SMEG Fridges...

I went for a swim today, and as always, afterwards, myself and my friends had a quick beer: myself, Selena, Max and Nigel.

When we entered the water, I have to be honest, it was a bit nippy, but blimey, once we were in and giving it a go, it was bloody lovely! I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed it, how much we ALWAYS enjoy it. It makes your body tingle. It makes you smile. It makes you forget about everything except for where you are, what you’re doing, how you feel, who you’re with… bliss.

But at the same time, I have to mention that Nigel nearly died. He tried to swim against the current. He wanted to touch the buoy for some reason, the buoy that in summer dictates the swimming area.

Ha! No chance! We were giggling, then slightly worried, then truly concerned as the current pulled him past the buoy. Somehow however, amazingly, Nigel managed to swim hard against the current, reach his target and then… well the current then started pulling him westwards once more. But even more surprisingly, he fought hard and eventually made it back to shore.

Phew! His demise would have rather buggered the euphoria that goes with a dip in the sea at this time of year.

Then, as is our wont, once we were all back on shore, we headed towards Shack 1 (Dezoito) for a beer. But as we passed Shack 2 (Cubanito) we realised that here there were tables there in the sun – at Shack 1 there were none. At this time of year, the warmth of the sun is a real bonus after a swim, so, we stopped off at Shack 2.

We found a table, we felt the warmth, we ordered beers, we sat and enjoyed.

Then others turned up, to enjoy also – Chantal and Chad.

We talked about what we’d been up to: about Portuguese lessons, about dogs, about health, about pies. Then someone mentioned something strange, and that someone was Chantal. She suggested – in fact, she challenged me – that I mention something three times in my next diatribe. Yes, she wanted me to write about a SMEG fridge. I have no idea why, because I don’t have a SMEG fridge. I have a fridge built into my kitchen (I have no idea what the brand is) and in my lounge, I have a KUNFT fridge. Yes, not everyone has one of those, but I do. I suppose she was simply challenging me to talk about something anathema to what I normally write about.

Anyway, sorry, I do not have a SMEG fridge. However, a challenge is a challenge, so I apologise if the last paragraph seems a bit random. There again, I have now fulfilled Chantal’s wish. She challenged me and I’ve accepted and fulfilled the challenge.

Anyway, since I’m now talking about fridges…

It was weird, my obtaining of the Kunft fridge.

I’d had a new kitchen installed when I moved into my house. I’d purchased appliances as part of that. This included an oven, a fridge, a freezer, a microwave, a dishwasher… but after moving in, I soon realised that just maybe the fridge wasn’t big enough. If you like a beer, you need fridge space. Yes, every beer-drinking man should have a beer fridge.

So, having appraised the situation, I decided that I needed a second fridge. I looked around my house to decide where best to place this fridge, and even though I knew it would look weird, I decided that my lounge would be best – yes, a beer fridge in my lounge. Blimey, I’d be a legend with my mates!

We could sit and watch rugby, occasionally standing up to take two paces to the fridge from whence we would gratefully retrieve yet another beer. It’s the sort of thing you dream about having when married, but are never allowed. Here in Portugal, on my own, I’m allowed.

So, I checked on Facebook and found it – a KUNFT fridge freezer for €50. Perfect! Not that I’d ever heard of KUNFT before. When I saw it advertised, I presumed it was German, and decided that a bit of German technology wouldn’t go amiss. However, I’ve subsequently discovered that KUNFT ‘is a budget-friendly brand of home appliances and electronics, widely available through Worten, Portugal’. Mmmm… I just hoped it would do what I wanted it to do and would be reliable.

Fortunately, it has been, and so my KUNFT fridge was one of my earliest, and most precious, purchases.

However, since my operation, it seems to be full of beer that doesn’t disappear from the shelves that quickly, certainly not when I’m at home on my own. I tend not to drink at home, unless of course I have friends around. In fact, nowadays, fruit seems to be the dominant occupant of my KUNFT fridge. Yes, times have changed.

Having said that, being able to reach a piece of fruit or two from my sofa isn’t such a bad thing, is it?

And on that note, I think that that’s enough of this week’s bollocks…