Health, Wealth, Halloween & E-Fatura Check

It's been a slightly unusual month for me with little to write about, and unfortunately not because I've discovered another animal hiding somewhere it shouldn't be...

After being hit by a drunk driver, I've spent a considerable amount of time in hospital but thankfully, I'm recovering well and slowly getting back to normal. Although, it has meant being patient and taking things a little slower than I'm used to!

My biggest takeaway from this is that I am now completely sick of soup!

On an equally scary but much more fun note, Halloween is sweeping across the Algarve with an array of different events.

If you're looking for the full Halloween experience, the Jupiter Albufeira Hotel is going all in with its Stranger Things-inspired celebrations.

Running from October 17th to November 1st, the hotel will be transformed into a Hawkins-inspired Halloween world, with a Haunted House, themed activities, costume competitions, an 80s party and even a Stranger Things Flashmob. There are events planned throughout the 16 days, so there are plenty of opportunities to get into the Halloween spirit without having to wait until October 31st.

The whole thing has a strong 1980s and Stranger Things theme, which sounds like a lot of fun, although I've never been particularly good at planning Halloween costumes (although my Mum had me in some cracking ones when I was younger!), so I'll probably give dressing up a miss!

If crowds aren't quite your thing, there are some slightly more unusual ways to celebrate Halloween this year.

One that caught my attention is the AlgarExperience Scary Boat Ride, on the 31st. You can head out from Albufeira Marina on the Belize II catamaran and cruise along the Algarve coastline towards the Benagil Caves.

The three-hour trip runs from 2:30pm to 5:30pm and includes the usual Benagil and coastline sightseeing, but with a Halloween twist. There's a costume competition on board, complete with prizes, so if you've ever wanted to explore the Algarve dressed as a vampire, witch or something more creative, this might be your opportunity!

There's even a swimming stop if the sea conditions allow, although I'm not sure how keen I'll be on voluntarily getting into the Atlantic in October...

I know it's not quite as exciting as a spooky boat ride, but as we enter the final quarter of the year, it's a great opportunity to spend some time checking and categorising the invoices linked to your NIF on the e-Fatura website. It's one of those jobs that takes very little time when you stay on top of it but can become considerably more painful when everything is left to build up.

I'm hoping next month's update will be a little more exciting for the right reasons. I'm looking forward to getting out of hospital and reuniting with Sukuna – who hopefully remains loyal even after all the treats my friends and family have been giving him in my absence!

Here's to health, wealth and returning to my usual routine of finding animals, getting involved in Portuguese bureaucracy and eating far too much food.