True love

We are in a tiny village on the outskirts of Santiago do Cacem. This is my mother's home town. Very quaint and sweet. She has been looking to buy a 'monte' (small holding/farm) here for about ten years. About a year ago her and my step dad found a lovely house with some land not too far from town and bought it for a rock-bottom price because of the 'credit crunch' and as it had been on the market for about 5 years. They put forward an offer I suggested as a joke (it was SO low) and the seller was obviously desperate and accepted it.

A lot of work has to be done on it. I hated it at first but it's now growing on me as I can see familiar things around me that belonged to my mom.

The problem is that she gets fed up with coming here now. Alain bought it as kind of a 'symbol' of his love for her and her background. He would have never bought this huge project in the sticks had it not been her dream to have a house here and now she never wants to come! I feel so sorry for the guy - he has the patience of a saint!

So now they are downstairs watching the evening soaps - which I find deathly boring. Alain - who hardly speaks a word of Portuguese - sits through countless hours of dramatically ridiculous TV just to spend time with my mom. I remind you - he understands NOT A WORD!

Now if that's not true love then I don't know what the hell is...