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Portugal, Late December/early January
Check out these cat walk models! Who would think that I was wearing 3 dollar sun glasses and that a lot of our clothes come from a 50 (Euro) cent stall? ;<)
I used to make fun of people who seemed inseparable, clinging to each other like Siamese twins. Those who never let 'the other half' out of their sight for more than a couple of hours.
But, these days, I’m a member of that club...
In the half a year and a day that we have been together, Clare and I haven’t been apart for more than 7 hours or so ( rough estimate ) and that’s only because I decided not to come along with her to a Saturday market, out of town, that morning.
Tuesday was our half a year anniversary and we decided to celebrate that by going our for dinner
on Wednesday night.
The restaurant we picked isn’t open on Tuesdays.
We usually only go there, every now and then, in the morning,
for a cornetto (croissant) and a warm drink.
Although, now I think of it, we have had a romantic dinner date there once before, back in September or October ( our early days ).
Now let’s hope that the food will be up to par with what we - or mostly Clare prepare(s) - at home. She’s a true kitchen witch ( in the most positive way ) and the two of us thoroughly enjoy – and have been enjoying – the majority of our home cooked/ -made meals.
the kitchen of a kitchen witch, back in the days when we still lobbed our compost on the floor, as a running joke (before we swept it up and put it in our compost bin)
It does not really matter whether we buy food in the local grocery store or whether we use foraged ingredients straight from one of the gardens below our house.
Our meals are special and we enjoy preparing them as well as emptying our plates into our stomachs.
It actually does matter...
but most food here is pretty high quality and fairly fresh if you know where to look for it.
The freshest stuff, of course, comes straight from the garden...
Yesterday, for example, we found loads of wild asparagus...
and Clare knows exactly what greens to pick – most of them are growing in abundance, this time of year ( especially borage, nettles and bietoli ).
In fact, I suggest reading her blog and checking her waves for photos of all the nice edibles that we're foraging.
Also, as a Gouda born cheese lover, it isn’t the worst thing to live in the area of the ‘best mozzarella in the world’.
Mrs. Moo and I have even walked through fields with calmly grazing buffale, together. A pretty amazing experience.
not a buffalo but a mountain cow trying to do the (almost) impossible...
We also collected wild mushrooms in areas popular for mushroom picking ( here in Italy ) and on our own, in Portugal...
We enjoyed plenty of picnics and took our shoes off in the most beautiful places...
Went up the mountains several times and - this particular time - decided to skip the picnic ( it was freezing cold ) but have warm soup and a nice drink in the restaurant at the top of the mountain.
Can you spot Clare, in this picture?
It's fair to say that we eat pretty well, wherever we are...
Our balcony is one of my favorite spots...
And it doesn't hurt to be in the country of pizza either...
Every now and then ( every second meal or so ), we like to play a game, while we're eating. This is our current favorite ( Abalone > GO ), a game we discovered months ago.
### To get back to the dinner date...
It was pretty nice
and especially for Clare. For a change, she did not have to cook. She does (like to do) most of the cooking.
But, at the same time, it did not top the feeling of our foraged, home cooked meals. It was just a bit too much of everything and we like our peaceful meals at home ( even though we were the only guests in the restaurant that night haha! ). Eating at home sure beats the sound and sight of a television, in your face, with as an added bonus the sound of the videos that the waitress, meters away from us, was checking on her phone.
Anyhow.
Onwards and upwards to one year together and beyond...
Let me know in the comments how, what and where you like to eat; at home, outdoors/in nature or in a restaurant/bar/pub?
And if you haven't already done so, I suggest reading Clare's latest post here
Should we stay or should we go? 
