Welcome to the latest edition of Naturest’s newsletter.

Within days of sending out the last edition, shock waves rumbled around Naturest. No, the pictures of naked bottoms had not caused a stir on the web, neither had all the spam-killers gone crazy. At 10.36 am on 12^th February a “strong” earthquake (about 6 on the Richter scale) struck southern Portugal, the strongest for 30 years. Tremors were even felt in Madrid!

At first we heard a rumble and thought someone was driving a heavy truck along the lane to our house, then all the pots and pans started to rattle in the kitchen. Marnie, who was enjoying a lay-in, said the whole bed was shaking and the walls vibrated against the headboard. Quite a frightening experience! Within a minute or so, everything was still again. We are happy to report that no damage was sustained, our walls are more than half a metre thick!

Last year, we had a temporary somewhat narrow boules/petanque court perilously close to the solar panels, our home’s only source of electricity.

“A final end on the old court, late November 2006.”

Now, after much effort clearing away the undergrowth and levelling the ground during this spring, we now have an almost competition size court on a terrace below the house. Where, there is some shade under a cork-oak tree, in case you need somewhere to rest out of the sun during an exhausting set or two. We certainly appreciated that shade at times, as what looked like a fairly level area of terrace had a difference of almost half a metre from end to end - a lot of soil and slate had to be moved!

Prospective guests often ask, “What is the weather like at a particular time of year?”. That is one question which we find difficult to answer. We can try to recall that period last year or refer to the average climate charts linked to our website, but with global warming or global cooling, depending on which theory you believe, seasonal weather patterns are changing around the world.

In November, before we went to England for the Christmas and New Year holiday, and since January when we returned there have been days (and weeks) when there has not been a cloud in the sky. Ideal for nudism! There have been times when the north wind has turned things quite chilly and we have needed to cover up. Even many storks did not migrate to Africa this winter despite some wet and cloudy days in November (see picture).

“Storks, Santa Clara a Velha church tower, mid-November 2006”

Whilst a holiday, particularly a naturist holiday, can be made all the more enjoyable with the right weather conditions, unfortunately when you book a break you have to rely on the gods where the weather is concerned.

However, you can be certain that whatever the weather, we will always try to make your stay at Naturest as enjoyable as possible.