Apple the dominaters

I have an Ipad mini now quite old but still perfect for my everyday needs. I also have an old Iphone that again does everything i could need. 

So what is my moan first  because of the age of both my Ipad and Iphoone i can't use Revolut to transfer money into EUROS from the UK to Portugal.

Kindle has dissapeared from my Iphone and Whattsapp. A while ago an app i used to measure the amount of steps to took each day you guessed that dissapeared as well.

All that i can live with but now the Ipad started to give a message that the charger was not original and may not work correctly I just ignore that. Now my trusty Iphone ir doing the same telling me that the charger is not original and may not work correctly.

What has my Ipad and Iphone got to do with Apple both devices are now longer under Guaranteeso are Apple spying on my devices. Who knows to that question i don't use Safari and haven't used it for years using a browser of my choice.

A trip to the Notary

 I used the money i inherited from my Mum wisely well i think i did. I have wanted to buy the ruin next door to me for a long time to build a veranda at the side of my house. The thing that put me of was the cost of the Legal fees. A friend of mine complained about the cost of legal charges for a small house he found in the same village as i live. After complaining he got a reduction in the cost of his legal fees.

After this experience and before i asked a local lawyer to act on my behalf i asked what others had done. I spoke to a local carpenter what knows someone who's fee was very reasonable so i contacted the lady. Turns out i have known the lady from before i came to live here.

 A bit about her.

I had the help from a friend called Raquel who i am lucky has been my friend about 10 years and many more to come. Although Raquel is not a Lawyer she performs the act the same as a lawyer would at the Notary. Raquel does all the legal work that a lawyer does by for a more affordable price. Would i recommend her you can be sure i would and i have a good friend in the who is waiting to use her services as soon as he gets over here. 

Her email is raquel1stop@gmail.com for get service in this area feel free to call her and mention me Spicepete

I pinched an idea

 I saw an episode of Grand designs New Zealand some time ago and i pinched an idea from the show. The house owner had someone come all the way from Holland to do some wood work for his house.

What it is well it's a series of squares glued together and they are made from Plywood. To show the pattern of the plywood i used a clear varnish to seal the wood. 

I am going to paint all the side in a nice shade of Black

My Little Bronx is sick

 Today i heard from my daughter that my young Granddaughter was in Hospital with Sepsis. Bronx has her health issues just like most children her age but Sepsis on top did upset me. 

At the moment i am sat here in Portugal and there is nothing i can do. I am waiting for my second Covia vaccine and going back to the UK when i would have to self isolate would stop me from going to see her.

Her older sister will send me pictures and videos so i will get to see her but i can't help but worry.

So what's happened during the last few months

Here in Portugal markets have closed since bout November 2119. So as the Spices man what have i been doing with my time. In a word not a lot to date.

I have been working on my Lathe but as wood run out there was not a lot that could be done. I made a cutting board for one of my sons but soon stopped it because of Brexit i would have to pay tax to ship it to Liverpool. Then the Customs in the UK would want Customs duty on a piece of wood sent to my son.

Now the EU and the UK have a Gift system in place for people to send a Gift up to £45 from the 1st July so lets see how this works.

I made lots of Table lamps, Bowls and platters as well as cutting boards. Some cutting boards are in the shape of countries for example, Africa, Australia and Portugal and Spain.

I used the time to increase my stock of Spices ready for when the markets start again. Because of Brexit i no longer buy from my usual supplier in the UK but i buy from the EU now. I have found suppliers in Spain, Germany and Hungary. Buying from Hungary i am now able to get the best Smoked paprika so i am very happy i just need a market to start selling my Spices again.

It was a great day and thanks to my Mum.

My Mum passed away a little while ago and is very sadly missed.

I like the rest of my family was left some money on Mum's passing. I carefully saved this money because i knew what i wanted the money to be used for. 

Next door to my house in Portugal is a Ruin and a small Olive grove that ruin is now mine and thanks MUM R.I.P

I had the help from a friend called Raquel who i am lucky has been my friend about 10 years and many more to come. Although Raquel is not a Lawyer she performs the act the same as a lawyer would at the Notary. Raquel does all the legal work that a lawyer does by for a more affordable price. Would i recommend her you can be sure i would and i have a good friend in the who is waiting to use her services as soon as he gets over here. 

Her email is raquel1stop@gmail.com for get service in this area feel free to call her and mention me Spicepete

The side of the house will in time have a veranda across the whole of the back of the house. The back of the house gets the sun all day i don't think it will join up to my present veranda i just want them separate.  

My present veranda i did most of the building work myself but i did get a builder to tile the floor and to skim the walls.

 This is my house as seen through the Olive grove.

These Olive trees are quite large and very mature.

Another view through the Olive grove.

Lets get started again

 Hi Everybody i am back but let me explain.

Some time ago i passed a comment how i was the fist in my family to have passed my driving test first time. I was first in my family from my Mum and Dad's children but that wasn't the point of the comment. 

What the comment meant was from my Two wives, four children and four grandchildren this is my family. From my family i was the first to pass the driving test first time.

Sadly one of my brothers and sisters left a rather nasty comment on my Blog. I have since blocked this person and wish not to receive any further comments from them.

Maybe they could have been first in there family but i will say i don't care.

Warning have been given

 Ahead of us is the fire season. Warning have been given to help provide protection from fire in the months ahead.

A neighbour offered to cut all the undergrowth for me and on Saturday he turned up and got started cutting the land. After showing him my land markers he got started with his strimmer.

I know that you can't make a piece of land fire proof but you can do the best you can. This is my estate all about 180 m ok only small but it's mine, you can see the front of the wall all the undergrowth but that's cut now.

The village has life

 At the ungodly hour of just after 8am this morning i was woken up by a noise. At first i couldn't figure out what the noise was at first.

As my brain started to function i made out the noise of People strimming and strimming does sound bad first thing in the morning.

Because of the risk to fires all villages have been cleaned by the local camara all the growth at the side of the roads gets cut back. After it get cut the village does look so much better till it grows back again. 

Normally a guy comes along with a blower to blow everything into a pile to be taken away. Today for the first time in almost 1101 years a woman come along but she just brushed all the cuttings onto someones land. 

All this grass cutting dumped on someones land increases the risk of fire. When i started to take pictures with my Ipad the woman soon stopped.

As soon as i went back inside it all started again.

Now they are blowing all the cuttings onto someones land waiting for a fire to start.

Sorry about the title but to me the end came on the 11th March 2021. I used the last of my stocks of Extra mature cheddar cheese, each day i would have 2 poached eggs and i would put some cheese in my poacher before i added the egg. 

I would have two pieces of thick home made bread toasted. A perfect breakfast to start anybodies day. Yes at Lidl i can get cheese from Northern Ireland. As cheese goes it's not bad but this is the end of 10 years almost of having my choice of cheese for breakfast. 

Boris you have a lot to answer for.

 

Here is a picture of my last packet of pre Brexit cheese that has now gone. 

If you have an egg poacher try putting some cheese in first and then the egg. Mmmmm

This virus

 Wanting to stay safe has a cost by staying in keeps me from putting myself at risk of the Virus. I go out shopping around lunch time the idea is that people are at home having lunch. 

I feel a little safer going out then to do my shopping and as the shops don't look to busy i may be right.

About the only thing i am able to do is use my lathe and i am slowly using what wood i have that i can use.

I am sorry but little has been happening lately there is nowhere open that i can get some wood from.

This was a few days work when i was really not feeling my best.

I ordered Epoxy resin from Germany instead of the UK where i would have normally got it from. I made up some epoxy and cut a grove in the rim of the bowl/platter and put some blue epoxy in it.

These did give me a boost at a time when i was feeling low.

Not just black epoxy resin but some mahogany as well. Well i need to try and keep busy until it's safer to go out.

I'm from Liverpool and proud of it.

I often get asked at markets i attend if i am English i always answer no i say i am from Liverpool. Why everybody has heard of liverpool but who has heard of Walsall or Dudley.

I have a couple of pictures to share and the first is of the Anthony Gormley statues on the beach at Grosby.

This year someone had been and put T shirts or jumpers and hats on the Statues. 

That's Anthony smiling no not the Anthony Gormley statue but another Anthony.

Anthony has a company that makes glass Splashbacks and much of his work is pictures on splashbacks. If you can imagine a picture of on a splahsback Anthony could create it for you.

 https://liverpoolsplashbacks.com/

 

 

This is St Georges Hall now you see why Liverpool is special. Liverpool has more grade one and grade 2 listed building outside of London than any other UK city. Liverpool even has a bombed out church grade 2 listed and very special it is.

 

From the old and famous Liverpool to the new modern. It's Superlambanana

This is sure to bring a smile to anybody who see's it and this is outside of a university building. The superlambanana has been breeding at present there are about 100 smaller but colourfull versions and some around the city centre.

I now have a door on my bathroom

 When i built my bathroom i decided to move the door but i never had a door until now. After making the sliding door for my spare bedroom it had to be another sliding door. This door is made out of my favourite wood Chestnut. I have now finished the door and it looks every bit as good as i hoped it would. My next job is to make the same type of door for my lounge. Just look at that beam above the door that's stunning. 

Now to finish the door i need to make the wall in the front and finish of the front of the doorway.

 

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.