Madeira News Blog

I am a bit the worse for wear this morning, having unexpectedly stayed out until 2am last night, but I have a good excuse so I am not in the least bit embarrassed. 

It was a sort of strange night, as I went into town just as it was getting dark. I was feeling a bit down, after a day when nothing seemed to go right, and in a week I when learned that there is going to be a huge new building constructed across from me, planing consent having just been granted. So what you say? This new building is bigger than the one where I live, and that’s pretty big. So what you say? My building needed many many months to prepare the land, just taking out rock to shape the site, this new bigger project is going to take out much more rock … so there will be months and months of tak tak tak tak as the machines take out thousands of tonnes. If you have ever lived in a narrow valley with pneumatic drills in use, you will know what I mean. Even the elections that were cheesing me off a little, have paled into insignificance compared to that prospect.

So I went into a regular haunt for a chat, then I went off to watch some of the late match in a restaurant, when a friend turned up. He told me that Vânia Fernandes was in town, and singing in another restaurant at 11pm. If you don’t know who Vânia is by now, you must have missed a lot of previous blogs. Madeira’s favourite daughter is the winner of last years pop idol competition in Portugal, as well as the entrant for last years Eurovision song contest. I had seen her perform live once before, and I was well up for a repeat performance.

Vânia Fernandes in Ribeira Brava May 2009

I didn’t know any of the music (mostly Jazz-Soul), but she was fantastic, in presence and in voice. She got the audience involved for one song, and she is such a natural on stage that it was mesmerising to watch. She did half a dozen songs I guess, and her boyfriend also did a couple of numbers, so it was all over pretty quickly. Once the show was over Vânia wondered around talking to friends, which she clearly had plenty of there, and then went indoors with her band members. What came next I didn’t expect, as I mentioned to my pal that I would love to meet her, and 5 minutes later there she was, right in front of me, giving me a big hug and beijinhos. She was lovely, and she stayed a few minutes to chat and have her photo taken with me, and I was so overcome I totally forgot how to speak Portuguese, I was almost speechless in fact, and just babbled a load of nonsense.

So anyway, that made my day, and my week. I am promised a copy of the photo of me and Vânia in an embrace, so I might share that when it comes. Vânia said she would check out this blog today, and I know I have said all nice things about her, but they are all true and she deserves them! Thank you Vânia!

As far as meeting Madeira’s most famous people goes, that’s two down, two to go. CR7 and Uncle Bertie might prove to be a bit trickier me thinks.

PS – sorry about the poor photo … I only had my camera phone to hand, and it was very dark