21.07.15 - Que bobagem

Helloooo, and may I say what a pleasure it was to see you during my UK (Slight Return) tour last week.   

A lot has been going on since I got back, as we've been literally getting our house in order - internet was installed today so I can give you a Skype tour at the usual time tomorrow should you so desire, but bare in mind it's still very much a work in progress. As I type, Adny and Gaby are hammering nails into our front door and a paint technician is telling Ridaut how to paint the wall properly.

We've got things like a fridge and a bed locked down, but our sofa is being assembled in the diamond mines of southern Brazil (or something) and won't be ready for another month, so we've just been slumping on an old mattress in the living room instead. We have a dining table, but no chairs, and a donated washing machine with a hole in the bottom - that kind of thing. I find it appealing in a ramshackle kind of way, and try to spend most of my time out of harm's way in a hammock. 

As previously mentioned we also now have a car, and put it to good use on Sunday driving to Embu das Artes, a small village outside Sao Paulo seemingly built entirely of arts & crafts - I've uploaded some pics (https://plus.google.com/117879613426586781742/posts/LRXeupXtNfj) and will expand our plan to retire the entire family there tomorrow - and the all-you-can-eat steakhouse I visited (and proposed to Gaby at) during my first trip here, which I was very excited about and did not disappoint. 

The day before I acquitted myself reasonably well at the footy, even scoring a goal (on purpose!), and then went on to the bridal shower of one of Gaby's friends (they're unisex here, before you ask; more of a "happy-couple shower") which was Las Vegas-themed and led to us becoming dangerously addicted to gambling on roulette with fake chips. I spent the evening telling everyone about my casino-themed 10th birthday party, and how I was basically way ahead of the curve back then.

In other new work has picked up a bit - we've finally managed to open a bank account for our sham think tank, which is just as well since it's the reason I was dragged back to London in the first place - and I've finally been issued with my RNE and CPF; basically, two numbers which allow me to do things like open a bank account and get healthcare. Which is nice.

I have marked my triumphant return by assembling a compilation of the finest Brazilian talents (https://play.spotify.com/user/freddypowys/playlist/5yEgsSy5XMUcqN1d85QqO9); I've tried to make it representative of what people here actually listen to, rather than my earlier, gringo-skewed effort. As for Fred's phrase of the week, one of the titles ("Bobagem") means "Rubbish", as in "Que bobagem!" / "What a load of rubbish!". Which I have found to be quite useful.

That is all. Speak soon!

Frodge