31.05.22 - Situação de barril

Halloooo,

Hope you're all doin' well! 

We've been out and about this weekend, to visit Beatrice & Jacob's new flat - they've gone through renovation hell too, so it was encouraging to see proof that these things come to an end eventually. Then we stopped off in Sorocaba on the way home the next day, to check out a cat café and have some cat immersion therapy, which was good, wholesome fun. 

Elsewhere I've made another compilation, featuring the latest gibberish hit to sweep the nation, "Acorda Pedrinho". And my phrase of the day means "a barrel-like situation", or "dire straits", basically - an homage to beloved TV character Chaves, who lived in a barrel. And that's all I have to say about that. 

Speak soon!

Fred Green Tomatoes

24.05.22 - Não vale um pequi roído

Hallooooo,

Hope all well! It's been unusually cold this week due to a polar snap that lasted a gruelling two days, and the entire neighbourhood ran out of water for the last two days which wasn't great, but otherwise all well here too.

We've been out and about this week, heading to Pedreira (city of crockery) on Saturday to stock up on mugs and the like, and scout out a cupboard for the flat, before moving on to nearby Holambra (city of flowers and Dutch people) for a pannekoek and apfelstrudel. And on Sunday we went for lunch at Adny & Ridaut's overlooking the EcoPark in Indaiatuba, before stocking up on supplies and heading home. 

Elsewhere I have made another compilation, and my phrase of the day is a Tocantins expression for disparaging people who "aren't worth a gnawed pequi", a pequi being a fruit from central Brazil. I hope to use it frequently in conversation. 

Speak soon!

Frod x

17.05.22 - Dormir mais que a cama

Hallooooo,

Hope all well witchu. 

Things here are hectic as ever - just the one trip to São Paulo this weekend, for a wedding (of one of Gaby's friend's brother - tenuous at best!) in a rather ornate church followed by a reception with a rocking band, and a hungover Sunday spent trekking through building supply warehouses and shopping centres before heading home.

We also went to the cinema on Friday night, and emerged to find an actually-quite-decent U2 tribute band holding court in the shopping mall, which was a pleasant surprise and a nice bit of culture for Indaiatuba.  Then there's the small matter of my weekly playlist, and phrase of the day ("to sleep more than the bed"), which is fairly self-explanatory. 

That's all for the noo,

Kentucky Fred Chicken

10.05.22 - Quem nasceu Pateta nunca vira Mickey

Halloooo,

Hope all well with you. 

It's been non-stop this week with about ten different proposals on the go at work, the builders falling behind in São Paulo leading to an overhaul of the strategy so we can get everything done by next month, and Mother's Day which is always fraught and over-emotional over here at the best of times. To get everything done we had to make three separate back-to-back trips to São Paulo, so got absolutely no rest over the weekend, and next Saturday we're going back again for a wedding.

I have of course found the time to weave together a fiendishly groovy playlist (and another one about trains, for the 'Gram), and my phrase of the day means "he who is born Goofy will never become Mickey", a rather fatalistic reading of the beloved Disney characters if you ask me. 

That's all for now, speak to you sooooon,

I Know It Was You Freddy

03.05.22 - Falando do diabo, aparece o rabo

Hallooooo,

Hope you're all biding fine, and thanks again for the birthday wishes!

I had a lovely birthday weekend, beginning with me dragging Gabi off to Salto to ride an antique train to the next town over (Itu) and back again, which took about 4 hours and was not as glamorous and Orient-Express-y as I was hoping for, but was still a lot of fun. Itu was worth visiting exactly once too - the famous giant payphone was a bit underwhelming (albeit very big), but there was a cool abandoned ceramics factory which we stumbled into by accident.  

I feel like it's worth getting to know the area properly and seeing it from different perspectives before writing it off completely and moving back to São Paulo, plus old-timey trains are always good value. Speaking of, we then went straight on to São Paulo for Thiago's birthday party in Pinheiros, which was packed solid, and then on Sunday we had an excellent Argentinian-themed lunch on a Zona Norte rooftop, before heading back out to the styx.

My phrase of the day is "speak of the devil, and its tail appears", which is a more convoluted way of saying the same thing in English; and I've done another mix. Also in talks to launch an online radio show later in the year - watch this space! (nb: I need to learn how it's done from scratch first).

Speak soon!

Fred the Needle