Living in Portugal - Our Monthly Journal - October 2026
Another beautiful month in the Algarve. We've spent the month mostly hanging out around home, enjoying the slow pace, great weather, and beautiful surroundings. The weather has been perfect, with warm days around 25° c (mid-70s °F) and crisp evenings in the low teens Celsius (50° f and lower). You can tell when the temperatures drop below 25°c: the locals start wearing winter jackets during the day, but the visitors from the north are still in shorts and T-shirts.
In Teresa's garden this month, there's not much planting but a little growth and some fall treats to harvest. Beans, eggplant, and cabbage have been planted and protected by Luis' makeshift scarecrow; the citrus trees are full of fruit, most of which is still green and needs time to ripen. Some are starting to turn color and should be ready for us in a few weeks. We harvested one of the giant squash that was ready for the fall.
I caught this scene on the mandarin tree: this large grasshopper stalking a lone fly on the leaf below, nature at its best at managing the pest population.
Wild vines of this Chayote squash are growing around the farm. One vine has overtaken some of the trees and our neighbor's roof. Portuguese call these Chuchu and absolutely love them in soup or stews. We have yet to try them.
From a single large Guava tree, Teresa provides a large quantity of fruit to her sister to sell at their stand at the Saturday Alvor Mercado; plenty of Guava Jam to be made (Teresa brought us a jar of hers), and Mary and I have made juice and frozen a few to use in smoothies. They are so sweet and fragrant.
Roma's (Pomegranates) are also plentiful; some grow wild around the area, left over from old abandoned orchards. The single tree here produces a huge amount, and like the figs in season, we can step out our front door and grab a few to enjoy regularly while they last. The fruit isn't the bright red we are used to; it's a much lighter pinkish/yellow color on the outside. The inside still has deep red, sweet, juicy seeds that are fantastic in salads and with yogurt.
Mary's garden continues to add bright color to our yard; a fresh new kitchen window, a repurposed cart shows off plants beautifully, while the lavender and bird of paradise are best friends of the local bees
Early in the month, we attended Oktoberfest with a few friends in the village of Porches. Each year, the Vila Vita Biergarten expands its grounds with tents, tables, bars, and a stage, bringing German festivities to the Algarve for two weeks of food and fun. It's an experience, but selfishly, for me, the pork knuckle is what lures me.
We've been blessed with great weather for boating in October and have taken full advantage of it. There's something magical about viewing the Algarve from the water. Maybe it's the deep Maritime history here and Portugal's role in the Age of Discoveries.
Our small village of Montes de Alvor held one of the gatherings/festival for the residents. We went early to check things out; not many people were there, but they started streaming in a little later. Booths had the usual Portuguese food made by volunteers, plus a few handicrafts. I think we were the only non-Portuguese-speaking attendees, but we felt a warm welcome from our neighbors
The signs below translate as:
Caring for our elders and preserving our history.
Live each moment. Laugh each day. Love every detail.
Life is a collection of memories.
We've started volunteering at the local Kennel (Canil) in Portimao, where we join other volunteers who donate a few hours each week to walk the dogs housed at the facility. On our first day, we walked Pickles, Oscar, Francisco, and a few others. Pickles loves to give hugs; Francisco barks constantly to announce his presence until he stops about halfway through the walk; Oscar is happy-go-lucky and just appreciative to be out on a walk.
Each volunteer gets a dog on a leash, poop bags, and treats, and is asked to walk it through a suggested neighborhood route and a dirt path through the trees. The dogs are very happy to be out and seem to enjoy the sights and smells. When we get back to the kennel, they are thirsty from the walk and lap up water from the bowls placed out for them. The dogs queue up to wait their turn for the pool, where we take our group into the play area to enjoy a refreshing dip and some playtime with the toys provided. When their attention span is exhausted, they anxiously wait for staff at the gate to take them back inside for a well-deserved lunch.
It feels good to help these pups out and give them some time outside the pens; they certainly returned the appreciation, gratefully receiving a few pets and brushes from their human walkers. A few paws jumping up on you and a couple of leans into you were a sufficient thank you for us, not to mention the exercise from walking the loop several times with different dogs; the excited pulling on the leashes from the bigger ones was a good shoulder workout. We'll happily do this again and again
Mediterranean garden fair in nearby Lagoa
A beautiful day walking the beach at Alvor.
The organic market Wednesday nights in Lagos.
Another day at the Canil, walking the dogs. Today, a crate of puppies was loaded into the car to be taken to Puppyland. It's a special facility set up just for puppies where people volunteer to visit, spend time with them, and hopefully adopt as well. It helps to socialize the pups and provide a low-stress environment
We started playing tennis again this month. It's fun to get back to our morning tennis routine on the courts in Alvor.
It's migration season for the birds, so the small reservoir near our house becomes a favorite place to hang out and grab a few crustaceans for both the locals and those just passing through.
A large community of Eastern European Romani here, often seen on the streets in horse-drawn carts like the one pictured. I photographed this one morning in a vacant field near our house, as they gathered feed for their animals. They are often referred to as Gypsys here and are famous for their horses, which they move around to open fields as a method of weed and brush control while providing them with a food source. The headgear on this one is common and carries deep cultural significance as a source of protection meant to ward off bad luck or curses.
Those are the highlights for the month. As always, our post ends with the cats. Sonny and Barney continue to enjoy their life in Portugal. Sonny keeps a close eye on the birds outside the bedroom window, and Barney lounges around without a care in the world. The local outdoor cats love hanging out near us and the free food too... A recent addition to the outdoor visitors seems very friendly and chatty. We believe he has a home nearby and is well taken care of, but appreciates some attention whenever available.
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As always, we hope everyone is doing well, healthy, happy, and thriving. We miss you and love you all...A lot!
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