The Volta á Portugal, 2014

A couple of weeks after the Volta á Portugal do Futuro passes through Oiã and Carris, the big race, the Volta á Portugal, starts. Normally, the smaller race takes the same route as the main race, which means that we get two national races passing by within a couple of weeks, and few can say

Volta á Portugal do Futuro 2014

Every year the Volta á Portugal, the Portuguese equivalent of the Tour de France, passes our house in the stage that starts or finishes at Oliveira do Bairro. A couple of weeks earlier, the Volta a´Portugal do Futuro, for new racing cyclists, passes on the same route. This afternoon, we were delighted to see the

Interlude: A visitor to the garden

Last year we had a cricket, I think it was a cricket, that was hurt and spent weeks in the rose bush in our garden. This morning I found another, who I followed around the garden, from the house wall to the same rosebush. For a brief time, s/he also found a little friend, before

A quick video tour around the district of Oiã

While we were travelling around the District of Oiã, taking photographs for the exhibition, we took the opportunity to record a video. For a bit of fun, I spliced it together, added some inserts and effects, and it’s gone down very well.    

A busy couple of weeks…

These last two weeks have been pleasantly busy. First of all we were approached by the local council, the Junta da Freguesia de Oiã, to provide images for an exhibition about the area, then there was the festivities themselves. So we were covering musicians, unveiling ceremonies, Zumba sessions, a fashion show and an Oiã version

My first exhibition in Portugal

We were delighted to be asked by the local council to provide images for an exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the local council for Oiã. We have exhibited individual photographs before, the last was for the 25th anniversary of ViveArte, a local medieval reenactment company, but this was the first time

Exposição: 25 Anos Vila Oiã

Volta a Portugal – 5th Stage, Carris and Oiã

We were lucky enough this year that the Volta a Portugal passed right outside our office. Sadly, when it came to TV coverage, they missed us out, but fortunately we were there to cover the historic day that the Volta a Portugal passed through Carris…

Geek moment of the day…

For the past few days we have been on an enforced sabbatical from the Internet, brought on from the fact that thieves stole the telephone cables supplying broadband, TV and telephone to our house (and many other houses in the area). Of course, this provided a grand opportunity to catch up (or re-watch) a load

Helicopters exercising over Oiã

The Portuguese military is hosting an exercise in Ovar, near Porto, and each day the helicopters are flying over Oiã. There are only about 8 or 10, but it is fascinating to watch them go over. When you flick through these images, see if you can spot the airmen sitting on the edge of the

Before we went to the beach…

…I had a chance for a little early-morning bee chasing…

Out for a walk last week…

…and this fabulous dragonfly alighted on a nearby bush. For a change, it wasn’t skittish, and I had a grand opportunity for some insect shots.

Feira Medieval at Troviscal

This year, the local council at Oliveira do Bairro sponsored a Medieval Festival (Feira Medieval) in Troviscal, a few km away from where we live. These medieval re-enactments are incredibly popular in Portugal, and although the weather was not ideal, the Companhia De Teatro Viv’Arte put on a fabulous show. There was jousting, and eagles, dancing and

Sunday afternoon at the Feira Medieval, Troviscal

This last weekend we went to the Feira Medieval in Troviscal, It was a fabulous afternoon, and all of the participants put on a great show, from the sword fighters and the tournament, to the dancers and the snake charmer.

A wasp after the rain

We had a most ferocious rainstorm, and afterward I spotted this wasp taking a drink from the drops on a rosebush. Trying to get closer, I disturbed his libations, but then he turned around and looked like he was drying to dry himself off. It wasn’t until I prepared the images I realised quite how

Feira de Medieval, Oliveira do Bairro 07-09 June

In a couple of weeks there is a Feira de Medieval, presented by Companhia de Teatro Viv’Arte, in Troviscal near Oliveira do Bairro. The Companhia de Teatro Viv’Arte present all over Portugal and a couple of years ago, when we first arrived in Portugal, they had a feira in Mamarrosa. I had never been to one of

Troféu de Karting Díario de Aveiro, Third Stage

Last weekend was the third stage of the Troféu de Karting Díario de Aveiro. Although it was windy, it was a lovely warm afternoon and a thoroughly competitive race, enjoyed by all …

Aveiro Elite Club at Kartódromo de Oiã

In a couple of weeks time, on the 08 and 09 June, the Kartódromo de Oiã will open its doors to the Aveiro Elite Club. this annual tuning event is always a fabulous weekend for anyone who likes cars. It’ll be our second chance to attend, and something that we are looking forward to immensely.

An experiment with a GIF (or ‘JIF’) file

The recent ‘controversy’ over whether a GIF file is pronounced as in ‘gimlet’ or ‘gin’ reminded me that yonks ago I had created a GIF file when learning how to use Photoshop  It was created from a tutorial and a stock image, as I recall, then I decided to animate it. The original had a background,

Let the festivities begin…

Starting in late April or early May the village festivals take place across Portugal. Associated with local saints, the festivals are an opportunity to eat, drink, and generally be merry. Nowadays, the evenings are given over to bands who tour the country, playing a mixture of traditional Portuguese music and covers of rock songs. This