What we have begun to take for granted easily stood out when pointed out to us by our temporary family member. It is still cheaper to live in Portugal than the UK. Not just day to day items, but those little occasional expenses that tap into our reserves. Our friend decided an appropriate gift would be some unusual plants for our garden, and having chosen quite a few, was amazed at how little the total cost was. We can only take her word for it, but she believes that to have purchased the same plants (had they been available) in the UK would have cost her at least four times the amount here, and the plants wouldn't have been as large. So Portugal scores another point, and we've been again reminded to count our blessings.
And for our most welcome friend, who was very impressed with the Newbiscus we bought last year, here's a current photo. Thankfully, the sixty-plus buds haven't all become 25cm blooms together!
