This is only part of the story. I am working on Part two.

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.