for a while before descending the long path down towards Fronteira  On the way we passed the big steel water tank which had been under construction for a while.

This is now solar operated and was still having its final electric and plumbing details fitted.

Fitted indeed by a guy on the job at the time....who said it was the water supply for some houses below in the valley. The only beneficiary there at the moment was a mobile home with various extensions which alone could hardly justify such an expensive tank. 

  Beyond that was an extensive fenced area occupied by a couple of well-built mares who became very friendly when offered some handfuls of wheat fro across the track.  And so on down to the Fronteira tarmac lane. A curious collection of houses this...some beautifully kept,  some old,  some under construction. we had a lengthy chat with one occupant who said her attractive house was now in its fourth generation of owners but that there were no more immediate heirs so it would probably be sold...to yet more foreigners! 

The lane is a cul-de-sac, and we saw no traffic but there must be some traffic sometime for nearly every driveway has a traffic mirror...at least it gave us some amusement taking silly reflected photos of ourselves. 

Then on back through Bensafrim,

Don´t ask

 .... along the now dry river and the little park  with bbq facilities and the solar calendar and sundial, not forgetting the unique tunnel-speaking tubes.

And so back to the Rota Algarviana restaurant where John and Hazel, who had been taking time out, were patiently waiting. And even Paul made a second curtain call!

Unfortunately our Leader had failed to ignite his OutdoorActive gizmo at the start so no formal record of the track exists but, at about 3 hours, although with several stops, it was probably around 7-8 k with a few hills thrown in.

The Track - rough area.

Ignore the red line.

The Lunch

Closing Music

These past few weeks, you have been entertained with (or subjected to -depending on your point of view) to extracts from opera.

In at least one listeners case, this reminded her of old Chinese folk tunes which were used by Puccini in Turandot. But this week we shall shift focus somewhat to the Scottish bagpipe, in recognition of Malcolm´s assistance with the Starter photo. Malcolm used to round off Burns Nights and St Andrew´s Nights with a selection of Scottish marches, amongst which there was always the tune "The Green Hills of Tyrol."

But we don´t move away from opera completely because it so happens that this tune, which sounds very Scottish when arranged for the pipes, is actually based on an old Tyrolean folk tune which the Italian composer Rossini incorporated into a dance section called "La Tua Danza Si Leggiera" in his opera "William Tell" (1829). Then, during the Crimea War 81853 - 1856), a Scottish Pipe- Major with the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, called John MacLeod was present at a concert one evening in Sevastopol and he heard a Sardinian military band playing a selection of Rossini´s music from that opera including the Green Hills of Tyrol and he though it would go well as a pipe band piece and made the arrangement.

Here it is.... 

Rossini´s overture to "William Tell" also includes this theme which fans of The Lone Ranger will remember - two for the price of one.