16.09.25 - Ver o sol nascer quadrado

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

OVer here, we finally had a weekend without incident, meeting up with friends and going to get more jabs for Gaby's rabies (TBC). And this week I'm going to an awards ceremony with the Sherlock crew, plus we have a company band rehearsal on Thursday so it's all go. 

In other news, I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day means "to see the sun rise square" - a euphemism for going to prison, just like our ex-President!

And that's about it for now - speak soon.

Fred Chem

09.09.25 - Falar como letra de médico

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

We managed to get our impounded car back from the authorities, and were all set to spend a quiet weekend in, but then Gabi set up a lunch on Saturday with some psychology chums who were in town for a conference, and on the way we saw a stray cat almost get run over on a main road, and swerved across four lanes into a mechanics to see if it was OK, but it was so shook up that it bit Gabi and ran away, and now she has to go on an intensive, high-risk course of anti-rabies drugs that apparently might make her heart explode, and we eventually made the lunch bookended by hospital trips, and then spent Sunday refusing to leave the house until the universe forgets about us for a bit.

We also wrapped up the main part of the work on the flat, and this week we have some guys in "revitalising the floors", whatever that means, plus we have to get Gabi's grandpa's table and wardrobe up there somehow, then comes the cupboards-and-countertops part of the operation. Never a dull moment!

In other news, I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day comes from a follower on Instagram: "falar como letra de médico", or "to speak like doctor's handwriting" (i.e. incomprehensibly). 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Man's Best Fred

02.09.25 - Dar o cano

Hallooooo,

How goes? We've had a relatively chilled out week work-wise, and even summoned the energy to go out on Saturday to the Festa da Achiropita (we even got backstage tour of the fogazza production line and jumped the queue courtesy of Gabi's volunteer friend), only to have our car impounded in a police "blitz" (spot-check) on the way back, because we'd forgotten to pay this year's road tax (and our online bank wouldn't let us pay it on the spot, for some reason). So now we have to go to a holding pen in the middle of nowhere to pick it up when/if they OK our paperwork, which is a bit annoying. 

We also had Gabi's parents round for a nice meal out to mark Adny's birthday, and stopped by Ridaut's dad's flat, which is in the process of being cleared out (I scored a cool 1950's briefcase and some nice Panama hats, plus a table and wardrobe for the new flat).

I also made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day - "dar um cano" or "to give a pipe" - means to stand someone up or stiff them on an earlier promise. Not to be confused with "dar um bolo" ("to give a cake") which means, er, the same thing. 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Kentucky Fred Chicken

26.08.25 - Levar ao pé da letra

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

It was actually hot over the weekend so we raced to the nearest outdoor bar for drinks and nibbles upon conclusion of the working week, followed by a weekend in Indaiatuba, eating lovely meals and playing football in the park, in the company of Luisa and Gabriel. 

In other news, by our reckoning we've got another week to go until Phase 1 of apartment renovations are complete; I've made another mixtape; and my phrase of the day means to take things literally, or (literally) "to take [them] to the foot of the letter". So there's that.

Speak soon,

Fred as a Bird

19.08.25 - A carne sempre cai no prato do vegano

Hallooo,

Hope all well. 

Work has been pretty hectic this week (so much for the mid-year recess!) and we've been fitting in life admin stuff around it as best we can. At the weekend we went to a jazz-and-wine do on a rooftop in the centre of town, before checking out a new pizzeria. Then on Sunday we all went to Zila's for 3 different kinds of feijoada, 2 puddings and multiple board games. Family fun for all!

Elsewhere I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day means "the meat always falls onto the vegan's plate", a rueful turn of phrase for whenever good fortune befalls someone who doesn't know what to do with it. 

And that's about it for now - speak soon!

Frod! Show Me Magic

12.08.25 - Pelo andar da carruagem

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. 

The end is in sight with Phase 1 of our flat revamp, and in the meantime Ridaut borrowed a pickup truck from work and we used it to do some heavy lifting, including a new and much more comfortable sofa, praise be. Then we went to Indaiatuba and on to Piracicaba to return it, before heading back for a slap-up stroganoff meal. 

I also returned to the football pitch on Wednesday for the first time in a few years, thanks to a tip-off from Gaucho, of Gaucho restaurant fame. It was pretty cool, despite a much larger pitch than the old location, and we even had an in-house BBQ at the end, which is always welcome. 

Elsewhere I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day - "pelo andar da carruagem", or "by the way the carriage is going" - is fairly self-explanatory.

And that's about it for now - hope you're having a lovely time across the sea, and speak soon!

Mississippi Frod-dam

05.08.25 - Quem não deve não teme

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. 

We've had an eventful weekend, enlisting the in-laws to help put up a shiplap feature wall from scratch over the weekend, in between wild dashes to hardware shops and MEAT and BEER at the nearby Gaucho's bar (where I got an invite to a new, ongoing 5-a-side footy racket, intriguingly). And have been flopping about ever since. 

In other news, I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day means "he who doesn't owe, doesn't fear", a.k.a. "if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear". On a completely unrelated note, I recommend this new documentary on Netflix about all the stuff that went down during the last Brazilian election, which is now coming to a head in the news.

And that's about it... speak sooooon!

In Frod's Country