Now the hole in the floor is gone

Well i have been at it again and this time it was the floor where i had taken a wall down. When i came to prepare to cut a plank to fit the gap first i had to prepare the gape in the floor. The floor was not straight and it's there i had to start. A straight cut on each side of the floor had to be made before i could cut the plank that was to fit into the gap on the floor.

Then i had to use an Acro prop to get both sides of the floor level. Then i had to sand down the floor each side of the gap to get the floor boards level as some had highlights and low spots. This picture was taken before the plank was tapped into it's final place.

Log burner update

I received an message today offering advice as to how to put my flue through the ceiling.  I had read an article about the same issue and also asked for advice at the supplier. I hope that by showing how i am putting my fire together and to keeping safe while doing it this story will help others.

A good Forum to use for most things  to do with energy in any form have a look at  http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum

Before I light my fire for the first time i will install Carbon Monoxide Alarms in each room

When i went to Leyroy Merlin for the sections of flue i wanted i asked about insulation to protect the floor from the heat of the flue when the fire is lit. I was shown a type of insulation that has foil on one side, i was told to put the foil side against the flue when i am ready to complete the flue i will get the insulation with the rest of the flue pipes.

The first picture shows looking through the hole in the floor i have had to cut for the flue to come through. I used the shield around the flue to mark where i had to cut the ceiling for the flue to go through. I then used a glass pan lid so i could mark a hole for the flue but not as big as the shield that goes around the flue.

This is how the flue will look after the insulation gets put around  the flue.

With the window so close i have had to cut the pipe so that the window isn't covered to much by the flue. By cutting the flue the flue will then be well away from the windows.

 The elbows will not be at the side of the window but just above the floor so as to take the  flue away from the window.

More people from more Countries reading my Blog

Since i wrote about the countries that had people reading my Blog from i have kept a list of more who have viewed over the last few weeks.
Here is a list of the top viewing countries for the last week. Look at number four in the page views by Country list.


Saudi Arabia
Ecuador
Austria
Hungary
Czech Republic
Kuwait
Bahrain
Trinidad and Tobago
Iraq
Mexico
Peru
Venezuela
Bangladesh
Moldova
St Vincent and Grenadines
Cote D'Ivore
Belize  7th Nov 2014
Nepal 10th Nov 2014
Japan  11th Nov 2014
Saint Martin 25th Nov 2014
 Kazakhstan 2nd January 2015

How to protect you computers and devices

Recently a friend of mine had an almost new laptop stolen in the UK. It got me searching for a way to protect my own laptop and i found a program called Prey just do a Google search for " Prey ". See the links below.

After reading up about Prey what it does is track the location of the device that Prey is installed on. Best of all Prey works on all devices desktops, laptop, tablets, phones everything but no on windows mobile.

Windows but not mobile, Apple, Android and most types of Linux

One good feature is that should you have a device stolen is that you can lock the device so it can't be used without a password set on Prey.

I know you all who read my Blog have computers or phones with this program installed you have some protection and any protection is better than no protection.

What i would say is read all about it and decide for yourselves. The free version allows three devices if you have more than three there is a small fee. Also read the FAQ page there is lots of hints and information

https://preyproject.com/

http://docs.preyproject.com/article/80- ... ost-device

https://panel.preyproject.com/support

Finished my shelves at last.

A long time ago after finding i had a lot of very old Chestnut timber i had a plan to make the best use of the timber that i could. I started with my shelves, it may have taken a while but i am working on my bathroom and lounge at the same time.

Left and right now both the same. I finished with just what i wanted.













And then.

Not content with making the shelves by the window i knew i could make even better, and i did

The little white clouds.

After the rain had stopped for a brief time today i stood watching the clouds pass by. I noticed some white cloud high in the sky that seemed like it was not moving. Just then i noticed a dark grey cloud pass swiftly in front of the white cloud above.

I took some pictures of the very low heavy grey clouds pass by the higher very slow white clouds. These photos where taken in less than 10 seconds

Who wants yellow tomato's not me.

Remember many years ago when you where very young and you would often be told by your Mum or Dad that they know best, i am sure you do well they did.

From as early as i can remember my Dad grew tomato's and always got a bumper crop. As i grew older i was trusted to go to the nursery to get Dad's tomato plants for him. Dad grew Ailsa Craig and Moneymaker every year until he passed away.

Ailsa Craig and Moneymaker never let him down so that's where my story starts. I was given some yellow tomato's last year and even though i was not impressed with them i kept some seeds to see if i could grow my own. I planted and grew about a dozen plants and nurtured then till they started to produce yellow tomato's. The first ones where OK but over time the later ones where marked and some discoloured. The taste was nothing like normal red tomato's at all just quite bland, they didn't go to waste i just pulped them to use in curry.

In time for next year i will get some Moneymaker or Ailsa Craig just like my Dad would have had me get and my tomato problems will be over. From reading about Ailsa Craig on Google it seems that Ailsa Craig are one of the best tasting tomato's on the market so for next year it's Ailsa Craig for me.

Did you spot the clues.

If you may have noticed i put  couple of pictures of a ruin sent to me from a friend who lives near a reservoir. When the water level goes very low a village near the bottom of the lake come into view.

The clues are in the pictures if you look close you can see the water mark behind and above the house in the top picture.

I even put the pictures on an advertising site, house/ ruin for sale but must be a quick sale.

It was good fun but for now it's over.

At last my shelves are done.

It's been a long time since i had a vision of what i wanted for shelves in my kitchen. I never wanted ordinary shelves i wanted something different something unique. Looking at the pictures you can see that i have got just what i want and something i am proud of.

So what next well only i know but what i am working on is something even better, yes i can do better and it won't take to long as i am working on them now.

The holdup was due to an accident by UPS now i have all i need to finish my corner unit and with five shelves.

It's a little Chilli

While i was at the market i got myself a new plant, this one is a Chilli but a little on the hot side. For now it will live on my veranda along with all my Strawberries. The nice thing about this Chilli is all the Chilli's are different colours.

Add caption

Cottage or Ruin fo sale.

I was sent some pictures of a property a friend is interested in about 60km from where i live. The property price is only 5,000€ but the seller wants a quick sale and wants everything to be completed by the 24th October. It does look a very interesting property and water obviously is not a problem.

The bottom picture is not as sharp but then again i didn't take the pictures

Another company who give great service

This time last year i put my car in for it's yearly MOT but sadly it failed due to a faulty Catalytic converter and my exhaust emissions where to high. I contacted the supplier i had used last year  and they where happy for me to send the unit back. I did ask could i buy a new one and they credit me after i returned the old one. I expected then to just say yes but first we need it back and then send it for testing, but no i would have to produce the original invoice etc.

It's not what i expected i expected that i would just buy a new one and send the old unit back but listening to them i didn't feel comfortable. It's here i decided to find another supplier and i did find one who i did feel happy with.

First when i called a machine said thanks for calling and we hope to have someone to answer within 45 seconds and they did and fast. I explained that i was in Portugal and i would like to use my own Courier. Let me explain why after many deliveries from UPS i have got to know the driver and even though they don't delivery out in the country as often as in the towns and cities when he sees my address he just gets it to me because it's a quick drop off for him. I was told that Gary would call to confirm that i could in fact use my Courier.

Being on a pension like many other i watch the  exchange rates to change my money for the best rate. That's all well and good but suddenly when you need money in UK £'s it's a problem but not for http://www.cats2u.co.uk . I mentioned about having t e my money transfered to UK £'s and they made it easy by giving me transfer details so i could make payemnt as and when i was ready.

I had e-mailed four times over the two days i waited for my Euros to change to £'s and my e-mails where replied to within as little as three minutes now that's what i call service. Its' a pity the previous company could not be as good as this one. The girls who answered the phone knowing i was calling from Portugal couldn't have been more helpful. So Gary thanks to you and your excellent staff.   

The rich get rich

I noticed that directors often get share options when they start a new position in a new company. It's only when you see just what that means The rich get rich and the rest of use just get on with things.

Today i saw a director take up an option on 850,000 shares and they paid only £0.2179 per share a total of £185,215.00 and then immediately sold them for £1.60p each a total of £1,360,000.00 a difference of £1,174,785.00. To make it worse the person would probably have off shore accounts or some clever way to avoid paying the tax.

If that's not bad it gets even worse, the same person has further options of another 2,827,809 shares value today if sold of £4524494.4.

Not a bad perk for just doing a job, if i wanted to buy the same shares the price as i type this is £1.68p each. 

From the London stock exchange. "A company director exercised an option over 850,000 issued Ordinary Shares held within the Company's Employee Benefit Trust, at an exercise price of 2.719p per Ordinary Share.

The director then disposed of 850,000 Ordinary Shares at a price of 160p per Ordinary Share. Following this transaction, The director has an interest in, via option, 2,827,809 Ordinary Shares, representing approximately 4.24 per cent. of the Company's issued Ordinary Share capital. "

All the above is taken from Published accounts from the  London Stock exchange.

Top or bottom that is the question

Work here in my place in the sun is slow at the moment. A parcel sent from Liverpool was lost because the label was destroyed in an accident but thankfully the matter has been resolved and it has been sent back to the sender to be parcelled up again and then sent back to me. I have even been offered a free delivery for my next parcel so a happy ending to a difficult time waiting for a lost parcel.

While waiting for the glass for my windows i decided to carry on with the bathroom. I had to cut back the wall at each end of the bath. The wall was 138cm wide and the bath is 140cm long but after removing the render from the walls the bath fits, Just.



I had wanted a shower in the corner where the door is and a corner toilet where the bath is but i found out i could have a bath with a shower above.

 I now face a huge dilemma where to put the sink. The one in the corner is on a pipe just so i could see how it's looks. This is really how the bath and toilet should be and i would need to get a sink to go in between the bath and toilet. But the picture above is really how i planned the bathroom to be. 

 
 
The question is do i go for what i want or what would look right???

Top or bottom that is the question

If you know me please get in touch with what you think i should do because i don't have a clue what to do.

Logburner now in position.

Because of delays in getting a parcel delivered due to a problem with the label getting damaged i am waiting for materials to finish jobs i am in the middle of.  But today i got a couple of sections of chimney pipe for my log burner the picture below shows the wall behind that still needs a couple of sheets of plasterboard but that's on order.

The first job now is to cut a whole in the ceiling where the pipe will then go up through the loft space to the roof above.

The loft space should benefit from the heat given of from the pipe and when the space is made into a bedroom it should make the bedroom nice and warm.















For now once the parcel i am waiting for arrives i will have to finish the outstanding jobs.

Peter's RANT

Last week i was having a nice cup of tea in a cafe with friends. While we where talking one said to me that the night before they had been talking about me. Oh nothing bad i hope, no they said and they then told me that of all the English here i was the only one not to moan or complain. That's nice i thought and then thinking about what they said yes it is correct, i am living in the nearest place to heaven so why moan.

Little did they know and here goes. In the village i live in there are only three cars and we park where we want with only three there is no chance of getting in anybodies way until now.

It's August and the owners of all the empty houses come back for a holiday. My neighbour and I started to park out of the way at the bottom of the lane. All was OK for a week until one car to many arrived and things went downhill after that. My neighbour and I parked under a tree out of the way until i went out one day and this new car parked in my place. I was then left to park in the sun now i got angry. When i next went out i as lucky and came back to my spot but to try and show how more cars could park i parked at an angle. My neighbour saw what i was doing and started to park the same and thankfully the new car kept out of the way.

Since the car has now gone along with some of the other visiters myself and my neighbour  have kept to parking as we have started to do because it's so sunny we are under a tree.

Culmac perfect service again.

Some of you may remember when i went back to the UK and got myself a back box for my cars exhaust system. Well i have a problem with the center section but as i am not flying back to the UK i still want the service i have come to expect from a company i have used many times over the years.

The branch i used to used was closed after a huge fire and i had to use another branch but still with perfect service. http://www.culmac.co.uk/ Today i called for bank details so i could make payment and i soon had an e-mail with those details. The time from ordering to paying to sending confirmation of payment was less than 30 minutes all done by bank transfer.

I should say that having to pay by bank transfer is just because the Culmac sell to account holders and the public who walk in to purchase parts for there cars. For than reason i paid by bank transfer.

The Courier http://www.pharosparcel.com on there site said order by 12pm and collection would be today. Having used the same courier many times i know that this evening by 2am the parcel will be south of Paris on it's was to me here in sunny Portugal. 

The cost of the same parts here would cost me over 200€. The cost from the UK including courier to my door £84.27 quite a saving.

9 year old shooting an UZI 9mm

A part of my life in the UK a long time ago was my guns and being a member of a gun club. I was a member of a gun club and until Tony Blair stole my guns from me i enjoyed my time at the local club.

On the BBC news today i saw a report in America yes again in America guns. But in the report was a short video of a 9 year old child being shown how to shot a gun. Not just any gun a Uzi 9mm, the instructor was shown changing the gun from single shot to fully automatic.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28948946

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28958364

When i used to shot my Uzi i would use both hands to make shooting more comfortable. To allow a small 9 year old child to shoot a gun without the strength of an adult if foolish.

Sadly the recoil was such on full auto the child couldn't control the recoil and the instructor died of a head wound. It was also reported that there is a age limit of 8 years of age at this club. Children as young as 5 years old are allowed under supervision can shoot a 22 calibre rifle.

Who needs an English builder?

Today a friend had a builder start work in replacing his roof. At 8am this morning they started to remove the old roof tiles. A total of 4 men worked on the roof and by 5.30pm the old roof was removed and the roof had a foil backed covering and then metal instead of wooden battens fitted. Half of the front roof and all of the rear had been done as the pictures show.

All to often i see and hear people asking about English builders or English speaking builders wanted. This is the second time these builders have been back to work on this house.

I am getting the same builder to skim the gable wall on my veranda, the reason being that i want a better finish as i use my veranda quite a lot so i want a better finish. 

Ooops

While i was looking at a picture of my family at the river bar i noticed something that looked a little odd. I enlarged the picture and below is a part that i edited for my Blog.

We all had a laugh at the time so i decided to share it and i do hope you find it as funny as we all did.