Being rested is a very good thing! It has taken us the better part of a week, but we are finally getting up in the morning and not feeling like we’ve been run over by a truck. The cats are starting to settle in, and there is food in the refrigerator. Life is good!

I’ve picked up my knitting again, so I should have knitting news to report soon. I’ve also gotten back to a little bit of writing, and actually did a couple of hours of editing and re-familiarizing myself with what I want to work on next. I’m about to start the chapter on Ganseys. There is so much written about them already — and so much mythology — so I’m trying to figure out a helpful way to narrow the topic down. I think what interests me the most are the first-person accounts by the Herring Girls who followed the catch from port to port, finding the time to turn out dozens and dozens of gorgeous jumpers.

I’m still pretty excited about the book — enough to really dive back into it starting next week. This weekend is reserved for getting to know the city a little better. That is not to say there will be no housework. Housework seems to consume a significant amount of time every day. Lots of cooking — the fresh fruits and veges here are amazing and flavorful. We get a little goofy about it because everything just tastes so good. There are prepared options in the grocery stores, but they are both expensive and generally not vegetarian. I suspect I’ll continue to have to do lots of cooking. I’ve also become quite competent at hanging wet clothes outside…something I haven’t done since my childhood (and we all know how long ago THAT was).

Just down the street is a little antique shop going out of business. Bruce stopped in the other day to look for some bread plates and came home with two in cobalt blue with yellow rims. They are the perfect size to use for our lunches of soup, bread and cheese. We have already planned another stop there — from what we can see in the window, there are some other fun ceramics and a totally funny turkey platter (you can see it to the left in the window). I may need to have it, although goodness knows why.

Both of us have been going out daily for walks, sometimes to continue shopping, and others just to learn more about the neighborhood. These usually are accompanied by a long list of more things needed — like hangers. We’ve really only just begun to unpack, and the office is pretty barren right now. We are using boxes for file cabinets and for a table for the printer. Oh the printer was a good story all by itself. Originally we thought we could manage it with our shopping cart, but by the time we added paper, ink, tape, and a few other office supplies, it was too heavy to move. Thankfully we found an Uber driver who was a good sport and helped us load and unload his trunk. He was about the 10th person to ask if we were “running away” from the political situation after finding out we were from the US. I look at it more like “walking quickly,” since we had already decided to move before the election.

Aside from doing his taxes (now thankfully done), Bruce has been spending most of his time “building.” We have two work tables substituting for desks (they will eventually go into my studio), and after an entire day of work, a dining room table that accommodates an extra leaf, 4 nice chairs, as well as two office chairs. He’s about ready to start working on an outside enclosure for the cats. They miss the big screened in room they had in West Brookfield, and clearly are looking to escape out one of the windows. Since they are fearless, I’m assuming they would try jumping off the balcony (we’re on the 6th floor), so we’re taking no chances. We have a handy man coming in soon to put screens in some of the windows so that we can get cat-proof fresh air as well.

We’ve had cloudy weather at least part of every day, but it often has given way to bright sunshine. Except for our first full day here, we haven’t actually had much rain, and that has been a bonus since we’ve had to be out acquiring “stuff” for the apartment. Also, I never get tired of looking at the tiles that decorate many of the older buildings.

I’m setting myself up to start a test knit on the pair of socks that will be included in the book. My friend JulieAnn did a lovely pair and corrected a few things in the pattern. Luckily I’d only knit one of my pair, so I can do some refining on the second one.

The second Sunday of each month there is an outdoor flea market in one of the big city parks. There were a ton of people there today, and you can find an amazing variety of things to buy. I confess to having a soft spot for the accordion man — I wonder how many he sells in a year. There are lots of clothes, toys, dishes and glassware, some furniture, car parts, tools, etc., etc. We didn’t find anything we needed (at least nothing from our list), and since we needed to get to the fruit market before it wound down, only made it to about 1/3 of the total “shops.”

I could hardly contain myself at the fruit market. There were gigantic strawberries, wonderful oranges, and so many different vegetables. I tried to stay focused, although I wanted to buy everything in sight.

A number of different walking streets have art overhead. One features birds, and another umbrellas. I’m sure there are more to find, and I’ll share them when I do. At the end of our shopping expedition, there was time to stop for tea, coffee and a recap of the day’s highlights before we strolled home. Tonight will feature a whole roasted head of cauliflower with seasoned tofu. All highly experimental, and hopefully edible.

No crafting to share, but we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know Caldas Da Rainha. So on my behalf, stay calm and craft on!