Bom Dia from sunny Portugal

This is my first blog! I've wanted to blog for a long time, but work (I was a restaurateur until a couple of weeks ago, when I sold my restaurant) and family commitments have consumed all my time. And I don't like to do anything if I can't do it properly. So here goes . . . I've always liked writing, it is like releasing a pressure value and sometimes I've used it to sort out problems. It helps me to see things more clearly and to work things through in my head. Combining this with my other passions - food and travel, I should have a whale of a time! I've been fortunate enough to visits many part of the world for both work and vacation; and on each of these journeys, I have always tried to learn about the food of each culture and how food and eating brings people together.

I live in the south of Portugal, in a village inhabited predominantly by Portuguese, away for the coast though close enough to visit. It is a higgledy-piggledy sort of village. Quite scruffy compared to the pristine villages of West Sussex where I once lived. I like it here. A mishmash of architecture stands side by side, lining a network of small roads and alley ways. Today the sun is shining brightly and the air is warm. I have the doors wide open onto an elevated terrace and all I can hear is the clucking of a neighbour's chickens and one very persistently vociferous cockerel. It's been creating a din since 5am this morning, but we've got used to it. It's more melodic than the night long chorus of the local wild dogs!

This morning, I'm sending out a 'coup de soleil' before heading off to the village market. The photo was taken locally and I just love it! Sunflowers are my favourite - strong, bright and bold.