Seagull Attacks, PGA Tour Champions & Mid-Year Document Check

I have recently found myself at the bottom of the food chain and prey to a rather territorial seagull who I've named 'Predator'. He decided to set up camp with his family directly above my apartment door – perched menacingly and ready to attack…

There's something about his eyes when he attacks that reminds me of the little penguin from Wallace and Gromit…

After a week of the swooping getting closer and closer to Sukuna and me, I looked into how to get the nest legally removed, which led me down a very specific Portuguese bureaucratic rabbit hole – you need to apply for a permit from the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (ICNF).

As with many things in Portugal, the approval process can take longer than the problem takes to resolve itself. In my case, the baby seagulls grew up and left the nest before the paperwork was even checked, however, if you ever find yourself in a similar position, you'll want to complete the forms on the ICNF website and submit to nativas@icnf.pt.

On a much more exciting (and peaceful) note, if you are a golf fan, we have some historic news coming to the Algarve at the end of the month.

For the very first time, the PGA TOUR Champions are arriving on Portuguese soil with the Portugal Invitational. Even better, it's being held right on our doorstep at The Els Club Vilamoura from July 31st to August 2nd!

Sukuna and I will likely still be hiding from the seagull, but I'd love to know if any of you are planning to head down for the tournament!

As we hit the midpoint of the calendar year, it's also a highly practical time to do a quick audit of the expiration dates on your local documentation.

Right now, processing times at the IMT (the Portuguese driving authority) are significantly increasing, meaning tasks like exchanging foreign driving licenses or updating your registration addresses can take months.

If you notice anything nearing its expiration date and need a pointer on how to access the renewal process, please reach out.