1 year, 305 since the start of the 1st lock down in March 2020
Happy birthday to me - oh dear, I’m realise I’m getting older at 54 although I don’t feel my age.
Colin had secretly packed a lot of cards and presents from Mum, Hester and Sophie. I have some lovely earrings, chocolates, vouchers to ‘meet’ giant otters and the aardvarks at Longleat. Apparently there will be more cards and some presents for me when I get back as well so it is nice to string out my birthday and not for it to be all over in one day.
After breakfast we drove into Olhao to check out the ferry times for our day trip to one of the islands. Afterwards it was only right that we should grab a coffee on the Harbourside and somehow Colin arrived with two of the classic Portuguese custard tarts as well!
We managed to set the cars SatNav to the little fishing town of Fuseta just along the coast. It was less than half an hour and no wrong turns. There also was a parking space right near the front. Fuseta was a lovely town, not particular sites but a lovely riverfront with many fishing boats and a spectacular beach with calm waters protected from the Atlantic breakers by the island of sand.
We lunched at the restaurant opposite where we parked and Finally managed to try a tuna steak cooked in the Algarve way with peppers and onions - it was delicious. Colin had three types of fish and all were cooked on the BBQ outside. We managed to force down dessert as well. After all of that we had to walk it off and so we walked across the raised wooden walkway to the beach. It was a fantastic opportunity for photography and I spent an enjoyable time attempting to photograph a number of Sandwich Terns diving for fish - hopefully there will be a few decent shots.
Colin had a sudden purchase of strawberries from a chap wandering the docks and selling punnets and then we had a final ‘Pingado’ before heading back in heavier traffic then before to Olhao. We were so full this evening that we just had bread and sardine pate… with strawberries for a snack dinner. A much better birthday than my ‘lock down’ birthday last year when it was so cold it snowed and nobody was allowed in the house!
