14.01.25 - Contar com os ovos no rabo da galinha

Halloooo,

Hope all well and you had a jolly good time in the pirate city of Arrrrles. 

We're still getting our legs back under the proverbial table, so to speak, with our most significant excursion this week being to a Museum of Illusions, which led to some excellent photo ops. We also convened the Sherlock house band for the first time in a while, to rehearse a new repertoire of songs ahead of our staff party next month. 

Elsewhere I've made the first new compilation of the New Year, and my phrase of the week comes from my resourceful Instagram commenters, and means "to count on the eggs in the chicken's arse" - a delightful spin on "to count your chickens before they've hatched".

And that's about it - speak soon!

A-Fred of Heights

07.01.25 - Borogodó

Halloooo,

Hope all well, and a Happy New Year to all! We had a nice, relaxing festive season including a whole 2 weeks off, the first of which was spent hosting a Christmas Eve do, then following up with various family members on Christmas Day, then spending some time in Indaiatuba doing as little as possible.

Then we hit the road for Ilhabela, where we pulled off quite a coup with our Airbnb, which had not only a private jacuzzi but a beach of its own, accessible only to guests and the occasional boatload of tourists who were carted in from the mainland. So we basically spent the entire week there lounging about on our blow-up sofa, popping out only to eat lovely food and gorge on ice cream in the town centre.

Now we're back to work and figuring out how to finance a house - so far so good though! No compilation yet, although I did put together my Best of 2024 and Rest Of 2024 mixes which should tide you over, and my phrase of the day ("borogodó") is one of those untranslatable Brazilian words that applies to someone who is effortlessly attractive and has excellent vibes (not to be confused with "borocoxô").

Finally, I also recommend checking out this surprisingly insightful longform video which my pal Seth put together about the gringofluencer phenomenon in Brazil, in which I make a fleeting appearance; and, as always, the new Bobby Fingers diorama video. 

And that's about it - speak soon!

Fred Lang Syne