How reasuring

 I have just had a message sent to me from a friend who lives near to me. This is what the local council are doing to help people.

"Stay at home! We do it! ” According to the evolution of the pandemic situation in the country and in the municipality, the Arganil City Council, in partnership with the social network and CLDS4G, recalls that it has at its disposal two lines of contact with the municipal social services, aimed at the elderly and people in isolation and quarantine, with no social response. If you are infected, waiting for a COVID-19 screening test result, or if you had a risky contact with someone infected: Stay at Home! If you need medicines, food and basic necessities, call: 235 200 143 or 924 438 762. We do arrive!

Who's idea was Brexit.

 

Brexit

Who's idea was Brexit.

I like to think when I post on my Blog everything I say is based on Fact.

I have a friend outside of Dover who makes up parcels for me but we missed the deadline for the 1st January. I have quite a number of things ready to be shipped over to me. 

Now everything has to have a Tarrif code and each Tarrif code has a customs/ vat payment that I may possibly have to pay. But this will be happening to anybody who wants to send a parcel to a friend/ or loved one living in the EU.

I also had a parcel from another friend in Norfolk. UPS have collect a parcel that was for me but they arrived a day early. Why someone handed it over before the documents where complete I don't know. The driver just drove off without even scanning the parcel who knows. This parcel I was dealing with the Commercial invoices and then sending them to my friend along with the address label.  

To try and locate my parcel I had to deal with Parcel2go and being fair the seem to be doing the best to get my parcel back for me. In total I sent 18 emails and every item in the parcel has to have 4 commercial invoices. That's 23 item in the parcel X 4 invoices but this will be the last time I but my Spices from the UK. I have found another company in Hungary. 

The main thing I have lost is one thing I have never been without in the last almost 10 years. Asda extra mature cheddar cheese, Lidl have a mature cheddar but it's not like what I have just lost. The EU now don't allow any product from the UK that contains meat or dairy products.

In the news many companies in the EU have declared that they will not deal with customers in there online shops. Who would blame them now with all the added paperwork involved. I won't now deal with UK companies for spices multiply the loss of my sales to the UK. But how many others in the EU who will be looking for other suppliers that's a lot of lost trade. 

Brexit good or bad

Before Britain joining the then Common Market I had to go to Agen in the south of France to repair a gear box on a 32 ton truck.

I arrived in Dover in plenty of time to catch the ferry but I had to book into the Customs first. When it was my turn in the queue I handed my papers to the Customs officer, all the guy did was take the papers and say 5 and I then sat down. I thought I was number 5 in the queue so just sat to wait. A driver next to me asked what number I got I said 5 and asked what it meant was I number 5 in the queue. No the driver said it meant I had to wait 5 hours to be cleared to leave. 

OK so the UK is again outside of the EU does the UK go back to those crazy days or will computers make it easier than before.

I have spent about 8 hours spread over 2 days trying to organise a parcel to be shipped to me. As the lady shipping my parcel to me is not very good with a computer and I often have to do computer things for her I have to arrange for her the Customs declaration.

Today everything in a parcel has to be listed and the Tariff code and description listed on the parcel. That's for every parcel sent from the UK to Europe and the U.K. Government website states that there may be VAT and Customs tariffs to be paid. One item Ras el Hanout has upto 20 different ingredients in it how do I list that on the declaration????

Travel you now need a green card to drive in Europe, sellers now have to comply with the new rules life is going to be more difficult. I use Ebay for lots of things I can't find here in Portugal now I will look else ware. 

I was planning a trip back to the UK in my van to pickup stuff waiting for me with family members. With the new rules I would have to list everything in my van and if I miss anything I risk fines or whatever penalty's I may get.

All the people who voted to leave the EU how many after all recent problems would vote again to leave I suspect not as many.

So for those who vote to go out of the EU some news below 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/duty-free-extended-to-the-eu-from-january-2021

Alcohol

• 42 litres of beer
• 18 litres of still wine
• 4 litres of spirits OR 9 litres of sparkling wine, fortified wine or any alcoholic beverage less than 22% ABV

Tobacco

• 200 cigarettes OR
• 100 cigarillos OR
• 50 cigars OR
• 250g tobacco OR
• 200 sticks of tobacco for heating
• or any proportional combination of the above

 

The first of January

The 1st January comes round every year but this year to me and MY family it's special. It doesn't happen very often but today was my Dad's birthday yes of course it's special because he was 100 years of age today. But this year is a bit more special for him in that Mum is now with him and my elder brother Brian.

God bless you three and may God take care of you.

It's because of the virus

Liverpool city centre at this time of year is full to bursting with people having a good time. As the picture below shows not a soul in sight only the lights that young children would marvel at when being taken to see the lights.

The Radio City tower when it was first built used to be a restaurant but now is a radio station

 

Happy New Year to my

 This is the first year i have wished my grandchildren happy new year on my Blog.

Of the four grandchildren there is one who is a little bit special in one way. Her name is Florence what is so special well let me tell you of my Dad's mother it's Florence.

But of course all my grandchildren are special Chelsee, Sean, Bronx and lastly Florence.

Two sons birthdays

 The 30th of December and the 2nd January are 2 special days for me at this time of year one is my eldest sons birthday and the other is my youngest sons birthday.

I am in Portugal and they are not Apart from wishing them happy birthday that was all i could do. Maybe next year will be better and i hope matters across the world are much better. Some of us have loved ones working in troubled areas and i am thinking of my loved one at this time.

First post of the year

 Well here we are it's now 2021

A new year and after last year lets all pray that this year will be so much better than the last. There was nothing last year that most of use would want to remember.

So please take a minute to think of others who may be worse of than you may be.

It's been and gone for another year

 Seasons greetings to all my readers.

I hope you have all had a great Christmas despite the Virus.

The one thing i hate is looking through the TV channels for something worth watching. Just reruns of things that come on every year but out of all this rubbish came a light something worth taking a look at.

This year i found a program in black and white something old. Towards the end it came into colour this program was 5 hours long and every minute a gem.

This program was called Sounds of the Sixties and from the dawn of time the early sixties. Ritchie Havens, Nice, The Who, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell i could go on.

Are you a music child of the sixties where you sat on a Thursday night to watch Top of the Pops or Friday night Ready steady go. The sixties started the music revolution we wanted music Our music not Joe Loss Alma Cogan or most i can't remember. 

Me i would be laying on the floor with my Reel to Reel tape recorder The Stones, Dylan, Jimi Hendrix or the Who. A tape recorder couldn't show the Crazy world of Arthur Brown and his flaming head dress.

My five hours was like the best part of Christmas for me  .

I hope you had a chance to go back in time to your Youth.

To the kids today i say your music today came from us

.

Being taken back in time

 It's that time of year when you flick through the channels on the TV to find something to watch. Every Santa program is there and the old favourite Home Alone yes they keep bringing that out.

 I am happy with the Sound of the sixties from the BBC with Dylan, the Stones, the Who and my favourite Jimi Hendrix.

Imagine my surprise  to see Woodstock I couldn't get the TV switched over quick enough. The first thing I saw Sly and the Family Stone, who did that take me back. I feel sorry for people who didn't get to see the music of the Sixties.

This film of Woodstock was not the full concert it was more a behind the scenes. About the helicopters with 45 army Doctors, the local towns people who helped out when the food ran out. 

This program showed Jimi playing Star spangled banner, the American anthem but not the full set that he played in the film. Seeing how it was organized all the work that went on kind of made more sense of that weekend in  1969 even more special.

It's been nice typing this letting me go back in time.

Jimi Hendrix

Taken from archived documents that can be found in Woodstock - Back to The Garden, the highest-paid act was guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix, who earned $18,000 to headline the weekend,

It made me feel good

 While i was out today i was parked near a local health center. The health center was closed for the weekend but outside was a Christmas tree. The tree had no chain to stop it from being abused in some way.

I am sure small as this tree may be but in most places this tree would not still be there for people to see and enjoy.

We had the green light

 A couple of days ago permission was given for a market this Saturday But. The forecast is not to good but that;s not stopped me preparing for the big day. As the pictures below show i have been busy over the last few months boards, bowls, platters and my country collection. 

The one things i couldn't get done in time was antique mirror's for another range i have been working on. I can get antique mirror but only from Liverpool but to be fair i haven't looked anywhere else.

 

What a feature to the center of any dinner table. Who could guess the top right???

America and Iberia plus a variety of platters and bowls.

Just three of the Chestnut range and the phone is to give scale to the size of the boards.

Now this is what you call a cutting board a big cutting board, the phone is to show scale.

It's Father Cristmas

Well it's that time of year when i find a father Christmas cartoon. While searching Google found lots of pictures to choose from and just look at the first one. This was my favourite from some time ago.

 

 

Now here is this years cartoon picture of Father Christmas and very topical don't use your phone when driving.

Blood test

 I had an appointment to see my doctor at 8.30 am and duly turned  on time. Expecting to have a long wait i took my Ipad to continue reading. I need to wear glasses for reading so when told to sit and wait for the doctor i went to sit down. 

Glasses out and Ipad on great ready for a good read, no with having to wear a mask my glasses steamed up and i couldn't see. So the Ipad had to be switched of but as i switched the Ipad of my name was called. so off to the doctors room i went. I told him i need a form to go to the clinic to have a full body blood test. A blood test can show early signs of problems so i want to give myself the best chance i can. 

When i left the doctors it was only 8.45am so i went to the Clinic here in Gois. No i am scared of needles but the girl doing the blood test was amazing i would certainly go back t here again.

Now to the local supermarket and then home by 9.35 am

That was a lot to get done in little over an hour.

Going for a blood test is a precaution however i couldn't go to a doctor in the UK and ask for a blood test In the UK i would have paid to have gone to a private doctor and i would expect to pay something in the region of £75 the fee today wa s 5.50€.

Front wall painted

 Now that i have painted the front wall i have to pay attention to where the wall meets the floor.. When we get rain i get water in my workshop and it's time to repair where the rain gets in. 

I intend to cut a channel at the bottom of the wall and then the moss and all the undergrowth will be dealt with.

Soon the wall outside of the house will be finished and then it's the other side of the wall.

After getting very wet when i power washed the front wall i expect to get wet again. 

What's happened to Chicco???

 I have needed wood for projects i have and Chicco is my wood guy of choice. Sadly over the last three weeks i have been to see Chicco now five times and each time he has been closed.

I tried phoning his daughter but no reply. I then tried to email his daughter and the email got sent back because it was no longer in use.

So Chicco what has happened???

I want to buy a ruin

 What fool buys a ruin but most ruins at least have walls etc that with some work they can be made into a house again.

This ruin has only a few walls but they are at the point of falling down. If you look at the 2 pictures you will see the dangerous angle that one of the walls is at. At the side of the wall you can see there is a little lane. There is a house being rebuilt and the builders have to come up and down the lane. 

Also all the roof and floor timbers have collapsed but those timbers are a real fire hazard.

The reason for wanting to buy the ruin is because i can't do repairs to the gable end of my house. A time will come when i can't paint my house because of this ruin.

A huge paint job

 Once the veranda was started to be rebuilt i knew i had to then paint the veranda once finished.

The rest of the outside walls needed painting and now that i have a power washer i have started the job. I am only doing small amounts of the outside walls as they first need cleaning and then i have to wait till the walls dry. 

At the bottom of the walls water gets in and the bottom of the wall needs to be repaired. I will clean out the gap and then fill the gap with cement to stop the water leak before the rains come.

My prescription

 Du to above normal Cholesterol i have been prescribed Statins. I needed a new prescription so i went to the doctors and was told to go back the next day. Two days later i went back but the lady at the reception couldn't find my prescription.

That day i received an text message that because it was in Portuguese i couldn't read it. so i went back again for my prescription and again i couldn't get my prescription because they still couldn't find it. I was asked to take a seat and wait while they looked for my prescription. I took my phone over and because one of the words in Portuguese looked familiar i ask could they tell me what it meant. 

Straight away they said i had to go over the road to the Pharmacy the text was my prescription.

Moral of the story if you get a text similar to the one i received below it may be your prescription.

Receita Sem Papel, 15-11-2020, n. 

2011000052666039801, codigo dispensa 673521 

 e codigo direito opcao 9432; 

Use App MySNS Carteira para aceder a sua receita

This is the translation in English. 

Paperless Recipe, 15-11-2020, n. 

2011000052666039801, exemption code 673521

 and right code option 9432; 

Use MySNS Wallet App to access your revenue

Why haven't you posted for a while

 I recently met a friend but also a ready of my Blog. It was mentioned that i hadn't been posting for a while. Yes it is true but during his Virus i think we are pretty much all the same , What i mean is we want to avoid being at risk of catching the virus.

For me it's been not going to markets and meeting people that's been hard to take. But my time has been taken up with my fish tank. I need to do water changes and with a typical fish tank changing 10% of the water is a simple job. My tank being app 5,000 lt changing 500 lt is a timely task.

I have used up almost all the wood that is suitable for using on my lathe. I look forward to being able to stock up with wood to carry on working.

After getting a power washer i have started cleaning the walls outside of my house and then painting them. This is a long term project and over time the whole house will be cleaned and then painted.

Well that is a little of what i have been doing.

Stay safe.