Eva Lee Counselling

indulging my retail therapy needs by buying what I actually need - my groceries

2011-08-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

Like everyone I have times when a bit of retail therapy just hits the spot. It's lovely to buy something luxurious like a gorgeous new perfume or beauty product, or something fairly practical, but still fabulous like wonderful Autumn shoes - to transition you from Summer to Winter, but I've found the best way possible. I make a game out of seeing where I can get what I really need such as my groceries for the cheapest price. I live within easy reach of an Aldi, Lidl, Dunnes, Tesco, Superquinn and Centra. After making a careful study of all the things I regularly buy and all the shops' prices, I know where to buy the most reasonably priced meat that suits me (Tesco 3 items for 9 Euro), the cheapest fruit (Aldi 6 items for 49 cents each), which can then be topped up by (Tesco 3 items for 3 Euro). I know that Superquinn is the only shop I can find that sells the ribbon noodles I like which are an extravagance at just over 2 Euro, but so worth it. I buy my facial moisturisers in Boots on 3 for 2 offers and combine that offer with any extra points they have sent me, so I get enough points on my Boots card to buy myself a little unexpected treat when it's coming up to payday and there isn't much cash knocking about. I use my Tesco clubcard vouchers as well to get myself treats. Sure you can cash them in for groceries in store, but you get 4 x their value if you convert them to days out, restaurant vouchers or what I like best - magazines, so I get my Image magazine now through Tesco, so a year's shopping pays for that.

I suppose with the realisation that more tax cuts are starting in January 2012 and a water charge and a household charge coming down the line. I don't want to have to compromise my lifestyle anymore than I already have over the last few years, so while I've made significant cut backs in my entertainment budget, now it's time for some careful analysis of the best places to get the groceries. It'll also keep the retailers on their toes if no single one gets all my custom.

I do get a buzz out of this, knowing that I'm eating well for as cheaply as I can and managing to save the money for the equally important, but more fun things in life like going on holiday or doing up the house.

so much to be proud of...

2011-02-01T03:34:00.001-08:00

I went to the Creative Island craft and design show at the RDS last week sponsored by the Crafts Council of Ireland. Wow! Wow! Wow! What a lot we have to be proud of as a country. Gorgeous craft and design. Beautiful colours! Wonderful people. Great prices. I love Ireland and the people who are doing things which make me proud to be Irish.

On the Late Late Show on Friday Bob Geldof came across as a rock of sense and musical inspiration. Look at what he's done for the world in so many ways and he's proud to be Irish.

Pauline Bewick on the Saturday Night Show with Brendan O'Connor, (who I went to college with and has turned into a really nice guy), was wonderful and an artistic inspiration and looked unbelievably fantastic and sexy and vibrant for 75.

I have stopped listening to the news and reading the papers. I am choosing my energy fields at the moment and they are the ones which make me proud of our country, our heritage and our success in so many areas.

Tell me what makes you proud to be Irish.

Empathy in Business - Women's Executive Network - 16th September 2010

2010-09-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

I have one of the most empathic careers you can imagine. I listen to people when they perceive there is nowhere else to turn and in six sessions, I get them to a point where there is light at the end of the tunnel, but what about other types of business? Is empathy useful or not in today's recently changed environment? - read on...

“Should Ireland be focussing on our relationship skills as our unique selling point?” Gina Quin CEO, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, asked the panel at the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) breakfast meeting in the Conrad Hotel Dublin on the 16th September? Bernie O’Hanlon, Director of Channel Management for Microsoft Ireland, with 22 years of experience with the company, responded by saying, “yes, while Europeans in general and the Irish in particular were known for their people skills, we have not been making full use of them in recent times and need to begin concentrating on them again”.

Bernie O'Hanlon

Kim Majerus originally from Chicago, General Manager of Cisco Ireland, added that people buy from people and the Irish are very interested in you and your life. This reinforced a point made earlier by Rachel Mooney, Head of Organizational Culture and Capability for Vodafone Ireland, that empathy means being human and not cutting off what makes each of us unique when we enter the workplace. Mooney’s empathic business role model is Sheryl Sandberg, a phenomenal networker, and a former colleague of hers in Google, who genuinely listened to her team and would let nothing stand in the way of doing the right thing. As a result her team would have run through fire for her.

Empathy can also be defined as putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes and as Celine Mullins, psychologist and founder of Act4 Business explained, “research proves that 65% of us who have a secure attachment with our primary carer as children will naturally develop this skill, unfortunately the 35% who don’t will need help to foster it.” O’Hanlon’s example of the empathy demonstrated by a Northwest Airline ground crew member in getting her life-containing laptop flown back to her destination city after a fellow airport passenger accidentally picked it up, thinking it was his, while they were going through security and boarded his plane with it, clearly shows this. She had to go to 48 desks before she met a Northwest Airline ground crew member who empathised with her predicament. O’Hanlon works for a company of 90,000 people - that’s a lot of business flights per year and a clear indication of how empathy translates into sound business sense.

Rachel Mooney and Kim Majerus

Irial O’Farrell, moderator and founder of Evolution Consulting asked the panel, “if empathy can be developed?” It was agreed that it’s easier to grow in smaller groups and Majerus pointed out that for those who are not naturally empathic, relating a particular situation with a fellow employee in work, to how a family member might feel if the same thing happened, develops understanding and increases empathy.

Fiona O’Connor from Boardmatch.ie queried, “if women tended to be more empathic than men?” In a move away from the stereotype, Mooney believed that men are more open with their feelings in the workplace than women and are becoming more empathic. Majerus, on the other hand, felt that women traditionally listen to their gut more. Mullins was clear, however, that while testosterone can initially inhibit the production of oxytocin (the bonding hormone), men are highly capable of empathy, with which Conor Hurley from Arthur Cox sponsors of the event strongly concurred.

Andrea Cusack of Sheppard Moscow posed an interesting question on the right balance between empathy and leadership. It was roundly agreed that in times of crisis, people want a clear message delivered by a strong leader and that empathy, the response to the message, is not necessarily competing with leadership, the message itself.

Pamela Jeffrey and Celine Mullins

Pamela Jeffrey, founder of WXN thanked the panel and contributors for their stimulating input. A couple of very nice prizes were won, a few new contacts made and a good breakfast eaten - all by 9am.

Sarah Newman Motivational Speaker at Women's Executive Network

2010-07-26T03:51:00.000-07:00

I attended a Women's Executive Network (WXN) breakfast event on Thursday the 22nd July at the Conrad Hotel, Dublin with Sarah Newman as the main speaker. Sarah is an English entrepreneur living in Ireland who sold her business needahotel.com for a sizeable sum. She is also the only female on the Irish Dragon's Den (see photo).

Sarah gave a really inspirational talk focusing on her life to date, her childhood, schooldays, her apprenticeship with Gulliver, the discount hotel room supplier in London, run by an Israeli Jew who congratulated her on her chutzpah – which Irish entrepreneur Bill Cullen refers to as liathroidi (balls).

She came to Ireland initially because she married an Irish man with whom she had two children Grace and Patrick. She then started her business using Gulliver as her supplier of cost price hotel rooms, which she subsequently sold on to Irish tour operators and from there to Ryanair.

What came across was her passion, determination, strong work ethic and commitment to her business and her staff. All staff, she believes, should be bought into the success of the company; all staff are rewarded financially when the company does well and need to take the hit when grey days are looming.

Recognising that while still making a significant profit, the margins in needahotel.com were diminishing her management team and herself decided to sell the business. She was very much involved in pushing the deal over the line and spat and shook on it with the new owner of the company. She then decided that she would reward each employee individually on a pro-rata basis from the profit she made and her management team bought into that idea sharing some of their profit as well, which in my opinion demonstrates tangible leadership qualities.

I was particularly impressed that from her time on Dragon’s Den she has made the decision to invest in hand crafted hurleys, contributing her expertise in web site design and marketing. The hurleys are now being pre-ordered from all over the world.
I see Sarah as a fantastic example of : a woman achieving great success in business, of an English business woman seeing a future in a traditional Irish craft and an unique, indigenous Irish sport and the strengths that can come from that partnership. Liz O'Donnell, expressed similar sentiments as she was wrapping up the session.

As I think you can tell, I really enjoyed listening to Sarah and felt highly motivated by her. She shared the best piece of advice she ever got – from her Mum - reach for the stars, there’s one with your name on it!
On a personal level, I met some really interesting, lovely people at the event with whom I spoke about my confidence building business and who in turn told me about their businesses, so hopefully we may work together or pass on each other’s details to interested parties in the future.

We also got a very nice goody bag. Who doesn’t like a little treat at 7 in the morning? There was a copy of the Rte Guide, a reusable shopping bag, an Rte keyring , a very useful Weight Watcher’s starter pack and a Weight Watcher’s pen. There were also complimentary copies of The Irish Times available and a great raffle with a gorgeous Clarins hamper as the first prize - which sadly I didn't win!

Goodies, good company, networking opportunities, a truly motivational speaker and a fine breakfast in the Conrad Hotel in city centre Dublin – not bad for €49. I’m looking forward to more events like this.

Free/Complimentary Counselling Session in Dublin

2010-07-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

Dear everyone,

as some of my clients are off on their holidays at the moment, I have a few hours available to offer a number of complimentary/free introductory counselling sessions. If you are in the Dublin area and would like a free counselling session to give you a little support at the moment, then please email me at eva@evaleecounselling.com with your name, email address and your phone number and I'll be in touch soon.

Please visit my website to learn more about me and my way of working.

Be All You Can Be!
Eva Lee

Being Happy Where You Are Right Now!

2010-06-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

A very wise friend said to me the other day that we'd all be a lot happier if we could be happy right where we are now in our lives. It's good to have goals and it's good to strive for things, but it's also good to relax in the moment, give yourself a pat on the back and take a little time to appreciate what you've done to get where you are now, before you get back in the race to achieve your next goal.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Say to yourself what you would say to a friend who had achieved what you already have in your life. Be kind to yourself this Summer!

Dublin Holistic Centre Open Day - Saturday June 26th

2010-06-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

Dublin Holistic Centre Open Day - Saturday June 26th

Building on the success of the Dublin Holistic Centre relocation to our beautiful new Georgian premises at 28 South William St., we will be holding an Open Day on Saturday June 26th to introduce even more of Dublin to the uplifting, fun therapies available. There are FREE classes and treatments on hypnotherapy, yoga, pilates, nutrition, homeopathy, facial rejuvenation and other interesting and fun topics. I'll be there too to talk one to one with you or a friend who might need some support at the moment To find out all about Saturday's event - click here.

Look Good Feel Good Event on March 10th

2010-03-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

Well it was a brilliant night. The Odessa Private Members Club is a gorgeous, funkily decorated, tall Georgian building in 13 Dame Court, opposite the Stag's Head pub in city centre Dublin. About 25 ladies arrived just before 7pm on Wednesday March 10th into the intimate space of the cinema screening room to the strains of lively, upbeat, feel good songs such as Perfect 10 by Beautiful South, Sesame St., Homely Girl by UB40, It's a Wonderful World etc., and got straight into mixing and mingling, savouring delicious nibbles and quaffing some very nice wine. Eva Lee from Eva Lee Counselling welcomed the guests and introduced herself and Ruth Murphy from Colour Me Beautiful/Positive Image, explained the format of the event and wished everyone an enjoyable evening.

Ruth kicked off the event with a riveting presentation on style personalities. The guests had been asked to fill in a questionnaire on their own style personality - were they a dramatic, a creative, a natural, a romantic or a classic? Ruth outlined the types of clothes to suit their personalities, demonstrated the colours that suit particular skin tones and passed fab contemporary glasses frames around to complement every face shape.

Eva then took to the floor and the group identified the strengths of a number of inspirational women before focussing on their own strengths and motivations. Each of the guests then discussed a current challenge in their lives and Eva highlighted the importance of making time for yourself in your life. The wisdom and life experience of all the guests in the room was tapped into and a wonderfully supportive atmosphere was created.

Susan Kennedy, photographer from http://www.lensmen.ie/ won the raffle for 6 yoga sessions with Cara Sothern of the Dublin Holistic Centre carasothern@hotmail.com

A number of the guests stayed around to chat with new friends and everyone was presented with a goody bag worth 300 euro before leaving, including products from Benefit, O2 and Mars and significant discounts on look good/feel good products from hairdressing to reflexology. It was widely agreed to be a wonderful evening - to be repeated in the Autumn!

Look Good/Feel Good Event March 10th

2010-02-14T01:11:00.000-08:00

Eva Lee of Eva Lee Counselling and Ruth Murphy from Positive Image (Colour Me Beautiful) are running a look good – feel good workshop on Wednesday, March 10th in Odessa Private Members Club.

Wednesday, 10th March, 2010

• Location: Odessa Private Members Club, 13 Dame Court, Dublin 2 (opposite Stag's Head Pub)

• Time: 7pm to 9:30pm

• Event: Workshop and lecture based, helping you look and feel good!

• Opportunities to network and make new friends

• Fab goody bags for all participants

• Cost: €35 per person

• Any queries ring Eva 086/172 9419 or Ruth 086/226 3951

The Twelfth Gift of Christmas

2010-01-09T02:31:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is officially over and we should be taking down our decorations this weekend. I hope you enjoyed it and got something you needed over the holiday season. I had a lovely break. My husband and I were lucky to be able to go on holiday to the sun over the Christmas period and we had a lovely relaxing time. We then came back to unusually snowny weather in Ireland. We also returned to the news that our Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Whatever your feelings about the cuts Mr. Lenihan proposed in the December budget, he has demonstrated great strength and dignity in his response to the media. He is married with two teenage children. The story was broken by TV3 (TV3 Article) on St. Stephen's Day the 26th of December, apparently in the public interest, but as Minister Lenihan said himself in an interview, surely the information could have been released on the 4th of January without any loss to the public interest. The media has a lot to answer for. I'm sure none of the journalists who broke the story would have wanted news of any disease they might have broken to friends and family in the same way.

I commend Mr. Lenihan for his courage and I wish him well with his treatment in 2010.

The Eleventh Gift of Christmas

2010-01-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a fantastic time to recharge batteries and relax with family and friends. I know if you have small children and a family, there is a lot involved in terms of presents and food preparation, but hopefully once the main day itself is over, you can get a bit of time for yourself. Time to reflect on the year gone by. Time to plan for the year ahead and most importantly, time to sleep.

Working mothers in particular really need the time over Christmas to calm down and focus on themselves if possible. You may only get 6 hours sleep a night during the working year if you're lucky. If your husband or parents or parents-in-law can take the kids off your hands for a couple of afternoons over the holiday season and you go to bed for those few hours, ideally to sleep, or read fashion magazines, or just dream, that is real time out for you. This will hopefully move you towards 2010 reaxed and ready to begin anew. Try it, it works!

The Tenth Gift of Christmas

2010-01-04T23:47:00.000-08:00

I heard yesterday that someone I have known for a number of years and looked on with great affection died very soon after retirement at the age of only 67. He was a very kind man and I was really shocked to hear of his passing. It just brings home to me every time I hear something like that not to postpone your life. Not to wait until everything is exactly right to do something. Don't wait until the kids are older to go backpacking - do it now! Don't wait till your house is immaculate before having friends over - do it tonight and have a potluck supper. If they're really friends, they won't care that they're not getting a five course meal. If you want to study, travel, do up the house then begin the steps now to put it in place. Don't wait till later, till you retire and then sadly find there is no time left. Enjoy Christmas for what it is this year and look at the richness in your life. Don't focus on the fact that a mug leaves a stain on the coffee table, but the fact that your kids are all home. Don't focus on the curtains not being pulled just so and look at the healthy happy family you have created. Enjoy the present more than the presents!

The Ninth Gift of Christmas

2010-01-04T05:47:00.000-08:00

I've just heard that Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon are splitting up after more than twenty years together. I always admired and respected both of them as actors and as people and am really sorry to hear that they will no longer be a couple. They have two sons together and Susan has a daughter from an earlier relationship. It's great when a relationship is going well, but for us all at times, we may have to say that there is no future in our partnership with someone and deal with the consequences. I am sure that Susan and Tim will have the strength and motivation to stay friends. Whatever kind of family we find ourselves in at Christmas, whether it's Mum, Dad and two children, or Mum and her new boyfriend, or single Dad, as long as we have other friends and family to share the holiday season with and support us, we'll get through it.

The Eighth Gift of Christmas

2009-12-31T02:50:00.000-08:00

I had a fab reflexology session today. All the tension in your body is released through a really deep intense foot massage.You lie in a darkened room, listening to soothing music and a trained reflexologist lavishes your feet in scented oils and pets and pampers and spoils your feet. It´s amazing. I highly recommend it. Trained reflexologists offer their services at the Dublin Holistic Centre where I also practise, counselling, psychotherapy and career coaching.

The Seventh Gift of Christmas

2009-12-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

Become like a cat. Ever seen a stressed out cat? My cat can sleep for 12 hour stretches at a time on every bed in the house, which we are all very grudgingly allowed share. He only wakes up to be fed and go out to the loo. He contributes nothing to the household in any visible way as my husband keeps pointing out and yet is treated the best - because the cat believes he deserves it. You need to believe you deserve it too. As the L´Oreal ad says because you´re worth it.

Cheryl Cole - Beaut.ie

The Sixth Gift of Christmas

2009-12-29T02:41:00.000-08:00

Take a bit of time to relax this Christmas just for you. Go and look at Boots website to find some lovely new bathing or beauty products half price and take a bit of time to pamper yourself. You´ll feel like a million dollars. Try it, it works!

The Fifth Gift of Christmas

2009-12-21T06:01:00.001-08:00

Children and pets are what make Christmas really special. The excitement of children waiting for Christmas morning and opening the presents from Santa is magical. If you don´t have children of your own then go over to a friend or a brother or a sister´s house for X-mas morning with small kids and remember what magic is all about. The look of the little girl in the pink pyjamas in the Coca Cola ad who see Santa is fab. The calmness, joy, and love you get from hugging a child or stroking a pet is amazing. That´s what makes Christmas. Try it. It works!

The Fourth Gift of Christmas

2009-12-19T05:16:00.000-08:00

I'd like to suggest you stop reading, listening and watching the news over the holiday season. Certainly in Ireland at the moment, you would be jumping off buildings if you followed the news for too long. Try and read and listen and watch positive things. The stories about people helping and loving each other. It's a bit like the voice over at the start of the film Love Actually -
when you go to the arrivals hall at the airport you see love and friendship and genuine delight and excitement at someone's arrival. 99% of people in this world are good and loving. Let's focus on that over Christmas. Try it, it works!

The Third Gift of Christmas

2009-12-17T01:19:00.000-08:00

Talk to friends and family about issues that are concerning you. Getting another perspective is so important and your friends and family really care about you, so will give you the best advice possible. Try it, it works!

The Second Gift of Christmas

2009-12-16T02:47:00.001-08:00

Making and sticking to a decision frees up so much energy for other things in your life. Even if it's a hard decision to come to, because you don't want to have to carry out the task or speak to someone on a difficult topic, once you make the decision to do it and just do it, even if not brilliantly - you will feel fantastic, relieved and ready to move on to the next thing in your life. Try it, it works!

The First Gift of Christmas

2009-12-15T03:20:00.000-08:00

The first gift of Christmas is to make sure that you always look your best on the way out the door. This really adds to self-confidence and self-esteem. I'm not saying a party outfit every time you leave the house, but make sure that your clothes are co-ordinated and flattering, your hair is clean and for women, that you have some mascara and lip gloss on. Believe me it works!

How to Deal with Bullying in the Workplace

2009-11-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

I read an article in the September 09 issue of Image magazine www.image.ie this week about women bullying women in the workplace and how to deal with it. Women bullying women may well be on the rise in the Irish workplace as more women are in more senior positions now and everyone is more afraid of losing their job, so may react by bullying as it makes them feel more secure. Sadly though bullying crosses the sexes.

Bullying is defined as : persistent picking on individuals, shouting at staff in public or private, personal insults and use of offensive nicknames, public humiliations in any form, constant criticisms of trival matters, repeatedly accusing staff of errors which have not been made, deliberately interfering with post, spreading malicious rumours, encouraging staff to disregard another staff member's orders, ignoring an individual at meetings, giving ambiguous instructions, then setting objectives with impossible deadlines, inflicting menial tasks, taking credit for another's ideas, refusing reasonabl requests for leave, blocking a person's promotion - from "Workplace Bullying"- a leaflet published by the anti-bullying centre in Trinity College Dublin www.abc.tcd.ie

If any of the above seem all too familar the strategies recommended are : SARAH (S) Stop talking; (A) Active listening - what is the bully saying; (R) Reflect back - use phrases such as, "so what you're saying to me is..."; (A) Act professionally and assertively; (H) HR may be your next move. Again taken from the anti-bullying centre in Trinity College Dublin

All of the above sound very reasonably, but when you're being bullied it's not always that easy. Keep talking to friends, family, trusted colleagues and if necessary HR.

I have been bullied a number of times in my career. With experience, I now recognise it immediately and put steps in place to ensure it doesn't happen again. Awful though it is, whatever your age or situation, it helps hugely to speak as firmly and assertively as possible to the individual concerned when you are forced to interact with them. It is very helpful when you can see that it is nothing to do with you. It is their fear and insecurity. If counselling, assertiveness training or body work are helpful to you, do whatever it takes to get to a point, where the bully doesn't bother you any more.

Choice Theory = Personal Freedom

2009-10-17T03:07:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a book called Choice Theory - A New Psychology of Personal Freedom by Dr. William Glasser at the moment. Essentially he talks about having personal freedom in work and in relationships. Dr. Glasser states that most of the misery in the world at the moment is connected to us trying to control others to do what we want or others trying to control us to do what they want. If we can all agree to respect each other's point of view and talk to each other in what he call solving circles, he promises the world would be a much happier place.

Looking at his chapter on work, he pooh poohs the idea of annual performance reviews, which he maintains both manager and employee hate unless the manager is on a real power kick. Instead he advocates solving circles where manager and employee talk to each other about how improvements could be made in the business. Dr. Glasser affirms that everyone wants to do their best and feel they're contributing in work and that performance management crushes the good out of that. If solving circles can be introduced to a business, a feeling of individual responsibility accompanies that which leads to work freedom.

Running A Colour Me Beautiful Workshop

2009-10-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

I recently ran a workshop for the Colour Me Beautiful Image Consultants in Ireland helping them identify their key business challenges and how to address them. The day was extremely productive with a lot of good ideas and solutions generated, which will hopefully help the consultants move on to even greater things with their businesses. The thing that struck me most forcibly from the day was the importance of networking and bouncing ideas off your peers.

Knowing that others are facing the same challenges as you and looking at ways to resolve them together is very powerful and gave each consultant a feeling of being supported, which is particularly important in today's business climate.

Remember to keep talking to colleagues, friends and family about your business challenges. Don't isolate yourself. A problem shared is a problem halved they say and someone else's experience can provide a workable solution to your problem that you hadn't considered before.

Be All You Can Be - Eva Lee

Bought Out The Restaurant - Leisurely Sunday

2009-08-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

Ever had a whole restaurant to yourselves for Sunday lunch? We did yesterday. We had the most relaxing day, again in Lisbon. We decided that we'd make a trip to the botanic gardens and lie under the trees reading our books. We left the B+B around 12:30 after a very leisurely breakfast, a little nap, ages getting ready and then strolling out the door - heaven when you're used to doing everything to a tight schedule. We walked for about ten minutes and then the overpowering heat meant we needed to sit down for beer, water and coffee! Those who know us well will never believe who had what. After a lovely hour on the Lisbon version of the Champs Elysees - Avenida de Libertade, we ambled a little further, though we were under strict instructions from my sister that lunch had better be soon or crankiness would ensue. When Sinead and I began to see the approaching signs, we were in the middle of the commercial district with very few food choices unless we were prepared to pay 99 Euro a kilo for lobster and unfortunately that isn't in our price range just at the moment. Anyway we spotted a potential neighbourhood restaurant with a sign outside which said open and the prices looked reasonable, but we couldn't open the door. We kept rattling the handle, but nothing. We tried calling in the window as we could hear life inside - nothing. In desperation, because my sister was getting seriously ratty now, we even attempted climbing in the open French windows which were about 3 feet off the ground to the delight of the old lady cleaning her front step, just next door. Sinead is the most athletic of the three of us, but even she found the table and chair arrangement just by the French window impossible to hurdle. Some higher power obviously took pity on us then, as they decided the eejit foreigners had been tortured enough and the door was opened.

We arrived in to a very traditional Portuguese restaurant, a big long room with linen covered tables, a tv at one end of the room and an aquarium at the other. We ate a very pleasant meal and had a great girly chat, one of many on this holiday and had the whole restaurant to ourselves for about 3 hours. There wasn't a single other paying customer in there. The waiter told us, it's August and his regular Sunday clientele is at the beach for the day or on holiday themselves. Their main business he said is Monday to Friday. I was amazed they bothered opening for three foreigners only, but it was fantastic. Just in case you want a similar experience Forno Velho .

We did make it to the botanic gardens at around 5:30pm and it was dim and cool and quiet with lovely woody smells and we wandered around aimlessly for a while. Perfect!