WAGS 21.03.2018 Normal Service resumed....

After a judicious cop out last week, endorsed by all concerned, Rod proposed a rerun of a version of  that walk from Cafe Sustelo in Poco Barreto.
    Algarve walking weather at its best, sunny, cool and unlike our descendants in the AWW, age and experience at the planning stage meant that we didn't require any dire warnings, plastic lixo bags or assorted water play paraphernalia to get round the track.

 The track was as dry as it looks on the map!

A Statistically enhanced track and stats from Rod's ViewRanger App which arrived after publication. You may see the walk is broken down into Flat, Downhill and Uphill in each of the categories for Distance, Speed and Time plus altitudes achieved and total gain and loss of Altitude. The most comprehensively statted walk since we began records. The Tilley count was only 3/10 however, with Frank electing to wear  a flat cap.

We met up, 10 in number, including a couple of trans from AWW who had taken John's warning seriously, at Cafe Sustelo in Poco Barreto. Starters were Rod, Tony, Frank, Chris, Antje, Terry, Jill, Ingrid , Janet and Paul.  Jess, Shadow Shelly and Sasha provided some alliteration.

The starter photo alas was a failure as, while a new camera app installed took a photo after 15 seconds, it turned out to be rather inadequate and blurred when finally viewed on the computer screen. However about 15 minutes into the walk, there was a casually posed photo at a Poco (was it The Poco?) which had everyone in except the photographer, although Tony nearly avoided it by racing into the distance.

Rod writes (in green):
A rare, for this year anyway, spectacular vernal equinox day greeted us and was a welcome change from the previous week when we wimped out. Chris, Antje, Janet, Paul, Ingrid, Tony,  Frank,Terry and Jill accepted Rod's proposal to reestablish last week's walk. All gathered for the usual leisurely coffee at Cafe Sustelo in Poco  Barreto before ambling off at around 10.20. Well in the event we rarely reached ambling pace since some symptoms of lumbar stenosis slowed our leader's normal spritely gait to at times almost a hobble he was unable, despite best efforts, to conceal. 

Apologies for some duplication below as the accounts crossed in the ether!

 The walk was conducted with a limp by Rod, who was almost matched by Tony, Janet and Chris, under clear blue skies on wide tracks mostly, and achieved a creditable 9.88 or 9.43 km depending on whose device we use.  Navigation was impeccably ad hoc, avoiding controversy, dissent and paddling.
     Soon after the start we came across a parked car which prompted some speculation as to why it was there and how it arrived. 

The first event of note was the sight of a shiny blue car parked somewhat incongruously in the middle of gorse shrubs some distance from any track. Good citizens that we are, fotos were taken and location marked in order that the intrepid National Guards of the Republic could be advised and follow up any possible crime in which said vehicle might have been involved. (PS..the GNR were but whether they did remains to be seen).  

 Permanently parked quite a long way along a pedestrian access only track.

There were no attempts to conceal the identity of the car and hence the owner, and the popular conclusion was that it had been dumped by joy riders.The IPO test and Insurance had expired in 2016, but recent rains made it look in reasonable condition. We took care to avoid leaving fingerprints and footprints at the scene, and noone checked the boot for a corpse!

 Nice to see the green is back and Spring is springing. Today was the vernal equinox.

 Antje contributed a photo. Most of us were dressed for the forecast weather and not the actual 'real-feel' temperatures.

 Babes in the Wood!

On we went until  our leader, neighbourly chap that he is,  felt obliged to pay a visit to a fellow local landowner to pass the time of day. He gave up the offer of a coffee and recuperative medronho to hasten and catch up with his flock patiently waiting at a crossroads.

The group held up for some time as Rod chatted to a neighbour who is trying to sell up and move out. Liquorice and aniseed balls were exchanged and consumed.

Following this distraction the rural path descended to where in times gone by some local disaffected citizen had plastered his empty house  with graffiti rants at all and sundry. Now he has evidently moved on, or up,  and the house has been  acquired by a more responsible, and clearly more monied individual with so far less to complain about.

Little else, other than the odd baying of  hounds, disturbed our enjoyment of the emerging buds and blooms of the spring countryside and of course good company as we completed a circuit which was pretty much spot on WAGS guidelines. 

Towards the end we came across a new and unexpected stretch of tarmac. Usually means that a member of the Camara lives somewhere towards the end of the facility.

Janet taking samples of the local flora for propagation in Sargacal.

We arrived back at Cafe Sustelo for our muscle building protein at around 1 pm which was exactly as it should be.

To cap a very pleasant day even the Tostas at Cafe Sustelo were up to our demanding culinary standards. (Although they had not yet arrived when the pic was taken, and were consumed before I could react with the camera when they did arrive!)

Tony had an issue with the odour of one of his dogs who had found something choice to roll in, and had departed early to procure some Febreze.

   A good walk, perfect weather, fully WAGS compliant and good company. Unhappily Yves had succumbed to a chest infection, so fortunately the sporting activities of the last two weekends did not have to be resurrected.

Won't break any records, but very enjoyable and  174 meters of climb!

WAGS 07.03.2018 Chris's Carrapateira Mini Walk

        Having missed a week because of hydrophobia, we just had to go ahead even with a marginal weather report, predicting the onset of rain in the afternoon. So we arrived at Carrapateira on a partially sunny 10C morning, with the cafe open, and all well except those walkers carrying injuries and ailments.
   Eight hardy WAGS turned up, Chris leading, heavily supervised by Antje, Rod with a strained fetlock, which only affected him when going up or downhill, so OK for a WAGS walk, Myriam coughing like a sailor on 40 Blue Liners a day, Frank , rather chipper and enjoying the (temporary) bachelor life, a couple of moles from the AWW, Ingrid and Yves, and myself wondering how to pad out the blog. Four Tilleys out of 8 wasn't bad, but Myriam and Chris could have helped the stats. Sasha and Shelly made up the walkers.

Before Chris' comprehensive report, a couple of matters arising.

'Bill Evans, a professor of human nutrition at the University of California, Berkeley who first described sarcopenia, said studies suggest that consuming protein and some carbohydrates within 30 to 40 minutes after a workout may have a greater effect stimulating muscle protein.'

       It was not just happenstance that I have insisted that WAGS walks culminate with a tosta mista or bifana specifically to stimulate our muscle protein after our exertions!  To save you the trouble of 'looking that up in your Funk and Wagnell's', sarcopenia is age-related muscle loss.

   The Internet now is full of click bait, thousands of lists, but apart from the self publicising young trendies, the bulk is made up of miracle diets for achieving some purpose or other.

Most include the phrase 'Research suggests' or 'Research shows' and they rarely  get round to elucidating or citing that 'Research'. An example that does (click on 'Research suggests':-

'Research suggests that older adults may benefit from protein levels that are higher than the current federal dietary guidelines' recommended daily allowance.' 

Now this is one I want to believe! It goes on:-

'Animal proteins including dairy, chicken, fish, eggs and lean red meat are complete proteins that contain all of the essential amino acids required for muscle growth.'

I should be virtually muscle-bound by now, rather than slightly portly and ashamed to look at my BMI.

'What else can you do? Regular cardiovascular exercise such as walking, jogging or biking  (check) is also important for preventing weight gain, improving your body's response to insulin and reducing the kind of fat that builds up deep inside your abdomen and leads to inflammation, which can contribute to numerous diseases including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Simply reducing sedentary behaviour by engaging in more active leisure time can also help.(check). Getting adequate sleep and managing stress is also helpful, as this optimises the hormones in your body associated with building muscle. (Maybe this is where I am going wrong)

What you eat, in addition to adequate amounts of high-quality lean protein, is very important. Besides reducing sugar and highly processed refined carbohydrates, our diets should be rich in colourful fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and moderate amounts of healthy fats including olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado.(check) All of these foods help reduce inflammation and provide high-quality antioxidants to optimise muscle protein synthesis and maintain the health of existing muscle fibre.'

And then the final clincher:-

Finally, make sure to have your vitamin D levels checked by your doctor. Vitamin D levels decrease with age due to decreased production by the skin in response to sunlight, (plenty of that here) decreased sun exposure due to more time spent indoors and weight gain, which can lower vitamin D levels. (Oh no!) Low vitamin D levels have been associated with sarcopenia, so taking a daily supplement if you are low is important.

All these interventions are not only important for building and maintaining muscle, they are important for optimal health as you age. The sooner you build them into your life, the better your chances of not just living longer but living better.

Sounds sensible and allowing for occasional hedonistic lapses this is what I will do. Will you?

Back to the walk, and the only track we have this week provided by Rod, owing to battery failure and software glitches in the CB's equipment. (ignore the spelling - you know where we went and it was entered on a phone with big fingers while on the move).

Chris wrote a short summary, which I received before the weekend was totally ruined in Paris, over which we shall draw a veil.

Previously known as Chris's Carrapateira (mini ) Walk this variant was first undertaken to popular acclaim in October 2006. Needless to say that over the years it became ever extended to cater for the fit and healthy seeking a challenge, but was always considered to be a pleasant day out on the West Coast whatever the weather.
Dodging wind , heavy rain and hail storms eight WAGs, Paul & Myriam, Rod, Frank, Ingrid, Yves, Antje and myself plus respective dogs assembled at Cafe Bravo in the hope that there would be a window of fine weather before the forecast rainstorms blew in.
Taking the more level route, avoiding trig points and by only climbing one steepish hill we completed the inland loop without any drama and with the clouds building up but no sign of rain. Reaching the main road and with the prospect of a quick sprint to Praia do Amado the consensus was to return to Cafe Bravo by the shortest route with the prospect of rain coming in from the West. A wise decision which meant that we all arrived dry and were able to enjoy the excellent snacks on offer at the Cafe.
Plenty of time to complete the other half of the walk some other time.

Yes we were carrying a lot of walking wounded as I mentioned and the walk was adapted to current WAGS needs and despite being a little short in both time and distance, was ultimately considered satisfactory as an outing and well justified the protein we packed in at the end. There was a half-hearted suggestion from Antje to complete the other half in the afternoon, but this was largely and wisely ignored because as the last stragglers left Cafe Bravo, large drops of rain began falling and continued for some time!!

We set off towards the green fields behind Carrapateira

At the first stop, and just before the 'steepish' (brutal?) hill, Myriam handed out her signature hard liquorice energy tablets. Rod made the expensive mistake of trying to grind his with his molars, and  the molar crown lost. he actually looked quite happy at the prospect of another visit to Anne Swart to repair the damage! Can't think why!

Dr Anne

He was still talking quite aimably to Myriam some time later with no sign of pending litigation!!

The Mimosas were coming out well to replace the almond blossom washed away in the previous rains.

Antje contributed this shot, of a fine example of this variant.

Before long  ( and before the rain) we were back at Cafe Bravo....

where most went for the high protein bifanas to build muscle.

Rod's Galaxy powered ViewRanger provided some minimal stats.

But a little delving into the depths of the app produced a better summary:-

Well there we are. We overcame the sedentary - ate the protein, but alas the sun didn't give us our dose of Vitamin D, so keep taking the tablets!!

WAGS 21.02.2018 Montes da Cima

A Blog by Proxy as I did not have first hand experience of this outing. Not only were Myriam and I absent in the Alentejo for a celebration, but there was no Hope, and the other Hybrid WAGS had returned to report to their management on our activities.

   The following photos and brief note arrived from Rod before we returned to base, and after the events of Saturday afternoon, I have no heart for witty embellishments nor frivolity!!

 L-R Rod, Chris, Terry, Jill, Janet, Antje, with Ember, Java and Sasha

Rod writes:-

For a fleeting moment I thought I was going to have a cosy twosome with Janet...then Chris & Antje and Terry & Jill signed on to spoil it!  A splendid walking day, bright with a cool breeze and we met up at Café Manel at Montes de Cima.  The opening foto was kindly taken, at Antje's request, by a  sporty young fräulein from a group of cyclists who were occupying most of the terrace. There was just about room for us to have the usual leisurely coffee before we set off at a comfortable 10.20.  Thought we would get the hills over and done early with so we set of up the ridge towards the race track almost straight away. This was through  territory  razed by the fire a year or so ago immediately after which we had a similar walk. Although greenery had returned the remains of the fire were much in evidence although a lot of ground clearance had already commence well up and new tracks bulldozed. Indeed for better or worse the whole area way up the valley north of the race track had received  a lot of attention. Whether this will have any long term benefit seems unlikely since the eucalyptus having been felled were already sprouting strongly again. The walk followed tracks previously covered so it wasn´t too difficult to keep to the WAGS guideline parameters (although  I have no visual evidence to prove it!). Absent any rain the streams, curiously, were running freely so the dogs especially had a really good time.  By the time we returned to the Café the terrace was empty so we were able to relax and enjoy some tostas well up to WAGS demanding culinary standards.

Parched twigs, Autodromo Hotel in background

Ready to check in

Spot the WAGS!

Back at Cafe Manel

"Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous."

Needless to say by the time we returned from Evora, I certainly had no lean and hungry look after our feasting.  I had even splashed out on a customised birthday cake for Myriam!

WAGS 14.02.2018: A Masterclass in Leading in Santa Margarida

AFTER THE DELUGE

     To those who have been waiting impatiently for the account of last weeks venture into the foothills of Alte, I can only apologise.  It was not the late submission of photos nor script as I had plenty of those, and the script arrived on Friday morning.

     What happened was one of those disasters, that don't  sound unduly dramatic when written in a blog in the warmth of a Spring Day, and wouldn't catch the headlines like yet another massacre in a US school or an earthquake in Mexico, but this was personal and therefore unfiltered and unexaggerated by media , and therefore alarmingly real.

     The sewers beneath our apartment blocked at the garage level and bubbling up through the drain covers was a primordial soup, such as may have incubated the first life forms.

     My first notice of the catastrophe was after I entered the lift at the ground floor (the garage level is -2) and on elevating to our 3rd floor, I commented that one of our genteel neighbours had perhaps broken wind in the lift (or words to that effect), a sadly not uncommon occurrence.  It was not until another neighbour, with blameless bowels, rang at our door to tell us of the flooding threatening my priceless collection in our garages below, that I made the connection.
     
     Myriam, of course then swung into action with mops, buckets, old cloths, sheets and towels to sop up and block the flow. The drainage experts were summonsed but were apparently enjoying lunch in Albufeira, and would take another 5 hours to arrive. Things were pretty grim down there, but once our garages were protected as far as possible, I removed my sensitive nostrils from the scene and tried to distract myself with some Winter Olympics, as this alluvion had curtailed the flow of my own creative juices which were about to produce the Blog of the Year (to date).

     Myriam bravely fought the tide and gave huge support to the rescue workers when they finally arrived, and was down there in her Marigolds until well after I had cooked and consumed my portion of a Cabidela da Galinha, which I had dedicated to Lizzy Yarnold, our first Gold Medallist of the PyeongChang Games.

    The cataclysm didn't stop there, as during her disaster relief work, Myriam had noticed a few specks of oil and a light dusting of diesel fumes in one of our garages, and decided that it would be amusing to ruin my Sunday by cleaning out the garage, and roping me in for the heavy lifting, and to emulate Hercules' 5th Labour.

    In fact I have just escaped from the Stygian gloom, citing you my expectant readers as a valid reason to complete the blog before there was too much wailing and gnashing of teeth, letters to the editor, and calls to ISP's to enquire what had happened.


And so back to Wednesday 14th February, Valentines Day and a Leader (I hesitate to use the word 'new') other than the 4 that have led more than one WAGS walk or the 3 that have led more than 2 WAGS walks since October 2016, and the current Blog was resurrected. Actually the WAGS were first mentioned in recorded history on 29th March 2015, and the leader stats apply since then. But I digress, and Terry who had joined a few recent WAGS outings with Jill, had very kindly offered to lead a walk, which I accepted with alacrity, even though it was proposed to be in the mythical  territory East of Silves into which the WAGS had not hitherto ventured.

    This was Leadership of a far more professional standard than had been thought necessary for our previous outings, less improvisational and off the anklet. Terry had even done a recce the previous Saturday, but had been unable to reduce one of his perfectly designed 20 km walks to the required 10km-ish criteria. However he came up with a tour from Sta Margarida,  Alte, which attracted a large crowd of nostalgia seekers and those who lived close enough. Jim returned having recovered from his recent ailments. An earlier application from a spritely recent 70-year old would-be WAG had been accepted, and he too turned up for his debut at Cafe Por do Sol.  

John had to practice the 'remote control by smartphone' feature of his Christmas camera, and alas had a premature shutter discharge............

......however he soon got the hang of it and produced the definitive starter photo, successfully capturing all 14 starters actually paying attention.

L-R Ingrid, Myriam, Rod, Antje, GeraldineChris, Hazel Maria, Terry, Jill, Jim, Paul, Yves, John, and Sasha (front), Java hiding as usual.

Coffee having been taken among the local rude mechanicals, we set off some time after 10, straight into a downhill down a narrow lane.

Terry is a caring and conscientious leader, never put a foot wrong, and I suspect really knew where he was the whole time, and not just confidently pretending that we were on the right track.  He wrote me a note, which I reproduce below, in his own inimitable style, but alas did not give me a lot to work with, so you will have to be content with photos and the odd bit of colour commentary. That is if you have read through the overlong preamble on my domestic issues without falling asleep.

Terry writes:-

It was my first attempt at leading the WAGS not quite sure how it would go, so many criteria to think about.

A recce of another walk went pear-shaped on Sat trying to squeeze a 20 km into 10 km then in one moment of clarity the St Margarida walk popped into mind, and very well it went too  The Almond blossom was a sight to behold

A good selection of tracks hopefully to suite all abilities, listening to the chatter the rugby got a good going over and then the Chinese new year!! I think Myriam will have to explain the finer points of what it all means, does the Year of the Dog mean we have to be nice to dogs? I wasn't nice to the Rooster last year I ate my share of Rooster stew - think I will give dogs a pass.

Jill and I are enjoying walking with the Wags an altogether different way to enjoy what’s on our door step not to mention the discovery of the culinary delights of local cafe’s for that we thank you all.

 The Leader waits for the rest to catch up!

Who said ladies don't understand mechanical things?

Ingrid demonstrates her banana-eating prowess to a still relatively happy group.

Single file uphill!

A bit of downhill - or is it Myriam helping Terry up?

Spring has sprung in some quarters..........

...........as these shots of the almond trees heavy with blossom prove.

Yves showing he has still got it for a 70-year old

Uphill at around the 8 km stage.....

......and still going up at 9 km.

The walk had been through beautiful country with fragrant almond blossom all the way, but there was some discussion whether it was appropriate to include a long uphill between km 8 and 9 when we all know that WAGS prefer to gently go downhill all the way, and not arrive breathless at their bifanas.   Chris had tired over the last stretch, and Antje decided to mount a rescue mission, however by the time it arrived Chris had defeated gravity and only had 300 metres to go to the cafe.

Uber Service available for Seniors.

The track.

The stats according to Garmin. A bit over in time but perhaps Terry is not quite used to our rate of progress. Other devices had the distance under 11 km.  The total ascent was measured by John and came to 420 metres which some of us felt.  The slight surfeit was more than compensated by our Leader's arrangements for lunch at Por do Sol, where we had a table with napkins and place settings, and some excellent bifanas and tostas mistas.

Jim goes for the Bifana Royale with chips

Trainee waitress

".....but I need tomatoes for my prostate!"

  John went for the TM - heavy on ham.

Some sound advice on a board in the cafe.

I think everyone agreed it was a splendid walk, and we look forward to Terry's added expertise in future walks, as long as we can persuade him that what he thinks is 'contouring' in fact to a WAG is a v. diff. challenge.

To finish a quote from a 2010 film, "Due Date"

Ethan Tremblay: [from trailer] My father always had a saying "When a day starts like this it's all uphill from here. 
Peter Highman: Uphill? No, it's all downhill from here. 
Ethan Tremblay: But nobody wants to be down, everybody wants to be up. It's all uphill from here. 
Peter Highman: But it's easier to go downhill.