Meravista.com’s intrepid explorer braves the bathrooms of various establishments and comes to the conclusion that Portugal has the cleanest toilets in the world. While we question how many countries have been surveyed, we felt you may enjoy reading our explorer’s rather off-the-wall review.

Every morning after breakfast my dad would take the daily newspaper and read it for an hour on the pot in the back bathroom. So I was behaviourally conditioned to follow this tradition. However, I can’t find the resolve to stay more than ten minutes at a time.

Last Saturday (21 Feb 2015), for the first time in years, the huge Arade Congress Hall was sold out. It was an outstanding performance of the German opera Carmina Burana, by the Airforce Band and the Lisbon Cantat Chamber Choir. Congrats also to AFPOP and Maestro, Armando Mota.

The first Saturday of the month is always greeted with joy by the female residents of the Western Algarve. They simply abandon their husbands and descend on the gypsy market. Yes, welcome to "cinceuros" Lagos day.

The car parks were pretty full by ten o’clock and the noise echoing from the market's loud hailers could be easily heard from 100 meters away. We locals, dressed in pullovers, scarves and windcheaters to protect against the wind chill, were out in abundance. I also noticed a number of colourful short sleeve / short panted individuals. Well OK visitors, you’re welcome, we need your holiday makers’ money, but please don’t freeze to death.

My arm is killing me, aching from shoulder to elbow. The slightest movement trebles the discomfort. Ouch! Ouch!! Ouch !!! OK, OK, OK take another painkiller.

For all my misery I realise I am very lucky to have just a cleanly broken humerus and a steel plate to replace a shattered olecranon (tip of the elbow bone). It could, of course, have been a lot worse.

The world is forever changing but when the beautiful South West National Park suddenly gets an unexpected distorted facelift then I believe it’s time to pause and contemplate just where we are going.
I am all for green energy projects, solar panels, wind turbines etc. as supplements to the basic energy supply needs of any country. But there has to be a limit to the visible and environmental distortions that are allowed to be perpetrated when bringing these projects to fruition.

My search for faster and faster Internet download speed continues. Needless to say I’m getting very weary after all this geek effort.

Some of my friends, of course, took the easy route and purchased the expensive, small satellite dish for Wifi into their homes. Others have bypassed the speed issue and lashed out on a “pirate” TV dish, piggy backing on the Army service in Gibraltar. But the non- geeks amongst us have soldiered on through numerous telephone calls with MEO, gradually getting faster wifi by a process of attrition.

Please, please, can anyone tell me why, why it is so
That on ALL card receipts YOUR name they must show?
They even contain 50% of your card’s number for sure
Making it easier for “uno-whos”to make a “crooked-score”

You must have noticed just how many computer nerds have recently emerged in the Algarve. I find it remarkable just how quickly these old dodderers have taken up their new roles. I suppose with them having such a strong affinity for their new ‘love’ their enthusiasm is understandable.