16.12.25 - Nem a pau

Hallooo,

Hope all well. I had a long weekend doing not a lot, although I did manage to make some respectable homemade mincemeat from scratch, and we had our Sherlock end-of-year party on Friday. Now it's a few more days of work, and I'll be home free until the New Year!

In other news, I've made a vaguely Christmassy compilation, and a ROCK mix on YouTube for the boys - check it out here. My phrase of the day means "not even by stick" - i.e. not even if you beat me with a stick, or "absolutely no way". 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Mount Fredverest

09.12.25 - Manda chuva

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We had possibly the last kickabout of the year on Wednesday (plus a pitchside barbeque), tinkered with the flat, and then went to Indaiatuba at the weekend to see the ever-expanding array of Christmas lights and have a pizza. On the way back we stopped off at a kid's birthday party (Corinthians-themed, naturally), before heading back home, social battery depleted. 

No compilation this week as we enter the end-of-year fallow period, and my phrase of the day is "manda-chuva", or "rainmaker", i.e.e someone who calls the shots in a given situation. And that's about it, speak soon!

Wild Frod

02.12.25 - Não venha de garfo e faca, que a janta é sopa

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We've had a relatively slow week as the nation winds down for the Christmas break (starts in late November and picks up again in March, post-Carnaval). On Friday we went to Zila's for lunch and to see Bill off to his new job one state over, then spent most of the weekend sorting out bits and pieces with the flat.

Elsewhere I made a new playlist, set up a new Substack account aimed at Brazil-curious gringos, and my phrase of the day means "don't turn up with a knife and fork, 'cos it's soup for dinner". A fun twist on the usual "don't bring a knife to a gun fight", I guess. And reminds me of Noel Gallagher famously describing Liam as "a man with a fork in a world of soup".

And that's it for this week - speak soon!

Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Freddo?

25.11.25 - Em tempo de guerra, urubu é frango

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We've had a busy week, including going out for a nice meal for Gabi's birthday on Wednesday, hanging out with Fernanda and her kids on Thursday, meeting up with friends for an all-you-can eat buffet and to tell them The Good News on Saturday, and taking in back-to-back concerts over the weekend. 

The first was Chitãozinho & Xororó, sertanejo legends and apparently close friends with Ridaut, who blagged us some free tickets. Then on Sunday we headed down south to Morumbi stadium, for the final date of Oasis' 2025 world tour, which was absolutely excellent and has left me absolutely knackered going into the working week. 

I've also made another compilation, and my phrase of the day ("em tempo de guerra, urubu é frango") translates as "in times of war, a vulture is a chicken" - in other words, when the chips are down, you make do with what you have. 

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

It's overflowing gently, but it's all elementary my Fred

18.11.25 - Pagar a língua

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. We had a fairly typical week back at work after our northeastern adventures, heading out on Saturday so Gabi could record a psychology podcast, followed by pizza at Zila's. 

I've made another mixtape, and my phrase of the day - "pagar a língua", or "to pay for one's tongue" - means to have your own words come back to haunt you, in some form or other. 

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

Seasonal A-Fred-ctive Disorder

11.11.25 - Quem quer rir tem que fazer rir

Halloooo,

This weekend my years of influencer schtick finally paid off, with an all-expenses-paid junket to the Beach Park resort in sunny Fortaleza, which was just what the doctor ordered. 

We spent most of our time there eating (the food was great, and mostly on an all-you-can-eat basis) but also checked out the nearby pools, water park, beach and quaint little village. We were also whisked off to a new nature park down the road, which was notable for having lots of parrots. 

Very fun and relaxing all round, and all I had to do was record some videos, which I was going to do anyway. Accordingly, my phrase of the week means "he who wants to laugh, must make laugh" - "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours", essentially. No compilation this time, I'd just listen to the new Rosalia album instead!

Speak soooon,

Minor Fred

04.11.25 - É só levantar do caixão que o velorio acaba

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

We were all set to go to Rio on Thursday, when all sorts of horrible stuff went down there. Between that and the rubbish weather forecast, we decided to postpone our trip until early next year, and instead had a relatively quiet weekend in, give or take a trip to the cinema, and to the Oktoberfest street party down the road.

I'm on holiday for the week, and will hopefully be off oop north on Thursday unless the whole thing is a cruel prank or hoax. In the meantime I've been pottering about town checking out places I wanted to visit but couldn't because of work, tinkering with my media empire and sorting out flat stuff so we can move as soon as possible. 

I've also made another compilation, and this week's phrase is a particular favourite of mine, which translates as "if you get up out of the coffin, the wake is over" and is all about shaking off inertia to overcome difficult situations. 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Beating a Fred Horse