Spring is Sprung

It just crept up on me. One minute I had my head buried in accounts, textbooks and the like, the next everything in the garden is budding, sprouting, flowering away, like the ornamental cherry tree here, the weeping willow, the bulbs I planted only last month.

The downside is the huge quantities of yellow dust given off by the pines, covering everything and getting into our lungs. 10 cm of growth in a week on the lawn is a daunting prospect too. We could do with some rain to settle the dust. Strangely, only last week I was saying "I'm sick of all this rain" - not something you would expect to hear from an Englishman in Portugal.

And the days are getting longer - more light for golfing! Now all I need is some time off work (fat chance) to make the most of this beautiful time of year.

Red Nose Day

Anna Pickard has suggested that bloggers and their public should join an initiative to publish a book of funny blog quotes, with the profits going to Comic Relief.

I think it's a good idea. Not that I would expect any (either) of my faithful readers to submit anything I have ever written, since I'm only good at one-liners that generally owe their funniness to the circumstances of a specific moment, but if you happen across any side-splitting posts, submit them for publishing - it's in a good cause.

Volvo C30

I went to see the new Volvo C30 yesterday, at Volvo in Sacavém. The decision was easy - choose something else!

The plastics are hard and cheap-looking, the boot is tiny, the boot cover is a rag cheaper than a beach towel and the price is ridiculous. The only positive thing I can say is that it will sit four adults.

The salesman didn't help. We went at lunchtime, and he obviously hadn't eaten. He was surly and uncommunicative. "What are the competitors to this car?", I asked. "Audi A3 and BMW series 1." came the reply. I managed to stifle a laugh. There is absolutely nothing in common between an Audi A3 and this feeble effort, except the price. He has to be joking.

So don't buy it, that's my recommendation. Worse! Don't even bother to go and look.

Love in the Time of Cholera

Not surprising that there's no time/incentive to blog when I'm given books this good for Christmas.

Initially I thought, "Not my kind of book", until I read the first chapter (60 pages). Then I realised it's one of those books you just can't put down. Superb, captivating writing that stays in your head long after putting the book down. The characters are developed gradually, letting us get to know them through their actions, rather than being forced down our throats like other "great" novelists. The story is funny at times, erotic at others, the best book I have read for years.

Credit is due, of course, to the quality of the translation. It's a shame I cannot read the Spanish original.

Spanish Drivers?

In the old days, the only inconvenience caused by Spanish drivers in Portugal was their flooding the roads during holiday periods and forming caravans in the middle lane on the motorway. But recently they are found overtaking aggressively on the right, double parking, driving excessively fast in urban areas, just like the locals!

Could it be that the quality of Spanish driving is plunging? More likely is that Chico Esperto Português has discovered that cars are cheaper in Spain and it's precisely that type of clever dick that likes to drive badly, encouraged by the authorities' difficulty in tracing the car to send it a ticket. Of course, he also has to manage to avoid being caught with the car in the country for more than six months, but what are the chances of that? I've heard that in the Alentejo the traffic police are alert to this loophole, but I can't see it happening in Lisbon.

Perhaps nuestros hermanos should think twice before selling to the Tugas - their reputation is at stake...

Bored

What to do when nothing inspires you? There are so many possible distractions, most of which arrived at Christmas - films to watch, books to read, games to play. And so many chores that are on the procrastination list. Even golf is uninspiring on a course waterlogged from so much rain.

At least the busy season at work is coming to an end and the days are getting lighter. Chin up! Things can only get better...

Accident & Emergency

What's the difference between private and public healthcare? As I understood it up to today, with private healthcare you're paying for a more timely and better presented service. Some private hospitals even offer an emergency walk-in-off-the-street service, which must surely be better than braving the conditions in Portuguese public hospitals.

That's what I thought until I took my wife to CUF Infante Santo this afternoon, in a state where her dizzy spells had reached the point where she could no longer stand, barely sit. I got her a wheelchair, checked her in and sat with her for an hour and a half in the waiting room without being seen. Everyone who was there when we arrived had been seen and had left. There were the queue jumpers, the "emergency consultations by appointment" slipped in front of us, and the usual State excuse: "One of the doctors didn't come in, so we only have one"! So what the hell was I paying for? We would have been better off at our local health centre!

The staff were shocked when we gave up and left. After all that time the dizziness had worn off. They even came after us into the car park: "The doctor will see you now". I don't suppose the 90€ emergency fee that they lost made any difference to them. After all, we were the strange ones, running away like that. I suppose I should have complained earlier, but it shouldn't be necessary.

It looks like José de Mello Saúde needs some competition, and then some doctors who take some pride in customer service, to set them apart from the public hospitals. You certainly won't find me setting foot there again.

Madison Who's Who

I had a merry half hour on the phone with a high pressure salesman from this organisation this afternoon. They claim to run an international directory of top professionals and try to get you to sign up for a full listing for 750€ (or only 989€ for lifetime membership!).

I was caught by an apparently identical organisation some years back: the International Who's Who Historical Society. The directory did eventually arrive, filled with the names of international professionals. The web site and contacts system also worked, for a while, until it suddenly stopped sending out the appeals for help, mostly from young Asians who had clearly been conned out of their life savings.

These guys are very good. They called my direct line, with my previous resumé in front of them, and made small talk about my business and the economy in an intelligent and informed fashion. Then, just as those years ago, they told me I had "passed" the interview, that I am clearly the kind of informed intelligent professional that would most benefit from signing up, and got round to talking about money.

Once bitten, twice shy, as they say. My advice is to keep away as you will not be able to confirm their authenticity. Note that a Google search brings up a number of identical positive references on the same hosting server and only one worried third-party query.

Oh, and on the basis that the FBI reads everything that is posted in the internet, I have a name and phone number if you would like to go after them for wire fraud!

Watch this!

I have always had a weakness for watches. My first paycheck from my first real job was spent on a watch which I still use more than any of the more recent acquisitions.

Swiss watchmaker Hublot is investing very heavily on advertising its "Bigger Bang" model, on the right, usually the red gold version, which I couldn't find a picture of. It's superb, with the mechanism all on display, made from gold, ceramic, kevlar and rubber. Strangely, I couldn't find this model on the manufacturer's site, perhaps because they have already sold the 18 limited edition pieces. For more details try The Watch Quote.

As for the price of the "Bigger Bang", if you need to ask, you can't afford it. The more practical and still stunning "Big Bang" is priced between 12,000€ and 16,000€. Maybe if I sell one of the cars...

CD of the Month (2)

I have to admit that I have not taken the time to find out anything about Lighthouse Family since my sister gave me this CD for Christmas (2003?), and according to Wikipedia, there's not really much to know.

Anyway, it's one of the great easy-listening albums and has been helping me endure my commute for the last month, so here it is.