Happy Birthday

Today I am with my granddaughter Chelsee who enjoys her 16th birthday. I have seen over the year my granddaughter grow up into a beautiful you woman. Chelsee has dreams and ambitions and I hope to watch as she full fills all she want to do with her adult life.

A long time ago I offered Chelsee that I would pay for her and three friends to have a night out. We came to a compromise as Chelsee has to many friends who comes and who gets left out and we settled on a Bouncy castle. Not like a Bouncy castle you jump about looking like some kind of idiot. It turned out to be like a Night club where Chelsee and her friends could dance the night away.

Chelsee surrounded by some of the 18 friends who turned up for her birthday party.

Happy Birthday Chelsee

Spices

My stocks are running low after a successful market on the first Sunday of May. But before I left I was contacted my a restaurant I supply for a large amount of Spices because with me being away so much the needed lots of Spices.

If one supplier stocked all I need life would be easy but sadly I have to use 3 Spice supplies and today I got to go and collect 27 kilo of badly need Spices. I can now get these boxed up and shipped in plenty of time for my return to my home in Portugal. Again I will be using UPS who over the last 4 years have not let me down.

Over the next few days I should get all Spices I am short of. I have ordered a large amount of Saffron, something I normally order 10 X 1g pack due to cost but now due to a good discount I can order plenty so at the markets I will have plenty of Saffron at a really great price.

Sunday a day of rest?

Not this Sunday, this Sunday I was at 9am taking 8 sheets of mirrored glass panels to convert a great Kitchen into a stunning kitchen. I must say I was only helping this was not my job I was just helping.The mirrors where in a smoked grey colour against a background of high gloss black units. I should add I was helping one of my sons who's job it was to convert the look of the kitchen.

What was special was the kitchen was for a Premier league football player and his wife. I would like to name the player or his team but that would not be right. What I can say in one of the units we had to move where a number of bottles of Champagne with " Player of the match and also Player of the month "





When I had my business in Liverpool amongst my customers where an Everton FC player Stuart Barlow. Ex Everton manager Joe Royal who I went to school with. But I was proud to have the great Colin Harvey as a customer. Now a current premier team player not bad for name dropping but don’t forget my friend and Sugarbabe Heidi Range. Now who’s a boring name dropper.

Empty Metro station

My flight back to the UK was at 9.30am on a Monday morning. To get to the airport would be difficult with the train times so it was better to stay in a hotel and get the Metro to the airport in the morning. To make sure I would get my flight I checked the Metro times and the first Metro was at 6am.

I was up in plenty of time to get to the airport but what I didn't expect was that I would be the first in the Metro. The station was not just quiet but empty and it reminded me of a trip to Universal Studios Florida when the underground had an earthquake.

Notice how clean the train lines are. Next time you use a train have a look down between the lines and see the rubbish.

A bumper crop this year

i have just had 4 days at home but sadly I have to go back to the UK this time for my Granddaughter's birthday and she is now 16 years of age. But that's not what this is about, as I walked down the lane I noticed an Olive tree on the little bit of land I have given away at the bottom of the lane by my house.

It is easy to see from the picture that the weight on one of these branches is so much it's bending. I am sure that this year will be a good year but not for me this year as the tree is on land I gave away.

This year by looking at the trees and branches is going to be a good year. The trees are full of tiny Olives starting to grow ready to be made into Olive oil.

Plane times are not good.

It's ok traveling in the evening for many but this trip the time is no good for me. I land at a time when by the time I get the Metro from the airport to Campanha I will have missed the last train. The answer is to move into a hotel for the night and get the Train the next morning. After getting the train on Tuesday morning I get picked up at Coimbra B at 10am for my trip
 home.

How lucky am I when I get of the train and stay 99m away from the station in my hotel for the night. Next morning 99m to the Metro and then off at Porto airport.












On the Friday I get my flight at 9.30am in the morning even the earliest train wouldn't get me to the Metro to get my flight back to Liverpool. So the night before I am going into a hotel again to make sure I don't miss the flight. I can't afford to miss this trip back as its my granddaughters 16th birthday. I have missed the last Severn or Eight birthdays but this one is special so I will be there.

I am back five days and four nights but only two nights in my own bed. Wait till the 17th of June when I go home to my home and not someone else's daughter or son's. To sleep in my own bed can't come quick enough but this time my spare bedroom will be in use. This trip my granddaughter is coming to stay for the summer until she gets fed up with my company.

It has been difficult

The title says it all the last nearly three months away from my home in Portugal has been very difficult because my heart is not here in Liverpool. The Liverpool I knew and grew up in is no more this once great city is no longer home but a place I come to visit.

Monday the 20th I make another trip back to my beautiful little house but what do I expect to see. I gave away a piece of land to two friends of mine who are more into gardening that me. I know Dee has worked hard changing what was a scrap bit of worthless land into a beautiful garden.

This trip is for more than a visit, first I need to go to the Financas as for two years my house has been exempt from house tax because my house is below the value that the house tax starts at. Also my friends Michelle and Geoff have a house across the lane from me can't be here so there tax will be sorted by me. Also Chris in Celavisa will miss the deadline for his tax to be paid so guess who will pay the tax for Chris.

I have to renew my driving licence due to my age but that's no problem it's easy to do. Lastly I have to renew my Residency this is the big one but I am told by others it's an easy task to do so I have been told but I will soon find out next week.

Shelves up

I had the chance while I was at home to finish a job I started before I went to Liverpool months ago. I had made three shelves of different lengths.  Let's go straight to the picture below.

I dislike to look of pre made stuff you get in the shops mass produced I a factory somewhere. Thankfully I have an imagination and I can make what I couldn't get in the shops. The rounded parts are two pieces of wood glued together to show the beauty of the grain and the colour of this Che stunt I used really does show it of well. These shelves just about finish the work I have done to this bedroom. 

Before my last trip back to Liverpool

My flight was booked to get back to Liverpool, something I used to enjoy at times but not now after I spent time paying attention to my fruit trees. Some little nasty little creature who I hopes has a very painful death and all his offspring are infertile. One little creature decided to bite my leg OK I know you can all have a good laugh but it was me in extreme pain. 

I went to the doctors surgery that had been our doctors I think from about the time I was born or not much later. The doctor was very sympathetic and pointed out how swollen my leg was and joked about have my leg of at the knee. Thankfully the doctor was only joking and was able to give me a cream and antibiotic but did mention no alcohol till the course of antibiotics was complete.

Last night being a Thursday my son likes to go to a restaurant that has a good offer on. To start with we ordered drinks he had Lime and soda me I had a pink of Strongbow. The first mouthful tasted so good until my son said Dad I don't think you should drink and take antibiotics. Thankfully I had only had a mouthful and I gave the waitress the glass to take away and I explained why. When the waitress came back with a glass of water she said the the strong bow would not be charged for.

A quick trip home

I was booked back home on the 3rd of May and I was returning on the 6th of May. I was lucky to find a flight on the 29th May for only £17.99 to give me an extra 4 days. How lucky was I home for 4 more days and change from a £20 now that's a result I would like more often.

I have flights from the 20th May to the 24th May and then a final return and to stay home on the 17th June. I have tried and tried to find a flight before the 20th or after the 24th to get a quick cheap flight back but I think my luck has run out no more cheap flights.

Never mind I have had a good run of very cheap flights but I know that from the 17th of June I will get to enjoy my home in the sun and it will feel oh so good.