I seem to have stumbled into a Brooklyn pizza joint! Pizza by the slice - what is this inventive thing?! Santarem is a lovely town - and rent is pretty cheap. Lots of renovation going on, new biz everywhere. One thing I hear more than Austria? Laughter - I love it. They’re a happy bunch it seems.

I seriously think I could live here. To judge a place based on four days might seem premature, but there’s a vibe that is very different to where I live. It’s warm, communicative, upbeat, and welcoming. Of course I’d miss my son, but think I need to get out of Austria, plus just too many memories.

A beautiful day exploring the Knights Templar castle in Tomar.

A beautiful day in Nazaré - great weather, stunning scenery, and some nice seafood, too. This is the home of the surfing championships with waves over 80 feet high. The Portuguese people - I can’t praise them enough. So kind and warm - I judge a country on how tactile people are. Portugal? Tick!

Santarem is beautiful - just an hour from Lisbon. Warm weather, warm people. Very tactile and expressive - totally different world to where I live. This is more my vibe - I could easily move here.

Oh my god…oh my god!!!

The bags are taking ages - so may as well start…

Touchdown Lisbon - it’s warm, and not just the weather, an immediate feeling of positivity with the people. Anyone been to the aquarium? The advertising has done its job - I reckon it’ll be stunning.

The warmth of the Portuguese is evident even on the plane, crew and passengers. Yep, it ain’t Lufthansa!

Just get lost, ok? Before these phones took over, we were part of a world where Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, or the free map from the hotel or hostel served as your guide. Even better was to just get up and wander, which sometimes meant getting lost, talking to people, and eventually getting back🙂

Never skip…. I meant to get more Cipralex, only 10mg, and tbh I didn’t think they were doing anything, so I left it for 5 days. Yesterday I crashed, just in floods, but just 10mg? Surely it can’t be. Apparently yes - small mg though it is, the body gets used to them. Silly me. Never again.

I’d never buy Red Bull Cola….but it’s €2.50, still steep but an absolute bargain at rip off Vienna Airport where a bottle of water or a soft drink will set you back a fiver. Must remember to bring a water bottle next time and fill it up….

Unterwegs nach Portugal. Knackered but excited. Thanks to all of you who helped to pull me through a very bleak winter, it helped more than you’ll ever know. 🙂

Business card done! (Video cassette on the other side with personal info written on the label, but I don't think I'll share my phone number on social media, so here's the front)

I hate commercialism (says the guy who makes retro videos with adverts!), but come on...this is cool as hell! The era, the glasses, the vibe: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzoC...

Yes. This. youtube.com/shorts/UTCM_...

I made a retro Commodore video last year, so I O U a Sinclair one... Let the battle of the #80s home computers commence....again! I hope I've done it justice...🌈⌨️ #Sinclair #RetroComputers #SinclairSpectrum #Retrotech

Love the Sinclair Spectrum? Then I O U a fun retro video Just Freeez what you're doing....game loading...

I can tell you one thing for sure - those Israeli soldiers who have been punished for smashing up the statue of Jesus? It's purely because of the Christian connection with the USA. You can find plenty of footage of IDF destroying Islamic artifacts and mosques with ZERO consequences.

I was getting excited to see the Michael Jackson film with my son in a couple of weeks, then I read the reviews....hmm...seems like one of those Hallmark movies at 2pm when you're sick in bed.

What's utterly pointless, childish, but very amusing? Oh, just the swearwords on BlueSky as they appear in real time: swearsky.bagpuss.org

This retro video I've made? It's plane to see - it was a higher love to fly back then... #airlines #travel #1980s #80s #90s

Gen X Americans, I'm taking you back to 1988. As for the music... I can't sleep at night, I toss and turn, listening for the telephone... Do you know it without looking it up?

There's a lot to see and do in Lisbon, but what I'm really looking forward to is finding a café in Bairro Alto (looks like my kind of vibe) sitting outside, watching the world go by, and having a pastel de nata...or three. I need this break....

Happiness is… A pack of Curly Wurlys brought over from the UK by a friend.

Is it wrong to say that I'm glad that it's a woman saying this? It's not a blame game at all, but this is absolutely spot-on, at least from what I'm experiencing. 5 months of being told that I did it ALL wrong. Did I make mistakes? 100%, but it's not all on me. www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Rr...

These are the breaks…of the tea, coffee, and biscuits kind. Welcome to your retro brew…

Welcome to convenience food from the 80s. Choose your main and dessert from this lot I put together:

This is who runs this account

Folks, this is brutal - I thought the final divorce hearing would be just a formality, but it broke me - 3 days later. Today, I had brunch with friends, I spotted a shop my ex and I went to all the time. Thankfully, I had sunglasses on. My eyes full of tears. And the beat goes on. Start again.

O #Canada, I made this one for you eh…

Americans, I’ve made you a video of retro TV forget-me-nots. Press play to NBC what I’m on about… #USA #1980s #NBC #ABC #CNN #CBS #FOX #MTV

It’s not that I’m in a midlife crisis and recently divorced, but if time travel were a thing, I think I’d be 22 again, sitting on an Amtrak from Jacksonville to New York, summer 97, listening to this - is there a more perfect song as a train builds up speed? Take me back youtu.be/iQVZR6UACT8?...

My YouTube channel is non-monetised for obvious reasons - but if you’d like to subscribe, here it is (you can enjoy the videos and also have a good laugh at the number of views!) youtube.com/@retrojames7...

This video I made is a real turn on.

If you were an 80s kid and can’t remember most of this, then you weren’t an 80s kid! Jump back in time with this little flashback I made.

Welcome! You’ve got (1990s technology) mail! Here’s a little flashback I made for you:

It was magic… Welcome to my video about a few classic 70s children’s TV shows.

You can play this retro video I made with the volume turned up, or if you prefer, you have the right to remain silent… Welcome to US police shows from the 70s and 80s. Who loves ya baby…😎

That was bloody brutal - both in tears. First told we could sit together, but judge said no. At opposite ends of the room, judge read out our place and date of marriage & date of son's birth. Just choking up. "Any objections?" Yes, I thought - but I had to say no. Really hope 2026 improves. So hard

Which year should I make a retro advert video about? 1975-1999 First answer wins - just say the year and then either UK or US. (Just because they have the most ads to choose from)

Tomorrow is the last divorce hearing in front of the judge - what a palaver. They already have copies of all the documents, but what do they need? The same copies again. I've had 2 weeks of making real progress and feeling pretty ok. Now that churning feeling and sadness is back. Done with this.

Japanese advertising in the #1980s. Here’s what I made…

Once upon a time, there were just three TV channels in the UK. Then in 1982, there was a new Channel 4 you to see. Here’s my little tribute to the early years. Where to press play? It’s no Treasure Hunt…

Tea and biscuits - half British (or Indian actually…) and half Austrian!

It's Portfolio Day, and mine is something I don't make any money from, it's just a hobby. What do I do? I take very old TV commercials and edit them to music. Here's one (of many) I made earlier. Is it perfect? Nope - I'm still learning, because.... I'm only human 🙂 Have a wonderful day! ☀️

I wanted to make a video about the wonderful world of Indian advertising from the 80s and early 90s. The hard bit was to find music that had enough of a beat - a lot of the classic Indian music was hard to edit to, but then...just as I gave up home, I found this beauty and got to work. Jai Hind!

To anyone who calls my videos cheesy or kitsch, well, I've got one thing to say to you. You're right! And there's plenty more where this came from...

Hello...I'm sorry to bother you....but I'm having a dinner party, and I've run out of coffee. Er, sorry, I've only got that freeze-dried Nescafé shit. Yeah, that'll do, it's the '80s.... Welcome to my dinner party video. Please...come in....

Thank you, everyone. I am very aware that there are people in this world who have been through (& continue to go through) much worse things than a divorce, but I just wanted to say thank you for your support. It was a cold winter walk along a long, dark tunnel, but now there's light. Much love. ❤️