A surprise under my balcony

In the Cabo Verde Restuarant
Ahh! Haa haa.
At marcos
Near the beach, got to on bikes!

Gosh what a long time since my last blog. I’m terribly sorry. But you will soon find out why. By the way, before I start, I’m sorry, I did not have my camera for much of this part, so there is a lack of pictures.

Well, it was a sunny day. I was skyping Mum and Dad around lunch time, perhaps feeling a bit low about moving house, etc, when I heard a ring on the doorbell. I went to the balcony to see who was down there. I see some shiny black hair, and a face turns up to me.. “PAPPI! What the fuck! Paaaapi!”.. Yes, Linda Pappagallo, all the way from Italy, had made it to Number 21 Rua dos Douradores. I ran downstairs and crouched on the ground, I could not believe it. So as you can imagine this took a long time to sink in. I felt like a little bird knocked off its perch. Linda with her unbeatable energy was ready to set off. So we set out into Lisbon together, and finally I could show her everything that I had wanted to. What did we do? Terraco bar, art in cafes, botanical gardens, speaking, TiNatericas.. the usual. (Unusual – eyebrow piercing). But to share this with her felt so good. She has left now, but to know that she understands what I mean when I try to describe the rusting ceiling in Casa do Alentejo or the Portuguese Men, or the smell of my bathroom, the ambient of my friends – this feels good. And Linda can stroll along the street with me and pick up on the same ideas and sights and have a kind of appreciation. One day we took the train to Caiscais and cycled beyond Guincho up a small sandy track to a little beach far down. With our braids, the squinting sun, the surfing waves, the catches of smoke in the air, the lifeguards hut against the mountains... it was dreamy.