Almost gone. Almost over. The last 2 days were more than unpleasant, to put it mildly. Rain, rain, rain, ice,and loads of snow up in the mountains.

We are in the mountains. But just a bit further up , even in Camacha had a sprinkling of snow.
Anything above 750 meter was covered with snow. At Pico do Ariero the temperature was -2 C.

Snow is not unusual up there at this time of the year, however this much is not. But then again, they always tell me the same thing…We have never had rain like this, it is not normal for this time of the year to be this cold…
Maybe they just don’t want to scare the tourists away.

Mind you, we are not tourists anymore….9 times in a year and a half might qualify us for half residents perhaps?

We didn’t give in though. Wasn’t going to just sit at home and read when I’ve only got a few days left. Equipped with umbrellas – that broke at the first gust of wind – took off for our usual walks. Stopping half way at the Cliff Bay for their delicious Sacher style torte and hot chocolate.

Bad weather equals comfort food, in my case loads of cakes: chocolate cake with strawberries , carrot cake with thick buttery icing on top, delicious scones with cream and raspberry jam,creme brûlée ,  apple pie with vanilla ice cream , fudge brownies with even more vanilla ice cream.

Should feel guilty. Do I? Hmm…No , I don’t . Life is short…we must enjoy it. You just have to balance it out. Overindulgence will be followed by a more strict, simpler diet back home. Or not. Or just simply more exercise, more hikes in my beloved forest.

Spring is coming…with that work in the garden. The endless hours of digging, shovelling, planting will do wonders to my waist line.

Gone are the days when I wished I could be a super model. Do know my body, my limitations, and with age comes wisdom .

Beauty is within. If you are happy , content with your life, it will show on your face. No amount of cream, face masks, plastic surgery will compensate for the miserable life you are leading. ( I think I’ve written this before… )

Over 40 I am more concerned about health. Want to be able to walk, run, exercise freely, enjoy my days in the garden without having to struggle up every single time I’ve spent too much time bending down.

Then there are my travels.

So many beautiful places to be discovered on this Earth. My wish list is endless ,  Iceland, Sweden, Denmark are next .  And more of Madeira.

But at the same time I have this constant nagging feeling, that I am missing out on something. Travelling at every single school break my son has, never actually spending more than 2 days in a row at home  does have its disadvantages.

My son knows Madeira better than his own country. He thinks nothing of having 4 different bedrooms in 4 different houses. Does get confused with the kitchen cabinets, he is forever looking in the wrong place for his cereal in the morning.

Am I doing the right thing??? I honestly don’t know.

And there is one more thing to consider. You cannot have a proper relationship when you spend half your time away from each other.

Tough decisions to be made.
I really don’t want to choose.

But just  look at the view from my bed!

How can I let you go?