What a nice surprise

Today i had a knock on my front door. There was a 4 X 4 parked outside and someone was standing in my gate asking questions i couldn't understand. I figured out he was asking how many people live in my house and when i told him only one. I was offered something i didn't understand what it was i was being given. As soon as i was back inside i looked and what i found was a face mask in a plastic bag. There was a leaflet and it seemed that the mask was given as a gift from the local Council/ Camara. What an amazing gift to receive something the councils in the UK wouldn't be giving away.

So Gois Council/ camara Thank you for helping me stay safe.

How to oder Spices

I believe that i have the best selection of Spices in Portugal and you can order my Spices online.

Use the email at the top of the page after first looking through the Spice list on the front page of the Iberianspices blog at       https://iberianspices.blogspot.com/
Up to 500gr cost 2€ delivery to mainland Portugal.
Up to 1kilo cost 4€ delivery to mainland Portugal.

Orders are normally shipped within 24 hours.

Out of stocks until further notice changes will be made to this page should any other item become out of stock.

Black peppercorns
Star anise whole
Tamarind
Vindaloo

Face masks what would you do

Well the title says it all. i imagine everybody who reads my Blog is in the same position that i am in. We don't want to die until our use by date is due but i want to go by natural causes after all we all have to die sometime. Everybody who can is wearing face masks and when i go shopping i carry two masks with me.

I Have 2 family members who works in a Care home in Liverpool. Last week on the BBC news website i read about two care homes in Liverpool. In one home it was reported that 15 people had died because of the virus. In another care home 8 people died and it's wrong.

These people who died had worked all there lives and they died because of a virus not natural causes.

I am today getting in touch with news organisations in Liverpool. How dare someone tell my family members not to wear face protection because it may upset the residents. The residents are mostly intelligent people and would understand the care givers need to stay safe.

I sell Spices

It's no secret but i sell Spices and i am known as Spicepete i only mention this because i have had a number of emails asking if i will do mail order. A short answer is yes.

On the front of this Blog is an email or on the front of Iberianspices Blog just type Iberianspices into Google and you will find at the top of the page the email to use.

As my email is at the top of the front page i am not going to repeat it in this post.

Should you want to buy Spices from me read below

Postage up to 500 gr will be 2.€
Over 500 gr and up to 1Kilo will be 4€

Go to Iberianspices and look at the product list on the front page. The only things out of stock is Tamarind, Vindaloo curry and Star Anise but i do have Star Anise powder.

So please feel free to make contact.

I went into three supermarkets today

Today i went shopping first to Lidl near to me in a place called Arganil as i drove into the care park i saw a queue of about 20 people. I am not the most patient of people so i drove straight out of the car park. On the way back home i decided to go over to a place called Lousa to the Lidl over there.

Great now queue i walked straight in no getting hand protection no trolly being cleaned. I found everything i wanted even some ice cream. I got in a queue and as i moved forward someone with a huge trolley moved over in front of me. i pointed to get behind me but i was pushed out of the way and she then called other people over to get in front of me in the queue. Oh how i wish i could speak Portuguese i would have stood my ground so i pushed paster her and left my trolley and walked out it was not the time for a row.

I then went on my way home to my favourite supermarket where if you have your own bags you are not allowed in time they are sprayed. next you have to put the hand cleaner and they make sure you rub it well into your hands. Now you can go in to do your shopping. How good is that. Also fresh Strawberries 1.99€ per kilo Mmmm

I forgot to get butter so near home i went into another supermarket near home. As you walk in there is a bottle of some kind of hand cleaner but only if you want to use it. Not one trolly was cleaned but i got my butter.

This deadly virus and two national chain supermarkets are not doing much to keep there customers safe.

Not as good as my Mums

My Mum had one thing she enjoyed was her garden in later years she was only able to sit and look at her much loved garden. She had a most amazing Acer tree and when i had the chance i got myself one. OK it may not be as good as the one my Mum had it's just as special to me as it was to MUM.

When i moved to Portugal i got myself an Orange, Lemon and a Lime tree. However i didn't put them in the best place and they have stayed alive but that's it until now. I had planted them in completely the wrong place on a hill and in direct sun so not enough water. Now they have been moved into big pots they are all doing well.Below if a couple of pictures outside of my front door where the orange tree is.

This orange is looking amazing now looking so healthy but also lots og Blossom that i hope to get turning into oranges for later in the year.

How cute

I read on the BBC news website about a little girl who was 9 years of age.  With the help of her father she made Pizzas for her neighbours in her Cul de sac. So as to keep away from people and being a fan of remote controlled cars she had an idea. What she wanted to do and with Dads help she used a remote controlled car to deliver Pizza.


Another feel good story was about a 99 year old war veteran who tried to raise £1,000 by walking with a walking aid round his garden. The last time i looked he had raised £17,000,000 and all funds are for the UK NHS.

These are just two of the stories i have read that as nice feeling at this the most difficult time that i have known in my lifetime.

I must also mentions all the people all over the world doing good deeds to help others.

A single act of kindness

I live in Portugal and Portugal is my home. But an act of kindness has just made me feel proud to  call myself an English man.

Please read the story below.

A "humbled and emotional" paramedic has thanked a stranger who paid for his shopping and customers who applauded him at a supermarket.

People queuing outside Lidl in Cromer, Norfolk, made way for David Tillyer - who had just finished a night shift - "with applause and thank-yous".
He said a woman who "ran up and swiped her card" as he went to pay told him: "Not much you can do to stop me".
His thank-you on Facebook has been shared 78,000 times.
"I am humbled and a bit emotional," wrote Mr Tillyer, who works for the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS)
"Thank you to the lady that did that and thank you to all the shoppers that made me feel special after a tough run of shifts #NHSandProud #stayhome #covidkindness."

• Coronavirus - Updates from the East of England

Speaking to the BBC, he said he had just finished a 12-hour shift and was about to join the end of the queue waiting for Lidl to open when the young couple in front of him let him go ahead.
"About two-thirds of the way through the queue someone said 'let's give him a round of applause', and people started clapping and saying thank you.
"It was really heart-warming to know that people out there really respect what we do and are grateful to everyone on the frontline of the NHS for what we're doing at the moment."
He praised the "amazing, kind gesture" from the woman who ran to the till to pay for his shopping.

Have we woke in the middle of a nightmare

I just love going to bed and having a good read. Anything for my Ipad with my Kindle app installed and any book free. I like reading Thrillers and suspense books and a little WiFi.

It's like i have just finished a book and woken into a new world but not finding out till i went out to the shops. I got to the shops only to find people wearing Gloves and Masks. What's this all about i ask the staff the answer i get is what do you mean this is how are normal life is here.

When i got home i opened my Ipad and went onto the BBC News site and found that almost every article was about something called the Corona virus. I went from reading the World news and then the UK news the same in the UK almost everything was about this Virus thing.

So what is this nightmare i seem to be in after a few days i wake up one morning to realise that it's not all a bad dream this is life a new life.

It turns out the started in a place in China, was this a virus developed in some laboritary for a biological weapon. Who knows.