Dear Sophie,
Three brilliant articles get the September off to a cracking start. What an interesting and informative, fact-filled few pages.
Your marvellous interview contains interesting personal details of Colonel Murphy and his family. It also shines a light on the multi-faceted details of diplomacy and foreign policy, which is usually unknown and unthought about.
Lena’s article was marvellous as well, clear-sighted reporting rather than PR ‘puff.’ She seems to get better all the time and James Plaskitt also writes so clearly and incisively, always clarifying and illuminating.
These illuminations of a broader ‘canvas’ for the Portuguese resident (augmenting the great community interest and support that has, as noted, always been embedded in Tomorrow‘s DNA) are very useful.
And the What’s On information and Sports coverage also go from strength to strength.
Great work.
All best wishes.
Ray
Hi Sophie,
Here’s a subject that is relevant to this time of year and is gathering momentum with Algarve expats, so I thought I’d contact you:
Help wildlife and ban leaf blowers.
Leaf blowers. What’s to like about them? They are bad for residents, bad for tourists, and bad for the lungs of those who use them. And new research has found that they have a devastating effect on insect life.
This, in turn, affects the pollination of plants and trees. And fewer insects also means less food for small mammals like hedgehogs.
The forceful impact of leaf blowers also disturbs wildlife – it’s not uncommon to find a young bird lost in a carpark or verge after a leaf-blowing session.
The unbearable noise levels of these machines, like the constant revving of a motorbike, has been shown to heighten stress and impair concentration.
People come to the Algarve for peace and calm, yet so many resorts are disturbed every morning by the sound of leaf blowers and hedge trimmers. Peace and relaxation should be the Algarve’s big selling point, especially these days.
The dust blown up by leaf blowers can aggravate asthma. The dust that’s inhaled can contain mould, pollen, pesticides and airborne particles of animal faeces.
The irony is that many of us who pay for leaf blowers here either directly (gardeners) or indirectly (through condo fees) would probably be against them. But the resort and condo managers who employ the gardeners on our behalf don’t seem to get the problem. Is it a macho thing? Or perhaps the garden rakes and brushes we used in the past look poor and old-fashioned, and it’s cleverer to use noisy machines…
Many American states where they were first seen have been banning them for some time now. What about campaigning to our local Câmaras to ban them here?
They could get ‘green kudos’ as the first Camâras here to ban them! That could be a great marketing point for future eco-tourism.
Kind regards
Caroline
Hi Sophie,
I live in Luz and am enjoying the series on Algarve expats. There must be such an interesting story behind each name. I googled Dudley Ellis and found this. Looks like he moved to Rio too. The basis for some follow-up material perhaps.
Keep up the good work, it’s a great magazine.
Regards,
Blair
www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/dudley-herbert-lewis-ellis-24-1vp5k93
If you would like to comment on an article you have read in the magazine or bring awareness to a local issue, please write to our editor: sophie@tomorrowalgarve.com
