A year in my Life.
Well here we go. It
started on the 1st August 2011 when I arrived in a town called Gois
in Central Portugal. On Friday the 12th 2011 I signed and became a
house holder in my place in the sun. As it was late in the afternoon
it was to late to move in so it had to wait till the Saturday morning
of the 13th. Who says the 13th is a bad number not me. Moving in went
without a hitch and the next few days where taken up with unpacking
and putting things away.
The first thing I did
was to start work on the Kitchen as that was the room I wanted to do
first. In the corner was a huge chimney vent and it was hideous, so
it had to go. This was my biggest single mistake because what I found
was that it was an integral part of the ceiling. As I cut it down the
ceiling started to move and caused me to remove a whole section. The
ceiling was made of concrete beams with concrete blocks between and I
had disturbed two beams and three rows of blocks. Well I got over
that problem and it took an incredible time to do but I did it all on
my own and I am glad to say is now complete with only 3 bulbs to fit
and it's done.
The house is made from
single skin of brick and as such the house is cold in the winter but
I have an air con unit so it's just a matter of pressing the remote
and the place soon warms up. But in the lounge there was a door in
the corner that was like a huge radiator doing nothing to keep out
the cold but radiate cold. I would like in this corner to have a log
burner for the next winter so for now I insulating material and put a
sheet of plasterboard over the door and that solved a big problem of
cold. Now when I insulate the external walls of the lounge on the
inside the door is already done I am blocking it up for good. All I
have to do is cover the walls with plasterboard with insulation on
the back and that will insulate the walls that face the outside. That
is a job for the coming months as I have already started it and it
will soon be finished.
When I moved in there
was a cooker that looked like it had seen better days and three gas
bottles. He cooker cleaned up quite well so it was OK for cooking on.
My new cooker and hob remain in there boxes until I finish work
building my kitchen. On gas bottle had a little gas in and that
lasted for about three weeks of cooking and then I had to buy my own
refill at a cost of 25€. The price was a bit scary as I didn't know
how many I would need over the space of a year. My third bottle is
still going strong after a year so the cost of cooking and a bit
heating as atone point I put the bottle in gas heater a few times,
the cost for a year has only been about 75€ for all my cooking and
a bit of heating not bad value.
My first water bill was
a shock and a pleasant shock 4.88€ for a month but now it's gone up
a lot and i am paying at year end 6.07€ so for a year that's been a
little under 70€ for a years water Wow. Electric I have changed all
light bulbs for Low energy and when I get to use the kitchen they are
LED and they are cheaper than the Low energy bulbs I use now. At
times my computers are on 24 hours a day when I have lots to
download. My first electric bill was 48€ for a month and at it's
worst it was 58€ a month now that's not bad considering I have had
for a while when I needed it air con for my heating. Phone and
Internet per month include free calls at the weekend is 30€ and by
paying by direct debit you get unlimited downloads a bargain. Rates I
haven't had to pay yet I am told are about 50€ per year.
Water 6.07€ per month
Phone / Internet 30€
per month
Electric 58€ per
month
Rates 50€ per year
That's all incredible
imagine if you where paying those prices in the UK.
The main things really
have been outside I wanted chickens so I set to work making secure
the chicken house over on what I call my estate. After that I built
on a space so they could come outside and have somewhere to run
around. I watched them from small chickens to almost ready to start
laying eggs. Over three months or more I had watched them and I was
so proud of what I had done until one morning when coming out they
normally make such a fuss but this morning they didn't all was quiet.
Like a fool I thought I had got out without them hearing me. As I
approached them I could see a mass of feathers all over where they
used to run around. Two where dead one missing and two cowering in
the corner injured. I couldn't tell at this point what was wrong with
them but over a couple of days I could see them with blood all over
there necks. One of the remaining hens died after two days and then
No6 the cockerel was the last to go. I found a hole under the fencing
that I thought was secure. It's a bit late now but it is secure with
stones all around the inside fence and on the outside more stones but
with cement mixed in with it and broken glass. The top of there run
is also covered in chicken wire so that part is ok and that's why
they would normally come in and out when they wanted. I don't know
what more I can do but each night there door will be locked when they
are in, so they will have to wait for me to open the door for them
each day so I will have to start to get up earlier than I do now.
I have never grown
anything in my life before so starting now at my age is something
new. Started by getting a few trees two black cherry, an orange, a
lemon and a lime. I know the cherry will take a couple of years
before it bears fruit but I can wait. They all seem to be doing well
new leaves etc. But the Lemon tree seems to be ok and is laden with
fruit. The Lime and the Orange have developed fruit but after a
little while the fruit has dropped of. On the Orange tree new flowers
have blossomed so maybe I will get some oranges after all.
I have grown in a small
piece of ground my first ever crop of potatos and I am sure that had
the ground been used before then there would have been a better
chance of a good crop. From 10 / 12 plants I got over two 5lb bags
so I can't complain. At the side of the potatoes I have a tomato
plant, three chilli plants, two red cabbage plants and a load of
strawberries. But even though they seem to be doing well the ground
they are in has just been over grown for many years. Over the winter
I will get loads of manure and compost into the spoil and I am sure
that next year I will get a much better crop that I got this year.
In pots I have
tomatoes, chilli, peppers and green beans growing all could have been
better but with the condition of the soil even though I put compost
in the return was a little disappointing but worth the work involved.
Next year the soil will be so much better than I have had this year
this year has been about leaning and I have been doing that all the
time.
Up on my estate that's
what I call my land I have built two raised beds. Due to the land
being so steep my beds look just like horse jumps but behind them I
have been building up compost from all the plant matter that I have
pulled up, some is like a kind of heather / bracken and all my
kitchen waste everything from potato peeling to orange skins you name
it it's in my raised beds.
When I left school I
started my working life as a butcher. I still have those skills today
and I do use them. My last meal of this my first year turned out to
be one of my best. Gone is the steak etc and I have used lots of
belly pork, shanks, goat and turkey thighs. It was the turkey thigh
that I made my last meal of the year. I boned out the thigh and
stuffed it with chopped carrot and broad beans and breadcrumbs and
rolled it with the skin on. Next I boned the leg and cut the flesh
into strips. The strips where used for a curry. The rolled jointed
was put in my Targine with sliced potatoes, carrot, onion and broad
beans, a teaspoon of Oregano and a half teaspoon of both Coriander
and Cinnamon. Salt and Pepper to complete the seasoning. The Targine
when into a preheated oven on low and the Targine was in for 3 hours.
I wasn't prepared to how the meal came out as it was the first time I
used a Targine apart from a chicken casserole. Without I made my last
meal of the year my best and I feel so proud that instead of just
cooking what comes easy I constantly challenge myself. My shopping
consists of fresh meat, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. The only
food in packaging is 5kg bags of both Flour for my bread and Rice.
The year has seen me
come from eating all the wrong foods and being over weight to now
eating beautiful fresh food and now much fitter and not so over
weight as I had been.
It's been a marvelous year and i am so proud of what i have achieved so it's the start of the next year.
