We woke mentally prepared for the challenge of gardening. Last night Britt and Johnny did what thought was 60 percent of the job in removing two thorny monsters from the garden, but the low branches of the agave and both plants' roots still needed attention. We attacked them and they attacked us. The full range of tools, light and heavy duty, were called into service, but the aloe root proved particularly stubborn. They even resisted John's efforts with the chain saw. then in desperation I used a sledge hammer on it. After 20 or so thwocks, it gave way and came out. The problem was now what to do with about 3 or 4 cubic metres of gardening waste.
At the same time, builder Jose arrived with a massive water tank that he had to fit to the solar heating system on the top of the little house. This operation continued throughout he day. Luckily Jose didn't require supervision or help.
We set off for the beautiful city of Tomar, leaving Wil to continue working remotely. On the journey out, quite close to the Adega, we saw a large hawk swooping into the air carrying something the size of a small rabbit. there is so much wildlife in the area.
Tomar really was a beautiful pace and the expansive main square was amazing in the sunshine. The cathedral had ben newly renovated and looked as fresh as if it had been built last week. Lots of interesting little streets radiated out from the main square. We noticed that tourist season was gearing up and there were several tour bussed criss-crossing the city.
A wide and rapidly flowing river cut its way through Tomar and the water was rich in quite large fish. We walked past a vast, beautiful mansion house right on the river. It had taken Britt's eye, but it was snapped up as soon as it was put on the market. It was vast, interesting and with large grounds. It would have taken a fortune to restore it, but it was lovely.
We planned to go to the engineering museum in the old power station, but with all the gardening we arrived a bit late and they were closing for lunch. No problem, we went to lunch too down an interesting laneway that included the Jewish museum and its exposed archaeological digs. We had lunch at the House of the Rats and it was a lot better than the name suggested. Apparently so close to the river, it was inhabited by rats but they were long gone. We had another big wonderful lunch. I had a pork, mint, rice sausage with a salad and Johnny had an authentic black pudding with salad. we had dessert and coffee as well as we waited for the museum to open. The restaurant was full of older people out for a catch up . They were in no hurry. It must be a wonderful time in their lives. The museum visit was interesting but Johnny got more out of it than me or Britt..
We took the picturesque route back to the car and drove back to the Adega to pick up Wil and head off to Agroal. Jose was still hard at it up on the roof. Agroal was a short drive away. and on the way down we caught sight of two red legged pheasants and a llama, Those pheasants might well become someone's lunch soon we thought as the shooting season was about to start.
The freezing cold water runs down from the mountains, and is briefly trapped in a pool that people can bathe in at Agroal. There was a sandy beach with umbrellas and a cafe so you can imagine how popular it was on a hot day. Wil plunged right in but Johnny needed a bit of encouragement from Britt. Soon all three of them were leaping about with the kids in the water. It was a place to be seen and photographed, with loads to people taking selfies . After half an hour or so, Wil, Britt and Johnny had had enough. When they emerged they admitted that they couldn't feel their toes. It was so cold. I on the other hand was cooking in 32 degrees in the shade,
It was home for a rest and a catch up with emails etc and out again for dinner in Tomar. It was a wonderful warm night and finding a good restaurant in Tomar was no problem. We ended up a an elegant place called Landeira, We were served by an excellent young man who used google translate to communicate with us throughout the night. I had a great steak. Johnny had grilled sea bass and salad. Wil had the cod and Britt had the most enormous ox tail pie. It was a wonderful meal with good wine and attentive service. Rather than have dessert here we took a turn around the town looking at the sights and finally coming across a busy ice cream shop. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal and a perfect day,
