Relative Something

Portugal, Wednesday, September 29…

With a plan to go sight-seeing with Carlos this afternoon, we jump into a chore early. The temperature has been dropping enough overnight to have Ian thinking about collecting firewood, so we drive up the hill to cut some eucalyptus. He works the chainsaw as I carry the cut sections and load them into the Forester. It is not an easy task on the steep incline. The pitch is made even more treacherous by the fresh leaves of the branches we are trimming, which are very slippery. While I am hauling, I need to keep one eye on my footing and one eye overhead for the timber Ian is methodically bringing down.

Earlier, before we started our project, Ian showed Cyndie where there are camellias in the greenhouse that need to be divided into individual pots. While we were getting firewood, she groomed the horses, finished her basket by adding a handle, and worked on potting camellias.

We pushed ourselves to our time limit, and then hustled to get cleaned up for lunch in Celorico at the cafe where Ian usually gets his midday meal. It was a nice treat to share that experience. Ian was able to point out other diners he had come to know and describe the work they did. The cafe is popular with laborers employed nearby, for its hearty meals. We start with the classic soup of Portugal, Caldo Verde. Bread is already on the table. Then 2 choices of entrée, pork and potatoes or red bean goulash. Ian and I order the pork, Cyndie, the bean dish. The salad is served family style, lettuce, onions and tomato with an oil/vinegar dressing. The serving sizes are very generous and the atmosphere delightful. It is a very enjoyable experience for us.

We head back to the farm and try to hustle the horses down to the bottom field. Apparently, rushing doesn’t work so well with horses. Ian heads out with Lucy without waiting for Frida, and Cyndie has trouble controlling Frida’s zeal to catch up with her momma. Frida breaks loose of Cyndie’s grip and rushes off to chase down Lucy, wanting to suckle. It appears the weaning wasn’t quite complete. There will be more time required for that, it seems.

Once all the horses are down, we head back to Celorico to meet Carlos…