Then I remembered that we are in Madeira anyway so this winter/spring thing isn't relevant.
What I do want to get rid of is this debilitating cough that just seems to be going on and on and on. And when it does eventually go it will be a gradual process rather than a "oh good my cough has gone" revelation.
Isn't it strange how you can have a reasonably relaxing day and still feel shattered at the end of it? Such was our visit to Funchal. We spent a fair amount of time eating and drinking, although I guess we also did a lot of walking and the afternoon sun did take its toll.
Six years ago we had the Beast From the East. I remember turning the heating up and shutting myself in the study and spending the best part of three days indexing the burials in our Parish churchyard. It was an interesting exercise and one I hope to develop in the not too distant future.
At our talk in Hethersett Library last Thursday a lady asked me if there were any groups researching Hethersett history. The short answer was no but there should be.
We used to have The Hethersett Society which for a time did sterling work in producing booklets etc. When leading members either died or moved from the village the research part of the group rather fell apart and Hethersett Society just became a group that had talks from various people, often not connected with the village at all.
The lady asked me if there was anywhere that brought all the village historical strands together and I fear there isn't. We have a village archive and a website but no group actually doing active research and there should be.
When I did the grave indexing it was always my hope to start up an active research group and I wonder if now is the time to do so.
I did mention this to a few people a number of years ago and there was certainly some interest but i have forgotten just who showed an interest. So if you live locally and have an interest in research and would like to be part of a research group just leave a message on this blog or email me at [email protected] and I will try to get the ball rolling (eventually when a few other projects have been completed).
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It was billed as an easy and short walk and it wasn't.
No idea how far it was but it went up and down and round and round. This was a light morning walk in Madeira which was anything but light. We left the apartment and headed down the road and then down and some more down as we approached the delightful village of Quinta Grande which the other four fifths says we visited last time we were here but which I have no recollection of. I must consult my diary but even that may not prove things one way or the other as I have a tendency to leave place names out or get them incorrect.
We made the village and hoped to find a bar for coffee. We needn't have worried as there were four bars in total along with a pharmacy and barbers. Seemed a strange mixture.
We ignored the first bar and went to the one recommended with our walk instructions. It was very small but the coffee was good and I avoided the cappuccino (see yesterday's blog). When I came to pay the bill it was three Euros for three cups of coffee. I did a quick calculation and announced that it worked out at one Euro a cup (I'm lightning quick at mental arithmetic as you can appreciate). What a bargain.
The walk to the village had been full of twists and turns and along a fairly busy main road where we had to stop for cars on a number of occasions. The walk back was more pleasant although part of it was along a road with a steep incline. Then we walked along a Lavada which was very narrow and at one point went through a very dark tunnel. But we did make it back ok, making a mental note to mention that the walk is neither short nor easy.
Quinta Grande has a population of just over 2000 with agriculture not surprisingly the main industry. It has attracted quite a few tourists because of its closeness to Cabo Girao which is considered to be the highest promontory in Europe at 1900 feet and just happens to be where we are staying. So you can see it was a long walk down and what seemed to be an even longer walk back up again.