Corona Blog.

                        Penny Sue.

 A virtually empty reservoir near to Alcoutim.

Rap3 + companion viewed from atop Castelo Velho.


1st pt - 19 March.

Portugal, so far, is being kind to me wild-camping, as I am, in their country. Rap3 (my Moho) is snug and level on a public area which in normal times would be the parking area for people who are visiting 'Castle Velho'. This deserted and ruined castle, more a Fort really, is fully visible through my viewing window, or, to put it more precisely, my front windscreen. It was originally built to overlook and defend the visible stretch of the 'Ri (River) Guadiana' which happens to be the border between Portugal and Spain. Alcoutim, the village just below, eventually built a replacement Fort as border rivalry and smuggling decreased.

One thing I am enjoying during this Covid-19 crisis and my self imposed isolation is to sit up at the old Fort with my binoculars and survey both the Spanish and Portuguese village and river life laid out below me. Not that there is a lot of it. This a quiet backwater in normal times. In these lock down times visible life is virtually absent. The Maritime police were out on the river yesterday and I think, judging by the number of boats that have now left, moved on any that did not have either Spanish or Portuguese residency.

My fear is that the GNR (Portugals police) will do the same to me. No sign of it so far and the recent emergency measures announced by the Portuguese president did announce stringent travel restrictions but did not go as far as the Spanish who are chucking out all non residents who have to leave promptly.
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2nd pt - 29 March.

I'm now on an  'Aire de service' on a French Peage (toll Mway) between Bordeaux & La Rochelle. The GNR never did turn up at 'Alcoutim' but I was getting increasingly anxious about the overall and rapidly developing Covid-19 situation.

Portugal eventually locked down as severely as Spain and I would have needed a private place to site Rap3 if I stayed for the duration. Not impossible but then I checked my travel holiday/health insurance and they said; -

"Foreign Office advice is to return to the UK. If you do other than that you will not be insured".

So here I am slowly heading back to UK. I say slowly as I see movable or nomadic lockdown/isolation on Spanish and French motorways as preferable, for the moment, to static lockdown in the UK in front of my brothers house.

Mind you I am going to have to leave the motorway tomorrow or the next day as food, in particular fruit n veg, are now virtually all gone. Half a cabbage and one green pepper that has seen better days are all that is rattling around in my fridge's veg tray.

I'm still not sure I've made the right decision as Portugal, as far as Covid-19 goes, is one of the safest places to be, having locked down early and quickly got control of the spread. Whereas it seems from all the news I am reading that I am headed into a much worse scenario. I was however; also worried about being stuck in Portugal as the really hot weather developed in June/July. I'm not good once the temperature starts to head above thirty degrees. Especially with my modified post Oesophagal body.

I am good and healthy right now though and hopefully if I continue my isolation I will stay that way. Mind you if anybody had witnessed me about an hour ago I'm sure they would have alerted the Coronavirus Swat Squad. I had an Oesophagael dumping incident, which, with this re-modelled stomach of mine, is a regular and manageable occurrence. This time though it coincided with one of my, also normal, allergic sneezing bouts. I won't say anymore. I'm sure you are all very capable of visualising the rest. All well now though but glad no one else was around to hear the strange noises emanating from the rear left hand corner of Rap3.

Actually it's quite peaceful tonight. I can hear the lorries thundering by on the motorway but apart from them no other vehicles as the whole country is on lockdown. But, unusually, there are no refrigerated lorries, overnighting on this 'Aire de service'. For once I won't need my earplugs to block out the sound of the noisy motorised refrigeration units which once the lorry engine is turned off kick in with their own seemingly even noisier motor.

Hah! Having just written that, and right on cue, there is a Spanish one just pulled in. Thankfully he is a couple of bays down so not too noisy.
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March 30.

Guess I'm rehearsing for full lockdown now as I slow this journey down in order I extend, for as long as possible, this travelling lockdown. At present I still see this as a slightly preferable option than the strict static lockdown in Rap3 I'm going to have to adhere to when parked up at my brothers house. He is highly vulnerable and even though I've been isolated for 3 weeks now I would not dare risk entering the house for another 2 weeks. I guess Rap3 and myself are going to become even more intimate now. I am going to miss that lovely upstairs shower though. I'll have it as my goal to look forward to.

The weather here in Western France has turned bitter. There were flurry of snow as I left my lunchtime Aire but thankfully the sun soon appeared again and is welcome, warming as it does through Rap3's many windows. This despite the strong, freezing, and buffeting wind. However; once that sun drops below the horizon its all hands on deck to close up window blinds and pull round the front curtain in order to conserve any warmth for another half hour before the heating has to be fired up. Once that is on I'm soon toasty warm and deep into my latest Quantum consciousness exploration book. Did I hear a groan?

UK probably at the weekend then. if, that is, I can slow my journey down enough. Stay safe everyone and let us all aim to come through this in good health.

Coronavirus... What the...?

On I go with my next Blog. A Quantum leap from my last Blog perhaps? Well not a lot has changed but there again everything has changed as it always does. That is the one certainty in life, the one thing I do know for sure. Nothing ever stays the same. Life is largely a choice between trying to keep things stable and OK or, accepting change and all the connotations that accompany it. That goes for both external and internal circumstances. My own internal, mental, existential, quantum changes have continued but that subject was covered in my last blog so I'll leave it there but with difficulty as of course 'outside' change is only a reflection, or a mirroring back of 'inside' change.

I'm still in Portugal, Algarve, and right at this moment on a quiet wild spot just below the ruins of an old Fort above the village of Alcoutim. I can see the 'Ri Guadiana' below and across to the opposite bank and the Spanish village of 'San Lucar de Guadiana'. Strung out along the river lie 'the boaters'. This is a community of like minded people from all nationalities who choose to live on the water. The boats are mostly full ocean goers though and when you factor in the Motorhome/van dwellers it renders a large part of this 'local' community as vagrant or temporary.

Roy was a boater and had been for many years before, and only recently, selling his boat and moving into a small house locally. 

"Well why on earth would I want to go back to the UK." 

he stated, as he wielded spanner & pliars to fix a much smaller sailboat which he will use for pleasure and to visit the many boater friends he has up and down the river. All I'm saying is this area around Alcoutim has also got me thinking similar thoughts. 

Prior to my present location I have been with Lenny and Win, my good friends from Spain. We've all spent a great few days together on the coast near 'Portimao' and the classic 'eroding cliff' Algarvian picture postcard beaches and cliffs. 

They also introduced to me 'Rumikub'. Happy evenings were spent as we each grappled with this intriguing numbers game with, I have to say, increasingly fierce competition as skill increased around the numerous complexities allowed within the rules. A fascinating little game.

Right now I'm back at the coast at 'Vilamoura', a large, wealthy golfing resort and swanky marina. My x sis in law is here at the apartment she owns with her husband. She is here on her own to supervise the 'less than efficient' builder whose supposedly re-doing the guest bedroom shower. Meanwhile hubby, back in the UK, is equally in the thick of it project managing the re-furbishment of their Barnet, N London home.

It's pleasant to have a few days of plugged in electricity as it relieves the pressure on my gas/electric fridge. This has already cost me a new gas jet plus loss of the freezer contents. Over the years though I've become somewhat of a fridge expert on these complicated three way motorhome absorption models. The trouble with them is in very hot weather they struggle, especially when running on gas for long periods which, because I mainly wild-camp, is precisely what I do. Oh well; new gas jet is now fitted and new supply of fish fingers are nicely frozen and await the mashed spuds, peas and maybe even some parsley sauce. 

The stay here has also given me time to carry out a respectable gaffer tape and cable tie repair to my 'passenger side' wing mirror. This was smashed to smithereens by a Range Rover travelling in the opposite direction, who, according to Lenny and Win, directly behind me in their moho, swerved toward me for whatever reason, perhaps a momentary loss of concentration or suchlike. Thankfully the electric wires hung onto enough of the smashed bits enabling a running repair at the roadside which now, even though I say it myself, has turned into a rather OK looking and respectable enough repair, courtesy some spares I carry for just such an eventuality, to continue my travels and get me back to the UK.

13/3/2020 

Guess that's me gonna be staying Portugal a while longer as Spain is rapidly shutting down due to Coronavirus increasing its foothold. I'm taking my xsis in law to Faro airport tomorrow for her flight back to the UK. Gonna then top myself up with Gas and diesel & head out to Portugal's interior for a while. Its empty, wild, at present warm and sunny and I reckon as good a place as any to isolate myself for a while.

Plus; and what a plus this is, I've just downloaded two more books to my Kindle on my favourite theme. Yup, you've guessed, Quantum themes. If I am gifted survival from this virus and emerge from the Portuguese bushlands sane and healthy I'll tell you all about it..... lol, lol.

Love to all and wishing good health, humour and copeable anxiety and worry over the next few weeks.