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By Samantha On August 27, 2010No Comments
If you have read our previous posts about getting our son into school you will know that the process took us over a year of him being absent from school. This was down to the poor system that they have in Portugal and the need for material that you would never associate with sending your child to the local school.
You live and learn though and realise that it must be done if you want your child to be educated in a t0tally different school. The more I learn about the system in Portugal the more frustrated it makes me. We are in the European Union yet their organisation skills for upholding a school have absolutely no logic whatsoever.
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Are the school terms in the Algarve really as delightful as people make out
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Recent Posts
By Samantha On August 19, 2010
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In my opinion there is nothing better than relaxing over a beautiful meal with my family and enjoying a glass of chilled dry white wine. You may be surprised to know that you can actually buy a good quality bottle of white wine from the local supermarket for around 1 Euro here on the Algarve. I know you may be thinking that it must be some kind of cheap plonk for that price, but nothing could be further from the truth.
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The chilled white wine in Portugal, perfect with dinner
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By Samantha On August 15, 2010
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When I tell people that it is possible for them to decide today that they are going to move abroad and then actually be living in their dream destination I am often me with a certain amount if disbelief to say the very least.
Well, it is entirely possible and I should know because that is exactly what I did myself, my husband and I just decided one afternoon that we were going to move abroad and within a month we had done it. It really all comes down to planning, once a solid plan is in place you really can’t go wrong and once you decide to take action you would be surprised how easy the whole process is.
By Samantha On August 11, 2010
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You are probably aware that I moved to the Algarve from the UK a few years ago and I can honestly say that I absolutely love my new life and I really do have no regrets whatsoever. Many people say that their goal is to move abroad but I would advise that you give it some thought and when you have made the decision regarding where you would like to move to you should simply go for it. Trust your judgement and go with your dreams.
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The soft sands of the Algarve – Absolutely no regrets in moving abroad
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Read the full post (439 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)For many years there has been a healthy obsession in Portugal with regard to the fitness of children and the results are simply remarkable. Children are taught from an early age, the benefits of looking after yourself and this include diet and exercise. I can only really speak about the Algarve but it is extremely rare to come across an obese child and the main reason for this has to be the education that the children receive.
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The children’s fitness drive – not a obese child in sight
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Read the full post (403 words, 1 image, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)Bianca.pt is one of the best known charities in Portugal and it does an absolutely brilliant job of looking after stray cats and dogs and ultimately finding homes for them. They are passionate about finding homes for the animals in their care and if it was not for this brilliant charity there would be far more cats and dogs roaming the streets of the Algarve.
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Local Charities – Supporting the local strays bianca.pt
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Read the full post (451 words, 1 image, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)As in many towns and cities in the UK, the Algarve has its fair share of charity shops and you can find some absolute bargains in them. I love them, some of the knick knacks really fall into the category of being antiques and if you are looking for clothes, then there are many examples of clothes for sale that have not even been worn.
By Samantha On July 15, 2010
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Something that really surprised me when I moved to the Algarve was the price of DVD’s. You might not think that is such a big deal but for a DVD addict such as myself it was an absolute nightmare as many of the latest DVD’s can cost over 20 Euros each which is around double the price of the DVD’s back in the UK. You can sometimes buy them cheaper but they are the clearance type items if you know what I mean, usually DVD’s that everyone has seen about 5 years ago.
By Samantha On July 9, 2010
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Many people in the UK are surprised and more than a little envious when I tell them that the summer holidays for the schools here in the Algarve last for 12 weeks. So from around the middle of June to the middle of September the children are able to completely relax and enjoy everything that this part of Portugal has to offer.
By Samantha On July 1, 2010
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Littlewoods Europe is an absolute Godsend for us expats here in the Algarve. It works just the same as the catalogue companies in the UK such as Kays, and Littlewoods but Littlewoods Europe deliver to your door step and I absolutely love it.
There are many places on the Algarve that you can buy clothes etc but with Littlewoods Europe you have the option of buying well known brands at reasonable prices. It is not unusual to pay well over the odds for branded items here in Portugal and you can’t help being sometimes left with that feeling that you have been slightly ripped off.
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Littlewoods Europe – A fantastic place to buy your UK products
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Read the full post (489 words, 2 images, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)There is a huge variety of local carboots and markets in the algarve for you to choose from on a regular basis. I love a good market and especially that atmosphere that is presented to you in the Algarve. I often get asked on expat forums which markets are available and when so I have put together this comprehensive list for you to use at your leisure.
There is literally a market for everyone so I hope you enjoy the trip to your local market or carboot sale.
Carboot sales in the algarve
*Algoz, largo da varzea
By Samantha On June 15, 2010
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When you have made the decision to move to Portugal you should make a decision as to whether you want to stick to only mixing with other English people or if you want to really grasp the opportunity in front of you and embrace everything that Portugal has to offer.
I hope you choose to really go for it and if you do it will mean learning the Portuguese language and I can’t really think of a better way to learn than with the Rosetta Stone language course and this is the course that myself and many of the English people I know here in Portugal have used to master this new language.
By Samantha On June 13, 2010
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There has been a lot of attention in the media at the moment about Portugal and Spain following in Greece’s footsteps and going bankrupt. I have many of the stories some coming from the English press but the majority of them from local papers.
Iam sure the stories will soon become a reality and I am ready for when this happens….
By Samantha On June 5, 2010
1 Comment
Even though I live in portugal as one of the many expats, I still keep in touch with everything that is happening in Britain. I will probably read the mail on sunday online once a week and watch a bit of Sky News whenever I get the chance. It is always interesting to see how the country I once called home is coping with the different challenges that they are facing in the economy.
By Samantha On June 1, 2010
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After what feels like a life time of waiting we have finally added our tiny kittens to our family. They are the most adorable kittens we have every seen and so, so small. When they arrived at our home they were just six weeks old and even now ten days later they still look small.
They are brother and sister and come from a mum who was a stray cat and one day just arrived in a ladies kitchen and had her babies there and then. We were told about the kittens shortly after they were born so it felt like we were waiting forever to be able to take them home.
Hello
my name is Samantha Milner and I moved to the
