03.06.25 - Por a mão no fogo

Hallooooo,

Hope all well, lovely to speak to you and the lads the other day! We've officially kicked off work in our new flat, with a crack team tearing down walls as we speak. 

Over the weekend we enlisted Gabi's uncles to help us dismount a bunch of kitchen cabinets and wardrobes, which will be duly carted away to make way for newer, shinier ones. And otherwise flopped around, keeping the cats warm in unusually chilly weather. 

I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day means "to put one's hand in the fire", or to trust someone or something to the point of foolhardiness. Hopefully doesn't apply to our current situation!

Speak soon,

Frodliver Oil

27.05.25 - Bola fora

Halloooo,

Hope all well. We're gearing up to tear down large chunks of our flat next week, carting around sacks of cement and such. And Gabi has become so torn between the different tiling options available to her that she learnt how to 3D model our entire flat on pro architect software overnight, to see what each one looks like. 

We also celebrated our wedding anniversary on Saturday by heading to Cê Que Sabe (the Italian restaurant we went to when you were here!) and a rooftop bar for fancy drinks; and on Sunday we went to a food festival down the road for some Uruguayan pit barbeque.

I've made a new compilation, and my phrase of the day means "ball out of bounds", for when you miss the mark. Conversely, "bola dentro" or "ball within bounds" is for when you get something right; I'm assuming it comes from football/scoring a goal.

And that's about it - speak soon!

Fredache

20.05.25 - Quem não te conhece que te compre

Hallooooo,

Hope all well! I am just about over my lurgee, with an assist from the mound of drugs prescribed to me during the week. So we made the most of a lull in Gabi's punishing work schedule to have a picnic and snooze in the Horto Florestal on Sunday, and have also green-lit the building work in the new flat, due to start early next month. Exciting!

In other news, there's a new compilation in town, and my phrase of the day translates as "let he who doesn't know you, buy you". It's got something to do with not taking people at face value, a bit like saying "I've got your number, mate". Or so I'm told. 

That's all for this week - speak soon!

Fred & Watered

13.05.25 - Ficar a ver navios

Hallooooo,

Hope all well. I'm ill again, but soldiering on with all sorts of work- and flat-related shenanigans nonetheless. Gabi has been firing on all cylinders too, flying to Goiania and back over the weekend to give a lecture and then having the family round for Mother's Day on Sunday.

No compilation this week, but my phrase of the week is the last of the ones I picked up in Ouro Preto - "ficar a ver navios", or "waiting to see ships", means to not get what you expected, and allegedly comes from the Portuguese fruitlessly expecting to see their ships coming back from Brazil, as the gold trade waned. So there's that!

Speak soon,

Frod x

06.05.25 - Maria-vai-com-os-outros

Halloooo,

Hope all well! We've been out and about this week, having lunch with Zila and visiting Gaby's grandad in hospital (his feet swelled up so they took him in for monitoring, but he should be out tomorrow!), while hosting our first dinner party in the new flat, which was more of a picnic on the floor followed by pizza in the outdoor area.

In other news I've made another compilation (the 500th so far, in the official canon!); and my phrase of the day, "Maria-goes-with-the-others", refers to people who go along with the crowd, and (according to our tour guide!) comes from Queen Maria I of Portugal who wandered around Ouro Preto with her confidants in the latter days of her reign. 

And that's about it so far - speak soon!

Caught in a Fred Romance

PS: Tory, I got your card and cheque! Thanks a lot x

29.04.25 - Reclamar de barriga cheia

Halloooo,

Hope all well. I've been under the weather this past week, which has mostly been marked by an ongoing, as-yet unsuccessful attempt to unclog the guest toilet, and getting our ducks in a row house-wise before we sign off on the renovations, etc. My laptop also broke down this morning prompting a trip into the office to see the IT guy, hence the late copy. 

That said, I've made another compilation, and my phrase of the day means "to complain on a full stomach", or to take good times for granted. 

And that's about it so far - speak soon!

You Fredder You Fred

22.04.25 - De cabo a rabo

Hallooooo,

Hope all well and that you made it back OK, after a short but intense trip Brazil-side. Was lovely to see you, and we've been flopping about ever since (watching "Conclave" (2024) on Sunday afternoon, ironically enough). Back to work today, whatever that is. 

I've also got a new compilation up my sleeve, and my phrase of the day comes from the tour we did in Ouro Preto - to do something "de cabo a rabo", or "from start to finish", comes from when Iberian sailors would travel across the Atlantic from "cabo", or "cape", to "rabo", the part of the ship they disembark from upon arrival. 

Speak soon!

Frod x