I, myself, had spent the day blowing my nose and violently sneezing, and I kept at it all evening. My head felt like it's been stuffed with a combination of bricks and helium, which is a rather odd sensation, and the upper back of my throat, where the openings to my sinuses are, feels raw and sore. Allergies compounded by a sinus infection, no doubt. None whatsoever, actually, since I started blowing out little clots of blood amongst all the snot sometime in the middle of the night.

Elvis developed a fever, and we went to bed early. A good thing, really, since we were both exhausted. He managed to sweat it out last night, and feels a bit better today, although not well enough to go to work. I, on the other hand, feel pretty much the same. I was running a low fever earlier on, so I would imagine my body's doing its best to fight the infection off. I've skipped my Portuguese class, although I will probably need to go out later on to talk to a woman about a conference center. I was supposed to go yesterday, but I felt like such crap I called first to make sure she'd be there and she wasn't-- called off by some emergency or other that I couldn't quite catch. They did say she'd be back around five, maybe, but by that time Elvis was on his way home and I wasn't inclined to go anywhere. Hopefully, I'll be feelilng a bit more perky later this afternoon.

I could whine more, I suppose, but there's really no point to it. It just makes me realize how nasty I feel and bores everyone else. I will mention that the weather today is gorgeous with virtually no wind, which is a shame and a waste. Not that I'd be hanging out on the beach anyway, but it's nice to know that I could if I got a chance.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Friday was the Board Meeting at our house. It went well, although I don't know why she keeps clinging to the fiction that we'll be finished by noon, when she knows damn well we'll still be at it at 2:00 or, in this case, 3:00. It's ridiculous, really. I'd like to think that if it were me running the damn thing, we'd be finished on schedule, but I'm not quite that naive.

Anyway, I baked again for the occasion. I made the brownies Friday morning, this time remembering to put the nuts, and they were good. The lemon bars (which I made before heading into Lisbon on Thursday morning) were good, but not as good as last time. I think that they turned out exactly as they were supposed to this time. Last time, I switched recipes half-way through, when I realized that I didn't have a baking pan anything close to what was called for. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure out what I did "wrong" and duplicate it for the next time.

After the women had gone home and I'd cleared up, I worked on the magazine for June, Elvis got home, and we went out and did our usual Friday night routine, ending up at the Late Night Bar of Evil. We didn't stay as long as we usually do, though, and we're rather proud of that.

Saturday was the hash, and we enjoyed it. I remembered to take some allergy stuff before we left the house, to give it time to kick in, which was good. This hash started off in Malveira de Serra. We went up, up, up and up. Then we went up some more. It was very pretty, walking through the forest, and the path was clearer and not as treacherous as the last time. No clambering in and out of ravines, for one thing, and much fewer thistles and brambles and spiky things in general.

Elvis was afflicted with some wild hair or another, and decided to play Rambo and run. I did too, for a while, but eventually I found myself alone, running into a very strong headwind, my eyes streaming and my nose running, and I thought to myself Wait one minute here. This isn't any fun at all. At the very least, I need some stronger antihistamine, it would appear, since the actually running bit wasn't a real problem. So I slowed down for a walk, gave my nose a thorough clean out, and waited for the Wimps to catch up to me. It's much more fun that way, I've decided. More sociable, for one thing. Lady Jane and I had a good gossip along the way, which was nice. We're among the more hardened Wimps, I suppose. We walk along at a pretty good clip, so were still getting sweaty and a nice workout.

We kept going up and up, and eventually we emerged at the top of a mountain, where the views were absolutely stunning. There's an estate up there, called Pinha, which looks rather fortress-like. Apparently, there was talk of turning it into a pousada, but it hasn't happened.

After Pinha, it was time to head back down to the cars and waiting beer and chips and so forth. It took much, much less time, mainly because the trail led us down a very steep (45 degree) track covered in loose, fairly large stones. Even the Rambos, according to Elvis, didn't dare try to run down that one. It was very much a matter of picking and choosing your descent, and rather dangerous at that. I fell on my ass twice, and I wasn't alone. I'm just glad I didn't end up going down it head first, since it was a real possiblility.

All in all, it was a good hash, I think. It tooki us two hours to complete, although Elvis said he got in about 15 minutes before us. He was last of the Rambos to make it in, but on the other hand he did manage to run most of it, so good on him. The next day, however, I felt fine. Elvis was still in pain on Monday, creaking around like an old man with arthritis and keeping him from the gym. We offered to buy him a zimmer-frame on Sunday. He was not amused.

After your sixth hash, you get a special hash name, that all the other hashers must call you by during the hash or face punishment in the form of chugged beers in the hash circle. They tend to be somewhat racy, although in some kennels, apparently, they are downright obscene. Two girls got named on Saturday-- Love Canal (she's from New Jersey) and Mouth Organ (a music teacher). Love Canal was unable to explain her name, although she had heard of it, despite being raised not far from there. I, on the other hand, remember the entire controversy. Am I really that old?

Saturday night, and we went out to an Indian restaurant called Shalimar in Areia with Lady Jane and Sir. We'd never been, even though it's reputed to be the best in the area, because we don't have a car and it's not within anything close to walking distance. The chana puri I had was amazing. I had ordered my main dish "hot" and Sir ordered his "medium". I was a bit worried about that because, as much as I love my food spicy, Sir said that they tended to make things really hot. But when our food came there seemed to be no heat to it whatsoever. Sir's was the same. I can only assume that whoever was cooking forgot to put the chilis in all together, since my puri was beautifully spiced. All in all, the food was good, though. Apparently they plan to open up another branch in Cascais, and I'm looking forward to it. (Provided, of course, that we're still here. They've been working on doing so for years now, I'm told.)

After that, to the pub and the LNBOE, as per usual. Lady Jane had developed a tummy-ache soon after eating, however, and it developed into some real pain, so she and Sir ended up staying home. Not us, though! Even if we are a full decade older than Sir, and a number of years I refuse to think about older than Lady Jane.

Sunday we went to a beach-side restaurant in São Pedro. The beach was fairly crowded, considering the wind. We had a wonderful late lunch, with good service (!) and a fabulous views from the esplanade. I'd never been to that beach before. It's a real locals beach, and few tourists ever make it that far down the coast from Cascais. There were plenty of people swimming as well, and I sort of regretted not bringing my swimsuit. Then again, we didn't get there until fairly late, and we were ravenous. After that we stopped by a beach bar in Cascais owned by a friend of ours, and then we went to the Pub to play darts and generally hang out.

It was a good day, and a good weekend in general.

And with that I'm off to the shower. I'm hoping the steam will dislodge some of this congestion, or at least make room for a fresh batch of snot.

With any luck, the kleenex won't run out.