The Algarve has been my second home since I was three months old and I have many fond memories of Salema in particular. I am one of six girls so you can imagine the chaos we caused over the years!

After a travelling/ volunteering stint in Africa and Asia, the return to life chained to a desk in the grey UK was not so appealing. So, I booked a one-way ticket back to the Algarve with the intention to stay for a summer and ‘figure the rest out later’.

A few weeks in, I stumbled across a very kind man who offered me a job picking blueberries whilst living on his scenic farm overlooking the lake; how could I refuse? The owner and I got on very well and he offered me the opportunity to try and grow the farm together. I took what I had learned from previous sales and marketing roles to boost the farms presence and even got stuck in with the manual labour! Four years later, the farm is a massive success and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I’m also hugely grateful for the unique opportunity that kick-started my new life in this beautiful part of the world.

After a few amazing months, the blueberry season had come to an end but I had already fallen in love with my new life (and a guy of course)​ so I had to get creative and was willing to turn my hand to any opportunity in order to stay. It’s safe to say I’ve had my fair share of weird and wonderful ‘careers’ here, but one of my more successful ventures was writing.

My dear grandad was an ‘old-school’ fleet street journalist and had always encouraged me to pursue writing. At the beginning of 2021, my first ever article was published in a local paper with the title he had chosen – ‘New Ways for Old Wine’. He sadly passed away one month later. Since then, I have met some incredible people and shared some fascinating stories and it’s become a huge passion of mine.

I’m always on the lookout for weird and wonderful stories or opportunities! So please email alex.brennan@hotmail.co.uk if you think we’d be a good fit!