Friday 28th of march

Today we started in the garden, we put our sunscreen on and went outside. Bryan went up the hill to mow the grass. Megan helped Frank, Denice and Everon to shovel away the dirt. After lunch we stopped and Megan had a workcall. We spent the afternoon cleaning and we worked on the blog. In the evening we called home and enjoyed the rest of our night.

Saturday 29th of march

We enjoyed our weekend and played some games. The only thing we had to do today was go to the supermarket. This time we did not bring Jan and it went smoothly.

Sunday 30th of march

In the morning we took it easy, but after lunch we went for a walk to a monument. We enjoyed the walk and took some pictures on the way there. After 2,5 km we found the monument and dug up some crystals out of the ground. When we got back we did some hobbying. In the evening we ate pancakes and Megan’s stomach did not like that, so we went to bed early. 

Monday 31th of march

Today we started in the garden again. We mowed the grass and shoveled some more dirt. After lunch we continued for a little while until it was too hot outside. We went to get some soil for the garden and sow some grass. Then we had to go to the supermarket again, we cleaned up the camper and were ready to drive when we heard Frank shouting. One of the stray cats gave birth. We thought they were just fat from eating at the house and hunting, but that was not the case. Four little kittens were laying in a crate with pinecones. So we got a blanket and laid it in the crate. The mother liked that so much that she started making biscuits and started purring. We now think that the other cat is also pregnant and will soon give birth as well. We did our groceries a little later and when we got back enjoyed our evening.

Tuesday 1st of april

We started the morning by checking on the kittens and their mother. They were all doing okay. We worked in the garden, because we had to fill the garden bed. Every so often we checked on the kittens and it was all going okay. The mother was taking good care of the little ones, but we had a problem. The little ones can not stay here and the mothers need to be sterilised, so it won’t happen again. After lunch we worked for a while and some time later the garden bed was finally full. So we got more soil to finish it off before we put in the seeds. After work we cleaned up and then it was time for our own work. Bryan worked on a website and Megan gave a tutoring lesson. In the evening we discussed how to go forward with the little ones.

Wednesday 2th of april

This morning we woke up with Jan by our side. We did not have to work today so we spent our time looking up places to bring the kittens to and to sterilize the mothers. Unfortunately, unlike in the Netherlands, animal shelters and veterinary sterilization is rather uncommon so it is fairly difficult to find a decent home for the little ones and a safe method to get the mothers sterilised. We also checked on what we had to do for the kittens, but luckily the mother did most of the work. We are keeping an eye out for their growth. Because of the low quantity of animal shelters here we started to call around. We got a few maybes and even fewer yes’s later. We found out that we did not share the morals of the Portuguese people when it comes to taking care of animals, so we decided that we had to take matters into our own hands. We started a donation campaign to take care of the kittens and the mothers. Luckily we have support from home and most likely have found a place for 4 kittens, but we know a few more kittens will follow.

Thursday 3th of april

This morning we discussed our plans with the family and about what needed to be done in the time they are away. After the conversation we ate lunch and then it was time for our own jobs. When we were done Megan took some pictures of the four kittens, Mama is very proud of them and made sure nothing happened to her little ones. That evening we continued searching for a place for them. After that we took a little time for ourselves.

Friday 21^st of march

We thought the storm would be over by now, however this was unfortunately not the case. Yesterday the weather was tolerable, some strong winds and rain here and there but today the weather got worse again. At the end of the morning Jan decided to slip outside. 2 days inside was enough for him. After lunch we worked on the blog en made ready for the next day. After dinner the winds started blowing again and the rain picked up its pace. Jan was nowhere to be found so we went looking for him each half an hour, shaking his food bowl hoping he would react to the sound. Around 11 o’clock Megan walked around the premises of the house we are staying at through heavy winds and rain, however no trace of Jan was found. Megan slowly lost hope that he would come back for the night and we really had to go to bed by this point in time.

Saturday 22^nd of march

Megan slept horribly and could hardly get out of bed. We felt like everything was working against us at this moment. There was not a lot we could do at the moment due to the storm, Jan (hopefully) was walking somewhere outside and we have slept terribly for the last 3 nights. In the morning there still was no sign of Jan and we had to take everything with us to go and get groceries. We actually had to go yesterday but chose to wait for the winds to calm down. During the drive to the store we saw fallen trees, power and phone poles, but (luckily) no Jan on the side of the road. Even after we returned there still was no Jan to be found. Megan did something for herself to take her mind off of things while Bryan was doing some work. When dinner time came Megan was preparing herself for the worst…. Until Jan showed up just after dinner, meowing at the door almost offended that his food wasn’t ready yet, like nothing was wrong. He just had a day and a half trip like an irresponsible teenager. Finally we slept decently again with Jan next to us in bed.

Sunday 23^rd of march

Today the weather finally settled and there were no more harsh winds, so after complaining the entire morning we let Jan outside again. Our task today was cleaning, because we finally had a good nights rest and some energy to spend again. In the afternoon we had tea time with the family we are staying at, discussing the events of the last days and the missing Jan. We chose to go by bicycle to get some things we forgot from the supermarket. After we had dinner and Jan was yet again not showing up just like a teenager instead of a cat. Which seemed only more of the case because when he did come home around half past 11, he was drunk… we assume he had drunk water in which rotting fruit was fermenting and created alcohol. He was pretty unstable and out of it. So as punishment he had to stay inside a few days to detox.

Monday 24^th of march

Today Jan stays inside as punishment for coming home drunk. Unfortunately for him we had to go grocery shopping again, so he came with. Just as meowing as usual on our way to the Lidl. Unfortunately there are no gluten free options there, so we went to the other side of the street where the Continente was located. After that it was time to do the laundry at the Intermache. Unfortunately there was only one washing machine available and should we have waited for another hour because the people before us chose to use the dryer on a long program for more than an hour, but we chose to just hang the wet laundry and let it air dry. When we got home we got a call from Bryan’s family because it was the birthday of his grandma, so we congratulated them and chatted for a bit, catching up on recent events. Afterwards we went to bed early so we could work the next day full of energy.

Tuesday 25^th of march

The past week we were dressed in long trousers, sweaters and jackets so once we stepped outside in this attire, we were pleasantly surprised with the warmth of the sun. After about an hour of shoveling dirt and pulling weeds we were left in a t-shirt and rolled up trousers. Jan was allowed outside again so we didn’t see hem for the rest of the day. After lunch we were properly warmed up by both the work and the sun, so we continued until about 3 o’clock and drank some tea afterwards. During tea time Bryan discovered that his skin was turning red and put on some sun screen. We didn’t expect it yesterday that we would need sunscreen this fast because of the somber weather of the last few days. In the afternoon Bryan stayed inside while Megan look at the room museum Fender had made. After diner Megan took some picture of the surrounding landscape and nature with her camera. When she came back, we applied some after sun and prepared for bed. Just as we were done Jan showed up so that he could join us for the night.

Wednesday 26^th of march

In the morning we discovered that we were more burned than we initially thought, so today we properly applied sunscreen from the start of the day, or so we thought. Megan sheered the grass, yes sheered, with a large sheering device. The difficult corners and edges that a normal lawn mower could not reach. Bryan helped Frank and Denise with shoveling more dirt, transporting it and leveling it. We found an insect that we didn’t know. It turned out to be a Mole cricket and now we know what we hear every night. Just before the afternoon we ignited the bonfire filled with lawn clippings and clippings from around the garden. If you want to do something like that you will have to apply for a permit first before you are allowed to do so. After lunch we continued for a little while and stopped early due to the sun and the bonfire. We were all practically sunburned even though Bryan applied it almost religiously. The evening was mostly spent by relaxing and miraculously Jan was home around 8 o’clock.

Thursday 28^th of march

After 2 days of baking in the full sun we decided to stay out of the sun for today and let our sunburned skin heal for a little bit. Jan was, like usual, out and about from the moment our door opened for the first time that day. We stayed inside and spent our time with a mixture of working and being annoyed at our sunburns. In the afternoon Megan her hives started acting up and stopped because it became difficult to concentrate. In the evening we didn’t do much until we heard a cat fight just outside the camper. Jan found a street cat while waiting outside the door and they didn’t really like each other. Jan scurried away when we stepped outside to interfere, however he luckily came back later that evening and this time without any fighting.

Friday 14/03/2025

A cozy morning, with playing some games and cleaning up. After lunch we decided to go cycle to the supermarket. In the Nederlands an 8 minute drive would be not much of a bother, but here we were tired after driving up the driveway. There are no bicycle lanes, so we had to drive on the 90km/h road and around the roundabout. The last part we decided to walk. The way back was easier. In the evening Fender had a movie-night and wanted Megan to be there. So Bryan had an evening to himself and Megan watched Atlantic. After the movie we played a game in our camper and went to sleep.

Saturday 15/03/2025

A new morning and it was Megan’s mothers birthday. So we started the day with a call home. After the call, Megan wanted to do something with the childeren en made a Bingo-chart for outside. We had to find things outside and take a picture of it. After we did that we could cross the box until we had bingo. Fender wanted to find every one, so we played for a little while. Fender crossed them off and Everon took the pictures. After the Bingo we drew and played with Lego. In the evening we had a cozy night and talked to some friends at home.

Sunday 16/03/2025

It was a day to suprise the childeren. In the morning we cleaned up and worked for a bit, but after lunch it was time to play Mario Kart. We took the switch and the beamer and installed it at the house. The boys loved it and we played for a while. After Mario Kart, Megan took some pictures. We tried to cycle to the supermarket again and it was a lot better than the first time! In the evening we enjoyed our evening and played Mario Kart by ourselves.

Monday 17/03/2025

A workday today. We helped in the garden with measuring, pulling weeds and digging for the vegitable garden. After Lunch Bryan got inside to help with the installation of a wall furniture and Megan stayed at the camper to work. After work she joined and helped as well. After that we had to go to the supermarket and enjoyed the evening afterwards.

Tuesday 18/03/2025

In the morning we started in the garden. Picking up where we left of Yesterday. When it was starting to rain we went in to the garage and put together a gardenset. The rain did not stop, so we went inside of the camper and worked for a little bit. In the evening we heard that we where going to get a storm tomorrow, so we cleaned some stuff outside up, before it would blow away.

Wednesday 19/03/2025

The storm started a little earlier than we thought. The wind was strong and there was a lot of rain. Internet and the cell connection were not reliable so we couldn’t work. Which meant we had a chill day and played offline games. During the day the wind and rain got worse. In the evening the camper was shaking due to the wind. The worst part was the night. Megan was already sleeping when she woke up at 2 am because the whole camper was rocking back and forth. After a while she was nauseous and Jan decided that he wanted to go outside… The storm was getting worse untill 4 am and afterwards it slowed down. It felt like we were on a boat and were going up and down side to side. When it slowed down we had time to sleep again.

Thursday 20/03/2025

After that horrible night of rocking and Jan meowing, we choose for a slow morning and decided to not do much work today. It was still storming , but not as horrible as in the night. We did have some time to do some work on the blog and to clean up. In the evening the storm was getting worse, but we where tired and slept through the worst part at night.

Friday 07/03/2025

We woke up in Portugal for the first time. Over here it is an hour earlier than in The Netherlands, so we woke up quite early for us. Bryan helped in the garden with Frank and Megan and Denice did the groceries for a week. We have a Lidl in the Netherlands, but it was a little bit different here, so it was a bit challenging. We did some chores and than the children where coming home, so we drank some lemonade. On this day we let out Jan for the first time since we left. First we let him out on a harness, and Megan had to go after him. After that ‘great’ succes, we chose to let him loose. He wanted to go and discover, but the wind was too strong and he wanted to go inside again, but he chose the window instead of the door. He was hanging out of the window like a cartoon character. The day was pleasant, but the rain was something we did not expect such quantity.

Saturday 08/03/2025

This day we woke op with a lot of rain. So we had some time to clean up and we did the laundry. We couldn’t hang the laundry outside so the camper was filled with clothes. The rest of the day we worked on the Instagram post and started working on the blog. Bryan had a cold so we went to bed early.

Sunday 09/03/2025

We had a horrible night. Jan had sniffed the outside so he decided that he wanted to go in the night as well. So we took it slow in the morning. Megan started on learning Portugese and Bryan was trying to clear his nose. This was the first day that we actually saw the sun, but the wind was still there. Later on the day Megan played Monopoly with the 2 kids and Denice. The whole day Jan was outside and he got home before we went to sleep.

Monday 10/03/2025

We helped Denice and Frank today with the installation of the laminate. First two rows where the most difficult and after that it was going fine. We stopped when the children came home and went back to our camper to learn portugese and work on the blog.

Tuesday 11/03/2025

We continued with the installation of the laminate. Before we knew it, it was time to go get the kids. Megan was going with Denice to go get them en to look at the supermarket in Seia. When the kids where home we played outside, because it was sunny again. We threw the bal and played tennis. In the evening we played chess and went to bed early.

Wednesday 12/03/2025

A day full of tasks. We had to go to the Finanças to get our NIF-number, and we got it. After that we threw away our trash and wanted to go to the supermarket, but the road to it was a bit difficult from the Finanças. We missed our turn and couldn’t find anywhere to turn around. So google maps had a different idea… Not a real road, a little sandy road which maps thought we could take with the camper uphill. So we had to drive backwards… We came across a dutch couple who helped us to the supermarket. Here we can do the laundry and get our groceries at the same time. The whole time Jan was with us and he did not like the road and decided to jump out of the camper onto the parking lot of where we did the groceries… We jumped, but got him inside safely. After that we drove back and hanged the clothes up. In the evening we had a little time for ourselves and went to bed.

Thursday 13/03/2025

A new day to explore the surroundings. We drove to Seia to get a data bundle. We took a little time to look in the shops and found glutenfree bread and cheese, so we where happy. When we where back we worked and enjoyed the sun, Jan enjoyed it as well, so Megan grabbed her camera and took a few pictures. In the evening we watched mario kart and afterwards played it ourselves.

The first day

On saturday 1st of march we truly left!
Even the cat came along which was a “little” challenging. He had to get used to a house on wheels. He had seen all places while meowing. The first day we drove the longest distance traveling through Belgium and found our first resting spot in France. This spot was a bit of a hassle to find, through a mountainous forest hurling down towards a small village. The tires weren’t to happy with that. When we finally found the place we were looking for, we parked, closed up shop and slept wonderfully.

The second day

The next day we woke up in a sunny french place. In morning we basked the sun with a view even Jan could enjoy. We drove for quite a while again, but the border of Spain was still nowhere near in sight. We drove trough a lot of little villages. The first and second where nice to look at, but after a few, we did not enjoy it so much anymore. The place we chose for our second night was located next to a stunning lake which we only realised the next morning, but the stars outside where lovely to look at.

The third day

Monday morning was spent taking pictures of the scenery before heading on the road again. We drove on the highway for most of the trip. But in the end we had to pass some mountain roads. The distance we drove today was far enough that we could see the Pyrenees mountains from our resting spot for the night.

The fourth day

Tuesday we actually crossed them (the Pyrenees). In France we chose to not use the tol roads, however in Spain we did make use of them, which was fully worth it. We didn’t think that using the small mountain roads in the Pyrenees was a smart idea, so we avoided them. On the way to the border of Spain we drove so close to the coast that we could see the ocean. After we decided that it would be beter to take the tolroads, we hoped that we woudn’t have a problem with altitude sickness, but non the less Megan did have some trouble after all. In the afternoon we found a lovely spot to settle for the night and enjoyed ourselves. By this spot there was an olympian building, but we still don’t know what it was used for.