So yea,

after you haven't blogged in a week or so you start to feel like you can never quite attribute the right amount of detail to all the things that have happened during that time. So in true project manager fashion I'm going to make a list as it feels less daunting of a task. (please forgive my phonetic spelling of all Portuguese locations as I haven't a clue)

Sarah's trip to Portugal:

-departed the 11th in the afternoon arriving in Faro at 7pm. Siobhan was waiting for me with a big grin.

-5h later we're lost in mountains having taken the wrong road to Beja... no worries really we had lots to chat about!

-Arrived to Annouk (sio's gf's) house in the lovely village of Mont Seraz was greeted by her three dogs and goat named Margeheita how cool is that!? Annouk has a most beautiful home!

-Went to work with Sio on Friday morning and helped her water plants with her as she was helping her friend out who was away on holidays

-Fridays evening Sio arranged a BBQ with all the ex pat's that live in the town and we had a good old laugh. Whoever said that life in a small town was uneventful hasn't met these people. There is seriously enough gossip and scandal streaming through the place it would make a most brilliant novel. No disrespect of course the people are all great it's just the naive city girl in me that thought that country living meant less gossip and scandal... I now know better!

-Saturday we ventured off to Spain to a place called Badajoz (sp?) to visit with Siobhan's new friends who run a horse complex. They were truly an amasing family! 6 Kids who all live with their parent's still and all work together to run the horse complex. Sio's contact was a girl named Oopie (for any Canadian out there her name instantly reminds you of an inflatable beach ball that was much sought after in the early 90's) I love her name! We had a lovely night and their hospitality was incredible! And oh yea... the part where I think I can speak Spanish... well lets just say that that was not at all the case... curses to my Peurto Rican Spanish professor back at Uni... I was useless!

-Sunday morning Annouk Sio and I went to a market in Spain and then joined Sio's mum back home where she was visiting from Lisbon. Her charming friend bought us all lunch! Ah yes, at this point Sio's sister arrived. I had met Pippa last year back in Ottawa. What a sound girl!

_ The rest of the week was spent chilling out going for swim's in Annouk's mum's pool and the pool in Reganesh (sp?)and sipping beer and reading this really terrible French novel that I bought back in April... Sio was at work and Pippa was busy making the most amasing purses to sell at this upcoming cultural festival in the town.

- Got to visit Siobhan's work and see her train the horses and visited the exotic birds that her boss breeds too!

- Was lucky enough to get offered a lift back to Faro on Thursday aft. with Sio's boss who were going there to clean their condo that they were renting... so I had an hour to trapse along the beach and collect some beautiful shells before catching my flight back to London.

It was so nice to have a break! Thanks so much Siobhan!