QuintaDoSobral

New Holiday Home Open to the Public!

2011-07-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

Casa Ouro is now open to the public. All our hard-working helpers did a good job. Everything is new and comfortable, and of high quality standard. The house is really spacious: a comfortable double room, a large bathroom, kitchen and living room on the ground floor, 2 twin rooms and one more bathroom on the 1st floor. Our site http.//www.quintadosobral.com already contains details. Come and see! We already had guests here, a group of 8 cyclists. They all were enthusiastic!

Springtime!

2011-04-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Every year in springtime the Quinta is covered with wonderful blossoms. These apple blossoms are the last ones after all others including citrus.

Woodruff

2011-01-09T05:13:00.001-08:00

This is not a secret: it seems to be quite difficult to germinate woodruff seeds. But we succeeded. Bernhard put 15 seeds - kept in damp soil - into the refrigerator for 4 months. And they germinated! In the end Bernhard had 5 tiny plants. In May he put them outside. Two of them did not survive, but we have 3 nice plants now.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010-12-21T01:48:00.000-08:00

Autumn

2010-11-29T07:33:00.001-08:00

The vineyards around Casa Brigitte are showing their autumn colours - and we are harvesting chestnuts, a lot more than last year.

Kittens are growing up

2010-11-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

Our kittens are 4 months old now. They do everything together - playing, eating, sleeping....
very important: experiencing their new surroundings. Last saturday morning Minka was sitting on a tree at an altitude of 7 metres - nearly the height of a 2-storey house -, not knowing how to descend, trembling with fear, miaowing and crying. Loni was walking up and down on the ground, upset, and miaowing despairingly. Well, our best ladder was sufficient to reach Minka. Hopefully they will be able soon to manage such situations themselves.
They are really sweet, incredibly devoted, and always being a lovely sight with their coats shining like the stars at night.

A New Holiday Home at Quinta Do Sobral!

2010-10-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

A new holiday home is under construction at our country estate. It is likely to be available from April 2011 on! As with Casa Brigitte, it is a matter of reconstruction. It will be larger than the former house: 2 floors, the ground floor with 1 bedroom, bathroom, spacious living/sitting room and open kitchen. First floor: 2 bedrooms and one more bathroom. Everything very comfortable, with central heating in winter and air conditioning in summer. The house is suitable for disabled people as well. And we are lucky to receive 40 % funds from the European Union, from the Portuguese PRODER program for delvelopment of the rural areas. One more success for the Rural Tourism.

Grape Harvest

2010-10-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

As we use only a small amount of the grapes to prepare our own wine, we have a lot to offer for sale. Our clients come with their helpers and accomplish their own harvest. And when the work is done, we all have a fantastic Portuguese sardine party together.

Kittens

2010-10-03T06:44:00.001-07:00

At any time you may have a pleasant surprise: one day our cat Garrida had a bad injury and needed treatment in the animals' hospital. Bernhard took her to Penela, and while he was waiting for the doctor to finish his work, 2 kittens approached trying to attract his attention. One even clung to his pullover using its little claws and teeth. Yes, the doctor explained, we care for them, but they really need a proper home. Bernhard liked the little ones, so he called Brigitte and asked: "what do you think about this?" As we wanted to have more cats since our Zarca had disappeared in May, we decided to adopt them both. Only 5 weeks old and without mum, we did not have the heart to separate them.
So we have 2 mor cats: Minka (photos on the left) and Loni (on the right).
They seem to be happy: they eat a lot, play around, always waiting for us to make time for them.
And Bernhard already prepared the long ladder to help them get down the trees they will climb without knowing how to descend...

Summer Flowers

2010-08-29T05:18:00.001-07:00

These flowers exist here in a wide variety of colours - they really contribute to a colourful Mediterranean summer.

Tessa, our little dog

2010-07-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

Now Tessa is 5 months old. She is always pleased to meet our guests. She is everybody's darling. Especially the children love to play with her. This 6-year-old Danish boy, Theodor, even bought dog-biscuits for her.

Water-lilies

2010-07-11T01:39:00.000-07:00

Our Solar has a really nice interior garden - like the Romans had in ancient times. And now the water-lilies are in bloom!

Citrus Blossoms: the scent of early Mediterranean summer

2010-07-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

Orange trees produce a wealth of blossoms

Tangerine blossoms: slender and tender

Lemon: with a trace of violet

Last not least: grapefruit

Wonderful Edible Mushrooms!

2010-06-12T04:27:00.001-07:00

It is true: this is a specimen of the wonderful Boletus Aestivalis we harvest here on our country estate. This one is 262 g! Depending on the weather, we have several kilograms of them in early summer.

And we have mushrooms (Agaricus Campester) !

Tessa

2010-05-17T12:55:00.001-07:00

An abandoned little dog: approx. 2 months old, and left alone at the border of our country estate. Hard to believe: Beno, our adult dog, adopted the little one, feeding her in the traditional wolfs' manner, warming her at night and playing with her during the day. When we realized what was going on, we asked all the neighbours if they knew the owner: yes, everybody seemed to know, the owner was a Mister Such-and-such, living up the road. Alright, we visited him taking the dog with us and asked: Is this your dog?
Yes, he said, but I already have two dogs, I cannot keep all of them. But I feeded her down there every day!
Well, we asked, may we adopt the little one?
Alright, he answered, everything is settled!
So we have one more dog now.

Tessa loves playing with her adoptive father!

Exploring the country estate: always exciting!

Yes, this is my territory!

Take care, Eddie!

2010-03-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

Springtime: Eddie has returned to wildlife!

The story:

His weight is 1270 g now. Obviously he had had a good winter. He rolls into his defensive ball perfectly - now he may go!

His last meal in our house:
Sunday 21st, 5:30 p.m.

Oh dear, what are they going to do to me?
They are taking you to a wonderful place in nature!

Of cause his den goes with him, along with a protection for the food that we still offer - just in case.

He immediately found some of his natural food. Apparently he does not need any more help.

Garrida is wondering:
What a fuss!

Take care, Eddie!
We shall miss him.

Winter Season: The Chestnut Trees

2010-02-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

No, this is not our guests practising their hobbies, this really is "men at work"!
They are specialists climbing up the big trees, taking away dead branches and restoring the allover shape.

This 80-year-old tree bears big chestnuts: 25 - 30 g each.

This tree had to go completely: nearly dead, the electric cable close to the trunk, and 2 telefone cables on the other side of the trunk. Not an easy job. The tree had to be taken off piece by piece. Dismantling, that's what they call it - "desmontar" in Portuguese.
Last not least: we have planted 20 new chestnut trees!

Winter Season: The Vineyards

2010-02-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Winter is something special here in Central Portugal: the camellias have come in bloom already ...

... at the same time the usual winter jobs are waiting to be dealt with, for example trimming the vines. These ones have already been finished.

New vines have been planted here. The above-ground part is still covered with wax to protect from drying out.

Eddie the Hedgehog

2010-01-27T11:30:00.001-08:00

Quite a big hedgehog now! And his weight is 750 g. He wants to have less feed now, but still is putting on weight. Snails are his favorite feed. When we find some for him outside, he cheeps with pleasure like a bird. When the spring will be coming, he may go. It won't take long any more here in Central Portugal, the sun has warmth already!

Hello, I am Eddie!

When will the spring be coming?

The Wild Boars

2010-01-26T11:59:00.001-08:00

One of our attractions - the wild boars. Always hungry - they readily accept everything to eat. And they reproduce!

a caring mum

at the milk bar

The Dog

2010-01-20T11:42:00.001-08:00

Really a dear, but wild - always ready for running around or for a walk with his boss. Of course, Beno is a Siberian Husky descent - his mother was one, his father unknown, the typical story. What a pity, there are no sledges to be dragged here. Maybe because of this he uses up a lot of collars and leads - he destroys them all.
With his 30 kg Beno commands everybody's respect - nobody dares to approach the garage containing the agricultural implements.

The Cats

2010-01-19T11:17:00.001-08:00

They really love each other - of course, they are sisters: Garrida, the tortoiseshell cat, and Zarca, "the one with the blue eyes". Hard to believe, considering what they look like. Typical story: Mum is a Portuguese mongrel, Dad unknown.
They are now 3.5 years old and catch the mice. Zarca even catches rats. Garrida is more likely to catch mice, but never under stress, and never doing without her after-lunch sleep!

Zarca

Garrida

after-lunch sleep

The Hoglet

2010-01-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Our hoglet is developing very well. 4 weeks after joining us the boy is weighing nearly 500 g. He is running around in his new preserve in the boiler-room. His old apartment is far too small for him now.
So we built a new preserve for him (1.10 x 2.20 m) with a lot of leaves and a nice den for his nest.
Eddie is always hungry, eating up everything he can get hold of. So we must take care to provide exactly the amount of feed that he needs.
Only our cat has a problem: she cannot understand that anybody else is receiving her feed. She was getting really depressive. So it is very important to feed her first, and then rapidly disappear taking the feed for the hoglet.
Oh dear, tortoiseshell cats are so sensitive!

Could there be any more food below the rim?

Christmas

2009-12-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Cake: delicious and esay to prepare!
Ingredients:
250 g of butter or margarine
3 medium sized eggs
230 g of sugar
60 g of plain chocolate
120 g of walnuts
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
270 g of self-rising wheat flour, or add the appropriate amount of baking powder

Grate the chocolate, chop up the walnuts.
Mix well butter, eggs and sugar. Mix flour with cinnamon and baking powder, and add to the first mixture. Mix well. Add chocolate and walnuts. Use a plumpudding tin or similar for baking (170 °C, 1 h 20 min).

A Hoglet

2009-12-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

We found a hoglet!
The little one crawled towards us on a sunny and cold sunday morning in december. There seemed to be something wrong.
Weighing made it clear: a starving baby without mum, only 98 g, not even having teeth, and not having the strength to roll into the defensive ball completely. Needing help!
Our dog misunderstood the situation: like a dog he invited the baby to play with him.

2 hours later: the little one is warmed, feeded and treated against fleas. While eating the baby already fell asleep, with its head within the feed.

The little one has a name: Eddie the Hedgehog.

Its studio containing dining room and bedroom is ready.