On Friday the 15th of June, Residents and Guests from the English Community were invited to attend a celebration for the Queens Birthday in the gardens of the English Church in Funchal.
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The annual event was organised by the Honary British Consulate to Madeira, Joy Menezes. On this special occasion Mr John Buck, the British Ambassador to portugal was invited and made a small speech and gave a toast to the Queen. Mr Buck said, that this would be his last visit to Madeira as the Ambassador, but he would come back soon as a regular tourist.

Among the guests, were members from the Navy and also the Portuguese Military with their Brass Band. The Band paid tribute by playing the British and Portuguese National Anthems

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This video is in two halves and about 10-15 minutes long, a quite amusing film about Madeira. Enjoy!

Part One

Part Two

WE have a new message board.If you click back into The Madeira Times homepage again, then click on forum. Please use this board to post your questions or views under the appropriate heading.

AFPOP Dinner - Friday 23rd February

Venue: Restaurant Telheiro de Zinco, Funchal
Date: Friday 23rd February
Time: 7.30pm for 8pm
Price: AFPOP Members - 25 euros per person
Non-members - 27 euros per person

I have chosen this venue for our first event of 2007 as this is a truly superb restaurant, They offer Austrian Cuisine which of of excellant quality as well as outstanding service. As the venue is cosy, we are a little restricted on numbers, so if you would like to attend please let me know as soon as possible before it is advertised in the February edition of The Madeira Times as priority will be given to those who book first. As you will see from the menu below, that this dinner is excellant value for money!

Menu:

Entree acompanied by a glass of champaign
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Chicken Soup
or
Vegetable Soup
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2nd Entree: Trout with fried Almonds
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(Please forgive the Austrian spelling on the main course)!
Backlenderl - Austrian fried chicken
Wienerschnitzel - Turkey Schnitzel
Schuveinsbraten - Roast Pork
Krautfleisch - Stew of Pork with Saurekraut
Saftgulasch - Spicy Stew of beef
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Applestrudel
or
Palaschinken
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Coffee & Schnaps
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Wine, beer, soft drinks and water included
Wine: Serras de Azeitao - tinto & J.P. Azeitao - branco

To book, please email me as soon as possible!

Events for March

AFPOP & Eurofinesco 2007 Tax Seminar - Saturday March 10th

Last years seminar was a huge success with over 50 people attending. It was extremely informative and helpful to those who attended. This year it has been booked for Saturday 10th March and will be held at the Tivoli Ocean Park Hotel in the Lido area of Funchal. The finer details have not yet been confirmed as to cost and the time and whether there will be an organised lunch as well. I will of course email you the details once I have them. At this point it would be helpful to know if you are interested in attending this year, so that we can have an advance idea on numbers and how many we should look to expect to cater for. So, if you are interested please let me know.

A Tribute to Cecil Arlow

It may seem strange reading in this paper about a tribute to a man who had never visited Madeira but I am sure that you the reader will understand that I (the editor) felt that I wanted to put pen to paper on a personal note and pay tribute to a very old and dear family friend who despite our whole family living out of the UK, stayed behind to be with his. Cecil, irritating as he was with his strong Cockney accent (‘Cor Blimey’ and ‘Cut it out’ (with the T’s missing the ends of the words) were his favourite expressions) and used to live in the Granny (Granddad flat) adjoining my family home in Ewhurst Surrey, was more than a tenant and friend but was adopted by us all. My children in particular saw him as an ‘adopted granddad’ particularly as he was so generous with his biscuits and sweets. He looked after our garden even through the moans and groans of his ageing body which we all teased ‘was all in the mind’. He once even blagged that he became severely ill from falling into our garden pond even though only the bottom of his legs touched the water. Cecil was a good laugh as he was always game for jokes and pranks and all at his expense. On a family trip to the States to visit my parents, and once again the victim of a family wind up, he jested that we could put his ashes in a coffee jar and he wanted it to sit on my parents mantle so that he could come back and haunt them and get his own back, the mantle is still empty but a photo of him sits in place instead. Since that visit he made many more, until ill health kept him from traveling.
Recently my parents flew over from the States and traveled up to Lowestoft where Cecil had been ill in hospital and sadly a few days after he passed away. At the age of 83 he had had a good innings, made loads of friends and was able to spend time with his children and enjoy his grandchildren in the last few years and will be sorely missed by us all.

TALES FROM A HOVEL

OR

SPOOKS ON TOAST

Well they say all good things come to an end and I feel that it’s time I said goodbye to my hovel tales and the hovel. I’m not so much as leaving as being pushed out. The house has always had a resident ghost and he along with a few mates have up until now been fairly quiet. Ah! I hear you say, how does she know he’s male? Well, when the mattress sags beside you, something pokes you in the ribs at 3am breathing huskily in your ear and you know you’re sleeping alone you tend to get the picture.

The trouble is that it’s ok sharing with him, he doesn’t make a mess and leaves the remote control alone. However, the downside is that you know he’s never going to go halves on the bills, leave anything remotely edible in the fridge and no matter how much I beg he refuses to don a white sheet and rattle a few chains when I have unwanted guests, I even tried to get him to get in touch with his poltergeist side, thinking that while he was throwing the ornaments about I could throw him a can of Pledge and a duster and he could do a bit of housework. No such luck! He merely creates one of his cold spots and gets huffy. Neither does he like change. Mum moved a few paintings and he got a tad upset and started moving them about, in the end she gave up and put his favourite picture back on the wall he wanted it on, he’s been happy ever since.

The phantom cat on the other hand is a lot easier although he/she does have a habit of running under your feet and you do feel a twit shouting at something that isn’t there. We’ve affectionately called her Sooty. Unlike the other mewing horrors that occupy the house she doesn’t need feeding, doesn’t pinch the best chair and most of all doesn’t embarrass you by breaking wind when you’ve got visitors. All’s ok until our other black cat (living) watches a horror film with you and you find her sitting on her back legs, eyes as wide as saucers going “look mum, ghosties!” It’s enough to make me hide under the duvet.

But what I have had enough of is her charging through the house in the wee small hours of the morning. I always thought ghosts wafted and not galloped around as if they were wearing hobnail boots and no matter how many times I check under the bed, inside the wardrobe there’s nothing there, so I’ve just decided to call it quits and let them get on with it. It’s either that or a gypsy caravan with a thickset hairy cob with the temperament of a diseased camel. I quite fancy the open road, so I’m busy practising “allo me dearie, you’ve got a lucky face!” It conjures up all sorts of images.

So it’s goodbye to dodgy plumbing and shorting electrics, it’s wide open spaces, butterflies skimming on the breeze, the smell and taste of freedom and if I’m lucky I’ll just make it to McDonalds before they close.

Wishing you all well and happy holidaying and if anyone’s got a pattern for knitted tea cosies and a way of making pegs send it along I’ll pick it up as I trundle past.