What a table top

While going for a walk last week i saw a picnic area close by a river. As you can see the table top has been made from a solid piece of stone spoilt only by the wooden table/ bench next to the stone table.

Over the top use by date

Seeing dates on food is something i am interested in  and i found a Jem today. It's almost Christmas and while i was in Coimbra i went to Makro. I had decided a long time ago to Have Lamb this year for my Christmas dinner. Makro have New Zealand lamb from whole lambs to all the parts all cut and prepared. On the label it only has one ingredients LAMB but then i noticed the label.

The label says to use by 16.04.2022 so much for what the NHS recommends but this Lamb was killed on the 17.04.2019. Seems an over the top Use by date,

Date and label meat in the freezer and eat it within 24 hours of defrosting. You can freeze meat for a long time and it will still be safe to eat, but the quality will deteriorate so it's best to eat it within 3 to 6 months.

National Health Service › uk › live-well › eat-well › how-to-store-food-a...

 

 

 

Window fitted

It's now about two years that i have been building my fish tank but with the work inside my house it is taking some time to finish and get running.

Here is a shot from the front where you can now see the glass window is now in place.

Also i have a couple of dead Bonsai trees it is now close to how i wanted the tank to be.

 Every stone was acid tested and individually scrubbed clean.

 Here in this corner i have a few little caves for the fish.

OK Christmas is coming

OK Christmas is coming but Christmas is for the young and Children. But what about us Grandparents?

Here is my fairy out for another Christmas along with her Christmas lights in the shape of Skulls.
My new granddaughter has her second Christmas but still she is to young to understand but i know she will have an amazing time.

Some months ago

Some months ago a customer was looking at some of my cutting boards i had on display. She asked if i could make one in the shape of the state of Wisconsin in the USA because that is where she comes from. I straight away said yes but it would take me some time now i had to find out how i would . Happily i said yes  it would be ready for Christmas the lady said that would be fine.

Due to Mum's poor health i went back to Liverpool and while there i used to go to a wood turners club to help me with lathe skills. One day i was there i found that a machine was for sale and straight away knew it would be ideal because it was a fretsaw machine and for £20 it was a bargain at that price.

I have used UPS now for over 4 years and just got UPS to deliver my new toy in time for my next trip back to my home in Portugal. Last months was the first time that i was able to show to the lady what it would look like.

This is the lady with me showing of here new Cheese board. Wisconsin is the cheese state in the USA and for mu customer she was so happy.
I now have to make a board in the shape of Yorkshire in the UK.
Another in the shape of Australia. One also in the shape of Portugal but bigger that the one i had on show at the market.

This photo is the happy end to this story but the start of something else i can now take pleasure in doing and making people anything they can dream of.

The best meal of the day

Everyday i start the day with breakfast like many millions worldwide do. I am a creature of habit poached eggs on toast but no ordinary toast i make my own bread. Finding out that Walnuts are good for me i make my bread and chop up some Walnuts to my bread.

Here is where i start first i go and pick some Chives from the bottom of the lane.

Next it's a chunk of extra mature cheddar cheese.

Finally it's the eggs and cook until the yolk is hard. I don't like a soft runny egg so it's always got to be hard.
On top of my toast i put some Tomato ketchup that i make myself but this latest batch i used Smoked Paprika to add a smoky taste.

Cheese boards

At a market i go to i mentioned to a customer that i was making cutting boards. She joked or i think she was joking that she wanted one in the shape of the State in America that she comes from.
All boards i make have to get at least 8 coats of Mineral oil because it is being used for food. All boards are made from Chestnut because it's a good wood fro making cutting boards.

This board is is in the shape of a State in the USA. Before it was oiled i took the board for the lady to see and she was very emotional when she say it. Now it's ready i will take it to give to the lady

This board is actually Portugal . Because of the shape i have had to order a special sanding machine to make these boards a little easier to make.

Finally we come to the Iberian peninsular. This board was not to difficult to make but my new sander will make it so easy to make more.

A very strange sound

On Wednesday of this week i came out of my house first to go downstairs to put my washing in the machine. The second time i came out it was to go over to see Chicco.

Each time as i came out of my house the first thing i noticed and to be honest it concerned me . There was no sound not a bird or the people picking olives down in the valley. not even a sound from the traffic on the main road although some distance awa.

Not far away you can always hear the loggers at work but Today. Nothing it was a very strange feeling complete silence.

What about the sell by date

I have been selling Himalayan rock salt now for quite some time. Today on the company site i order from i read some information about the salt i was about to order. It seems that the various salts from the company i use have a use by date.Why i ask when they have been taken from the grounds where they have been for Millions of years.

 If the salts have been in the ground for Millions of years Why do they need a sell by date. If they have lasted for Millions of years why after the sell by date should they be thrown away???

Remember the once Great Britan

I read of the fears over the crops in the fields not being collected and it can only bring with it higher food prices. I read on the BBC news website and i have copied and pasted it in full below.. How glad i am to be living without the problems facing people in the coming months and years ahead.

From the BBC news website

Pigs in blankets and other festive meal treats might be in short supply this Christmas, the British Meat Processors Association has warned.

It says 60% of the labour force in UK meat plants comes from other countries and the industry is not attracting enough seasonal EU workers.
Its chief executive, Nick Allen, told the BBC that wrapping cocktail sausages in bacon was done by hand.
He said the job was "fiddly and hard to mechanise".
At the same time, the British Poultry Council warned that "finding sufficient labour is becoming a massive challenge for the poultry meat sector as the uncertainty around Brexit is prompting many of our workers to seek jobs in other countries".
It said that if the shortage of workers continued post-Brexit, it would "pose a risk to the affordability of British food".

Rural areas

The British Meat Processors Association said there was a difficulty in attracting UK nationals to work in meat plants, because they tended to be in rural areas where there was low unemployment.
"Ever since Brexit happened, it's become hard to hold on to European labour," Mr Allen said.
The sharp fall in the value of the pound had amounted to a reduction in wages for them, he added, while "the message coming out of the UK is not exactly welcoming".
But he added: "It's not just a Brexit issue." The working conditions in meat plants, including the low temperatures need to preserve the meat, made it hard to attract workers, while demand for seasonal labour was naturally higher in other sectors too, especially delivering Christmas cards and parcels.

---

Do you work in the meat processing industry? Would you be willing to tell us about it and what it's like? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

---

Economic mainstay

The British Meat Processors Association represents the majority of companies working in the British meat industry, handling beef, lamb and pork products.
Its members are responsible for supplying fresh meat and meat products to retailers, restaurants and food service companies throughout the UK.
The industry employs about 75,000 people and is worth more than £7bn a year to the British economy.
Meanwhile, the UK poultry industry employs more than 37,000 people and contributes more than £3bn a year to the economy.
A spokesperson for the British Poultry Council said the industry had grown "beyond the UK labour availability in the areas we operate".
This meant that it needed to find 7,200 non-UK workers every year to fill its vacancies.
The spokesperson added: "If these vacancies cannot be filled post-Brexit, we will not have access to the labour needed to feed this nation, which will have a significant impact on the production of, and therefore cost of food.
"This in turn would pose a risk to the affordability of British food."

It's olive picking time

It's that time every two years that the Olive trees give a bumper crop. Today as i was having a shower i heard voices that being unusual because i am the only one in my village. I quickly finished so i could see where the voices where coming from. I could hear from my veranda voices but couldn't see where they where coming from, strange.

When it was time to make my breakfast as usual i went down the lane to pick some chives to put in my poached eggs. What i saw was a family picking the Olives from the trees in front of my house. Three generations Mum, two daughters and a granddaughter three generations out for another days Olive picking.

What o couldn't understand was that Mum the elder of the family was the one to climb the trees to prune and pick the Olives that where high from the ground. The ground below the trees was covered in sheets to collect the crop when it was removed from the trees.

The top 500 computer operating systems

Over the years on various Forums i use i have seen people warn members about scams, virus or other general problems. I have always answered why not consider moving computer system to Linux. The trust in windows and it's continual known problems don't seem to put people off. A whole industry has grown up to sort these problems out.

If Linux is such rubbish as is said on answers on Forums then how come it works on the top 500 supercomputers in the world.











For what it's worth i don't have any anti virus software on my computer. It has been proven that someone could write a virus and it has been proven in a laboratory but none have been found in the wild.

Christmas Bazaar

It may be early to announce a Christmas Bazaar but a few weeks ago i was invited to attend a Christmas Bazaar. This Christmas Bazaar is in aid of charity. This charity looks after some of the locals who without the help face the coming months in difficulty.
This is my fourth time i have attended with my Herbs and Spices. At one of the other times i went to the Christmas Bazaar i was told some of the things they do for the local less well off people.  One old lady was given a gas bottle so she could cook her meals on her stove.
Why do i mention this now in October well as i enjoy the quality of my life it is nice to think i have done something that may help others.

Two amazing pieces of wood.

This last week i had to have some welding work done to a door into my cellar. I had to go into town to pick the welder up because there car was in the local garage.

While at the welders i saw on a pallet some wood and i had to have a look. I found the two pieces you can see here these are what i have been told are London Lyme. I have searched but can't find any London Lyme but who cares. I put my silicone gun on top to show some kind of scale.

These two boards should make amazing cutting boards. Both have faults but epoxy resin will repair them

The State of Wisconsin

while in the UK on the many trips i made up to now this year i got myself a scroll saw machine. I make cutting boards in my spare time and during conversation at the market i was asked if i could make one for a customer. What she wanted was a cutting board in the shape of the State of Wisconsin in the USA.

I had a piece of wood big enough so i gave it a try and here it is. Now it needs sanding all the way round and many coats of food grade mineral oil.

Himalayan Pink salt

Today i was shopping in a major supermarket in a place called Lousa. Lousa is the nearest major town to where i live but not the only town with supermarkets. I always have a look at the price of the Spices on display and marvel at the prices being charged.

Today i saw that they now have on show Himalayan pink salt. I buy 25 kilo and with the cost to get it to me i charge what i consider is a fair price. The price per kilo i sell is even cheaper than i have seen on Ebay. My price for a Kilo is 4.50€ Today i saw a major supermarket charging a little under 20€ per kilo.

As soon as i can get the correct type of bags i will be doing 2 kilo for only 8€ supermarkets beat that

The first of many made with my new machine

Sunday night a neighbour arrived back from a trip back to the UK.It was arranged that i send a parcel to my friends house for them to bring it over for me. I had already agreed to make a Dolphin board but what i think will happen is this will become a piece of wall art.
The shape has been cut but there is still lots more to do before it's finished but i have all the time in the world to complete this my first job.
After this my next job is to make a cutting board in the shape of the state of Wisconsin.

My Friend Ashley

Last night i received the news my Mum had passed away. At the moment my sister emailed me i was talking to my great friend Ashley. Ashley had been asking about my Mum and i was telling him what i knew from the last time i called the care home. While we where talking i received an email I said to Ashley to shut up something i would never treat a friend like that but i was reading about my Mum passing.

Ashley was the first i told but of coarse so many people ask how my Mum is many have only got to know Me on my Blog. Many of those who called or sent messages are people i know . The first message i received was on my Blog.

It shows the kindness when people who have never met me send such kind remarks.

Thank you too you all

R.I.P Mum

We all say we have the best Mum and today the Best Mum i could have ever had passed away. She is now with my Dad and elder brother Brian in heaven.

29th September 2019 Irene Maud Calder R.I.P

All i ask it that readers of my Blog spend some time to think of there own Mum after all you only get one Mum.

My machine is on it's way

Some time ago at a woodworking club i got myself a Fret saw machine. From the picture above you can see some of the cutting boards i make. But i wanted to do more something unique.
Someone i met at one of the markets i go to asked if i could make a cutting board in the shape of the state in the USA that she comes from. This only came about because i mentioned about the machine i was waiting for.

This is not my machine but it is similar and can do all i want.

Now this was the challenge i took on and when my machine arrives i will make a cutting board from this line drawing.

This dolphin is a replacement for one i offered to make for a friend.


















But where do you start first you need to put the image onto the chosen piece of wood but how, The journey started in China of all places. But before China i remembered a job in my youth i had to write out an invoice but first was the carbon paper. Carbon paper transferred what you wrote on one sheet of paper and copied it to a second piece of paper.
I went onto Ebay to find some carbon paper and the best price including delivery was from China so i ordered 100 sheets.

Here is a sample i did of an Dolphin. I transferred the picture i made and copied it to a piece of wood. Now that i am happy with the finished copied image when my machine arrives next week i will make my first board. The wood you see is Walnut but i expect i will use Chestnut but we will wait and see.

It's now about 6 years

I started my kitchen about 6 years ago and i installed LED light 12 X 4w bulbs. The lights have worked perfect till no and over about a week 5 have failed.  At the time my electricity charge was an average of 80€.
As i worked thought the house i replaced every light with LED's now i pay an average of 40€ that's a saving of half. It's the way forward and i buy mine from Ebay and buy packs with 10 bulbs for less that €20 a pack.

This is my new sink, When i ordered my sink i also ordered, Carbon paper, Fish safe silicon, 50mt fibre optic cable, Food grade mineral oil, A pair of reading glasses and a pair of driving glasses. If i had each item posted individually the postage would have been more than i was happy with. I used UPS again and paid only £23.50.

Progress may be slow

Progress may be slow on making my fish tank. This week i had the task of putting up the ceiling boards. The plaster boards for the ceiling are very heavy and due to there size difficult to lift above my head and screw them into place.

This was a major part of the building of the tank. Now this is done i can get on with half filling the tank so i can put some wood in that needs to get water logged so it sinks to the bottom when i want to start to use the tank.







I have the pipework that i am going to use to make my solar hot water system so u can keep the room warm. To use heaters to warm the water would cost to much. A solar panel will keep the water at the temperature of the room.

I have solar panels to make the electric to power all the heaters, filters, lights ect.

More countries reading my Blog

Czechia
Turkmenistan

The above are just 2 of three new countries to have been reading my Blog. The third country i forgot i make a note but it was in the area of  Turkmenistan. I am now over 80 countries that i have had someone read my Blog The story of my Life in Portugal.

As i checked my Statistics i have just seen a ready for Ghana so that's another new reader and if they see this then welcome to yourself and all new readers. 

What a selection

A friend of mine wanted to sell her things she makes at the market i went to today. At first they where just cakes and biscuits but these are not just your normal cakes and biscuits. These cakes and biscuits are Gluten, lactose and some egg free.

Today more and more people are being found to have problems with there diet. I was lucky to have tried some of the delights shown in the picture below. It was after i tried them that i found they had no Gluten, Lactose or egg in there ingredients  and they where as good as cakes and biscuits make the traditional way.





I hope to enjoy the company of my friend and her amazing produce at many markets to come.

A month ago i wrote about my sliding door

I have now got the main beams up for my sliding doors for my lounge and bathroom. I have to move a light switch from by the bathroom door and the switch for the lounge ceiling fan. When the switches are moved i can then do the framework for the plasterboard that will go in front of the doors.

As the picture shows i have put LED lights in the beams before i fitted them in place.

Cook for 20 minutes at 200c

I have mentioned before about my 5,000lt fish tank. I am actively collecting the stones i want and for where the plants go i need what is called a substrate or compost. This compost will go under the sand.

I asked a question on one of the Expat Forums i am on and today i got a reply about where to get the compost from.  If the answer is correct then i then have to cook the compost for 20 minutes at 200c to kill all bugs, eggs or anything that may do my tank harm.

Cooking at 200c is from advice from within the Fishkeeping community. The only thing i am now waiting for is another tube of a special silicon sealer for the glass window at the front of the tank.

It's no secret don't call me before 10am

Over the years i have enjoyed getting up to suit me and nobody else so i have a 10am rule. Everybody i know knows my rule and it works fine as often it's approaching 10am when i come down to have a shower and start the day.

That rule today was at my choice broken but only temporarily and only for today. My Granddaughter had her exam results like many her age all over the country. At 8am today i was up waiting to hear the good news my Granddaughter passed all her exams.

I would like to say i am so very proud of my granddaughter

After the inferno

Fire came and ravaged this little peaceful valley here in Central Portugal. The fire came and burnt everything in it's path but a few survived and i was happy to see this peach tree in the middle of the devastation that was left after the fire.

This is what was left of a tree after the fires of 2017. 

Here we are August 2019 and this is one of only a few of 253 fruit trees that where planted in about 2016. About 15 trees have survived but only this one has fruit on it.

My time was not watsed in Liverpool

During my time in Liverpool i built a spray booth for my son for his Splash back company. Today i received some pictures of one of his latest jobs a splash back of the Liverpool skyline.

If i wasn't so far away when i revamp my kitchen i know how it would look when i finished.

All the inside is now done

For a while i have been building a fish tank but not a fish tank you my recognise.  In the fish room i only have a couple of low energy lights so i am sorry the lighting is poor and doesn't show of the tank to it's best.

This picture was taken form the front where the viewing window will.  

I now have to wait a week before i can put in the Stainless steel window frame.
Once the lights have been installed i can fit the glass to the window frame.

OK i know it's me

Ok i know it's me but someone from my past doesn't remember what i look like so yesterday at the market i was at i took a picture of me. Don't worry i won't make a habit of putting pictures of me to spoil your day.

Ouch

While travelling through France I saw the wreckage you see on the pictures below. The whole area was cordoned off because this was a display as a warning to drivers.

Whatever hit this from the rear must have been travelling at some speed to do the damage that you can see.

The best of British airways was

I have flown via British airways a few times using my airmiles i got from when i had my business in Liverpool. On one trip i had well packaged a corner sink for my bathroom. On another trip i had the rear section from the exhaust system for my Vauxhall car i have in Portugal.

A sink an exhaust and now i had a length of round steel bar size 800mm X 50mm to use to extend a machine i have. I had tried locally to find what i wanted but i was unable to find what i wanted/ The only answer was to bring it back with me so this came back on the coach with me. Oh well the length's you have to go to get what you want.

My pillar drill will be so much better now it's bigger.

A huge mistake made

I like to think that i plan anything i am to do and not often i make a mistake. This time i made a huge mistake taking my granddaughter back home after she was staying with me.

Finding flights back to Liverpool was easy and cheap but when it came to get a flight home that was a different story. I planned to fly back five days later on the Friday. yes i do look weell in advance of the day i need to fly. When i looked for a flight all i found was flights sold out or over £225.00 one way. I felt trapped aver being in the UK for such a large part of the year and all i wanted was to get home.

I still have some Airmiles and i called British Airways to see if i could get a seat to go home. To my surprise i got a flight for the Friday the 26th so fly into Liverpool on the 20th and fly home on the 26th. I didn't notice the month difference it was Friday the 26th August not Friday the 26th of July.

I would rather walk back to Portugal than stay another month also i only came with five days change of cloths. Plan B check out all other air lines Easyjet came out best at £225 i only wanted to get home not buy the air line.

The only option was to look at getting home over land via a coach. National Express from Liverpool to London then London to Paris then Paris to Porto. Total cost was £139 much cheaper that the cheapest flight i could find but at least i got home. The only downside was on the coach from Liverpool to London was the Loo wasn't working.

As this was a five day trip i had little apart from five changes of clothes in my case. 

Someone once said so here goes

I have just re read a letter i received some time ago and it prompted me to do as it was suggested. So the answer to the question posed would be yes keep in touch. Please

Here i am at the front of my house in the sun. Behind me you can see my small Acer tree this may not be as good as Mum had but it reminds me of her.

I have just sent these pictures to one of my sisters who emailed me today about the weather. I replied that the blue sky is real and not Photoshopped.

Hospital food ??

My Mum has recently had a spell in hospital due to a serious Eye problem. I was there a couple of days ago when Mum's lunch came up for her. I noticed the difference from the hospital she has been in previous was her meal was on a plate. This time it was in a carton just like you get from a supermarket. I looked at the label, it was a beef Hotpot but of the whole meal only 16% was beef.

Take a look at the picture of the label with all the ingredients listed. I have a problem with all that is put in our food when I look at bread for example I use only 5 ingredients, flour, salt, sugar, yeast and water. But so many things go into food to make it last but in my case I only use fresh ingredients and no tines or packages full of unpronounceable ingredients.

Now production starts

I have at last received pictures of my son working spraying glass for a kitchen and this splash back is in white. My son had to setup his own production shop because the company who previously painted his glass to to long and let him down on delivery dates.
A job can now got from an average of 21 days to now app 8 days ideal when someone is have a kitchen refit 8 days is not to bad a time to wait for the fit.
Below are three photos I have just received of the very first job sprayed now how proud a Dad I am so very proud good luck son.

Up and running

Some time ago I had the task of building a Spray booth for my son to enable him to spray glass for his business. My son supplies and fits Glass splashbacks any colour can be done. When I last went home to Portugal my son still had the ventilation and the air system to complete.

This to me is just brown but it has a strange name and a name I have forgotten.


















Now this one is a colour by Laura Ashley from her paint collection it's either Silver or Soft silver.. It may no look to much like silver but that's what it said on the paperwork that came with the paint.

OK let's get started

Along time ago while at Chicco my favourite wood supplier I saw a piece of wood on the floor. I fell in love with the piece of wood but didn't have at that time a job for it. While I was in the UK at some point early this year I knew just what I wanted today with the piece of wood I fell in love with.

It was my plan to build another sliding door between my lounge and the entrance door. Unlike the bedroom I made a sliding door and it fit into a false wall. This time I wanted a shelf built into the frame for the door to fit but not just any shelf but the one you see in the picture. All the fittings for the door will run under the shelf and a false wall will be in front to finish the job.

Below you can the shelf in position ready to add the door once it has been made for me. I have included five LED lights similar to those fitted to behind the Coving.

Such a busy time

I have only been back a few weeks and i have had so much to do after being away for so many months.

I have drawn up a template for my Solar panels that once in place should provide all the power i need for my fish tank. There is a local steel stockholders who can make up my frame for my panels. As soon as i am able to get over to the Steel place i can have them make the frame up for me.

I have found a supplier for my Epoxy resin in the UK priced at £17.99 a kilo this price i found the best on offer. After calling the company i had needed 4 kilo to complete the inside of the tank. Now i am told they have a cancelled order in the colour i want and at £50 for 5kilo. By getting this extra kilo i can complete another job i am planning to do. 
 
I am only now looking to carry on with my fish tank. Near to me there is a stream that at this time of year has run dry and the bottom of the stream it is covered in very small flat stones ideal for a fish tank.

I have collected many stones like these for my tank. All the stones i have collected need to be treated in Chlorine to sterilise them and then i can use them safely.

These are large stones from a wall near my house that was taken down during the renovation of a house. The old type of building in these villages was with stones and Mud. The mud was used because when it dries in the baking sun it forms solid walls. The house close to me has been dated to about the mid 1800's so the poor villages coudn't afford cement for building.


All i have to do now is clean the stones ready to put in my tank.