17.01.23 - Mó cota

Halloooo,

Hope all well! We're back to work and also planning some renovations to counter the effects of our earlier, shoddier renovations, while also frantically planning trips and business ventures for 2023. 

Despite the flurry of chores, we also had a fun weekend which included a birthday party in São Bernardo do Campo, a trip to the Horto Florestal to check out their wood samples and join in with the open-air zumba class, and lunch with the in-laws who were briefly in town. 

And in other news, I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day is Paulistano slang for "a long period of time".  And that's about it for now - speak soon! xx

Fredson Arantes do Nascimento

10.01.23 - Saco vazio não para em pé

Halloooo,

Hope all well. 

Not much going on over here this week apart from the return to working ways, inclement weather and the dramatic erosion of democracy. We spent most of the week and weekend flopping around the house and heading out for food. 

There is, however, a new (and unusually multilingual) compilation in town, and my phrase of the day translates as "an empty bag won't stand", i.e. you need to eat something or you'll waste away, laddy. 

And that's all the news that's fit to print this week! Speak soon,

Distrito Frederal de Brasília

PS: some recommended listening for the new year:

• this excellent 2ManyDJs mix which I revisited the other day for the first time in ages (it's missing some bits for copyright reasons but is mostly intact)
• the first podcast episode I've ever listened to willingly, over the holidays - an amusing yarn about a hit single which may never have existed.

04.01.23 - Andare in brodo de giuggiole

Hallooooo,

Hope all is well, and might I add, Happy New Year! 

We've been swanning around Ilhabela for a full week which has been lovely and very relaxing. I've gotten really into napping as a pastime and have been doing it as much as possible in between trips to various beaches and restaurants, extravagant hotel breakfasts and restorative sessions by the pool. We brought the cats along too, and have been letting them out from time to time, to eat the plants and half-heartedly run after birds. 

It's all been a bit of a wonderful blur to be honest - "wandering in jujube broth", or "andare in brodo de giuggiole", to crib a fun Italian phrase from this article - although our New Year's Eve meal/party at a restaurant on the southernmost tip of the island was a highlight. And there's no canonical compilation this week, but here's a New Year's one I made earlier for Parada Inglesa.

That's all for now, speak soon!

Fred in the Knowledge

26.12.22 - Comprar gato por lebre

Hallooo!

Hope all well! Sending this a little earlier than usual this week, since we're packing up the cats and hitting the road to Ilhabela first thing tomorrow morning, and I intend to stay off the computer as much as humanly possible. 

We had a lovely Christmas weekend, with Fernando, Simone and baby Heitor over for dinner on Friday, and Christmas Eve / most of Christmas Day in Indaiatuba, lazing by the pool and eating until we could eat no more. 

In other news, I've cobbled together a ragtag compilation during this barren stretch in the music industry's release schedule, and my phrase of the day means "to buy cat for hare", or "to get ripped off" - a reference to wartime butchers trying to pass off cat meat as rabbit.

Lots of love,

Fred over and out!

20.12.22 - Hoje só amanhã

Halloooo,

Hope all well, and lovely to see you all together for the holiday season! 

It's been pretty hectic work-wise here, but hopefully things should start to wind down this week until January rears its ugly head. After an eventful World Cup final we hit the road to Indaiatuba for a brief detour to see the in-laws, and I had muted end-of-year drinks with the football lot and work on Thursday and Friday night, respectively. 

In other news I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the week - "today only tomorrow" - is a popular saying among people putting stuff off until later, i.e. anyone in the country currently still at work. 

And that's about it - speak soon and a ruddy merry Christmas to one and all!

O Come All Ye Fredful

13.12.22 - Fazer bico

Halloooo,

Hope all is well. 

World Cup fever came to an abrupt end over the weekend as first Brazil and then England were knocked out in quick succession - such is life, I suppose, and at least now everyone can catch up on work a bit before the holiday season starts in earnest. 

Elsewhere we've put the Christmas decorations up, I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day ("fazer bico", or "to make a beak") means taking on extra work on the side - in honour of my moonlighting these past few months. 

Ciao for now,

Rudolph the Fred-nosed Reindeer

06.12.22 - Quem não te conhece, que te compre

Halloooo,

Hope all well and not too hectic as we head into the final stretch of 2022. 

The quickfire schedule of World Cup games (and specifically Brazil's matches) is starting to take its toll, as Thursday's post-football bacchanalia extended into Friday's all-afternoon-long partying and vuvuzela-playing at Jacob and Bea's flat, then on into Saturday with a games night at Bruna's, and a convincing Brazil win yesterday afternoon. 

We've been trying to fit some work around all this revelry too, and I had a few videos go viral on the ol' social media over the weekend, leading to a sponsorship offer from an underwear company which I'm not really sure is a joke or not. 

Elsewhere I've made a new playlist, and my phrase of the day is "quem não te conhece, que te compre", or "let he who doesn't know you, buy you" - basically, "I know you're lying, and only someone who doesn't know you well is going to fall for it". 

That's all for the noo,

Love,

Frod x