What a load of Sh*t

Cool title.

Well all is going along well in the orchard. OK only a couple of fruit trees but they are my fruit trees and my orchard. Both Cherry trees are now starting to have buds on and in a day or two they will start to open. I thinks it will be a little longer before the new plum trees start to have buds on but i can wait. The existing plum trees that  i have are already in full bloom and one of the photos is of a plum trees in bloom. The Blueberry has also got shoots growing so for someone who has never grown a thing all seems to be coming along nicely. Or so i think for now.

I have one load of horse manure and with that i will add a few bags of compost and mix it up well. First it will be put around the base of all the trees. Second it will be mixed in with where all my seeds that are going once they are big enough to be planted out.  The part i don't fancy doing is every four days turning the Horse manure over and mixing in the compost and also my kitchen waste.It will be about two weeks before the mixed compost will be ready to use and by then i hope that the seeds will be ready.

Sweet Corn
Green Beans
Yellow peppers
Cayenne chillies
Mint
Tomatoes
Leaf beet
Organic Radish

Along with
Plum trees
Black Cherry trees
Orange trees
Lemon trees
Lime trees
Blueberry bush
Blackberry bush
Rosemerry bush

Feeling helpless

One downside of not living in my home town is that when friends needs help you are not their for them at the time of there need.

Have you ever noticed that you only get for example a toothache at the weekend when there is nowhere to go for relief and you have to suffer all weekend. Well this morning a friend called me at 7am while i was busy asleep. But real friends know that you can rely on each other at any time. Well this morning a call for help came the part that real hurt for me was that this is a friend who when i needed support and comfort he was always there for me. I suppose that i helped in some way by just listening but it wasn't the same as being there.   

I hope that with the call this morning i was able to be of help, it's the not being there that has given me something to think about.

Seems i have a new fan.

Well the title says it i have a new fan.

I have just been talking to my son Anthony on Skype. He asked for my Blog address and  was a bit surprised that he had to ask but kids. Well after i gave him the address he told me that his better half Charlotte likes my Blog. If they weren't both so shy i would be able to put a picture up of them both.

The sad part of being from the age i grew up was that it wasn't a manly thing to tell your children how much you love them. You expect that they already know but we never get around to tell them. One thing i have noticed with my Brother and Sisters is that they all say at the end of a phone call or when they meet Mum that they love her as i do also.

But i have never told my own children. Anthony i speak with often a few times a day is if i am only around the corner. As i type this i know that he is reading my Blog.

Corrina is the middle of my three children with Margaret and like all father's i have my ups and downs with each of them. Well i am so happy to say that Corrina and i are now friends again. Something that came between use is better forgotten when she needed help i was there like i should be.

Lee is the eldest and things are different with him. His job takes him away so much and for long periods of time and as he only has a mobile it's not cheap to call him.  I know his wife reads this because things get back to my EX from this Blog. Lee has a laptop and my hope is that one day he will get onto Skype. Since i started to use Skype when less than 1,000,000 people used it now over 37,000,000 use Skype so Lee if you get to read this call me it's free.

Well Lee, Corrina and Anthony i love you all so much.

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/on-your-computer/windows/premium/

Orchard planting on my Estate.

Well for what it's worth the good weather is here and i must say it's really nice but we need the rain. The rain never came in the winter like it has other years. This year the ground is dry and very hard to dig unless you have something like a 5ft wrecking bar. A wrecking bar is Hexagonal in shape and one end is like a a chisel. These things are very heavy and just what's needed to break up the ground where i want to plant some trees.

I was given some Plum trees and i went to Lidl who had Blueberry and Blackberry trees/ bushes for sale at only 2.5€ each. I am told that because of the sun you need to water often so the roots get of to a good start. The problem i see is how do you know when you have watered enough or when you have over watered.

I was given 5 young plum trees by a neighbor of which i kept 2 and after some hard work i managed to get them planted. I have some compost and i put some of the compost at the bottom of the hole and then put the tree in. Then i put some more of the compost on top of the roots and then filled the  hole with soil. It's ok when you know what you are doing but i don't so it's learn as i go along.

The Blueberry and Blackberry tree/ Bush i got from Lidl i put these in buckets. I don't want the Blackberry  overgrowing like you see at the side of the roads all over the UK. I would like to keep control of the Blackberry so it's in a bucket as is the Blueberry. This time i mixed soil ad about a 50/50 mix with compost so i hope these take of and do well.

The lime tree seems to be doing well so i have now re potted  the Orange tree because when i dug it up i had obviously been over watering it so it's now in a mix of 50/50 soil and compost.

On the Olive tree's and what i think are Plum trees i have been cutting of all what looks like dead branches.

My Mum has been a keen gardener for as long as i can remember and has even won awards in competitions run by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. If Mum was here in Portugal instead of in Liverpool she would soon have things all done right but i have to learn.

A very welcome Email

This morning after getting up i opened the shutters and looked out to see a vivid blue sky a really beautiful day. This kind of day you want to just go outside instead of staying indoors all day and find something to do. After breakfast and a cup of tea i checked my email as i do most days. Today was special  i received an email from my son Lee. I had spoken to Lee a few days earlier but my phone ran out of credit. Before we where cut of i got Lees email address.

I can't get a signal in my house so i have to walk down the lane till i can get a signal. It seems that  Lee has tried to call me a few times but in Portugal  the sims don't work in my new phone so i now have a new phone and number.  Well now i can be in touch no where ever Lee will be working.  All i need to do now is to get him onto skype and i am working on him. Who knows if i can get him on Skype i may be able to see my Grandson Sean.

A few days ago at the end of the lane a car stopped and the owner got out with what looked like some twigs. He walked of out of sight and then came to see me. I didn't understand him but he mentioned Fernando who lives next door to me. I got some paper and a pen so he could leave a not for when Fernando returns. When Fernando returned i gave him the note and he just laughed. With this he got me to go with him and we walked of down the lane to a water Font down another lane. In the font there where what looked like twigs but it seems that these where trees because they had roots on them. As we walked back Fernando handed the trees to me and gestured to me that they where for in fact for me. Well i was shocked i can only think that when Fernando saw me plating my Cherry and other fruit trees he must have mentioned to his friend about me planting trees so he sent some for me.

I took the message that had been written down to a Portuguese friend to translate for me. The note said Fernando please give these Plum trees to your friend. Plums trees where what i got and i am happy with them. So one day Plum jam, chutney ect. So happy days unless you see the generosity of the Portuguese people you can't understand how people who have so little can be so kind.

Turkey wings what a find

Well as an ex butcher my skills where used again today. Back in the 60's it was common for most of our customers to be short of money. The cheaper cuts of meat where always in great demand Belly pork, Lamb breasts and shoulder of lamb, Brisket and the skirt from the breast, Shin beef, Ox tail to name but a few cuts. This is going back to the days before the supermarkets had such vast selection of meat products and in fancy packaging but you never see the more economical cuts.

I could never understand that today chicken wings are so popular when you consider that they are no bigger than your little finger. Today i saw a massive selection of Turkey wings huge meaty things. I asked for two turkey wings and when they where weighted they where 1.5 kg that's over 3lb in weight. The bones will be used to make stock so nothing is going to waste.

I decided that i would make a chicken casserole simple good food and very good as all the ingredients where fresh. I cut the wings into four and when i took the meat from the wings i was surprised by the amount of meat on each  part of the wing nothing in relation to what is on a chicken wing.

I got four good size portions of meat from the wings after i had taken the meat of the bones, the portions where big enough for someone like me who lives on there own. Anybody can buy the best and most expensive cuts of meat but not everybody can use the more economical cuts. Stock and meat for four meals for a little under 3€ now that's not bad.

I am glad that i was a butcher in the 60's and had such staff i worked with who took the time to teach me a trade that is coming in so handy today more than 45 years later.   

A happy smiling face

While i was in Liverpool last i didn't get to see Chelsee as i would have liked. We normally see each other on Skype and often for hours at a time, i joke with her that i am child minding while she is with me. It's been about a month that i haven't seen or heard from Chelsee. It turns out to have been a problem with there internet well at least it's now back on now again.

I had a request from someone using Chelsee's name and i ignored it as it looked like someone wanting to be my friend. You know the kind like the emails that go around now and again. In fact it was Chelsee and her Mum trying to get in touch with me. Much has happened that is family stuff so nothing to be said.

I often take pictures of Chelsee using Print screen from my Laptop and the picture below shows tonights photo. Well tonight Chelsee did the same to me and sent me a picture all the way from Liverpool of me. I take a picture, edit it while we are talking and it's great to see the look on her face when she gets the picture on her machine.

Chelsee is reading this as i have just put on another picture. The one with her smiling is the one i have just taken.

Hows that Chelsee done before you have finished reading.

Chckens are coming

It's Chicken time. At last i can make a start on my Chicken house and get some Chickens. No i won't be naming them and maybe one day they will provide a meal or two.

I started be first cleaning out the Chicken house before i got started. First there was a perch to find and put into the back of where the chicken will be housed. Next i had to make a nesting box, so they can have a bit of comfort while laying eggs for my breakfast. I remember when i stayed with Dianne and Terry that in the morning Dianne would go outside to her chicken house to get eggs for breakfast.

After making the nesting box i then put it into position and all looked good. Next i needed some wood shaving for the floor and some food and a feeder. I went to the Co-operative in Gois for the food and the feeder. Coming out i met Robin a English joiner who took me to a joinery shop where i could get as many shaving  as i wanted. With the amount of work this place does they always have plenty of shaving so now i know where to go. Next i need something to use in the nesting box. Robin said that i should use grass as it's better than using shavings.

A start has been made on the Orchard.

Well the good weather is showing no signs of going so it's time to get some work done outside. Along a wall by the house was where a couple of Grape vine and a Peach tree, well they have gone and the ground prepared for planting of a couple of fruit trees. Not sure just what for now but we will see.

Over on the estate lots has been done first we had a fire, pity it was not in November but what the hell February will do. A start has been made to burn some of the rubbish, fallen and cut down trees and preparing for planting my fruit trees. I made a start on Tuesday by going to the biggest for planets that there could be. The Nursery must be about a mile long and over half a mile wide it's huge. You could even buy mature Orange trees complete with fruit for 50€. Me i just wanted two Cherry trees, the ones i got where a black cherry and if they are as good as the picture on the label  makes them luck i won't be sharing these. They are just for me.

I started a fire as i said earlier but before i prepared by having a hose connected up to the font in the village. I turned to look back at the house and the fire had spread. In the time it took to run and turn the tap on the fire was starting to spread and with water and a hose the whole of the hill could have gone up. At the top of the hill is a forest  and as there has been no rain now for over five weeks and with warm days the ground is very dry.

If you take the time to look at the photos you will see i have put pipes into soil around the trees so i can get water down to the roots. Where the trees are this is in full view of the sun all day so plenty of water is needed.

Black Cherry tree

Black Cherry tree

Orange tree

Lemon tree

How my veranda will look once it's done

I called today to see a friend just past Celavista Derek was building a veranda and he was putting a roof to have a little shade from the sun. The roof is made from slate in a spot close to his house. I am going to build a veranda outside of my kitchen and as usual i would have just used normal timber from a builders merchant. That was until i saw what Derek is building as you can see from the photo his timber is round and not square. As Derek is surrounded on all sides by trees his veranda will fit into the landscape perfect. Now i know just how i am going to build mine and i am sorry but i will be using ideas i got from seeing what Derek is building. A 5 metre lenght is about 22€.

Telling a friend about how i am going to make my veranda he offered to let me fell some of the trees he has on his land to make my veranda. If i make a veranda as good as Derek has made i will be very happy and very lucky to have friends who are so generous. Thanks

A new Roof or what looks like a new Roof

Before i went home to see my Mum i had spoken to a local builder through a friend who can speak Portuguese about a couple of cracked roof tiles and a small water leak. I mentioned that he could quote me for a new roof in the summer when the weather was much better. 

The builder had a look and said that the roof was in very good condition. He went on to say that the roof only needed washing with a power jet washer. Across the front gable there are some tiles that are just decorative and some of these where broken but in my cellar i had enough tile to cover the roof. The builder replaced tiles and also the decorative ones as well. The roof looks like new and should outlast me. This is one big expense that i won't have to pay for.  

Today i became a tree butcher.

Today i became a tree butcher! I had one Peach tree now gone. I had two grape vines now gone. Four half rotten Olive trees now gone. Now i can start to get ready to get my fruit trees after i have prepared the ground ready to plant them on. The price i have seen for fruit trees  is about 3 euro per tree. Replacing the Peach and the Grape vines will be an Orange tree, Lemon tree and a lime tree. They will go against a wall close to the house. Below is a picture of the wall where the first three new trees will go.

Here are two of the trees that i have cut down today. I will cut up what there is left and save it for when i get a log burner  but that may be some time away.

It's been a month and it's now time to go home

Well it's now a month that i have been away from home. I came home to see my Mum who was to have her fourth Hip operation. I am glad to say that she appears to be well on the way to a full recovery. I can breath a sigh of relief now that it's all over. Nobody wants to see there Mum in pain and suffering but i can now go home happy.

I can't remember a time that i went a whole month without driving and it's been hard. I have used public transport with my Bus pass so it's not been to bad. The trains are not a nice as i am used to at home but beggars can't be choosers.

I went to a local wholesalers i have used for many years for a few bits i needed and bumped into one of the staff called Darren who i have known for a long time. It's nice to meet people you have known for so long and to have a quick catchup.

I visited Anthony my son and it's so good to see he is doing well for himself without me being there to h

elp him. I sent a text to Lee and a voice mail but i didn't get a reply, i hope it's not that he has taken sides with his Mum. I do miss him but it's his choice whether to call or not.

This has been my first visit that i didn't get to see Dave my best mate and his wife Margaret,  they are both is Cadiz in Southern Spain at the moment and i am sure that they are having a good time.

It as nice that i was able to see my four sisters and my brother Tim  so the visit wasn't wasted.

Blue skies at home cold grey skies in Liverpool

I had a call from my friend from Gois Property. Richard live not far from me and today he was out in the garden and he called me on Skype from his Iphone. I could see straight away from his camera that the sky was blue. Here in the UK i have not seen any blue in the sky since i can to stay with my Mum three weeks ago.  Back home the blue sky on it's own is a tonic it just makes you feel so much better that here in a miserable UK. Here in Liverpool we may not have had any sun and the outside temperature has been 0c , most days and with the wind chill factor  it has been feeling much colder. Back home Richard tells me that there has been no rain in the weeks i have been away. No rain and blue skies what more can you want?

From the reports i have read the dry winter will cause problems for the coming months. The rain we had has now made the land i have soft enough to use to plant some fruit trees and get rid of a few olive trees. I also need a water tank to site at the top of my land so i can  use any rain water and household waste water to water my trees in the coming months. 

All i need is a couple of what are called IBC containers just like the photo below one to store the house water and then pump it up to the one at the top of my land to feed my trees. The water will trickle down via pipes to each tree. Well that's the plan.

My Mum nearly ready to come home.

Today i should have been flying home after my visit to see my Mum. Mum had to go back into hospital for her fourth hip operation. The first two had to be removed due to an infection, the third was for a spacer to be fitted to allow her wound area to recover and now she has had her new permanent hip fitted. A side effect has been that due to the amount of drugs she has had and the stopping of her normal pain medicine caused Mum to suffer a living nightmare. I have often had a dream and woke up wanting to be able to remember what it was i had dreamt about, well Mum had what we can only call a nightmare but it was happening while she was awake. Mum was awake while she could see things growing on my face and around my neck. She remembers vividly being taken to Manchester on a transporter. All this was part of her nightmare that was while she was wide awake. I can't begin to understand what Mum has been through but i am glad to see that she is no over this part of her recovery.

After what happened during the week it's good to see the progress that has been made in the last few days. We have now been told that all that's needed now is for the doctor to release Mum so she can come home to complete her recovery. Hopefully releast day should be Monday i hope so i can have some time with Mum at home before i fly of into the sun to my in the sun.

The road to recovery

I went to see my Mum on Friday and at the time of my visit it was less than 24 hours since her operation. The  pain control was administered by Mum from a hand control that allowed Mum to get pain relief when she needed it most. I don't think really that Mum was aware that i was there due to the pain relief making her so sleepy.

I didn't go in to see Mum last night as a sister and her husband went in to see Mum and my sisters husband wanted to ask Mum about Mums Will. He had been told that it was not the time or place and because of that Jackie and I kept way. It was obvious that there would have been trouble so it was best to leave well alone. My brother in law has found out that he is no longer the executer of my Mums will. For some strange reason he wants to hear from Mum why he is no longer the executer of her will. Also he believes that Mum was pressured into removing him from the post of executer. 

To consider bringing up such a matter at a time like this when you consider that my Mum is 86 years of age shows just the kind of person that my sister and her husband are. They claim to be practising Christians but this is not the act of a Christian. I am glad that i have no contact with them now and i have no reason to be in contact with them.

A while ago there was a meeting between all of my sisters of whom i have not named them all over my Mums care post op. Two of my sisters just wanted to get care workers in and have nothing to do with there mothers care. These two have been nicknamed Bitter and Twisted so if i ever mention them by these nicknames you know what i am referring to.

Jackie who lives close by hasn't been asked to care for Mum she just looks after her Mum because she wants to out of love for the person who brought her into the world.

Tim is coming later and he is taking me to the hospital so see Mum. We expect that today nearly 48 hours post op that Mum should now be feeling a lot better and on the way to her full recovery. Ray and my nephew David should also be there so it should be a nice visiting time for Mum. 

My Mum

Everybody believes that there Mum is the best in the world and that's normal to think. But my Mum needed a hip operation some time ago late last year. It all started a couple of weeks after the first operation when it all went wrong . Mum got an infection in the new hip joint and the new hip  had to be taken out. So after being rushed back into hospital she had a new replacement hip fitted ok lets hope that this is it and she is now on the road to recovery . Again a little while later infection hit again. The surgeon decided to fit what's called a Spacer, this is like a new hip but it's only a temporarily answer. What the surgeon wants is for her  hip to recover and be infection free  and then new will fit a new hip joint.

It's now about eight weeks since the Spacer was fitted, during that time Mum was almost bed bound but she kept very cheerful. During the last few weeks Mum was rushed to hospital and it was found that the Spacer had broken. Being so far from home and although being told what was happening i expected that the hospital would move forward the date for the hip to be replaced. How wrong i was Mum was sent home and given a date when she would have her new hip. Each weeks she was monitored and a date was set for the operation.

During this time Mum kept cheerful at all times, but i am sure that after all that has happened she must be facing her new hip operation with a little concern. Today Mum went to hospital again for her operation that hopefully will be the last and she can then look forward to a brighter future. Hopefully she can then get back out in her garden that she loves so much.

This will be four hip operations that she has had to have and is more that any person should have to endure. I can only admire her courage despite the pain that she has been in constantly since the fitting of the Spacer.

Today my Mum went back to hospital to have her fourth operation to have her hip replaced and she should then be on the road to a full recovery.

Mum has been lucky in that she has had her daughters Jackie her almost full time carer along with Sue who travels up from Portsmouth as well as having her own children and grandchildren to see and help with. Diane who is also a trained nurse comes over from  Yorkshire and son Tim. Tim has since this started only had four Sundays where he has had been at his own home, finishing work on a Friday and coming over to be with Mum and returning home on a Sunday night. It would be wrong of me not to mention Jackie's children David and Laura who spend so much of there time doing so much for there Nan and there Dad Ray. Ray like the others does so much, recently making a door wider for a wheel chair to go through into the bathroom. Ray did a great job for my Mum. Then there only leaves me, i may not have the skills to be of any real help but i was here to see Mum off for her first operation and i have seen Mum off this morning for her hopefully her last operation.

Mum has shown so much courage during all that's happened and i can't imagine just what she has had to endure. To say i am so proud of her doesn't say enough she is a Mum in a million.

Love you Mum

Changes to the Blog

As you may see i have made a few changes to the Blog layout. On the left there is the links to news that i find very useful. On the right everything else, i will be adding more things of interest as the year passes us by.

One big change today is that the Blog is now set up to be viewed on the many phones that can view the internet. So you can catch up while you are out and about and not just sat at a desktop or laptop.

So i hope the small changes i have made are enjoyed by all who find my Blog interesting enough to spend the time to read it.

My time here in Liverpool part 1

Well i am at home with my Mum here in Liverpool. What a change i can see in my Mum she has an Ipad, she may have an Ipad but she seems that she is using it often. As i type this she is playing music from her Ipad. Mum often plays Solitaire on her Ipad also she uses Facetime whatever that is and Skype.  Mum uses Skype to speak to me when i am at home.

I have been lucky to be able to see my favourite Grandaughter Chelsee a number of times. A few weeks ago Chelsee helped me to set up Twitter while she was here in Liverpool and i was at home by using Skype. It's strange that at 8 and a half year old Chelsee is so good at using a computer. My Grandaughter started  to write a story about a Dolphin called Mickey one day as we where on Skype we spoke about what to write in her story. It starts of where Mickey was trapped in an ocean where there was a storm and he was lost and all alone in a storm.Chelsee is with me today and she is helping me type this part of my Blog.

I  have had the time to visit my son Anthony who works in an Off Licence in Liverpool. It's been nice to see him instead of seeing him on Skype as i normally do. He has a dog called Denna who always jumps up wanting attention but i am not a dog person and one thing i hate is being licked by a dog. I tried to contact my son in Scotland but his phone went to voicemail so i left a message but i have not had a call. Sad.

Lots of work ahead when i get home.

Today at home the temperature was up to 18/20c and here in Liverpool it was cold dull and miserable. Oh how i wish to be back at home. It's time to get started with my plan to get some Chickens and get some trees planted up on my land. The trees will be just behind the Chicken house in two rows. Cherry both black and red, Cox Pippin apples, and another apple, Lemon, Orange, Plum, Lime and Peach. You can get trees that don't grow to high and it's this variety that i want to grow. All the trees will be planted in pots and sunk into the ground with the bottom cut out of the pots so the roots will be well below the hard ground.

I have a place close to where the Veranda will be and it's here that i will have Tomatoes and herbs etc. Trained up the Veranda will be Kiwi fruits and a lot of work to do. The ground up above the Chicken house was last year rock hard as it faces the sun all day. Now after the rain frim the last few months it's workable so before the sun comes it's time to get a lot done.

I now have the light fittings for the ceiling in the Kitchen so as soon as i get back it's time to get the ceiling finished. It's only the plasterboard that needs to be put up all the cable is in place for the lighting.

Another go about Additives in food.

A little while ago i spoke  about the additives in a tin of Meatballs. I was shocked about the amount of stuff in the Meatballs. Today on a flight with British Airways i had a Chicken Sandwich. It looked ok and tasted ok but really it was a bit bland.  I looked on the wrapper and i was shocked at the ingredients listed on the back. Just have a look at the list below.

Ingredients. 47% Chicken with herbs. (81% Chicken, water, potato starch, salt, acidifiers, E326/E262, dextrose, natural flavour, stabilizers, E451/E452/E407, parsley, carrot, potassium chloride, flavour, maize starch, antioxidant, E301, spicer, preservative, E250 ).
46% Bread, (Wheat flour, water, wheat bran, yeast, dry mil, components, bean flour, dextrose, wheat gluten, vegetable oil, (partly hardened). wheat grits, salt, sunflour seeds, barley malt flour, wheat flakes, rye flakes, oat flakes, line seed, sesame, emulsifier. E481, soy pieces, millet grains, rice flakes, millet, skimmed milk, milk protein, vegetable protein, lupine)
7% low fat margarine, (water, vegetable oils and fats, emulsifiers, E471/E476, natural flavouring, acidifier, E330, antioxident, E385 colour, E160a, vitamin A/D3/E),

Weight 70gr.


Could you believe all this is a sandwich. This is a reason why all i eat now is fresh foods and nothing in a box, tin or package. For a product that is meant to be eaten on the day it's made then do they really need all this crap in the food. I may contact British Airways as i am really not at all happy at what i found added into the food that i had to eat on my flight back from Lisbon. All i can say is Watch this space.

I make my own bread below is the list of ingredients i use, OK i don't have all the additives that allow you to use keep the bread for a week , i don't need to keep my bread as i use it in two days and then i make another. Dead easy.

400gm flour
6gm fresh yeast
1 table spoon sugar
1 Table spoon salt
280gm water

Did you know, well i know now

It's that time of year that i need an MOT for my car and it's time to get ready for getting my car made legal in Portugal. 

Yesterday i went to a local Portuguese garage where the owner speaks no English but he is very well respected by those of the English community who i know. You pay for what he does unlike another garage who does what he thinks and charges for it. A number of things need attention. I have fitted new headlights because now i am driving on the other side of the road to what we do in the UK so i needed new headlights. These need adjusting also the garage found that a steering joint needed to be replaced and a leak from the rear box on my exhaust. Not bad but as always a but. In Portugal you need matched pairs with your tyres on each axle both tyres must be the same make and size. As both tyres where new but different makes this is a blow but i will have two spares now and not one. Also the tow bar on the back has to come off for the Test. The reason is that you can't have anything past the front or rear bumper. So for the test the tow bracket has to come off, after the test the tow bracket can be put back onto the car.  

While i was at the garage someone who was speaking to the owner explained to me about the regulations about tyres and the tow bracket. It turns out he is an inspector from one of the local test stations. He is a friend of the owner and as the owner speaks no English and I speak no Portuguese he stepped in to explain things.  It's good to know from someone who knows what he is talking about  instead of someone answering questions on one of the many Forums

A word to the Wise

Towards the end of 2009 i saw a property for sale that i fell in love with i let my feeling get the better of me despite all i advice i had read about being careful. I contacted the owner and paid a 1,000€ deposit until i could get a flight over to complete the promissory contract. Two days before my flight i received an email telling me that teh property had been sold. Under Portuguese law i was entitled to double my deposit back. This i found out later but not at the time of the contract with the 1,000€ deposit. Well i agreed to meet with the owner to get my money back as i didn't trust giving him my bank details to pay the money direct to my bank.

We arranged to meet in a bar in a town called Serta In Central Portugal at 3pm in the afternoon. I received the money back and all seemed well or at least it did. During this trip i viewed a property and liked it, i liked it so much i got another flight to go and see it again and make a decision about what to do. I decided to buy the house after viewing a number of times and driving up to the village also a number of times to make sure that i was doing the right thing. With this i agreed to buy the house and pay a deposit. I transferred the deposit less 1,000€ that i had in cash, so i arranged andother flight to sign the promissory contract.

Three of the 50€ notes turned out to be forgeries, as the money was handed from me to the estate agent who counted it and then handed to the sellers agent who also counted it each time in front of me. The sellers agent was a retired bank manager and he then went straight to the bank where it was found that three 50€ notes where forgeries. The Police where called and i paid another 150€'s from my account. I then flew back the next day and left the Police to carry on with there investigation.

Well on the 3rd January of this year the local Police called at my house to ask me to go to there office on the 16th January at 11am in the morning but no mention of what it was for.!

Today i went to the Police station with the estate agent Richard, Richard also had copies of all my emails over the sale of the house that fell through and the deposit i then paid for my house that i did in fact buy. When we got to the Police station the local translator had been called. Even though the Police could speak English under there system they have to conduct things in there language and not in mine. So the translator was provided for me. The interview lasted over two hours and many times they would go over things to make sure that i understood what was going on. At the end i had to sigh and initial a couple of forms. One form it was pointed out to me was that if the case goes to court i take this form and i can ask for the 150€ back that i had lost.

Well the moral of the story above is Don't look at something that looks to good to be true and loose your heart to it. Take sometime to research all your options, if it looks to good to be true there probably is something wrong.

The start of 2012 and the year ahead.

 Today  i found out about Twitter from my Grandaughter Chelsee. Chelsee like many children today is very good using computers i think she gets that from me. Chelsee said that she would show me how to get Twitter onto my computer. What i didn't know was just how much Chelsee knew about computers and how to install programs. At one point i must admit i was having trouble so Chelsee  just said to sent a screen shot from my computer via Skype. I have sent Chelsee pictures over Skype a few times so she understands about screen shots etc.  After sending the screen shot she was able to tell me what to do and in no time i was a member of Twitter. Below is a picture that i took of Chelsee from my laptop. After sending the picture to Chelsee i asked that she gets her mum's permission for me to put it on my Blog. Instead of going downstairs to ask her mum she said  to me that she would Text or Twitter her mum. Oh no you go and sk your mum to look at the picture first so i can put it on my Blog. Well here she is my favourite Grandaughter it would be nice to have a picture of Sean my Favourite Grandson. 

You have read about my Grandaughter Chelsee many times here she is.


Well New Year has come and gone but this has been a quiet week. The week started with me trying to finish all the small jobs in the house.  The new lights for the kitchen are the type that go through plasterboard but as i have insulation on the plasterboard i have had to modify the insulation so the lights fit through and work as they should.

When the plasterboard goes up on the ceiling the size it is doesn't fit for the size that the roof beams are. The answer was to put in more timbers for the plasterboard to fit to. Soon i will beat last putting up the plasterboard and then the ceiling is well on the way to being finished. When i go to Liverpool to see my Mum i will be able to get the last of my roof light fittings.

I found that i had one piece of sandpaper left on my sander so i decided to use it to see how the floor in the lounge would come up after a sanding, it was worth doing so i will be getting more sandpaper as soon as i can.

My car came up for renewal on Thursday so Friday i called a number of companies for a quote. I accepted a quote and paid. I called and i was told that they would email the documents in ten minuets, well the documents never arrived. When i called them with the hour change between Portugal and Spain they had closed. I called back on Saturday morning only to find that they where closed until Monday morning. I was upset by not getting my documents as promised, i don't like being let down but what this meant was that the law in  Portugal states that you must have your documents in the car. Failure to provide documents when asked for by the police comes with an on the spot fine of 150€. So not wanting a fine if stopped i stayed in all weekend.


Hopefully Monday morning my issue with the insurance will be sorted out and i will be back on the road.

Happy New Year to you all

Well we are now into a New Year and I would like to  say i hope that all who read my Story have had a great New Years Eve and that your plans  and dreams for the coming year come true.

I had to go to Lisbon airport on New Years eve to collect some friends who had spent Christmas in the UK and where coming home for the New Year. Driving back I could see in the distance some clouds. Now we have been almost cloud free for quite a while and seeing these made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. What was to come from these clouds on the last day of the year? New Years eve night was a cloudy night but upon waking on New Years day morning I looked  out only to see no frost on the ground, for the last week in the early morning there has been frost on the ground until the sun came and warmed everything up. Today the second of January and the clouds have kept the frost away so all is well.


As I type this I have just had a visit from my Neighbour Donnaelisa who lives in the house down the lane from me. She came carrying two carrier bags, one full with small oranges and the other had a Goats cheese in a butter container. Well that's a good start to the year. Donnaelisa and her husband are both well into there 80's and they work hard everyday on there land and of an early evening they can be seen out with there goats.

I came across a website run by friends Derek and Hannah. They have a camp site for holidays, well camp site may not be the right word look at the picture below this is a Mongolian Yurt. If it's good enough for the likes of Genghis Khan the great Mongolian leader then it's good enough for me.

Derek and Hannah are so good they are rated as the No 2 most cool camp sites in Europe in the Sunday Times. 

2 LUGAR VARZEAS
Portugal

Camp with a clear conscience in the hills of central Portugal, surrounded by the scent of jasmine, eucalyptus and orange blossom. The turquoise eco-yurts have a brass-knobbed bed and retro furnishings, while the owners’ organic allotment provides vines, figs and basil. Their chickens will lay your morning eggs, and you’ll wake up to find your breakfast in a hamper at your yurt’s front door before you skip off for a solar-powered hot shower.

A reason i only eat fresh food now

I have mentioned  before how I have changed from eating all the rubbish I used to eat and how I now eat only fresh food. The result is that I feel so much better and I have lost so much weight. I now eat only fresh food Fish all Meats and fruit and veg. I use no additives only herbs, spices etc. As an example below is the ingredients from a can of Meat balls.

Meatballs in Rich Tomato Sauce.

Water, Meatballs [37.5%] (Chicken (8%) Bacon (8%) (Contains Preservative: Sodium Nitrite, Water, Pork (5%), Rusk, Potato Starch, Flavourings, Stabiliser, Tri-Di-Polyphosphates: Autolysed Yeast, Sugar) Tomato Purée, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Citric Acid, Onion Powder, Flavourings.

When I make Meatballs I use Good mince meat, Onion, Garlic, one egg, Bread crumbs, and that's it nothing that is not fresh. I normally have them with Rice as I like Rice and I make my own Tomato sauce to have with them.

I mention this because i have just been looking through a box that i have my Herbs and spices in and i found a tin of Meatballs.

So what I am saying is by changing the way I live has given me a better quality of life, I feel better, lost weight and I sleep so much better than I did when I was living in Liverpool. Would I go back well no as to go back I would be doing harm to my Body.  I would end up back over weight. So it's my place in the sun that's home to me now.

A look back over the last few months.

Well the last few months have been very interesting and where do i start well maybe from when i arrived.

Ok when i arrived i had already known Richard and Patricia from Gois Property since before they became estate agents. I was introduced to them by Dianne and Terry, Dianne and Terry are the couple i stayed with in September 2008. Sadly after being ripped of by someone when they payed for there property they have now returned to the UK.  It's nice to have friends as friends and not  because of the work they do.

Nigel and Ann i had known from meeting them at the river bar during one of my trips while  looking for my place in the sun. I got to know Nigel from the Forum we where both members of.

Alan and Barbara i met one day while i was out with Nigel one day  he called to see there house that was being renovated before they moved in. There house had been empty for about 30 years and needed lots of work done to make it there place in the sun.

Pete and June i met again while i was at Allan and Barbara's they had called to see how work was going on there house. Pete and June Have been here for a couple of years  and  beautiful house and a pool and beautiful garden and outdoor eating area.

At the top of my village is a house that is being renovated by a German lady called Magdalene. Magdalene is having a ruin renovated and extended. Being at the top of the village the views are spectacular and as Magdalene is a painter she will have a wonderful house when it's finished. The property is being project managed by family on her behalf and it's Derek you i have got to meet over a period of time during his visits to monitor the work as it progresses. I recently also met Derek's wife Hannah and there children.

The thing i have noticed from all the people i have met is how friendly they all are. All the people who i have met just want to enjoy life in this peaceful place. The year ahead will be i hope for me be peaceful and after the stress i was under in the UK peace is what i will look forward to.

   

Christmas gift and Dinner

Well Christmas has now come and gone for another year. On Christmas eve a lady in the village who i had not seen before knocked on my door. When i answered she said " Feliz Natal " which means Merry Christmas in Portuguese i replied with " Feliz Natal  e obrigado " Merry Christmas and Happy New year. This was the first time that a local had given me something but at Christmas this was most touching. As it happened i was unable to get some sprouts and i do like sprouts particularly  at Christmas. I have never been a lover of gravy but i decided  to make a red wine and orange sauce.

I had been invited for dinner on Christmas day but this being my first dinner here i declined as this was my first Christmas on my own and i wished have my first Christmas dinner in my home. I went later to a friends house where another two  couples who i have become friends with where also there. I was nice to be able to sit and have a drink without the pressure that we are all under one with a health issue and other getting there house ready to move into before Christmas and me getting on with my Kitchen. I was also able to speak to Chelsee this made my Christmas day special wthout speaking to her it would only have been another day. If Lee  and Margaret would get Skype on there computer then perhaps i would be able to see and speak to Sean my Grandson but lets hope for the coming year they get Skype and he can then also get to speak to Chelsee and Lees mum.

Ceiling insulating done cable in now the Plasterboard.

Yesterday the builder from up the lane doing work in the village came to fit two roof beams for me. These where holding up work in finishing the roof  insulation panels that needed to be fixed into place before the plaster board could be fixed to complete the job. The insulation you can see in the pictures is the same as 400mm of Rock Wool insulation.

The cable was fitted first so that the lights could be fitted after the ceiling was completed. All cable has to be put into tubing and then set into the wall. This i did and took a couple of photos for the electrician . This is normally work done by the electrician but it was something i could and did do. I am having 12 Led lights in the kitchen. 

My front door is being closed of as i have another door i use. I am leaving the door in place but behind it will be insulated and boarded over. This will keep the outside look of the house  but it will give me valuable space in what is a very small lounge.  As the door is set back from the wall to be insulated i had to put insulation over the door before the wall insulation. As the house has no cavity wall so the only way to insulate the outside walls is to fit a special insulating board on the inside walls but only those that face the outside. I plan in this corner to have a log burning fire but that is some time away at the moment i have my air conditioning for heat and it works very well in deed.

 

In the light of the morning sun.

 Today like many over the last few weeks have seen the morning temperature rather low. As i walked down to my car this morning i saw amongst the trees a spiders web glistening in the morning sun. he morning dew can be seen on the almost perfect web.

 I have mentioned before about living in a place where the air is very clean and how i now have no chest cough. Well i noticed this morning just by my house a tree covered in Licken. I could not have guessed that by moving away from Liverpool that i would no longer have my terrible could that i have had every winter for most of my life. I am really so lucky that i am now without the burden of coughing all the time.

Oranges, Outside lights and Christmas tree decorations.

It's been a busy few days and i now have my Christmas lights up outside of my house for Christmas. These are the lights that i got from a trip to Orlando a long time ago a. Due to the power difference it's taken me till now to make use of them.  The lights are 110volts as they use in the USA but to use my lights here i needed a 110 volts transformer lucky for me Richard loaned me a transformer. Shame that outside my front door there is a street light and as it's bright my lights don't look as good as i would have liked but they look good to me and that's all that counts.

Over the last few weeks i have started to collect oranges getting ready to make wine and marmalade. Well the last few days have seen me squeeze a load of oranges and fill a large Coke bottle with juice ready for when the bits i need from the home brew shop in Tuebrook arrive. I started on Saturday to make my first lot of marmalade so i squeezed the oranges and soaked them in the juice over night.The next day i went back online to the BBC recipe so i could follow the instructions more carefully. You have to boil the oranges and there juice for 1.5 hours so i did that and at the end of the time i took the pan of to allow it to could for a few minuets. At this point i strained out the peel as i don't like Marmalade with peel in it and then i carried on with the instructions. Now it was time to put the sugar in and with that done it was just a case of testing the Marmalade until it was ready to be put into jars.

Just a quick update to make you all jealous i have just had a couple of pieces of toast from homemade bread and topped it with homemade Marmalade. Mmmmm how glad am i that i decided to make Marmalade. Delicioussssssssssss

Ok i am sure that you have all seen my Christmas tree on one of the Forums i am on or on here on a previous topic anyway here is an update. While walking through Gois my mate Richard pointed out the tree in a shop window nothing unusual in that but if you look at the picture below you will see just why i had to stop and take a picture. Below i have put another picture of my tree with my famous fairy on the top.

Oranges Oranges amd more Oranges lets make some Wine

One things you see so much here is Oranges everywhere you go you see them growing in gardens at the side of the road and i have even seen them in a small valley not far from me.  The valley was used for growing trees for the local markets for people to replant.

I have now squeezed three huge carrier bags of oranges most from when i went over to Sao Martinho to Gary's house and some from trees local that i have found. I ended up with a 1.5 litre Coke bottle full of juice.  When i can i will get more so i have enough for my first batch of wine. The wine is not for drinking just yet as i would like to distill it into a spirit at some point but for now i will just leave it to mature. But that's another story.

What brings me to the subject of wine is that in the middle of the 1970 i made some wine from kits from a shop on Oakfield road Liverpool sadly it's now gone. I still have a bottle of one of the wines i made as a reminder of those days, it may now be undrinkable but it's from the days when i was married to Krystyna and is a reminder of those times.

I do like when i can use shops in Liverpool it's where i am from and always will it be my now second home. Well i put Wine making shops into Google and came up with a few to choose from  but one i liked the look of was called Wineworks in Tuebrook. I spent a while looking through the site and i was very impressed by the changes from the 1970's type of shop.

While on the site found a number of videos on the subject of making wine. The presenter was a guy called Richard who also is the owner. I sat and watch all the videos on making wine 5 in total. Richard explains very carefully from start to finish the process of making wine.

As they have a UK phone i called them from Skype to enquire about getting an order sent and a time span with sending to me. I am only mentioning them because of how helpful they where and i am sure that i will use them again for my brewing needs.

Why have i not tried here well i went to the local Cooperative. It's not like the Coop in the UK each small town or large village have one and it's owned by the town/ village for the benefit of those who live there. As the local do lots of brewing i expected to be able to get all bits from there but as the local do things on a large scale they don't even sell what i wanted. Even Patrick who brews lots of beers has to go to Porto to buy what he needs. Well it would cost me more that having it delivered from the UK.

Well as soon as i get my stuff delivered i will make a start with my first brew soif homebrew is of interest to you have a look at Wineworks.co.uk there information is most helpful and informative.

www.wineworks.co.uk/

Good bless Lolly

I  was on Skype today to my Mum as  try to call her most days, i spoke to my nephew David while my Mum was asleep. While David was sitting by my Mum Lolly my Mums budgie sat on his chest playing. While on Skype i did a screenshot from my laptop of David with Lolly on his chest.

Mum has had trouble with her hip operation in fact it went wrong and they had to do it again and now she has to go in again in the New Year for hopefully her final operation. Today mum had a hat on because Lolly keeps going on her head.  Well tonight while the front door opened somehow Lolly got out. All the budgies that my family had and i am sure all the budgies that Mum has had this one little Lolly was by far the best. Lolly has gone.

There is no way we could replace Lolly. Lolly was not just a Budgie but Lolly was my Mums friend.

 God Bless Lolly

Snow in my mums garden today

Today i was looking at my Facebook page and my nephew David had posted a picture from my mums back door. The picture was like a winter wonderland scene there was snow everywhere.  Is this how winter is going to be like in the UK this year who knows but i am glad i am away from it now.  David the picture is very good thanks for letting me use it.

An hour later while speaking to David i asked him to go back out into the garden and while he was there with Mums Ipad i took a screen shot from my computer.  Oh did i mention that i was using Skype and so was David on the Ipad. I then  edited the picture using Gimp " Graphic image manipulation program "

Bacon update

Well bacon is now a part of my diet but it's home made as you may remember from an earlier post. The belly that i used to try to make bacon was as good as it looked. I now have made my second piece of bacon but as you can see i have used the loin for this piece of bacon and i probably stay with this as there is no fat as you can see. This time this bacon was left a little longer before is was cleaned of salt and dried. As you can see it is a nice pink colour and ready to cook but i will have to wait till morning and have it for my breakfast. The one thing i don't use is the Pink Salt or it's other name is Sodium Nitrite all this does is make the bacon pink. Ok i know it looks pink now but when you cook it it cooks the same colour as normal pork but it retains the taste and flavour of normal bacon.

I used a recipe from an article about Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall making bacon. Well this guy knows what he is doing so i followed his direction. Hugh says  " Incidentally, my bacon doesn't require sodium nitrate (aka saltpetre); salt alone will do the job. The resulting bacon will lose its pinkness when cooked (saltpetre preserves colour, salt does not), but the taste will be better. "

Next time i will make the next bacon with Juniper berries that have just arrived tonight all the way from the isle of Orkney from my friend Richard.

I will be back in a day or two with how it tastes after i have it for breakfast. Mmm



How you make it

150g   Salt
50g     Dark brown sugar " don't know why "
5g       Black pepper


An optional extra that you can put in are the things i have listed below.


A few bayleaves finely chopped
20  Juniper berries, lightly crushed
25g Coriander seeds, crushed

Radio Merseyside and ceiling work a good day

Today i carried on in the cellar insulating the floor above. Not knowing the floor above size i called into the local Cooperative in a local town and got 3mt of plastic sheeting to get started. I cut the sheet down to fit in between the floor Joists and stapled it into place after using up all the plastic i had to leave what i did yesterday until this morning. I have a lot of insulation that i got from B&Q when they had an offer on 3 rolls 200mm insulation £2.50 a bargain. The picture below shows how i kept it into place great idea until you run out of string ok it happens. The reason for insulating the lounge floor from downstairs in the cellar was because there where gaps in the floor that let  a draft come up just where i sit at my computer.

I started the ceiling today in the kitchen. I put all the cable into place and put the insulation boards up and cut the holes where the lights will be going. On each side of the ceiling ridge beam  i am having 6 LED lights that's 12 in total. In the center of the ceiling i will be having a central light so i will have two different light options. Or maybe 3 options both top rows of lights on one switch all 12 lights on option 2 and the center light is option 3. The LEDs give of so much light but only cost about £1.50 per year for each light to be on. So the running cost is very good

All this was work i enjoyed but to make it better i had Radio Merseyside on and today it was Frankie Conner great presenter who plays 50's 60's and other stuff. Frankie normally has his show cut when there is football on but today Frankie was on for 4 hours and what a show it was thanks Frankie. I sent a request for a Jimi Hendrix track or a Bob Dylan track from the time i was with Jean.  Frankie played a Dylan track for me Called She belongs to me and played it for Jean from me and who knows she may have been listening. Now that would be a bonus great show and a song played from me to Jean.

I am trying to set up my own Talk Radio how

I have made no secret of teh fact that i dislike using windows on a computer to me it's not safe and secure as it should be. I have been using Ubuntu Linux now on all my machines for a few years and unlike some i have had no problems So.

On a Saturday morning i listen to a program here in Portugal that is run by an English guy called John and I co host with him every few weeks. What i would like to do is start my own radio show of a Saturday morning but having people phone in to chat with me and maybe play a little music as well.

Can i do this hell no but i can with help so i have put a post on the Ubuntu Multi media Forum. These guys on there are real  clever people and if they can't help me i have no chance but i am sure that there is a simple way to do this.

Fifteen minutes after i place a request for help i have a reply with loads of links to help me.

Back later

Time to put my Christmas decorations up.

Well it's that time of year Father Christmas will be calling soon, maybe he will even stop for me. It was difficult to decide how to put all my decorations up to really put on a nice display. I completed decorating my lounge on Thursday night and i am so proud of my efforts i decided to share them with you all.

A tip for all who put decorations up and have a fairy on there tree. You must give the fairy a good meal before you put her away till the next year. If you don't feed the fairy you will end up with one like mine in the picture below. Click on the picture to see it a larger size.

I hope that in the coming year i can carry on with my Blog to the same high standard that you have come to expect from me. For family who i may not be able to speak to i wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

To all my Forum friends Merry Christmas and a very Happy NewYear.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my Blog and i hope that i have kept you amused since i started my Blog quite some time ago, seems such along tome ago now.

Today is a remarkable day

Today is a remarkable day because my grandaughter young as she is without my help has now got her own Blog. Although she may be young i made sure that she had her mums permission. I have always tried to be the one to help her with her computer as it's easy with a problem to talk through things that i could help her with.

As i type this she is typing her own first post on her Blog. Any parent or Grand parent would be proud to have a child who could do something like this but as i am so far away i don't have the contact that i did before. The problem that i had when we started today was that because i am in Portugal when i try to go through starting a Blog it detects that i am in Portugal and all the text is in Portuguese. This happens and today of all days i can only get the main Blogpage in Portuguese.

I had to explain  first that she had to  have a name for her Blog. Then after putting in the information that is needed she had to create a password. It's always wise to right down when you create a new password so if you forget you can always find it when needed. So today i am so proud of what she has done.

Before i spoke to Chelsee i was in the kitchen sanding the main ridge beam at the top of the ceiling that i am going to have exposed. I am now ready so that i can get the linseed oil and treat the beam to retain the colour and look of the beam.The difference it makes now that i can stand safely and work instead of using a step ladder. Anyway until Fernando my neighbour comes back i can't get my extending ladders back.

Just got a new toy a scaffolding tower.

I have been working slowly on my kitchen but i have got to a point where i can't go any further. I lent my ladders to my next door neighbour but as they are away on holiday and i need my ladders i have just come to a halt. When i last went to Leyroy Merlin they had a scaffolding tower on offer so i decided to get one as it would be better than standing on a ladder. Leyroy Merlin is just like a B & Q store. Now i have my scaffolding tower i can now get up to the beam at the top of the ceiling and sand it down and now i start putting up the insulation and the plasterboard and finish the ceiling and start on the walls.

I took some timber that i had recycled from some wooden boxes that where in the house when i moved in to a local joinery firm. The picture is from before i moved into the house and has now been cleaned by myself and now looks clean. One of the workers is English and he was the main carpenter who built a local Timber Frame house for someone who i know. So i knew he could do what i wanted. I took some timber from the box in the picture below and asked if he could plain it on one side. I wanted to see just what the timber would be like and if it was OK i would have the doors for my kitchen hand made.

Thursday i went to see the first door that was made for me as a sample and if they come out the same i will be very happy. I don't have a price yet but i do expect that the price will be better than if i had got them from B & Q when i got the base units. Also the carpenter is going to do the end panels of the base units in the wood that i have for him. Look at the picture below and try to imagine just what it will look like when it has been used to make my doors and end panels. I have enough timber to make the kick board for under the units also for the window sills and a nice shelf for above the base units.

I went this afternoon to the joinery shop to take the picture of my door. When you consider i could have got pre made doors from B & Q but look at what i am having made. No contest.