Complete memory loss

Some time ago i rescued my Orange, Lemon and Lime tree from my bit of land across the lane from my house. Passing the land today i looked up for no reason at all but i noticed my Plum tree was laden with Plums, happy days.

Sadly this branch broke under the weight of fruit i had to hold the branch up for the picture.

Not a huge tree but i have hope for the coming years for more fruit.

Just a small bunch but my bunches and they won't be wasted.

I moved in 7 years ago this month

Seven years ago i moved into my house and at the time at the top of the lane a house was being built. The owner is a German lady called Madeline and we have over the years become good friends. But this is about my Mums 93 birthday where i took some pictures of Mum blowing out her candles.

When i returned back home i met Madeline where she asked for a picture of my Mum so she could do a portrait picture of Mum.

Once when i put the picture on the wall i will change this picture.
I am going to put the picture in my TV room close to me.

Glad i drive here

Driving has been a big part of my life since i passed my test 50 years ago. Going from the days when there was room on the roads to drive without fear of something happening.

Ok this may be extreme but thankfully nothing like this happens here in Portugal. Portugal where you can safely drive to your destination at a comfortably speed. Driving in the UK is not for me now the pleasure has gone from driving there.

Doesn't that child ever play

About 40 years ago i would take my first daughter round to see my Mum and Dad. One day my Dad said " doesn't that child ever play " my reply was yes all of the time. My Dad explained that every time he saw Sarah she was always clean. I have looked back so many times over the years and i could understand just what my Dad had said and why.

Now forward 40 years today i received some pictures of my new granddaughter Bronx.

I know i can post pictures of my Little granddaughter on my Blog but today i felt i had to ask. Reason you can't see but she does have a nappy on but that's not how the picture looks. That's the reason i asked before i posted the picture. What a happy little girl but thinking back i don't remember Sarah looking like this covered in breakfast and looking happy.

The hot weather was hot But

The how weather was hot and uncomfortable But there is always an answer. I could have switched on the aircon but i didn't because i had lots to do. I have a nice cool workshop under my house where i work now on table lamps.
I now have a good selection of Walnut and Chestnut and i am going to be making Unique mirrors.

These are the last that needs to be got ready for finishing with varnish and then ready for sale.












If you look at the one on the left you will see it's made out of strips of wood glued together for a totally unique look.

Unknown Region 174

Most days i have a look to see how many people have viewed my Blog and where they are looking from. Over a third of the countries on the planet at some time have read my Blog but today. A new country has arrived i haven't checked the news yet but i can see they are using Firefox for the browser. Also they are using Linux as there operating system both just like me.

If this is not a new country could it be that the hidden place refereed to in the media as the Dark Net could this be the answer?

Unknown Region     174

Portugal                     26

Firefox 185 (86%)

	Linux   174 (80%

I Have moaned before about ingredients

It's been a while since i commented about the ingredients on the label of a sandwich on a British Airways flight.

Today  with temperature at a possible all time high i had 2 bottles of ices tea with me at the market i went to. I started to read the label on the back of the ices tea because the iced tea was not as good as i normally have. These ices teas where Peach flavour but there was little flavour. First was Aqua, Water and that was no surprise and then from concentrate Peach flavor 0.25% a quarter of 1% no wonder it was weak. Then i came to the tea flavour 0.14% the tea flavour was just so weak it had no flavour.

This is one brand i won't have this again.

On Saturday while catching up on some emails

Saturday i was looking out of my window next to my chair when i noticed a lady looking at my house as she walked by. As she walked down the lane she was looking back at the house and veranda. When down at the bottom of the lane she was met by another lady who got out of a car along with the cars driver. I was standing on my veranda looking down the lane when i heard the word veranda. With this i went down the lane to greet them as they where paying attention to my house.

As soon as i asked if they spoke English the driver said yes in very good English. He then explained that the ladies where the ladies i brought my house from Seven years ago. I am sorry but i didn't recognise them  i invited them to come in and see the house. There reaction to all i have done was beyond what i could have expected they where genuinely   pleased for what i have done to there former home.  The home that held many memories both good and bad. One sister refused to go upstairs to see how i changed my loft to a bedroom.

The visit was not a long one but long enough for them to see all i had done. My pride and joy is my Laundry chute to my washing machines in the downstairs. The other mistake i made was that i didn't think to ask to take a picture of use all but it was a memorable meeting.

Seven years today

As the title says it's now Seven since I left Liverpool, actually it's today seven years ago I started my journey down to the ferry and the drive down to what has become my home.

Much has happened over the years mainly to overhauling my house I feel the word renovating is wrong. The reason for this is i am not renovating my house it just needs a timely overhaul to bring it up to date. 

 I will come back to this over the next few days.

Looking through my window

As i sit in my chair watching TV i can see through my window by my front door friends who come to visit. But what i can see and look at often is my dream catcher hanging from the gutter outside. This dream catcher was a present but with the weather the way it have been you can see it was quality because nothing the weather has done has damaged the Dream catcher.

Sadly the wind chimes didn't last like the Dream Catcher the weather rotted the cord that held the Chimes together and it just broke up and the parts of the chimes just dropped and rolled down the hill and where lost. The friend who gave me the Chimes and Dream catcher sadly is no more.

I was a butcher many years ago

A long time ago i was a butcher and i must admit times then where happy. I enjoyed Thursdays and Friday morning most. These days where the preparation for the weekend trade. My job was to split the lambs for display in the windows and the occasional Pig but this would just be for joints and Chops ect.

For the Pigs we had a special double hook to hold the Pig for cutting, well look at the picture below at what i found today.

Here where i live this would be used to hang the Pig from it's legs i used a stainless steel double hook but i can see this would work just the same. I found this in the cellar of the house being renovated close to my house. Seeing this did bring back lots of memories and good memories.

Even the veranda has been set in

I went down today to see a house lower down the village from my to see how the renovating was coming on. As the outside wall was taken down and a new floor was to be built. Before the new outside wall was to be built but not before the base for the veranda was installed at the same time.

The steel cage in the middle is for a concrete pillar to be built in the corner 

Here we are a few hours later and nearly half the beams are in place. Where they look to be to long they are in fact the veranda. The veranda will be 1.3 metres or about 4 and a half feet wide.

The blocks are in place to space out the floor beams before they are filled in. On top will be 50mm of  a cement screed to level the floor.

The steels have to be shaped

I am helping to get a house renovated and take regular pictures for the owners and here are just a couple i would like to share with you. A wall that was in a bad condition has been taken down to be rebuilt. Before it's built it has to have steel rebar put in for strength

This is after the wall was taken down ready to be rebuilt.The far corner that is black has now been taken down ready for building. What a stunning view from what will be the bedrooms.

This may look strange but what it is for is to bend all the angles for the reinforcing steels for the wall.

What a waste of time

There is a house in my village that is being renovated. The top of the wall in the picture below has a mains electric cable attached that needs to be removed by the electric company EDP.
I started by going to an Office in Arganil because it's closer to my home. Even though the lady doesn't.speak English we seemed to have got the request to have the cable taken down. This was a waste of time because nobody came to remove the cable and the job stopped.

Next I went to Lousa because I know the lady in the EDP office speaks English. This time I was given between 10 and 20 days well guess what 20 days passed without anybody coming near. This time I went online and filled the complaints book in and visited the office in Lousa again not once but twice.

I made one last visit this week and after a long phone call from the lady in the office to whoever she spoke to she said they will contact me next week. Before she finished the call she checked my phone numbers so I have hope but after what has happened up to now I will just have to wait and see.

A new market

i knew about a new market starting the first Saturday of each month. I had hoped the people would have advertised properly but even though I arrived early I was the only one to turn up. After a while I drove of to a friends for a cup of tea and my plan was to go back a little while later. A little while later I went back to find only one person had arrived and pitched up. Looking on Facebook and an advertising site I found that the event had not been advertised so what a waste of my time.

The week before the market was due to start i looked on the 2 most popular Expat Forums where you can advertise also on E-Beira an advertising site and lastly on the markets Facebook. The markets Facebook now has mentions about the market but the week before it had nothing until the 5th July 2 days before the start.

I turned up at the market with all my Spices and had the market been advertised on the media mentioned above then i expect it would have been better attended. I do hope that in future the market gets the support and becomes popular like the one at the George & Dragon on the N17.

The only advertising i have seen was a note drawn up for the customers who use the bar.
ExpatsPortugal
Expatsfocus
E-Beira
Facebook
These would have been a good help






 Girassol CAFE

5 July ·

Dont forget this coming Saturday we are having a car boot sale at the cafe cars 5.00 euros or a table inside 3.00 euros
10.30 to 5pm
Food available

I went to the cafe yesterday on my way back from Coimbra for a cup of tea as i normally do. I omitted to mention that although when i left the new market there where only 3 people using the tables in the restaurant.   The reason i drove of was really because someone i didn't want to see arrived and seeing her was a shock so i left. I went back over an hour later and i met a number of friends and one person who had set up her stall. Not expecting that the person i didn't want to see was still there i turned away as she left the cafe. Shortly after i left and went home. I have my reasons why i didn't want to see the person and that's my business.

Windows done

The last few weeks i have been unwell so i haven't got any work done in the house for obvious reasons. Saturday i got started again as i now feel OK.

 The upright on the right of the picture has not been glued as i ran out of glue but that's a five minute job.

This window is now complete and all i need now is to remove the shutters and window and fit a new window.  I have one more window to complete in the bedroom next door to the TV room.

This is the room all cleaned up but not how i want it. As soon as i make up my TV unit i will move back into this room.

Coming back from Liverpool with Bronchitis

Most of my adult life i had suffered from a bad chest during most of the year. But after being here for a good while i noticed and so did my Mum that i was no longer suffering with a cough. It was pointed out that where i lived the air was clean and free from pollution.

I have been back now for a month and in that time i have developed a very bad cough. About a week ago i had a very bad night and thought it was time i went to the Doctors. Unlike the UK i needed no appointment you just turn up and see your Doctor  the cost was 4.50€. Within 10 minutes i was called to see Triage nurse, first because he had heard me coughing he came out with a mask i had to wear during my time with the triage nurse and the doctor. It was a small price to pay to be able to go to the Doctors without the need for the appalling appointment system the people in the UK have to endure.

Having a system like in Portugal where you pay to see the doctors makes sure your need to see the doctor  fulfilled and not time wasted.

Imagine the outcry What we have to pay to see the Doctor. Things like I paid my national insurance all my life. Your Mother or Father Daughter or Son may have a genuine need for an appointment and 12 Million appointments missed in a year.

No appointments are missed in Portugal and can you see the reason WHY.

No-show patients waste time of one GP for each surgery every week

Around 12 million appointments are missed each year, costing the NHS £160 million annually, because patients do not keep appointments 

Taken from the Telegraph Feb 6, 2015

BBC you got it wrong

For years i have watched and read the news on the BBC because it seemed fair  in it's reporting or they made it look that way. Till today

I know this turn in the road because i turned here to go to the market at Figeuro Dos Vinhos some time ago in 2017.
I used this picture because it's a turn to market i had made many times and it's known person to me.

A picture from a drone no doubt

This is the road where 11 people from the same village died a Third of the population died that day

What you see above was the aftermath of looking into the gates to Hell.  What do the BBC say about a fire on the moors they say Apocalyptic as bad as when the Sun said Liverpool fans robbed and urinated on there fellow fans at Hillsbourgh football ground. Anything for a cheap headline cheap but not accurate a bad fire but not Apocalyptic.

Where is the apocalyptic fire where is the danger that i saw in the area i live.












Does that look more dangerous than the fire in the top picture????

Here is a BBC reporter doing his job reporting just what he found and an honest report.


















This how it's done in Portugal or at least in the area i live.We have water tanks all over the countryside like the one in the picture below. In the picture on the left you can see another tank being built the land was donated my my neighbour.

I had a pillar that need attention

After cutting a whole in a wall I had a difficult job getting old chestnut to cap off one part of the opening I had cut. I made a panel up out of parque flooring but I didn't want the edging on show because it didn't look right. I first made up a test piece of how I wanted to make the moulding look but first I had to cut and shape a piece of the profile to look.

Cutting the profile was no easy task because a professional would have moulding tools or machines. Because I was only cutting a small piece of wood to put up in position to see that what idea I had in my head would look how I had figured it would. To mould a piece almost 2 meters long was beyond what I could cut but I have a friend who had the machine I needed so of I went. After a little practice I got just what I wanted and after a good varnish it looks as I had planned.

Advertising how far does it have to go

have you ever considered the subject of advertising. We can't help really because everywhere we go or look we see some form of advert. But how intrusive does advertising get Doctors surgeries, schools, hospitals but just when does advertising get just to much. I recently went by train to Porto airport and on that journey I needed to use the Loo. I was shocked so shocked I took a photo but not till after I was in the Gents on my own. Look at the picture below and yes that is a some kind of video display on the urinal yes right in front of me an advert moving and in full colour. How of was that, it's not something you expect to find when you go to the loo.