A new chapter in my life

When I moved to Portugal I had recently divorced and I was staring a new life. For the last four years life has been so good and I have had no regrets. Also I have never felt so good in my life this life is agreeing with me and long may it last.

Well at the grand old age 66 years of age I have a lady in my life and this perfect life is now complete. How will this affect this perfect life I now have I don't know but I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life. Also my children and granddaughter have all wished me well now that's a result.

The icing on the cake so to speak is that I received a message from my Mum wishing me well now how's that. I couldn't wish for better now with Cathy in my life.

What a rotten job.

I may be a bit particular but at least I have standards. When I look at the lights in my kitchen or bathroom I know that they are all straight and in line.

I am in Liverpool at the moment and today I visited a very good friend. She as recently had a new kitchen fitted but one tradesman let her down. The kitchen fitter did what looks like a good job but the electrician was hire separately from the kitchen fitter and that's where it went wrong. I am sure the electrician has poor eyesight and if you look at the enclosed pictures you will see what I mean. 

When challenged the electrician says I did what I was paid for and refuses to repair his rotten work. You can see just how bad this job looks from the bottom pictures but the top picture really is just as bad. I count myself lucky to be living in Portugal where the tradesmen I have seen are about the best I have seen

Another bike race

A few days before I left to return to Liverpool a car was stopped from leaving the garage where we stop for coffee. A short time passed and we saw that there where a lot of Police activity on the road. Being nosy as we all are we saw there was a bike race about to go past and with this most of use lined the road to watch the bikes go by. Although I took over 100 pictures the best one was the one on my Blog as you can see. This is the last of the riders but what you can't see is at his side is a Police bike acting as an escort with the rider being so far behind the rest of the riders.

Happy fourth birthday.

Well it's now the 12th August 2015. What is special is today four years ago I signed for my house in the sun. I signed for the house late in the day and after signing the deeds I had to go with the agent for the sellers to sign for the water and electric. Because of the time it was not practicable to move it so I waited till the next morning and as they say the rest is history.

Yes in the four years I have done a lot but if I put more time into what I am doing I would have got so  much more done. It's not about how much is done it's about the quality of my life. If only one person who reads my Blog understands my feelings and how I enjoy this my new life then this Blog has achieved something.

Fire

I looked out while making a cuppa and saw that the sky was very dark but it was early evening. The sun was not the usual colour we all see daily but it was Red yes Red. I took a load of pictures but iPad won't let me upload to my Blog. The Blog gives me an option to use a program called Picassa from Google but I don't want Google to store my pictures when I use Dropbox.

When I find a way I have a number of pictures to put up on my Blog but for now the pictures will have to wait.

The cost of rail travel

,To get my flight to Liverpool I went from Coimbra by high speed train. The return flight from Liverpool doesn't give me a lot of time after landing to get from the Metro at the airport to the station that takes me Back to Coimbra before the last train has gone. I found that shortly after midnight there is the first train south to Lisboa.

I went to the ticket office to book my tickets and as I am now a pensioner I get what is called a Seniors rate. To travel from Coimbra B station to Campanha in Porto where I get the Metro for the rest of the journey. I also booked my ticket back on the train after midnight on the 1st September. The total cost even with my special rate for being a Senior was 11.75€. Yes that is correct 11.75€ now compare that to the cost of rail travel in the UK and if that's not a bargain then I don't know what is.

I needed to take an early morning train in Liverpool and as it was before 9.30 am I had to pay. The journey was about 5mile or  8 kilometres and the cost was £3.00 or 4€. When you think of the cost of travelling from Coimbra to Porto and back only cost 11.75€ the cost here in Liverpool was to to much but it's how it is here in the UK.

The photo below shows the UK cost of a short trip. The bottom picture show the cost of two trips in Portugal, big difference. 

Driving to the station and boy was it hot

Well I am back in Liverpool, am I a fool when it's so warm in sunny Portugal. As I was driving from my home to Coimbra to get the train to the airport I looked at the instrument display on my car and it said the outside temperature was 37.5c. I stopped to take a picture for my Blog but try as I may I can't find a way from my IPad to put a picture for you to see. Maybe I will have to wait till I get back home. For now you will have to take my word that it was 37.5c while driving to Coimbra. At last I found an App so I can now insert pictures from my IPad.

Sun and blue skies and August

It's sunny still no rain and nothing but blue skies what a problem to have. Today i went down into town and almost every parking space was taken even the two spots outside of the Farmacia. I had a prescription and needed to get somewhere to park so i could get into the Farmacia.

This time of year people who own homes here come back for the month of August also the motorbike festival is on and that packs another 10,000 plus into an already packed town. The village i live in has also been invaded with already 5 families and more to come i am sure.

This year a number of bars have built outside seating areas and it certainly has made the town look so much better. The beach bar was  great on the night of the Firework display. So what do i care i am going back to Liverpool to baby sit my granddaughter and that's worth more than staying here in the sun and busy town.

I started this post because of the amout of sun we have had snce about March. While reading the BBC news in the section for Health i found an amusing story andi have included a link to the story. The story is about people in the UK needing to take vitamin D because of the lack of Sun. Well all i can say is i get more than i need with sun from morning till night.

Everyone should consider taking vitamin D supplements to counter the lack of sunshine in the UK, government experts are proposing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33757929 

Almost finished now just the varnish

Most people but not all who move from the UK to another country to live  have dreams of how live should and will be. Well i am no different i have made the move and i have taken the opportunity  to create a home of my dreams.

I have said before " If you can dream it you can do it, just believe " The picture below is my latest project but really one of many i have on the go. As you walk into the lounge ahead of you is the wall space under where the stars are and i came up with a shelf unit.

Shelves i am good at but i want a unique look, not just anything you can get at B&Q or Ikea but something different.

I hope that my projects have given someone else an idea to do something different and unique to them. It's easy to come up with an idea but without the experience it sometimes proves a little difficult but don't give up find a way.

This is before i put 4 coats of varnish, the varnish will also bring out the colour or the Chestnut timber .

This picture is to give an idea of how the unit should look when varnished and fitted into place.

Iraq ????

I have wondered for days how to write this. No country has bothered me as much as when i saw a reader from Iraq. Iraq now is a country torn apart by war and now with IS its still a very dangerous place to be. Diplomats and rich Oil executives live in there own little protected world of work, meetings, parties ect.

So who would be reading my humble writing on my Blog, probably the guys who provide what's called Close Protection. Paid body guards, paid good money to risk there lives just to look afters others. I had a family member who wanted to do such work and i was sad to here what he wanted to do but sometimes it's not up to me to try and change someones mind.

This time i got the pic's i wanted

A year or two ago while having a coffee at the local garage i watched a local bike race go past. I had my camera with me so knowing a side road i tried to get ahead of the pack to take some pictures. No i didn't get in front as they where just to quick but it was worth a try.

Last Friday the bike race was on again but this time i was half way up a long hill where the riders where due to come down. As i turned abend a Police motorbike stopped me and told me to pull over and wait.

The uphill section after you pass Bordeiro is long and for about 4k and is very steep and winding.

 This is a long donwhill section coming down into Arganil. For those who know this is the just before the turn for O Vaso.

This guy even has time to wave little does he know he is on my Blog worldwide.

He may not have a chance of winning but he still fights on and good luck tohim

Don't be afraid to ask

A while ago i told you about an engineering firm who when asked did a job for me there and then and the charge was only 5€. I am never amazed any more at the amazing service i have found in my 4 years living here in Portugal.

Today again i had another experience that confirms that my move was the best thing i did. Close by to me is a shop called Ovaso a mini type B&Q shop. I need a cutting tool for my router so i could carry on making my window moulding. In Ovaso here is one member of staff who speaks good English and is more than happy to help.

All i could find was full boxes of 24 different types of cutters. I ask if they could get one for me after showing the one i wanted to the assistant and he just opened the box and took the one i wanted out and sold it to me. It saved me the trouble of buying a box of 12 assorted just to get the one i wanted. Moral of this tale don't be afraid to ask.

It's silly season time again

Today while having a coffee at our usual bar we watched as the local fire fighters the  Bombeiros who are all volunteers went of to fight another forest fire. I went to visit friends and we sat and watched as the fire fighting planes came overhead to go and fill up with more water and then return to carry on trying to control the fire.

We counted 5 planes in total by reading on the side of the planes there registration number plain to read as they where flying very low.

On my way home i turned a very sharp bend in the road and he road was almost blocked by bystanders wanting to watch the planes coming in to drop the water. From the first picture i couldn't get back to a point where the road was almost blocked. It was a pity that the people stood watching didn't think about those who just wanted to get on with there journey.

The second, third and fourth picture is of the fire behind the trees, sorry but you can only see the smoke. The last picture is taken from my veranda and if you look close you can see one of the planes just above the tree line.  All done by mostly a volunteer force.

The last local fire had over 200 fire fighters, 4 planes, 59 fire engine and an unknown number of helicopters. It has been reported that this fire was stared by a man aged 22 years who is now in Police custody. Todays fire was on one of the hottest days this year reported to be about 40c.

Door frame done now the windows.

The door into the lounge has now been covered in beautiful Chestnut timber.

After the timber was cut to size the hard part was sanding down with fine sandpaper and the a coat of varnish. This was done three times to give a rich finish to the timber. 









It's a long slow process planning, finding the timber from my own stck and getting extra from Chicco for longer bits i don't have.

The beauty of the hinges in Portugal is that you can lift of the windows without unscrewing the hing. It's now down to cutting the  edging and to creating the moulding profile. The part that takes the time is waiting for each coatof varnish to fry before preparing for the next coat

Bathroom done well almost

I am coming to the end of making myself a luxury bathroom. Perhaps luxury is not quite the right word as my bathroom is little more than the size of small cupboard. But it's mine and it is how i wanted it to be a beautiful wet room I still have some minor bits to finish but the enclosed pictures show just how the work given me just what i wanted.

Above is where i used to have a door way into the old bathroom until to took it down and moved the new timber wall out by about 5 inch's. All timber used was from my own stock i found in the cellar when i moved into my house. Laminated glass for safety and covered with a modesty film for privacy.

Four LED lights give the perfect light cover and just look at my shelf no bracket but best of all no wall cabinet full of junk. I opted for a shower like the kind you use for washing your hair but mine has a bracket above the mirror where the shower head is fitted before being put away.

Lastly in front of my Loo are three mirrors to finish what was going to be a blank wall. So apart from the last job that is a new window for the outside wall that has been delayed all is now done.

Perfect service at the doctors

I have a little tale to tell that happened to me today. I had a need to go to see my doctor and went to make an appointment. Before I had time to sit down and read my Kindle while I waited the nurse came out for me to give some information name, a Date of birth etc. the computer the nurse was using must be connected to the Doctors computer. While the nurse was checking the water sample I had to give the doctor came in and asked me some questions. When finished the doctor asked to to go into her room after the consultation I was out after less than 20 minutes.

The cost to see the doctor was 5€ and the prescription cost was 7.01€. Now to me that is reasonable even on market day when the town is busy with people coming in from all the local villages.

If you consider that in the UK getting an appointment was getting almost impossible at times. The medical service here in my little place in the sun is far above what I expected before I made the move almost 4 years ago.

Just a bit of fun

While i was in Liverpool i was lucky to see lots of my  grandson. We went out one day to the Spaceport on the banks of the river Mersey opposite the Pier Head in Liverpool. There was lots to see and even i learnt lots about space and the Uinverse.

There is a ride that is a flight simulater, i thoughtit would be good but after going on the one in Orlando i didn't expect that this one would be as good but it was every bit as good.

I if you have been on a flight simulater you will know just how much it jerks about. Well it was not easy to sit and hild a camera to record the ride but i did. I have put the video on Youtube and there is a link below and i do hopw you will enjoy it as much as i did filming it so please take the time to view video.

It may be an idea to turn the sound down as it is a bit loud.

http://youtu.be/Q0HWUkMv2DY

Just my bad luck

While in Liverpool i called a local radio station to thank the presenter for announcing my Mum's 90th birthday. At the end of the conversation I was asked to stay on the line by the presenter who's name is Pete Price for those who may be from or know Liverpool.

The presenter has a spot on a Sunday night called Expats Abroad i was asked if i would like to talk about my life here in Portugal. I would be  more than happy to speak about my new life here in the Sun so i said yes i would be happy to. It was arranged for the Wednesday after I arrived home from my trip to Liverpool. Wednesday came and I received the call as arranged at 3pm. We spoke for over twenty minutes and at the end of the call Pete the presenter said that he would play the whole of the conversation without any need for cuts.

Sunday night came and try as I may I couldn't get the radio station to work on my Laptop, my Desktop and also my Ipad. I can only think that the station blocks access from outside of the UK but i run software that hides my country location. So is it because I don't run my computers using Windows it is a problem that I need to get to the bottom of but i will find out why i couldn't get the rado station to work.

The trip home and costs.

Now time to settle down and catch up with tha last few weeks. It all startedwhen i went ack to Liverpool for my Mum's 90 birthday but now back to driving back to Portugal.

About the drive and costs involved for a 1,400 mile journey.

I drive a car with a Autogas conversion fitted, this was fitted a little after the car was a year old. I have enjoyed driving over 165,000 miles on fuel that costs less than half price.

I filled my 60 litre tank for £34 and started my drie down to Brighton to fill up before i boarded the ferry to Dieppe and the drive home to Portugal. Before i left Liverpool i downloaded all the stops on my route for filling up with Gas along my route. I choose to drive the whole journey of the motorways and to enjoy the drive through the countryside. Well that was the plan so read on.

Next to me waiting to fill up is this Amazing motorbike n Liverpool and after this the long drive starts.













The drivedown to Brighton went well without any problem until i arrived to fill up using my new bank card. My card has been changed from a Visa card to a Mastercard and i arrived at the only autogas garage in the Brighton/ Newhaven area so i had to use the last of my UK £'s because there was a problem with Mastercard what a start to a long journey.

I arrived in France with my Euro's and my UK Visa Card. I headed towards Le Mans for my first fuel stop but on my way i saw an Autogas gagage so i stopped to fill up. That is where things went wrong . Most of the garages are open 24 hours a day and have no staff all you do is use your card but French gaages don't use Mastercards. Next trip i will be running with plenty of cash to avoid cad problems.

What you see here is a sculpture that is  24 meters high and weighting 20 tonnes which is made by using metal and coloured concrete with seven historical cars wrapped around a forearm, the roundabout is in the city of Châtellerault.








Because of the problem getting gas during the night after getting cash i went onto the motorway because i could then get gas without ant card issues. After getting a full tank i was safe now to get about over 300 miles plus from my tankful. Now it was back to getting of the motorway and to enjouying the drive.

This is what driving through France is all about tree lined avenues going of into the distance. Roads like this where common and where a pleasure to drive on.











While driving in the direction of Bordeaux i saw this small local airport.

Well this is a different way to advertise an airport and just look at the clear blue sky.














Finding autogas in Spain is no problem and one place i know very well is in a place called Salamanca.

On the way into Salamanca is a scrap yard and this one has an old Dakota plane pity the car is in the way. Again clear blue skies just like home.











The cost of the trip home was as follows and for a total 1406 miles.

Liverpool fuel             53.41€
Autogas                    131.00€
Tolls                           32.42€
Overnight and food   50.00€

The cost from Portsmouth to Santander ferry would have been 520€ and still another 450 miles to home at probably another 100€ so as you can see 263€ agains over 600€ and with the ferry you get nothing to see apart from water.

A welcome bit of news.

Since i arrived on Monday i haven't had any time to myself. I brought back so much i am still unpacking and putting things away. I bumped into a friend while in town and had alittle catch up, it seems that he has set up a website called www.dirtbikeportugal.com

I have known Simon for a long time and knew he was a biker but this is a welcome surprise so good luck Simon.

Please take the time to click on the link that can be found on the left of the screen.