APAPS 19.5: Pescadores Pequenino

First of all, a couple of “brought forwards” from last week´s Blog before we deal with this week´s Walk.
Number One. If you recall, we were dealing with the rather academic subject of women talking about men in literature and films, not exactly the most enthralling topic ever covered in these pages, it has to be admitted. Anyway, Antje sent in an email (while apologising for her inability to post a formal comment while on her way North to UK) which included the following remark:-
“ A lady (am I allowed to use a gender) just published a whole novel consisting of one sentence. Being a WAG,  might I be allowed to forget the name.
I do know that we walked 8.2 km today around Porto, fortified on route by port wine at regular intervals.
Love Antje”
Intriguing. Does anybody know the name of that lady author? Mind you, it could be any stream of consciousness type of thing – you know what I mean – it´s the way a lot of women talk –they do go on and on non-stop, no pauses for breath, grammar or punctuation.
But more seriously, stopping for a regular glass of port would be a good way to get through one of those WAGS walks round Lagos.
Number Two. That blog had referred to a couple of absentees, one being Janet, being struck down with The Dreaded Lurgi. Paul came back with the comment that he would have spelled it “Lurgy” with all sorts of references to the Oxford English Dictionary. The Goons made the word popular in our schooldays as “Lurgi” but apparently the Cornish dialect had it as “lurgy” or “the lurgies” which they described as a sort of pretend disease, the cure for which in a place called Poldark (familiar?) was to take a long, fast walk. Perhaps Janet should have not given in that morning but should have come on our Grande Finale walk. Be that as it may, she was as fit as a fiddle for this week`s excursion.

And this was the track for this week´s walk.

A mere 8 kms and 425 metres climb.

Except for one thing –that wasn´t the walk we actually did. You see, the previous day, Paul and Myriam advised that they had to be in Faro mid-Wednesday morning for some sort of cosmetic appointment and would have to miss the breakfast. Appalled by this threatened desertion, where it seemed that personal good looks were being prioritised over traditional exercise,  the Leader said he would truncate the walk so that they could fit the meal in. This second picture shows the shorted version of the walk that actually took place.

True statistics to follow later.

At the witching time of 7. 07 am, however, there was no sign of TerryA and Jill (their road from Salir had been closed because of a fire alarm) so the Starters were only…

                          Janet, Dina, JohnH, Maria, Ingrid, Paul, Myriam and Hazel.

TerryA was told by phone where we were going; he said he would catch us up. Off we went at 7. 20 am.

At intervals, we laid down stone arrows on the track in case he couldn´t follow us. But you can´t fool him, he knows these woods like the back of his hand.

In the past, I have been accused of unkind photography in displaying other peoples´ rear ends in my Blog photographs, So perhaps it is time and quite fitting that I now display one of mine own.

Half way through the walk and at the top of a hill, Terry and Jill did indeed catch up with us so there was a sort of second Starters photo.

Our route home was fairly direct after that, down what had been a hidden valley until last year´s fires revealed it. Still quite a secluded spot, nevertheless. Paul was lucky enough to spot a deer as we descended.

Back at Pescadores by 9.00 am for an early breakfast. Hazel and Myriam had gathered mint for their cha.

We were joined by Rod .

Good to see him after his overhaul even although it will be some weeks before his new gearbox is fully run in and he can be on the walks again.

               
                                                       The standard breakfast

                                                          The special breakfast

There was the usual good Pescadores service at breakfast , thanks in large part to Hazel and Maria. This pair were due to depart for distant Asia the next day on a two month safari , so fond farewells were exchanged.

                                               Before the beauty treatment

Temporarily, our APAPS numbers are shrinking.
And now for the Track and Statistics of what must be one of the shortest APAPS/WAGs efforts on record.

                                                  Garmin still cannot get it right

The official figures

Total distance: 5.87 kms. Total time: 1 hr 49 mins.
Moving time: 1 hr 24 mins. Average moving speed: 4.2 kph.
Ascent: 194 metres.
Eggs consumed:16

5.87 kms only. Is that a record low?