Portugal - from sunshine to showers.....

We had an incredibly restful holiday in Portugal - such a beautiful country...... 

The hotel had glorious gardens, where you could sit by little streams like this one if you wanted to get away from the noisier pool areas.... 

We did have a bit of drama - on the first evening there we were sitting out on our balcony, it was about midnight and very quiet. We had closed the sliding doors into the room - and then discovered we couldn't get back in, there was no handle on the door (I assume for security reasons). Panic stations. The place was deserted, there was nobody in the rooms on either side of us. Then I realised I had my iPad out there, so I looked up the hotel, sent them an email headed URGENT and prayed that somebody would see it. Please help, I wrote pleadingly, we are locked out on the balcony of room 08, please send someone to rescue us. 
They must check their emails regularly, because within minutes the night manager was there, trying very very hard not to laugh.........

But apart from that, and returning to the aftermath of the referendum, we had a great time. I had left a key to our house with my friend who was going to pop in and water the garden while we were away. Ha! I think she had to drain the water out of the half drowned pots, apparently we missed the monsoon. So everything had doubled in size in two weeks, the hostas were flowering......

and I found two of these wrought iron plant stands all rusty and abandoned in a far corner of the garden, I lovingly rubbed them down and repainted - looking quite good now that the flowers I planted have begun to trail over the sides.....

I'll be back tomorrow with some crafty stuff, see you then x