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Category Archives: Features
Portugal No.2 in the World’s Best Places to Retire To
from the Yahoo Finance website:
Find your place in the sun: The 10 best countries to retire to
Fed up with bad weather, high prices and whatever TOWIE is meant to be? Yahoo! Finance and Castle Cover have teamed up to work out the best country to move to.
Escaping Britain for a new life overseas has rarely seemed more attractive, as economic distress, rain and rip-offs fill the news. But where can you go to escape it all?
To offer a helping hand, Yahoo! Finance and Castle Cover took a look at everything from rainfall to crime rates, healthcare (availability and cost), tax, crime and how much homes cost to work out what the best options are.
This is what they found:
Aljezur To Go Back In Time
Aljezur is planning to emphasise its Moorish roots.
The town, founded by the Arabs in the tenth century, is going back to its roots as a new heritage pedestrian circuit is to be built.
The works are aimed at “restoring the authenticity” of the historic centre and will include the recovery of medieval roads with authentic oil lamps, to create self-guided tours.
The project, to be completed by the end of this year, representing an investment of €200,000 and will be financed by EU funds.
The Association for the Defense of Historical and Archaeological Aljezur (ADPHAA) is a partner in the project, along with the city of Lagos and other regional institutions.
Mayor José Manuel Marreiros explained that the works focus on the historic core of the town where a four kilometres circuit is being developed to enable visitors to move easily through the narrow streets and get to know in more detail the key historical aspects of the town.
See:
You can also read our own history of Aljezur Castle and the town’s Moorish roots in our features section by going to:
The Vale of Tears
A BOOK CHOICE
By Matt D’Arcy
Cormac Murphy, Amovate member and one of Vale da Telha’s newest permanent residents is, like a lot of people up here, an avid reader.
And it certainly helps to keep your bookshelves stocked when you have a well-published author in the family!
Cormac’s brother Jim has just completed his sixth book—his fourth novel—which is already receiving good reviews.
And we’ll be pressing Cormac to let us have a copy for the Amovate library!
Hopefully, Jim will autograph it as well, as Cormac is hoping his brother will be flying over for a visit later this year.
Jim’s book, ‘The Vale of Tears’ has just been released on Amazon/Kindle, the download costing only £1.99, and you can get details from:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D341689031&field-keywords=the+vale+of+tears
It will also be released on Apple, Waterstones, WH Smith, Barnes and Noble, for download onto any mobile device in a few more days.
The book, (which I have not yet read!) appears to have a touch of Dan Brown about it, a novel blending fiction with fact as it poses the question about whether Princess Diana’s death was an accident or not.
THE STORYLINE:
Thirteen years after Princess Diana’s death, Laura Ross, an assistant professor of history in Virginia, receives word from her grandfather in England that her life is in danger: she is being stalked by a fanatical secret society which, since the days of the Tudors, has manipulated and controlled the royal succession through conspiracy and murder. He himself is a member.
However, conscience-stricken in his old age, he has stolen certain incriminating documents, the Folio, which he intends to publish and expose the society’s criminal and murderous past.
Ross makes her way to England only to find he has been kidnapped by the society. Joining forces with Ed Carson, a former soldier, she sets off in search of her grandfather and the Folio, hotly pursued by the society’s killers.
The chase moves to a remote abbey in France, where they unearth the ancient prophesies of an obscure monk. Forced to return to England, Ross and Carson find the Folio and uncover a link between the prophesies and the Testament of an eighteenth century priest, a connection which forewarns of the society’s murderous role in the present.
In a chilling climax, Ross and Carson are confronted by the society and learn the awful truth behind the terrible tragedy in Paris of August 1997.
About the Author
James Murphy was born in Liverpool and educated at St Mary’s College (my old Alma Mater!), and Leeds University.
In addition to The Vale of Tears, he has written a trilogy of spy novels, Cedar, Juniper and Ash; and two works of non-fiction, The Murder of Julia Wallace and Liverpool VCs, an absorbing account of the unusually high number of servicemen from that City who have won the country’s highest award for Valour.
Sapo / MEO Installation
SAPO At Work
AMOVATE Member Cormac Murphy wonders if any other Vale da Telha residents have had a similar surreal experience as he has in their dealings with the Sapo/Meo TV/Internet installation
Two weeks ago Cormac had the Meo TV Package installed, which included the Meo box and satellite feed which he says was fine.
“The next day, a man came to install the telephone & internet,” Cormac continued. “Where I’m living I was unable to have cable, and so my internet comes through the phone line.
“I became suspicious of the man’s work when he hooked the cable onto a supporting bracket attached to the top of the telegraph pole. This should have been placed in the allocated slot on the T-Bar.
“The cable dangled down and he pushed it through some old conduit that was lying around. He had nothing to attach the cable to the pole, and proceeded to pull old, rusty nails from the pole and bend them over the conduit.”
Cormac says this cable was then passed over the garden wall and into the front door of the connections box.
“I told him this was not satisfactory,” he added. “But the guy said he had no tools—Meo apparently did not provide them. He then drove off, leaving everything the way you can see in the photographs!
“I have been complaining ever since to Sapo/Meo (phoning 16200). They made an appointment for Tuesday 31 July at 9am, but they never showed.
“I phoned again, and they said it would be fixed in 48 hours. But nobody showed up until a major breakthrough on Friday morning when a guy from PT rang asking me about the problem.
“I explained the situation saying the phone/internet cable installation was not acceptable. He then said they could not do anything as the pole was on my land – even though they’d previously attached the cable to the pole!
“I got angry and after a few choice words they were on the doorstep within 30 minutes.
“They have now promised to move the pole from my land and put it on the pavement, then channel the cable into my connection box which is built into the front garden wall.
“He took some photos of his own and I asked them how long would it be before it’s fixed. He said he’ll show his photos to his boss and explain the situation – but I’m not holding my breath!
“I have enclosed my own photos of the so-called workmanship—I had to tape over the door myself to stop it flapping about in the wind.
“Please let me know if any members have had to endure such chronic workmanship as this.”
