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

29.07.25 - Comer gato por lebre

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

We've been toiling away as per, but managed to get out a bit at the weekend - to the baptism of one of Gaby's friends kids, and to her cousin's kids birthday party on Saturday, which involved a guy in full Iron Man costume running round a burger joint to the tune of "Back in Black" (the birthday party, not the baptism). Spiderman was there too.

We've also been dashing in and out of hardware stores to pick up the required material for the work at the flat, and Sherlock Comms had its annual "July party" with fancy dress and bingo on Thursday night, which was mildly amusing. 

In other news I've made a compilation, as is my wont, and my phrase of the day  - "comer gato por lebre", or "to eat cat for hare" - is to be ripped off by unscrupulous merchants, basically (like the medieval scoundrels of yore who would pass off cat meat for rabbit, I presume). 

And that's all for now - speak soon!

New Freds From the Soul

22.07.25 - Pregar uma peça

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

It's been a busy week, with Gaby's grandpa passing away on Wednesday morning, and the wake and cremation stretching into the night - it was a lovely service at least! - and an Indaiatuba getaway at the weekend turning into a trip over the border to Minas for a slap-up meal, then hours of traffic on the way back home. 

All this, I might add, combined with impromptu dashes to hardware stores to scout bathroom tiles and keep the work at the flat ticking over. And without coffee!

I've made another compilation, and today's phrase is hot off the press as I learnt it this morning - "pregar uma peça", or "to play a prank on someone", but not in a malicious way...

And I think that's about it - speak soon!

Sigmund Fred

15.07.25 - Melhor ter ido ver o filme do Pelé

Halloooo,

Hope all well. It's still freakishly cold here, and work / flat renovations continue apace, but we've been unusually social over the weekend nevertheless. We went out on Friday to meet a fellow gringofluencer and record some silly videos, then on to Gibran & Gabriela's on Saturday to say hi to their baby Maya, and finally a slap-up meal in Mooca on Sunday.

Meanwhile, I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day - "We'd have been better off going to see Pelé's film" - requires a deep dive into Brazilian TV lore. In an episode of the beloved, very silly Mexican TV show "Chaves", the titular character goes to the cinema but keeps complaining he'd rather be watching "El Chanfle", which starred the same cast as "Chaves". 

For the Brazilian dub, references to the film (which wasn't released in Brazil) were swapped for "Pelé's film" because, as it turns out, Pelé starred in dozens of films including "Escape to Victory" with Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone. And nowadays it's used as a go-to reference for whenever you'd rather be doing something else. 

Hope that helps! No worries if not!

Fred & Breakfast

08.07.25 - Comer mosca

Hallooooo,

Hope all well, and good to talk at the weekend. 

Not much to report this week except for a nice trip to the Horto Florestal to get some sun, and a trip to the doctors where I received the devastating news that I have to cut back my 3L-of-caffeine daily habit (which so far has been... fine actually).

Elsewhere I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day - "comer mosca", or "to eat flies" - means to let an opportunity pass you by while you're distracted. 

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

Don't Fred on Me

01.07.25 - Segurar vela

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

We are both ill again, along with everyone else in the country apparently, and overrun with work, so we spent most of the weekend resting up, although we did go on a road trip to a remote homestead in Mogi das Cruzes on Saturday to pick up an antique cabinet for our bathroom, as you do.

I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the week translates as "to hold a candle", or to be a third wheel in an otherwise romantic situation (origin: unknown). And that's about it for now - speak soon!

Before the Devil Knows You're Fred

24.06.25 - Se fazer de pão para outra linguiça

Halloooooo,

Hope all well. Thursday was a public holiday - apparently the last one we get 'til Christmas - so we headed off to Indaiatuba, by way of Aldeia da Serra for vats of feijoada with Bruna's family. 

On Saturday night we went to a giant Festa Junina in far-flung Votorantim, where against all odds we talked our way into cut-price tickets for the main attraction, a rare non-Christmas appearance by Roberto Carlos. I don't think he's that well-known in Europe, and I'm still not sure whether I enjoy his music ironically or not. But to a certain subsection of Brazilians he's basically Elvis, Cliff Richard and Rod Stewart rolled into one, so this was a major coup. 

Anyway, it was a great show - he's still going strong aged 84, played for 2 hours and spent about 15 minutes at the end of the set handing out flowers to everyone in the front row. Then it was back to São Paulo to briefly check in with Andreia & Brunno's new baby (small, cries a lot) and prepare for the week ahead. 

I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day translates as "to make oneself bread for another sausage", or "to play dumb", basically. And that's about it for now - speak soon!

I'm A-Fred of Americans