30.12.15 - Deu 5 minutos em mim

Hallooo!

Good to speak to you the other day, and hope you all made it back home safely by various methods. The festive season went off here without a hitch - had a lovely Christmas Eve bash at Eduardo and Susy's, complete with lifesize Santa doll, a roasted chester (half chicken, half turkey, half pig), the giving of many a present (including a Star Wars jigsaw, which I was very happy with, and a much sought-after tin of baked beans from Brenna et al), and more pudim than I knew what to do with.

Got very worked up on Christmas Day morning, despite it not being so much of a thing here, and relentlessly serenaded Gaby with "We Three Kings" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" until she had enough and we went to Ridaut and Adny's for yet more food/pudim, mince pies, the assembling of said Star Wars jigsaw and general holiday decadence and debauchery. The next few days were spent in a haze of Boxing Day football, even more food at Gaby's grandma's and of course actually going to see Star Wars, which received rave reviews from my inner 11-year-old.

Then on Monday morning we hit the road, only to have the road hit back with about four hours of gridlocked traffic on the way to the coast - fortunately I'd stocked Gaby's iPod with over 24 hours of TUNES beforehand (and then tried to pass it off as a Christmas present, to my shame - I also got her singing lessons at the nearby Liverpool Studio, as well as guitar lessons at the nearby Fred Studio), so we were sorted.

Arrived in Ilhabela by ferry around 5:30, checked out our rather cool hotel and pool (with jacuzzi! and coconut trees! and an endless descent to the sea which nearly ended us on the climb back up), got roped into a long conversation with a tedious and slightly racist couple from Curitiba, and headed into town, only to be hit by a downpour of biblical proportions which nearly carried us all out into the bay. Eventually it blew over and we wandered round the old town, eating pizza and ice cream (tiramisu flavour! my new favourite...), watching bats chase fish off a pier and grooving to a Brazilian Bee Gees tribute band in the main square, as you do. All very quaint and colonial, reminded me a bit of Nassau, dahling...

Then yesterday we breakfasted on the deck overlooking the sea and went off in search of beaches (& ho's), locating a rather nice one off the Isle of Goats (Ilha das Cabras) where all sorts of scuba diving and snorkelling was going on. Had a dip, checked out the southern beaches briefly for good measure, had a tour of a pier where Gaby was thinking of having the wedding (looked a bit small and shanty-town-ish though, as the owner's son's friends were staying over and had set up mattresses everywhere), hit the pool and went back into town for more awesome food, weird cover bands and nighttime frolicking. 

Today we're going to check out a waterfall with some of Gaby's friends from school, who also happen to be here, and tomorrow we're off to a swanky beachside NYE party which will either be amazing or awful and Jersey Shore-ish, I haven't decided yet. But it's rather lovely to be here and very relaxing, etc. 

Until the next time, I leave you with a New Year's Eve-themed mini-compilation (https://play.spotify.com/user/freddypowys/playlist/60XnoSPMN12KvFkI5o0tTC), and the above saying, which is a way of saying that you took leave of your senses and flew off the handle for a bit. Will send more updates and photos next week once noses are back to the grindstone, etc.

Speak soon,

Frod

22.12.15 - Um olho no gato, o outro no peixe

Bom dia! Christmas is nearly upon us and I eagerly await the first drifts of snow over Brazil to mark the occasion, although it's curiously sweltering at the moment. 

After a quiet week of work, during which we watched the entire original Star Wars trilogy to get up to speed and wrapped up our Xmas shopping (pun intended, ho ho), we went to Giovanna's ballet recital, which was as fraught with intricate inter-family tension as usual. Although mildly enjoyable and technically accomplished (everyone started dancing to "Thriller" at one point, which mum would have liked), it went on literally forever, so we made a run for it four hours in. It could still be going on, for all I know.

At the weekend we descended on the unoccupied beach condo of Gaby's aunt's workmate - I didn't go to the beach with the others as I stayed behind revising my driving theory like a pro, but we spent a lot of time in the pool and eating platters of steak and shrimp in beachside restaurants. It was Ridaut's birthday on Sunday so I serenaded him with "Sr. Ridaut", to the tune of "With or Without You", and Gaby convinced a realtor to give us a tour of a $R 3m luxury beachside apartment, complete with five bedrooms, four pools and a private rooftop jacuzzi. I shuffled about acting like an eccentric English millionaire, and left saying we'd think about it.

Spent the first morning of my holidays at the DMV doing my driving theory test (which I aced, by the way) and the second preparing a contract that the client suddenly wants drafted, agreed and signed by the 28th, which fills me with apprehension/dread - luckily we had one pre-prepared for just such an eventuality, so hopefully it shouldn't take up too much valuable flopping-about time. Then it's Christmas at Susy and Eduardo's, STAR WARS: THE FORCENING on Boxing Day and Ilhabela on the 28th, which should be triff brill.

I leave you with the titular saying ("one eye on the cat, the other on the fish"), pertaining to people focussing on two things at once, and (hilariously/cruelly) the cross-eyed. We speak at Christmas, yes! 'Til then, happy travels and give our love to the Powys UK Massive.

Ciao for now,

Fred

15.12.15 - A grama do vizinho é sempre mais verde

Halloooo,

Back in SazPaz after an awesome week in Paris - lovely to see you all, eat open fruit flans, etc. 

Having scoured the nearby shopping centre for mince pies and warmed the house with a full run-through of "OK Computer" on guitar and piano on Friday night, I headed home on Saturday afternoon (only realising I was flying from Orly and not Charles de Gaulle halfway through the trip, mercifully), and made it back on Sunday morning after a flight filled with loud children.

Stocked up on pão de queijo (to make up for the distressing lack of galettes) and was immediately whisked across town to a massive pizzeria with a retractable roof for Taynah's circus show, which was rather cool: lots of people spinning precariously from the rafters on hula hoops, trapezes and bits of rope, with an all-you-can-eat buffet immediately afterwards. Most amusing, especially in my sleep-deprived state.

Since then we've been getting back to business for the final push before the Xmas hols; a particularly long neighbourhood-wide power cut derailed our morning yesterday but we just went to the in-laws instead, where I got some work done and made plans to watch the original Star Wars trilogy with Ridaut before seeing the new one (very excited/anxious to see if they hold up now that I'm not 11 anymore). Word has also reached my ear of a weekend getaway to Bruna's house in the mountains (the one that's 90% Christmas decorations), so that should be cool.

I have also made a new compilation for your listening pleasure - I've switched to Spotify since the other site shut down, so let me know if it works - and unearthed another proverb, which is basically "the grass is always greener on the other side", or "at your neighbours". So there's that.

'Til next our paths are rent in twain (or we Skype tomorrow) - ¡adios!

Frod

02.12.15 - Morder a lingua

Hallooo from Vienna (it means nothing to meeeee),

Just a quick note this time, as things are gathering pace and there's something afoot in the wind. Today's the big day and the big cheeses are rolling from the airport for our fake think tank board meeting/formal dinner as we speak, so I'll be brief.

After a merry birthday party for Gaby in the hip Vila Madalena district, featuring lots of (some might say too much) fried provolone, we got home, packed and within hours I was on my way to London, where in my sleep-deprived state I forgot my suitcase on the train to Cambridge and had to scramble madly to track it down again, picking it up the next day in a cupboard at Kings Cross before they detonated it in a controlled explosion. So that was fortunate.

Went to Isleham to see the grandparents, the Cambridge/Norwich Powys' and Dylan the dog, who grows ever larger, had a slap-up roast lamb lunch complete with crumble and the first mince pies of the festive season, and promptly collapsed until I'd acclimatised to the jetlag and complete lack of sunlight.  The next day it was off to London, where I met up briefly with Kika for some Vietnamese crab soup, then early yesterday it was back to Heathrow and onwards to Vienna via plane and limousine (!). Also, one of our cats was castrated, so I got a real-time account of that from Gaby too.

So far everything seems under control - even managed to snag an interview for the Minister with a guy from Reuters - but let's see how things go, eh. The hotel is lovely, I'm sure the city is too although I'm not sure how much of it I'll get to see - the others went off to a Christmas market next door this morning, but muggins here was stuck drafting Press Releases. Saw a few guys in lederhosen at the airport though, so that'll tide me over. Tomorrow should be relatively relaxed, at least until I have to traverse the whole of London again and board the Eurostar for gay Paris. Cannae wait!

Today's proverb means "to bite one's tongue", and I'm told it applies specifically to times when you assert something and have to go back on it later, "eating your words" as it were. So there's that.

Right, I'm off to don my suit and tie, so fingers crossed, and I'll see you all tomorrow night!

Schlaff gut,

Fred

24.11.15 - Todo mundo vê as pingas que eu tomo, mas não os tombos que eu levo

'Sup y'all,

Quite the eventful week we've been having; on Thursday I woke Gaby up with a birthday picnic basket full of gorgeous things (including post-diet chocolate cake, although I ended up eating most of that) and caused a stir on social media with a jaunty One Direction cover in Portuguese (thinking of following it up with a song for Ridaut's birthday next month, to the tune of "With or Without You"...). 

Then there was barely time for a two-hour nap before we dolled ourselves up for the wedding of one of Gaby's schoolfriends in the evening, which featured a crazy Southern-preacher-style oration as thunder crashed overhead and everyone knelt and put veils on their heads (7th-day Adventist tradition, apparently), a full-blown choir and string quartet blasting out Moon River, and an actual music video featuring the lucky couple serenading each other over a photo retrospective. I think we'll tone ours down a bit in comparison, but fun was certainly had by all.

We were up early the next day to load up Ridaut's car with beach gear and two terrified cats, and drive to Ubatuba (a fun place to visit and to say, even). Met up with Claudio, who sends his regards and had rather inconsiderately sold his boat the day before, settled into a beach-house-style chalet by the marina, made pizza for everyone amid relentless banter from Ridaut and Claudio, and hit the beach, where I was battered around by waves and had a generally awesome time of it.

The rest of the weekend was spent piling into the back of Claudio's van (along with surf equipment and small children of unknown origin, saluting passers-by from the open door) and heading to the nearest beach, where I dabbled in "stand-up" (the giant surfboard/rowboat variety, not the comedy), took strolls to other, slightly different beaches, gorged on açai and tried to become slightly less blindingly white. Access to a boat and the remoter islands of the region would have been nice, but you just can't get the staff these days...

We headed back on Sunday night and have since been putting our house in order; the Vienna Event Horizon looms ever larger and I still have some last-minute Christmas shopping to do, but things are shaping up nicely for my European tour. 

This week's proverb translates roughly as "everyone sees me drinking but no one sees me falling over", meaning "everyone sees the fruits of my labour but not the labour itself", which I found particularly apt in this Instagrammed age. I pointed out that in this metaphor, the labour confusingly comes after the fruits (i.e. the falling over comes from a surfeit of drinking), but I think the "falling" in question refers to the general pitfalls of life, which makes sense, I suppose. I don't know, I don't write this stuff...

See you soon! Maybe before the next one of these e-mails - may it serve you well until then. Ubatuba or not t'Ubatuba, that is the question.

Fred

17.11.15 - Geléia de Pérola

Bom dia! 

What a weekend it's been, full of highs, lows, lightning storms and all-you-can-eat brunch. Spent a grim few hours on Friday night online as the news from Paris came through, only to be whisked away for a pre-arranged evening of steak and televised football, which made for an uneasy contrast - especially since by the time we got back, all the electricity in the neighbourhood had gone out, leaving us little option but to mull in the dark before turning in for the night.

The next day, however, brought sunnier tidings - I stole away to the local shops to stock up on goodies for Gaby's picnic-basket of birthday gifts (and Xmas presents for the folks back home), then we went to the Estadio de Morumbi to FINALLY see Pearl Jam (or "Geléia de Pérola" as they were billed by absolutely no one other than me) after half a lifetime of thwarted attempts; and they were well worth the wait, playing for nearly 3 1/2 hours in a massive concrete bowl as thunder and lightning raged overhead.

It was all very intense after the events of the night before - we got heartfelt and only barely comprehensible speeches in Portuguese from Eddie Vedder, a cover of "Imagine" and extra-charged versions of "Alive" and "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World" to round the evening out, not to mention a full on tropical storm about halfway through which only added to the experience. One of the best shows I've been to, fo' sho' - pics are attached!

And then the next day, for an encore, we went to an old-school NY-style restaurant in Itaim, which I'd had my eye on for some time, where I satisfied my craving for pancakes and coffee several times over at the all-you-can-eat buffet, before rolling home for a nap. 

Since then we've been putting the final touches on my impending Eurotrip, plotting a weekend away in Ubatuba aboard Claudio's boat, and shoring up our plans for New Years, which currently involve this place: http://www.ilhabela.com.br/  Gaby has started a hilariously awful-sounding three-day diet ahead of her friends' wedding on Thursday (involving things like seaweed-and-watermelon jelly, and all number of weird concoctions that I want no part of); meanwhile the cats grow ever larger.

Hope you're all keeping well - Jub, let us know how you're getting on when you have a chance! Stay safe and such. Looking forward to seeing you all soon and defiantly drinking champers in gay Paris (everyone seems determined to eat out once they get there...). 

Ciao for now,

Yellow Fredbetter

10.11.15 - Pau pra toda obra

Halloo from Soo Paulooo,

Glad to hear your news, I trust the McAdder clan is keeping well. It has been a week full of thunderstorms, watermelon and much flopping about here, but Saturday was rather fun; having wiped the floor with the competition in the early morning kickabout (I scored a goal! on purpose!) I met up with Gaby after her course and went to see Ridaut give a keynote speech about creativity at an artist's conference. 

We missed the speech itself, and it turned out to be a conference for Christian visual artists which was a bit odd (people kept calling us to prayer and warning us against the evil of sensuality creeping into our work, etc; someone asked me what church I was from and I accidentally told him I was Ridaut's wife's husband), but there was a giant, two-person Nintendo controller and a load of child-size airplanes for some reason, and we got talking to a cool guy who I might be opening a café with (he was talking very fast at this point). 

Otherwise we've been grappling with the whole second-wedding issue, which is all very complicated and would be best summed up over Skype, methinks, but suffice to say we seem to be in agreement now. I've also made what may be the final online playlist (https://play.spotify.com/user/freddypowys/playlist/5zphsag8jjPNVUJLHpwF9C), in this particular format at least, since the Tapely site is closing down in a few weeks; however I will look into other options so you won't have to go back to listening to the Eagles. 

I am intrigued by Jub's cryptic French proverb about amusing carpets - is it an equivalent to filling sausages, Brazilian-style? Can no one just play for time in these countries without indulging in these bizarre and deranged acts? My phrase du jour, "pau pra toda obra", means "stick of all trades" and is used to describe someone who is handy and willing to help in any situation (or just a really useful stick).

Hope all well, and see you shortly!

Phred