And, curiously, some days I miss the commute!

I know. Those of you that have to do this daily grind will wonder at me. And for the most part, I love not having to schlep out to the bus stop in all weathers, wondering whether the #57 will turn up on time (or at all). But occasionally, I do miss that commute, the dear old Northern Line. And here’s why:

1. ‘Me’ Time – There was rarely a day when I didn’t have a book with me. My bus and train journeys were an ideal time (unless strap-hanging) to read, catch up with the papers or snooze. Not having a commute means that now I have to consciously think about some reading time and that usually means going to bed and getting in a couple of chapters in before shut eye.
2. Catching up with the neighbours – My commute was part of my social life. The #57 provided an ideal opportunity to see and speak with neighbours and friends, catch up on the local gossip and discuss Mrs. Pettigrew’s latest dye-job.
3. The Great Ads on London Underground – I don’t have a great deal of  experience of using any other underground network apart from London’s.  It kept you entertained, for sure. It was the best way of learning which new exhibitions you should see, which films were on release and which bands would be at The 100 Club the next week.
4. Shopping – Between Tooting and Tottenham Court Road there are some seriously good shopping opportunities. Not just being able to pop into M&S, but stopping off at the organic butchers in Balham, picking up hand made cards in Clapham…
5. Meeting friends after work – Or for lunch. Having to commute meant that I could easily meet people in various places for cocktails or supper and was appropriately dressed. My dear friend Lottie and I would frequent a greasy spoon off Tottenham Court Road. I miss that.

So while I don’t miss the commute per se; the life-sapping heat, the over packed trains or the hell that will be the London Olympics 2012, I do miss the opportunities that it brought and the friendships that were nurtured over Zones 1-3.

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service.  Though, if you ask nicely, she will come and see you at your place. Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money.  Find out more

With its economy in tatters and a European Union bail-out underway, Portugal has recently had a bad press in Europe. But, even before this negative exposure, was it really a great place to live? Or are the weather, countryside and welcoming nature of the Portuguese its only saving graces?

An expat, a native and a couple whose marriage ended after trying to make the big move give their story and opinions about what Portugal is like as a country and a home.

Emma Crabtree, 39, visited Portugal about twice a year for five years and travelled all over the country before deciding to move there. Emma and her husband, Lawrence, now settled in Condeixa-a-Velha, Coimbra, have been in Central Portugal since 2004.

The sale of their home in London for £230k covered the cost of a house, car and expenses for about seven years. But, getting her online administrative business, Red Box, started and adapting to the way Portugal is governed proved difficult.

“I struggled to get used to the bureaucracy and regimes that one has to deal with to legally live and do business in Portugal. The country is badly governed, at all levels, and the Portuguese are unwilling to pay taxes to help the country function. It can be incredibly wasteful and frustrating. The schools and hospitals are more over-worked and under-funded than in the U.K. and it’s sad to see the country not fulfilling its potential because of the lack of competence and integrity from its governing body.”

But, even though the recession has affected the world Emma, being a virtual assistant, and Lawrence, an English language teacher, have seen their custom grow.

“Many businesses have had to let staff go but they still need jobs doing, this is where Red Box steps in. Lawrence has also seen more children and adults wanting to learn how to speak English.”

But aside from the politics Emma seems happy with her new life. She found it difficult to make friends and adjust to the country, but now she loves it and the people who live there.

“My biggest struggle was making friends and finding a purpose in life. I set up Red Box so we had money coming in to help pay the bills, I had no long term plans for it to become as successful as it has. Making friends was also quite difficult in the first few years, but I love the compassionate and welcoming nature of the Portuguese, the endless summers and the countryside.”

Nuno Martins, 35, lives in Pinhal Novo near Lisbon with his wife Patricia and young son Bruno.

Before moving to his parents-in-law’s farm they used to live in a town, Tomar, and had to work long hours, often well into the night, to run their café. Now they are trying to be as self sustaining as possible but know this way of life isn’t common.

“This is the wrong image of Portugal. Few people have their own production and most depend on supermarkets. In big cities life is not simple but I changed mine to live on this farm so I could have good life quality.”

But his relationship with Portugal can be delicate, both he and Patricia work full time and with a farm to maintain and Bruno to raise life is still stressful.

“To live in Portugal nowadays is not so nice, I have few money and a lot of things to pay for. I have a love/hate relationship with it and had bad times, but it’s getting better.”

However, he would recommend it as a place to live, because of the people there, but would like to try living in another country.

“It depends on the people that want to make the change; Portugal is not a country that would adapt for them. I would like to live in Brazil for a cheaper life, hotter weather and because Brazilians know how to live. But we are very nice people and like to be with other cultures so you will be nicely treated.”

Nancy Benn, and her husband, bought a house in Portela de Vila Verde near Areias in Central Portugal, but had to sell it last year when they separated.

The couple visited the Algarve and Central Portugal regularly. They often talked about living there and in 2006 they were renting an apartment from a Dutch couple who knew someone with a house for sale. They bought it for €50,000 after re-mortgaging their home in Mansfield, England.

“My husband hates the way England is governed and thought he wouldn’t have to worry about this or have financial stress in Portugal. Property prices were relatively low compared to the U.K. and we thought the cost of living would be cheap if we could grow our own food and live the ‘good life.’ The house had its own bore-hole, fruit, nut and olive trees and the whole area is very rural with forested hillsides, lakes and quiet roads with beautiful views at every turn. It was perfect.”

Nancy’s husband said that, “Finding the house was too easy and I didn’t find renovating it stressful. It was exhilarating, exciting and invigorating.”

During renovations and preparations they used the house as a holiday home and went back three times a year, gradually building up a network of friends. Nancy tried to learn Portuguese but felt guilty because she couldn’t speak their language.

“I found learning the language hard but hand gestures and the patience of the Portuguese helped with communication. The Dutch couple introduced us to an English speaking architect who helped with the renovations and we all became friends.”

From then on Nancy took steps towards preparing for the move. She took an introduction to teaching course with the aim of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) and looked into doing online administrative work.

“We knew we would need to earn a living but my husband thought things would just turn out okay. I tried to figure out how to make a living over there.”

The tension eventually started to show because Nancy felt she was doing all the work and taking the bulk of the costs. Last year she and her husband separated and they had to sell their house in Portugal. It didn’t take long to find a buyer and they got €60,000 for it.

“My husband struggled to stay in employment and lost his job at the council, so without his financial contribution it was a strain. I always felt it was his dream and he wasn’t working as hard towards it so I got very resentful. Ultimately his depression caused the end of our marriage and I lost my job after the company I was PA to the Director of went bankrupt. There was no other alternative than to sell but I regret it, I miss it and we’ll never have it again.”

Even though her husband helped less financially and practically he loves the country and his emotional attachment helped keep the dream alive.

“In Portugal my spirit is released. It’s sunny, mostly natural and beautiful, the air is clean, the country less populated and it’s friendly and relaxed. I would move there in a heartbeat.”

Despite all this they are working on their marriage and have recently been to visit friends in Lisbon. Nancy would encourage others to try it but to be realistic.

“I still love Portugal and if you want to move there go for it! But there’s a possibility you would be living in poverty compared to the U.K. because of low minimum wage and high unemployment. So be sure to go with eyes wide open.”

About the Author
I’m Sarah, a 21 year old final year Journalism student at Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, England. I have always had a passion for writing and being as though my imagination is reluctant to dream up the next best selling novel I decided to go into journalism. I have written various articles through my course and wrote for the university magazine where I had some work published. I hope you enjoyed my article and if you would like me to write any for you contact me on Twitter @sarahwalters2

We adopted Teddy Salad from the Town Council’s dog kennels; like most towns in Portugal there is the unfortunate need for the Council to pick up, care for and occasionally put down stray animals. He has settled in very well, walks to heel (most of the time) and loves to play. Very little is known about his background, except that he was found, abandoned, during the summer here in Coimbra. Three months in the Council’s kennels can’t have been much fun, but he seems to have come through it fairly unscathed. The work that the Council does is invaluable as there is no RSPCA equivalent here, & only one other animal not-for-profit in Coimbra district, AGIR.

This adoption experience has me thinking again about the Portuguese and their attitude to animals in general, and dogs in particular. Having Teddy and coming into contact with other owners, mainly Portuguese, has confirmed some of the prejudices I have.

Owning a dog in Portugal is, of course, a bureaucratic and expensive experience. If you do it legally! Adopting Teddy from the kennels involved form filling, handing over copies of my residency documentation and payment of c. €30 for the privileged of taking him away, as well as his ID chip. Then Teddy needed his shots, including rabies, was neutered (he had an enlarged prostate so I didn’t feel too guilty!) and was registered at the Parish Council (Junta de Freguesia) offices under the ‘Licença de Detenção, Posse e Circulação de Animais’ as an ‘Animal de Companhia’ – a domestic pet. Each year he will need re-registering at the Junta de Freguesia for an outrageous €7.60! The legal minimum is to have your dog chipped, have shots for rabies & registered at the Junta de Freguesia each year and to keep them safely within your property.

Being a dog owner has given me a little more insight and access to how the Portuguese view their animais de estimação. I now have the opportunity to talk to other owners; your attitude to animals isn’t down to location or education it seems. It is very individualistic and neighbours within the same village will have differing views on flea control, obedience and companionship.

1. Town or Country – There seems to be a marked difference between dog owners in the towns and dog owners living in the countryside.  Town owners seem to be better clued up with regards to vet visits, registering their animals, walking them and having them neutered. There is more of a sense that town owners view their animals as pets as opposed to a four-legged dustbin. You don’t have to go far from town to find dogs chained up, fed all sorts of domestic left overs, see them obviously without regular human or canine contact and occasionally without shelter or water.

2. To Leash or Not To Leash… – We walk Teddy on a leash 80% of the time. For the first 3 weeks with us, he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere unleashed. A common car game between the old man and I is ‘Dog on a leash’. The Portuguese, as a rule, don’t leash their dogs, or rather, it is rare to see a Portuguese person walking their dog as a matter of course. ‘Dog on a leash’ implies a) foreigner or b) enlightened Portuguese dog owner. I am viewed locally as eccentric! Perversely, dogs are chained up 24/7 within the property (see below).

3. Guard Dog, Working Dog or Pet – These are the 3 general categories I would put dogs into. You have your guard dog, a Doberman for example, who patrols the builders yard and is loud & quite scary. Then there are the small, terrier types that are kept for hunting and occasionally working with the sheep, goats or cattle. And then there are pet dogs, those that have the run of the house, sleep on the sofa and get taken to the beach at the weekend. These are my categories. So when I see dogs chained up in yards, not walked or played with, with 3 feet of space in which to eat, poo & sleep, I become frustrated and sad. Because, really, what’s the point? Especially when that dog is no more than a puppy and wouldn’t stray much more than 10ft from it’s kennel. They make an incredible amount of noise all the time, so don’t offer a huge deterrent to would-be burglars. More ‘dog that cried wolf’ than having a hot line to Group 4.

4. Salad sem Tomates – Or ‘salad without tomatoes…’ Yes, we had Teddy neutered. I’m not squeamish about that sort of thing and it hasn’t diminished his personality as some claim it might. There’s no neutering policy here in Portugal, and because it’s quite expensive, animals aren’t neutered and the unwanted animal population continues to grow year on year. When we went to pick up Teddy, there were 4 bitches with their pups waiting to be re-homed, other puppies that had been left and many, many older dogs that had been abandoned for one reason or another. Heaven knows how many cats pass through their doors… I need a bigger house.

The shame is that the attitude of the general Portuguese population probably won’t change with the generations. Children see their parents and grandparents treating their animals in this way and think that this is how you provide for another sentient being. If I had all the money in the world, I would implement an education program into schools for children & teenagers. The recycling campaign that has been running here for several years has been a great success, so why not educate the population about animals in a similar way? I’d love to hear from Portuguese both in Portugal and abroad as to why they think animal husbandry is as it is here.

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and Chief Organiser or Red Box Virtual Office. Working from home, Emma has the opportunity to view the lives of others and offers the occasional light/heavy-hearted commentary on her adopted country.

Time: 9am

Day: 8 December 2010

What: 7 men buy 12, 5 litre bottles of water. They then empty these bottles into the drains, put the bottles into their cars and drive off.

Most curious. Can anyone shed any light on why this might have happened? The only thing I can think of is aguadente making…

About the author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and Chief Organiser of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service. She lives and works in Condeixa-a-Velha, a small village in central Portugal, with the love of her life and Teddy Salad, the dog.

To be frank, I have no idea.  I love my bed, it’s a great place to be.  And I love sleeping; pity I’m not awake to enjoy it, as my dad would say.  I’ve been thinking for the last 30mins whether to get up or not.  And then there was the decision as to whether to get productive and get online or just to make a cup of tea and read.  But it’s too cold in the kitchen, so here I am.

1. Why is this happening? I’m such a heavy sleeper.
2. Is there too much or too little alcohol in my system?
3. Should I stay in bed and fight the urge to be asleep or should I get up and be productive?
4. If this happens regularly, should I embrace the change in my body clock?
5. If #4 happens, the problem I have is work.  Clients expect me to be available between 9am-5pm.  If I am up and about at 4am, it’s unlikely I’m still going to be useful by lunch!
6. The house is cold.  There’s no central heating and I’m not starting a fire.
7. Could it be my hormones..?

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service.  Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money.

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1. The reinvestment of any capital gains HAS to take into account the value of the property WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT.    So the money we got from our house sale in Nov 2007, the value of which was €100k+, has to be ALL invested into a new property. Ouch!

2. You can either reinvest in a new property OR in works to that property. Not both.  No wonder there’s so many abandoned houses in Portugal.

3. You have 3 years in which to get rid of any money you may have put by for your old age!

So, from what I understand, there’s no incentive to downsize, there’s definitely no incentive to invest in older properties/ruins and using property to try and build a nest egg is futile here!  There’s no way you can buy when the market’s low and sell when it’s high without some opportune help from your accountant (we need one of these!)

I don’t want to have to think about buying bigger and bigger properties until I die, I have no desire to clean them for a start.  I wonder what you do if you’re single (by choice or divorce or death)?  Suppose you had a big 4 bed place, wanted to sell to move to a 2 bed flat, what do you do with any gain on a sale?  Get taxed on it?  Lordy!

I’m now thinking that €3k+ kitchen I was after isn’t such a bad investment after all!

We stayed here at the Hotel Flor do Monte.  It is a small, but perfectly formed hotel about an hour north of Pinhão, in the Alto Douro region.  The rooms are spotless, the pool is covered and the hospitality & welcome are warm and generous. The owners, the family Fonseca Ribeiro, are wonderful and generous people.

We had both lunch and dinner here as part of the BNI weekend with Bob and the kitchens are superb.

Our host, Victor Marques of Vitória Koi, was so enthusiastic about us being there that we saw more of the Alto Douro and it’s beauty than we would of on our own.  We were taken to a number of wineries and sampled some gorgeous wines.  The best of the wine, to my palate at least, was the D. Paio Velho Tinto, a full bodied, round, intense wine, made from a mix of Touriga Nacional and Franca grapes.  The port wine from the vineyards of Quinta da Cuveta was amazing; 30+ years old & I got to take a bottle home with me.  Being the only woman in the group had it’s advantages!  Loz took home a t-shirt!

If you have never visited the Douro valley, I would highly recommend it.  It’s one of the 13 UNESCO designated areas in Portugal and one of only 3 UNESCO sites that are wine orientated, 2 of which are in Portugal, the other one being in the Açores, on Pico!

I could try and describe the Douro for you, but believe that the area best speaks for itself.  Go see it and be gob-smacked.

About the Author:
Emma Crabtree, Virtual Assistant and Chief Organiser, is the owner and sole-operator of Red Box Virtual Office, an off-site business support service.  Red Box Virtual Office can enable you to free yourself from the day to day admin of your business so that you can focus on what you enjoy and what makes you money. Go to the main website to find out more

Tinha uma consulta!

Não é a primeiro vez neste aconteceu, não será o ultimo, acho.

E só eu.

Além disso, o que é que acontece se é uma pessoa ‘normal’?  Se tem um emprego, um patrão, responsibilidades?  Ou uma pessoa que precisa de ir ao medico quarto ou cinco vezes cada ano.  “Peço-desculpa patrão, preciso mais uma tarde de ferias/folga ir ao medico.”

Com a medica, a cuidade é fantastico.  Mas esperar mais um boucadinho?  Não obrigada.

There Katy would trim and massage and generally do a wonderful job with my hair.  It would be her who had to be satisfied with a job well done before I could leave.  Her attention to detail was a delight.

I left Putney and Peter Penny’s, Katy went off to have her baby and since then I’ve been through a multitude of hairdressers who haven’t quite lived up to my Katy.

Today that changed.

Arriving in Portugal, over coming ‘how would you like that?’ was the least of my worries.  After 4 and a bit years, I’ve finally found my Katy substitute.

Her name is Dinah, she works at the Berlim Beauty Salon in Condeixa-a-Nova and she is a dream.  I even got a head massage!

Many businesses could learn from Dinah and Katy about attention to detail, value for money (my cut cost €10,50) and all round good customer service.

As for me, I’m less Shaggy, more Servalan and feel set to take on the world!

Segundo DBK, o aumento do volume de vendas resultou do aumento dos preços dos vários marcados, sobretudo de produtos metálicos.

Aqui em Portugal, podemos reciclagem garrafas de plastico e vidro, papel, cartão, jarros e  latas.  Todos os comunidades têm áreas para reciclagem; a nossa é só 20m em frente do apartamento!  Fácil!