 One of the decisions that factored into our house purchase was that we wanted a garden area of some sort. It didn’t matter if that was a container garden on a veranda or a full-sized one, outdoor space was important to us. I (Jana) don't think either of us realized how important that was until we'd live in apartments for four years.
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 When we moved into our new country home, we tackled a number of new experiences. One of which was the wood-fired whole house heating system. This post is how that system works and what difficulties you might encounter if you have one of these in your house.  The view from a nearby village So much has changed since our last post in May 2021. At that point we had no idea we would be moving out of Porto, but looking back things were already headed that way. Now we live in the Miranda do Corvo region (south of Coimbra) up on a mountain. How's that for a change?  Three months ago, when we last posted, we were definitely deep into the Third Wave of COVID-19. The numbers of dead and ill were truly horrifying. Now things are changing, for which we are truly grateful. Let's look at why that's happening.
 We're deep in the Third Wave of COVID-19 here with new case numbers exploding. It was a long January, but now, after another lockdown, the numbers are starting to improve. Here's where we stand as of today.
 We're currently averaging 6-10K new cases of COVID-19 along with at least 150+ deaths per day. Portugal's public health system is strained and the ICUs are nearly full. This Reuters' article gives more details on the situation and why the intensive care situation is so critical.
All we can do is continue to mask, wash our hands, keep our distance and wait for our turn to be vaccinated. But let's be honest, this has been one very rough year for Portugal and its people.  Much as we posted back in October, the 2nd Wave has hit Portugal. 2021 offers hope, but right now it's a long and painful slog for many people and businesses.
 Epidemiologists warned us that a second wave of COVID-19 would appear in the autumn, and it has here in Portugal. The case numbers began to grow at the beginning of September and have steadily risen from there. The last two days we've seen 2K in new cases reported daily and the government has instituted a state of calamity, which is an emergency declaration. 1K of those cases are here in Northern Portugal.
 Since travel is not necessarily an option for many nowadays, here's a video of Porto to give you a sense of the city. Our first apartment was close to the gardens shown here.
 We’ve had a few folks ask us how we’re coping during the pandemic so here goes. Also, we’re starting to sketch out some travel plans within the country. Let’s look at both.
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Your HostsHarold is a former software engineer. Jana is an author. Together they're exploring their new life in Portugal. Archives
February 2022
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