15.09.20 - Comer o pão que o diabo amassou

Halloooo,

Hope all well in the Med! It seems we are simultaneously stricken with debilitating heat so we've been lying prone for long periods of time and occasionally hosing down the cats, in between cleaning high-rise windows and assembling office chairs.

Yesterday I had a few hours free so decided to see what was going on in Vila Madalena, which as it turns out is not a lot - it is a complete ghost town (especially on Monday evenings, admittedly) and all the pavements have been torn up for roadworks - apparently a city-wide phenomenon while the traffic has abated, which has extended to the flats directly above us as well. 

I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day means "to eat the bread which the devil kneaded", or to go through a rough time, basically. "The devil vomits on my eiderdown once more" is probably the closest direct equivalent. And it's goodnight from me...

And it's goodnight from me.

Fredmill

08.09.20 - De medico e louco todo mundo tem um pouco

Halloooo,

Cheers for tuning in yesterday for the final chukkah, and hope all well witchu.

We actually left town on Sunday for the first time in ages, heading to São Pedro (at your prompting!) for a slap-up meal at a rather nice restaurant/antique shop called Vila del Capo, a trip up to Jesus's viewpoint in the mountains and a snooze in a park near São Pedro das Aguas, which was surprisingly packed despite its Lourdes-esque main attraction of holy water springs being shut down at the moment for obvious reasons.

Otherwise work and other chores continue apace, they've been drilling up a storm outside to replace our crumbling swimming pool which is not fun at all, and we celebrated our first second wedding anniversary yesterday with another slap-up meal at home. My phrase of the day means "everyone has a little doctor and a little madman in them", which is fairly self-explanatory except maybe for the doctor bit. And my new, rather low-key mixtape of the day can be found here.

Ciao for now,

Freds will be Freds

01.09.20 - Não deixar pedra sobre pedra

Halloooo,

Good to speak yesterday, hope all well in the Med and/or the Valley. 

All proceeding swimmingly here, Gaby's been furnishing her office and I've been herding cats, baking scones and conjuring up tourism proposals in the midst of a global pandemic. On Sunday we took Zila on her first road trip in about six months to see the new room and the new cat, and plans are afoot to get football going again, albeit at a different time and without post-match drinks, which kind of misses the point if you ask me.

My phrase of the day means "to leave absolutely nothing standing", not even "a rock on a rock" - can be used literally for armies, etc, and figuratively for extremely strong or confrontational personalities. And my mixtape of the day is this one right here. 

Speak soon!

Madder Fred

25.08.20 - Ossos do ofício

Halloooo!

Hope all well on your respective travels. Not a lot happening here: we went to eat out (to help out) with friends for the first time in months on Sunday for Andreia's birthday, which was a bit empty and weird, and did the rounds with Gaby's extended family afterwards, resulting in a day of near-uninterrupted eating. And on Friday we both worked from Gaby's office for the first time (and probably last, now that she's started holding in-person sessions there). 

Otherwise we've mainly been dealing with the cats going out of their minds with this unreasonable cold snap, holding down several jobs and making killer mixtapes. My phrase of the day is "the bones of the office", which can be used to refer to any occupational hazard or downside of work. Apparently it comes from the olden days when stationery folk used to make official letterhead from pigment extracted from bone marrow, which was as arduous as it sounds.

Ciao for now,

Breaking Fred

18.08.20 - Fulano e Ciclano

 Hallloooo,

Hope all well - over here we're stuck doing the Lockdown Shuffle as always, although we had some folks over for dinner the other night (we remembered to include food this time, wisely avoiding the paralytics of the time before) and were out fixing the lighting in Gaby's office yesterday.

Elsewhere I've made another mixtape, and my phrase of the day is the Brazilian equivalent of "Joe (and Jane) Bloggs", to refer to an anonymous everyman in conversation. Apparently no one is actually named "Fulano" though.

And that's all for the noo! Speak soon, 

Ethelfred the Unready

11.08.20 - Esticar as canelas

Hallooo,

Lovely to speak the other day and then sing raucously at you, we should do it again some time. 

Over here we're testing the COVID-infested waters somewhat, venturing out of the house not once but twice over the weekend to see some friends in São Bernardo (including a newborn who I ended up singing "Be My Baby" to all evening), and then to take Ridaut to the Gaucho bar for Brazilian Father's Day, stopping off at Gaby's grandparents' on the way. We also got the keys to Gaby's new psych pad down the road, so she's been out stocking up for that. Exciting times!

Elsewhere I've gone done another compilation, and my phrase of the day ("to stretch one's shins") means to kick the bucket, push up the daisies, etc. I can also highly recommend the "No More Jockeys" series on the ol' YouTube, for weekly doses of good healthy fun. And that's all she wrote!

Ciao for now,

Milton Fred-man

04.08.20 - A ocasião faz o ladrão

Halloooo,

Hope all well and that the trip to the valleys was reinvigorating and not too Swiss, despite it all. I enjoyed the pics!

Not a huge amount has happened here, Gaby is about to sign the lease for her new psych pad down the road and I'm writing a PR proposal on how to get Latin Americans to visit Florida despite both areas being absolute no-go areas at the moment, which is interesting I guess. I also covered "OK Computer" in its entirety yesterday, with mixed results.

I've made a new mixtape, and my phrase of the day means "the occasion makes the thief", which I'm going to assume is a condensed, poignant treatise on society and accountability, and not just some bollocks that rhymes.

Speak soon!

RadioFred