30.06.26 - O que não mata, engorda

Halloooo,

Hope all well. Here, the days and nights blur into one, with lots of nappies and crying and World Cup games on in the background. Tomorrow I go back to work, god knows what that'll be like since we're firing on all cylinders and going without much sleep as it is. But it's all worth it for the gift of a child's laughter (or just the absence of a child's crying).

In other news, I've made another compilation, got some free pens in the mail, and my phrase of the day is "what doesn't kill you, makes you fatter", which is a local favourite and a humorous spin on the well-known phrase. 

And that's about it for now - wish us luck, and speak soon!

Powerade Fred-ration Break

PS: @Vicky Mander we got your book and card in the post, thanks very much! Amelie is a big fan of the floppy ears.

23.06.26 - Dor de cotovelo

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We are slowly but surely getting the hang of this whole being parents thing, and have got our dead-of-night routine down to a fine art, so we can all get some intermittent sleep. 

We've been trying to get out and about where we can, including a trip to the grandparents, and the occasional bout of tummy-aches and screaming aside, it's been smooth sailing so far, with the World Cup group stages making for perfect background content. The next challenge will be going back to work next week, but one step at a time and all that.

No compilation this week, but my phrase of the week translates to "elbow pain", and is a metaphor for "romantic disillusionment" or "sour grapes", apparently. Make of that what you will. 

Speak soon!

Monday, you can hold your Fred / Tuesday, Wednesday, stay in bed / Or Thursday, watch the walls instead / It's Friday, I'm in love

18.06.26 - Cair na malha fina

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

We're slowly getting the hang of being parents, keeping Amelie not only alive but fed and warm, watching lots of World Cup football in the background. Plus we've been incorporating a number of sidequests into our daily routine - going for check-ups, hitting up the local market, strolling around outside in the sun, to name but a few. 

Notably I was also summoned by UOL, the news outlet I've been doing videos for lately, to act as a talking head on their in-house football chat show after the England game yesterday, where I believe I acquitted myself reasonably well despite massive sleep deprivation and only the barest grasp on the facts. So hopefully more of that sort of thing to come!

I've made another compilation (haven't had time to listen, mind you!), and my phrase of the day is "to fall into the fine mesh", or get selected for a tax audit. 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Fredside manner

10.06.26 - Já combinou com os russos?

Hallooo,

A day late with this email, since we only got back from the hospital yesterday afternoon, plus a brand new baby. Gabi and the C-section crew worked wonders to deliver Amelie on Sunday morning, and we spent the next few days recovering in an extremely swish and well-attended room, occasionally going on sidequests to weigh the baby, register the baby with the government, find coffee etc. 

We thought we'd got the hang of this parenting thing and were feeling extremely cocky until we got home last night and Amelie's digestive system kicked in, resulting in a sore tummy and a screaming fit so loud and prolonged that we had to hide out in the car until it passed, to spare the neighbours. So we're a bit more clear-eyed about that now. But otherwise no issues to report, she seems very happy and healthy and beautiful. 

And since this week marks the start of the World Cup, my phrase of the day comes from an apocryphal tale involving the Brazilian squad in a past tournament. The coach was telling them in training about a specific set-piece routine to bypass the Russian defence at a corner kick, to which one of the defenders replied "OK coach... but have you got the Russians to sign off on this?" ("já combinou com os russos?")

And that's it for now, speak soon!

Fred Nerves

02.06.26 - Em dia de chuva não se conserta o telhado

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

We are both off work as of this weekend, trying to relax and enjoy our last week before Amelie arrives. It's cold and Gabi can't really be moved around much, but we're trying to stay active and get out as often as we can - trips to the cinema, nearby Korean restaurants, what have you. 

In other news, I've made another compilation - probably the last one for a while - and my phrase of the day means "don't fix your roof when it's raining", or "plan ahead, dummy", basically. 

That's about it - speak soon!

I am Frod, the Ultimate Resonance

26.05.26 - Sol e chuva, casamento de viúva

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We are in the final stretch before Amelie pops out and we're confined to quarters, so we've been preemptively going out as much as possible, including anniversary dinners, trips across town to dump more miscellania in Zila's garage, book launches in Vila Madalena, and a Peruvian-themed wine tasting event with an influencer mate of ours. 

In other news, I made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day was inspired by the schizophrenic weather we've been having lately: "Sol e chuva, casamento de viúva", or "sun and rain, widow's wedding", which draws parallels between two seemingly paradoxical things happening at the same time (plus it rhymes in Portuguese).

And that's about it - speak soon!

Fredshrinker

19.05.26 - Dar um colher de chá

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We are settling in here and had an honest-to-god day off on Sunday, with nothing to do except assemble some flat-pack bedside tables and flop around in front of the TV. 

We also went to Gibran and Gabriela's for Maya's 1-year birthday party, and had a tour of the nearby maternity ward on Saturday night, plus an office party at Sherlock during the week, to celebrate a bunch of nice new awards. 

In other news, I made another compilation, and my phrase of the week means "to give a teaspoon of tea", or to grudgingly give someone credit. 

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

He Said She Fred