Community
Ladies that lunch By Elly Clayman I have lived in the Algarve since the early eighties, and in those days life was very basic. There were hardly any surfaced roads outside of the main towns. There were no supermarkets, only small grocery shops with very limited stock. There was only one cinema, no concerts, shows or social clubs, and only one golf course at the Penina hotel. Not much stimulation at all! So when, in the early nineties, an enterprising lady started a ladies lunch club in Almancil, we all joined. But the journey for us from the west was long and hazardous on the old EN125, so before long a friend and I decided to start a club closer to home. We opted for the Três Castelos hotel in Praia da Rocha as the venue; the management was very efficient and obliging, so that became the home of the Western Algarve Ladies Lunch Club for many years. Between forty and sixty ladies would meet there once a month to have a good lunch, make new friends and listen to a diverse range of speakers who we co-opted from the interesting and colourful expat population that had made their homes in the Algarve. We had TV actors, writers, a retired SAS warrior, historians, beauticians, health specialists, garden designers, hoteliers; there seemed no limit to the
people that we found tucked away along the length and breadth of the Algarve, who had been or done interesting things. The club was a great success. Many things have changed in the Algarve since those days, but the Western Algarve Ladies Lunch Club is still in existence after 25 years. It is now based in Lagos, and Gillian Goode and Jenny Clarke are the two busy ladies at the helm. Members currently come from right across the area, including Silves, Armação de Pêra, Alvor, Portimão and Alcantarilha. It felt as if I was in a time warp when they recently invited me to talk to the ladies about the founding of the organisation and how my debut novel, Two Months in Summer, was connected to the club. It was strange to be standing there, not only as the founder of the club, but also given that it was Pamela Oldfield, a writer of many fictional historical novels and one of our first guest speakers, who encouraged me to write my book. It is based on my experiences while living in Cyprus during the fateful summer of 1974, when the beautiful island was invaded and ravaged by Turkish forces who eventually captured a third of the land. The novel is described as a gripping fictional adventure inspired
by personal historical and political events in the two months of major upheaval in the Mediterranean paradise. It is now listed on Amazon as a paperback and a Kindle ebook under my pen name Eleanor Michael. I was impressed to see the restaurant packed with almost sixty well-turnedout ladies, who were very friendly and appreciative of the goods that Gillian and Jenny had arranged for an early Christmas gift sale. Gillian is an accomplished artist and there were some of her cards and prints, along with some lovely jewellery designed and made by Susan, another member of the club, as well as pretty pots of pickles, jams and cakes made by some of the other ladies. I enjoyed my time with the ladies of the club and felt proud that something we had started so many years ago was still so well attended and flourishing in the capable hands of Gillian and Jenny. For information about the club, contact them directly. Gillian: goodedesign@hotmail.com Jenny: clukers71@gmail.com +351 919 041 903
Paradise for pooches opens in Porches By Steven Sutton lessons are offered on a private or group basis. Dog and owner socialisation walks are also available. Downstairs is the retail section, selling everything from toys, treats, collars and leads to comfy dog beds, mats and natural dog foods.
Last month, I was invited to a preview of what has to be one of the most amazing, original new ventures in our local area: Dog Emporium in Porches. I was shown around by Gail Skinner, who has transformed what used to be a bridal shop into ‘an emporium just for dogs’, as it says on the store front. In this amazing space puppies will be trained as both assistance dogs and medical alert dogs. In the training room - designed to resemble the mountains of Monchique - courses such as puppy socialisation, tricks and companion dog
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Up the main staircase is the doggy spa, where pooches can have their hair and nails (they don’t say claws here) done by a professional groomer. All spa dogs are given a general health check and weigh-in, too. Bowen therapy, an alternative therapy that’s great for a range of health problems such as muscle stiffness, joint problems and circulatory issues, is also available - for both humans and dogs!
walker - has been involved with animals all her life. She worked as a veterinary nurse in Africa for many years, and had the difficult task of rehabilitating and re-homing many abused animals, achieving amazing results. She is currently training two assistance dogs here on the Algarve, including Key, an eight-month-old border collie who is being trained to alert his owner when they forget to take their medication. The other is Zwi, a six-week-old puppy who is being trained as a diabetes alert dog for a lady in Lagos.
There is also a bespoke section where you can have absolutely anything made specifically for your dog, from a treat bag to blankets to match your car interior or sofa.
Located on the EN125 near the roundabout in Porches, Dog Emporium officially opened in mid-November. Gail and her team invite you and your dogs to socialisation coffee mornings on Fridays at 10am throughout winter, so pop along and see what this wonderful place has to offer.
Gail - who is the centre’s veterinary nurse, Bowen therapist, dog trainer, groomer and
www.dogemporium.pt +351 282 343 491 / +351 967 925 099
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