Springtime!

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

Woodruff

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!

Autumn

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

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!

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

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.