Ex Pats: Graham Denby extols virtues of autumn in Portugal

Sep 30 2009 by Graham Denby

Ex Pats: Graham Denby extols virtues of autumn in Portugal

AS the kids pack their satchels for school (do they still have satchels or is it a laptop bag?) we coast easily through September and the slow changing of the season.

It’s been a scorching last few months – particularly this August – was the consensus among the aged locals.

The inside info comes from my mate Annabella at the BPI bank who says it’s been unusually unrelenting. Sounds a bit like their overdraft charges!

Maxine at the café says there seems to be some switch thrown when it moves from August to September as the night and mornings immediately seem to get cooler – a bit of a relief for sleeping and doing early morning horse jobs!

The fruit on the trees is ripening fast and obviously dropping willy-nilly. This includes figs out at the front and olives down in the paddocks and along the drive.

Acorns too are dropping from the Portuguese oaks which are a real horse delicacy, but too much and it’s belly-ache time!

Fatboy Murphy also spends as much time as possible munching on the newly fallen leaves from the fig tree. They are big and fibrous and I guess maybe a little sweet.

In reality, autumn out here is like a second spring. All the vegetation withers during the hot summer and is regenerated by the welcome rain, however late it comes – and even then it’s not usually massive!