New Year is fast approaching

This is my last post of the year I have had a great year and I have been lucky to get so much done. New year is fast approaching and it's time too look back with pride at what I have done. The year has had its highs and also a few low points but as I reflect back I can say I am proud of what I've done this year. On a personal point the year is tinged with a little sadness but sometimes good come from bad and the coming year may see only good.

So I will finish by wishing all my Reades a very  Happy New 2016

Christmas is cancelled till February

Christmas this year has been cancelled this year.

Last year I had arranged with my son that I would have Christmas dinner with him and his fiancée and her family and also New Year. Well this year I have a lady in my life and I would like to spend Christmas with her but it just won't work. I am needed in so many places by so many people how do I divide myself between everybody. This is what's planned and at the end why.

Christmas Day I will have dinner with my son and at night I go to my ladies daughters home for the evening now that doesn't sound to bad but. Between dinner and night I have a job taking just because I don't drink and drive my granddaughter and daughter have asked if I would take the over to the other side of the river Mersey for the evening.

I have been asked by my granddaughter if I would drop her off on Boxing Day for a sleep over at her friends. Then my daughter asks me if I would drop her of to her friends Oh to be so wanted. As a parent I can't say no because if they can't turn to me who can my family turn to. There mother well let's say that's another story but come the 11th February 2016 my lady and I will have a Christmas to remember. 

Christmas dinner will be a Turkey dinner and with all the trimmings followed by Poached pears for desert poached in red wine and a very expensive Cognac. To finish will be my famous alcoholic Christmas cake covered in flaming Cognac. I am even taking Christmas crackers back for our dinner

But for now I wish all who read my ramblings over the last year a Wonderful Christmas and an Amazing New a Year to you all.

More rain and more rain

'Early this year around mid January I drove back from the UK in the rain and more rain. Well Monday night I got of the ferry at Portsmouth to rain and that was the start of the journey back to Liverpool. First I had a customs stop just a brief " is this your vehicle sir " you have seen it on TV programs answer Yes, did you pack everything yourself but I didn't mind as I think they had a couple of new trainees and after a few minutes I was on my way in the rain. 

All went well till I came to the junction where you go on the M6 toll or the normal M6 but some bright spark decided to close of the exit to the normal M6. This gave a choice of M42 or the M6 toll road and pay for them closing of the road ahead. So I carried on along the M6 toll and when it came time to pay it was only £3.80 so it wasn't to bad.

As I carried on I became aware of a car at the side of me and the passenger looking at me. Next they where behind me then in front, the car was a late model BMW. Their happened blue lights it was an unmarked police car and he had a sign saying to follow him and this I did. When we came to a stop the passenger came over and politely ask if this was my car. I replied "yes mate a scouser in a Portuguese registered car I sad" he could tell I was being light hearted. I said sorry but yes it is my car he then asked a series of questions. First how long have you been here I replied since 9.15 tonight I have just got of the ferry at Portsmouth. Next question am I here to work, I replied if you mean looking after my granddaughter fir two weekends then yes if that is work. 

The police officer then went on to say that now they have powers to tackle all the foreign drivers on the UK roads with tax etc. I offered my Portuguese driving licence in case he had reason to verify my reason for being here, he went to the police car and suppose that he checked DVLA that my UK licence had been surrendered for a Portuguese licence. Why can't the Portuguese Police do the same, where I liver there are many who just injure the rules but that's another story.

Anyway I got on my way still in the rain when I read signs saying Jun 18 to JUN 19 on the M6 was closed. Not what you want at 3am on Monday morning in the rain. I was lucky that there where so many Lorry's going North that I just followed then from Jun 18 cross country to Jun 19 and back on route again. Now I was back on my way north and to Liverpool if you think that's the end of the story wait for the last bit.

The one thing I miss is fresh cream cakes and each time I come back before I get to where I am I going I go and get a couple of fresh cream cakes and sit in my car and eat them and after  a long drive it does feel good. Well this is what happened Next I went into Asda and got myself a couple of cream cakes I then had to get a couple of litres of oil and that was it go to the car but. As it was early morning all the staff where filling the shelves and there was nobody to man the cash outs. A pet hate of mine is the automatic cash tills that you have to do every think yourself. I asked for an assistant but none could be found and I was advised to go to the automatic tills. Automatic Tils do not create jobs they take jobs away so I will not go to the automatic tills so I put my good down and walked out. So I drove to another Asda some miles away and again the same thing happened when I asked for the duty manager that was a waste of time. Speaking to the duty manager would like talking to a brick wall so again I walked out and I gave up on my fresh cream cakes.

Later on the day that arrived in Liverpool I went back to another Asda to buy my fresh cream cakes I was served by a nice lady and It was great to be served by a human. I have looked forward to this moment for such a long time and after all that happened my fresh cream cakes tasted so good.

On a big adventure and what do i do

Well it's that time of year when Christmas is coming. Last Christmas i was invited back to share Christmas and new year again with more family members. But this year has posed a problem as i now have a lady in my life who lives in Liverpool. How do i share myself with Christmas dinner at one house New years Eve party at another and with the lady in my life. Along with all this is seeing my Mum and Looking after my granddaughter for two full weekends so her Mum can have a break.

I am lucky to have found someone who is very understanding. Remember the old story of King Solomon who had to decide which of the two women was the mother of a baby.  Well i find that how do i share my time and keep all parties happy.

Maybe i will tell you after the New Year how things turned out.
 

Fire but no good for me now

A friend recently had an accident in his car with a wild pig. He needed shock absorbers and a couple of wheel rims to replace those that had been damaged. There is a scrap yard not to far away but unlike one that i remember in Liverpool. All the parts are in fact stored on shelves and the main assistant is a girl in her 20's and she certainly knew her job and where everything was.

While my friend was being served i saw a very rusty round log burner the type you see in cowboy films. This is the type of log burner i wanted but i was unable to find when i came to buy mine. I to a chance and for a few Euros te fire was mine but how to you get rid of all the rust.

In Liverpool i knew of a firm who does sand blasting and as i am driving to Liverpool next week that was what i was going to do until. After leaving the scrap yard we then went to see the guy tasked with repairing the damaged car. After inspecting the parts i showed him my find from the scrap yard and i asked if sand blasting was a service that is found her in Central Portugal. I had never heard of sand blasting since i first came here in 2007 to now. I was told that the  people who supply Granite are the people to ask so of i went this morning.

The owners son speak quite good English and as soon as i told him what i wanted all he said was OK let me see. I told him i was leaving on Sunday to go to Liverpool and i would not be back till January.  To my surprise he said to come back later in the day and i found that the log burner was done and looking quite beautiful. The cost for the work was only 20 Euro and to me that was about half what i would pay in the UK.

For the cost of a tin of a spray paint made to be used on fires so i soon got to work on the painting. The pictures below show what a beautiful fire it has turned out to be, pity i already have one.

This really is a beautiful top much better than my modern log burner.

  
This is just what i wanted a long time ago pity i can't use it now so it will have to be sold.

One last job almost complete before christmas.

For weeks now i have been resting my knee since i got back from a trip to Liverpool, but being idle has really annoyed me as i have lots of jobs i want to complete.

I picked up some timber from my friend Chicco so i could complete the surround round the doors into both bedrooms. Between the two doors there was a piece of wall about 10 inch's wide that even with my skills i couldn't plaster to save my life. As you can see i decided to use timber and although the enclosed picture shows everything in place i now have the job of rubbing the timber down till it's got a nice smooth finish. Then a few coats of clear varnish to preserve the look of the wood.

The picture shows that everything has been cut and clamped into position. The door frames have now been shaped to take the sharp corners away. The moldings have been jointed and now once the varnishing has been done that's another job completed.






I do think that the timber between the doors looks better than if i had tried to plaster the wall between the doors. To complete the job i have planed a narrow shelf to fit across the top of the doors.

Now that's what I call warm

It took a long time before I installed my log burner fire. It's nice when I have a log burner Light it makes for lounge Nice and warm I also have my bedroom door open and the bedroom becomes nice and warm as well. I've just taken a photograph of my air-conditioning unit as it shows for me the temperature of the room. I've just taken a photograph of my air-conditioning units and the temperature is 33° that's warm and comfortable.