It's been and gone for another year

 Seasons greetings to all my readers.

I hope you have all had a great Christmas despite the Virus.

The one thing i hate is looking through the TV channels for something worth watching. Just reruns of things that come on every year but out of all this rubbish came a light something worth taking a look at.

This year i found a program in black and white something old. Towards the end it came into colour this program was 5 hours long and every minute a gem.

This program was called Sounds of the Sixties and from the dawn of time the early sixties. Ritchie Havens, Nice, The Who, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell i could go on.

Are you a music child of the sixties where you sat on a Thursday night to watch Top of the Pops or Friday night Ready steady go. The sixties started the music revolution we wanted music Our music not Joe Loss Alma Cogan or most i can't remember. 

Me i would be laying on the floor with my Reel to Reel tape recorder The Stones, Dylan, Jimi Hendrix or the Who. A tape recorder couldn't show the Crazy world of Arthur Brown and his flaming head dress.

My five hours was like the best part of Christmas for me  .

I hope you had a chance to go back in time to your Youth.

To the kids today i say your music today came from us

.

Being taken back in time

 It's that time of year when you flick through the channels on the TV to find something to watch. Every Santa program is there and the old favourite Home Alone yes they keep bringing that out.

 I am happy with the Sound of the sixties from the BBC with Dylan, the Stones, the Who and my favourite Jimi Hendrix.

Imagine my surprise  to see Woodstock I couldn't get the TV switched over quick enough. The first thing I saw Sly and the Family Stone, who did that take me back. I feel sorry for people who didn't get to see the music of the Sixties.

This film of Woodstock was not the full concert it was more a behind the scenes. About the helicopters with 45 army Doctors, the local towns people who helped out when the food ran out. 

This program showed Jimi playing Star spangled banner, the American anthem but not the full set that he played in the film. Seeing how it was organized all the work that went on kind of made more sense of that weekend in  1969 even more special.

It's been nice typing this letting me go back in time.

Jimi Hendrix

Taken from archived documents that can be found in Woodstock - Back to The Garden, the highest-paid act was guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix, who earned $18,000 to headline the weekend,

It made me feel good

 While i was out today i was parked near a local health center. The health center was closed for the weekend but outside was a Christmas tree. The tree had no chain to stop it from being abused in some way.

I am sure small as this tree may be but in most places this tree would not still be there for people to see and enjoy.

We had the green light

 A couple of days ago permission was given for a market this Saturday But. The forecast is not to good but that;s not stopped me preparing for the big day. As the pictures below show i have been busy over the last few months boards, bowls, platters and my country collection. 

The one things i couldn't get done in time was antique mirror's for another range i have been working on. I can get antique mirror but only from Liverpool but to be fair i haven't looked anywhere else.

 

What a feature to the center of any dinner table. Who could guess the top right???

America and Iberia plus a variety of platters and bowls.

Just three of the Chestnut range and the phone is to give scale to the size of the boards.

Now this is what you call a cutting board a big cutting board, the phone is to show scale.

It's Father Cristmas

Well it's that time of year when i find a father Christmas cartoon. While searching Google found lots of pictures to choose from and just look at the first one. This was my favourite from some time ago.

 

 

Now here is this years cartoon picture of Father Christmas and very topical don't use your phone when driving.

Blood test

 I had an appointment to see my doctor at 8.30 am and duly turned  on time. Expecting to have a long wait i took my Ipad to continue reading. I need to wear glasses for reading so when told to sit and wait for the doctor i went to sit down. 

Glasses out and Ipad on great ready for a good read, no with having to wear a mask my glasses steamed up and i couldn't see. So the Ipad had to be switched of but as i switched the Ipad of my name was called. so off to the doctors room i went. I told him i need a form to go to the clinic to have a full body blood test. A blood test can show early signs of problems so i want to give myself the best chance i can. 

When i left the doctors it was only 8.45am so i went to the Clinic here in Gois. No i am scared of needles but the girl doing the blood test was amazing i would certainly go back t here again.

Now to the local supermarket and then home by 9.35 am

That was a lot to get done in little over an hour.

Going for a blood test is a precaution however i couldn't go to a doctor in the UK and ask for a blood test In the UK i would have paid to have gone to a private doctor and i would expect to pay something in the region of £75 the fee today wa s 5.50€.

Front wall painted

 Now that i have painted the front wall i have to pay attention to where the wall meets the floor.. When we get rain i get water in my workshop and it's time to repair where the rain gets in. 

I intend to cut a channel at the bottom of the wall and then the moss and all the undergrowth will be dealt with.

Soon the wall outside of the house will be finished and then it's the other side of the wall.

After getting very wet when i power washed the front wall i expect to get wet again. 

What's happened to Chicco???

 I have needed wood for projects i have and Chicco is my wood guy of choice. Sadly over the last three weeks i have been to see Chicco now five times and each time he has been closed.

I tried phoning his daughter but no reply. I then tried to email his daughter and the email got sent back because it was no longer in use.

So Chicco what has happened???

I want to buy a ruin

 What fool buys a ruin but most ruins at least have walls etc that with some work they can be made into a house again.

This ruin has only a few walls but they are at the point of falling down. If you look at the 2 pictures you will see the dangerous angle that one of the walls is at. At the side of the wall you can see there is a little lane. There is a house being rebuilt and the builders have to come up and down the lane. 

Also all the roof and floor timbers have collapsed but those timbers are a real fire hazard.

The reason for wanting to buy the ruin is because i can't do repairs to the gable end of my house. A time will come when i can't paint my house because of this ruin.

A huge paint job

 Once the veranda was started to be rebuilt i knew i had to then paint the veranda once finished.

The rest of the outside walls needed painting and now that i have a power washer i have started the job. I am only doing small amounts of the outside walls as they first need cleaning and then i have to wait till the walls dry. 

At the bottom of the walls water gets in and the bottom of the wall needs to be repaired. I will clean out the gap and then fill the gap with cement to stop the water leak before the rains come.

My prescription

 Du to above normal Cholesterol i have been prescribed Statins. I needed a new prescription so i went to the doctors and was told to go back the next day. Two days later i went back but the lady at the reception couldn't find my prescription.

That day i received an text message that because it was in Portuguese i couldn't read it. so i went back again for my prescription and again i couldn't get my prescription because they still couldn't find it. I was asked to take a seat and wait while they looked for my prescription. I took my phone over and because one of the words in Portuguese looked familiar i ask could they tell me what it meant. 

Straight away they said i had to go over the road to the Pharmacy the text was my prescription.

Moral of the story if you get a text similar to the one i received below it may be your prescription.

Receita Sem Papel, 15-11-2020, n. 

2011000052666039801, codigo dispensa 673521 

 e codigo direito opcao 9432; 

Use App MySNS Carteira para aceder a sua receita

This is the translation in English. 

Paperless Recipe, 15-11-2020, n. 

2011000052666039801, exemption code 673521

 and right code option 9432; 

Use MySNS Wallet App to access your revenue

Why haven't you posted for a while

 I recently met a friend but also a ready of my Blog. It was mentioned that i hadn't been posting for a while. Yes it is true but during his Virus i think we are pretty much all the same , What i mean is we want to avoid being at risk of catching the virus.

For me it's been not going to markets and meeting people that's been hard to take. But my time has been taken up with my fish tank. I need to do water changes and with a typical fish tank changing 10% of the water is a simple job. My tank being app 5,000 lt changing 500 lt is a timely task.

I have used up almost all the wood that is suitable for using on my lathe. I look forward to being able to stock up with wood to carry on working.

After getting a power washer i have started cleaning the walls outside of my house and then painting them. This is a long term project and over time the whole house will be cleaned and then painted.

Well that is a little of what i have been doing.

Stay safe.

My poor Orange

 I have been watching the oranges on my tree slowly growing and now turning from green to orange colour. My favourite orange is one near to the wall at the front of my house. This orange i look at when i go out or come in and it was the first one that i would eat when it was ripe.

Today i had a close look to see how it was getting on as eating day was coming soon i hoped.

Sadly this beautiful orange has been spared being eaten but it gets to grow till it falls off.

How clever is this

 How clever is this is a good title, well i think so.

A close friend recently found a book while out shopping that i may like. The book is all about Tropical fish, it.s called " The complete Encyclopedia of Tropical fish "

Great title it says it all Complete that's the word but it is wrong. Let me explain i have a 5,000 Lt tropical fish tank built into half a room in my cellar. The book is all about keeping, feeding and breeding tropical fish until you look close to the book cover.

Cover looks great but the mistake is the cover is for marine fish and no part of the contents has anything to do with marine fish. What a clever mistake to sell books however the book is still helpful to me.

OK so there is a virus

 OK for many moths life has been difficult. Here in Portugal where i live it's easy to avoid going to places of danger. Shop on days when it's quiet and don't go out unless it can't be avoided.

But what do you do during times when it's better to stay in. I have been making cutting boards in the shape of countries for when the markets start again.

The last month or so i have been using my lathe. I have been making bowls but i am slowly running out of Chestnut to carry on making more. 

Here are a number of bowls i have made during this difficult time.

If you have been doing things during your time under this virus why not share your story just get in touch.

Happy days my veranda is painted

 Happy days my veranda is now finished, painted and ready to use. It was a really warm summer day from way before i got out of bed.

I took advantage of the weather and after a cup of tea i started the last of the painting and my veranda is now complete. All i need to do now is put my table and chairs on the veranda and use what i have made.

This is the new wall finished and looking good.

The gable end is now painted, the gable end walls where rendered in a very coarse render now the walls are almost smooth and now painted white.

The bonus of my new veranda is that i now have another room downstairs. I will be able to fit lots of shelves for all my stuff that is stored in boxes.

It.s that time of year again at least for me.

 One important thing i am proud of is that in my family i was the only one to pass the driving test first time. I should of made clear here that i meant my wife number 1 and wife number 2 also my children. I hope that clears that up.

But should also add that i only had 10 lessons but i also had my own car DHF422 gone but not forgotten.

I passed my test on the 10/10/1968 and after the test i went straight back to the Butchers shop that i worked in. The owner congratulated me he was a good guy like that, but the next day his know it all son with the same first name as me had his test.

When he came back from the test he went to the flat upstairs where his family lived. After a little while his dad come down and told me he failed but he failed badly.

He tried to be a bully because he was the boss's son and he was embarrassed at failing he was a bit of a spoilt child.

It's so nice to be the first.

My newly tiled veranda

Some time ago i went to a Granite works to get tiles made for my new veranda. The price for the hand made tiles was very good only slightly more expensive that a big store. I was told of a guy who would tile my veranda but after he was at the point of grouting i stopped him as his work was less than what i expected. 

Thankfully i was introduced to someone who has a great reputation locally and he came to complete my tiling of the veranda. Below are two pictures of his work now i have a veranda to be proud of. The walls round the veranda on the inside now need painting and the job is finished.

 

I moved a freezer

 Many many years ago my then wife asked me to put the chest freezer in the Shen in the garden. Thed was a brick built shed nice and clean and tidy the right place for a freezer to go.

I started to pack all of the frozen food into bags ready for the move. The things at the top of the freezer where fine no problem until i started the things lower down. Here is where i had problems things started to become out of date. I ended up with six carrier bags of good food years out of date some over 4 years out or date. 

Now a confession while having a good spring clean OK i know it's not spring but. I recently built a new veranda with help and dust from the building work found it's work into the house. I didn't clean until all the work was complete and finished. Now was time for a massive cleaning for most of the house  but the kitchen mostly because the veranda door is in the kitchen.

While cleaning the kitchen i found a bottle of Glycerine from when i was baking. The Glycerine was out of date but not like the frozen food the date was 09/2011 9 years out of date. The Glycerine is now in the rubbish where it should have been years ago.

Big bother is watching OK it was Google

 I recently had something about Google to complain and all of a sudden What i had said was not in the list of my posts.

After getting rid of windoooooows many years ago i moved to Ubuntu Linux and i have been happy ever since.

Suddenly i found when i switched on my Ipad and i connected to the internet via Safari.   I found that every time i i connected to the internet Google would  put a message on the screen asking me to Login to Google. This is not normal so i found on the IPAD more internet browsers and i picked DUCKDUCKGO one i knew about so i made the move.

Two days after i posted about Google the last 12 months of my Blog had been taken down.

Draw your own views.

I felt i was robbed today

 Today a friend from up the lane came down with a couple of green peppers and my answer was that looks like a Stir fry. Then looking in the fridge i found a few things short if i was to have a stir fry so of i went to the shops. Not to far was a supermarket that i use and proceeded to pick all the things i needed. When it came to pay for three tomatoes, two onions, a piece of ginger, two garlic and 1 kilo flour. All this came to 4.95€ and it didn't seem right so i went outside and sat in my van

The tomatoes had a price displayed of 0.99€ kilo on my receipt was 1.99€ Wrong. The onions where marked at 0.79€ but on the receipt it was 1.39€ kilo. The garlic was also wrong but i can't remember the price difference.

I went back into the store and found a supervisor who was shock that something could be wrong. I had taken the price stickers from the shelves to show my receipt price compared to the shelf price. it took 20 minutes for the supervisor to put the items back into stock and give me a refund. I asked for a refund because it wrong to be robbed and i said i want a refund so i can go to LIDL.

This happened last week the carrots where marked as reduced from 79c to 40cents kilo. This is now two weeks that this has happened and i said if it happens next time i come in i will call the Police and then get a supervisor.

I was invited to a market

 During the lock down someone who runs a market for the premises owner. She explained about her idea selling Artisan products on the internet and her son was designing a website. My part was to make various items out of wood and i started to get lots of things ready for launch day.

During one of the many conversations i was invited to the market she runs. Well the market started back up a couple of months ago but no call. I tried to call and sent many emails but never got a reply oh well everything will sell when the markets start up again.

Today i went to that market and someone was making arrangements to have a stall at the next market. I waited for my turn to speak to my friend when she said i can't have a place for my Spices because someone sells chilli's. She did say i could sell my cutting boards and mirrors but not my Spices.

She forgets that i sent a parcel of Spices that are still not paid for yet.

Oh my poor veranda

 After so much work to give myself a new woodworm free veranda problems. I was introduced to a guy who could tile the floor to my veranda. 

I couldn't tile my veranda because the tiles had to have whats called a fall in one direction to allow water to drain away. 

So the guy got the job but he would start at 6pm each night. After he had put the tiles down on the floor he put a broom handle across the door because the adhesive had to dry.

I didn't get back the next night till after the tiles guy had started,  again i didn't get to see the work done until the next morning. To say i was shocked is me being polite.

I spoke to a builder friend of mine in the UK and he said to drown the veranda with water and to keep putting water on the veranda. He told me because the grout hadn't been put down yet the water may seep into the adhesive and make it week. 

After about and hour of pouring water down i tried to get the tiles up round the edge but i ended up removing all the tiles. The guy was supposed to come back today Saturday to finish the grouting. I got a message to him to stay away he wasn't needed anymore.

I have now been put in touch with someone else well he had better show me how good his work is.

That's all for now.

Little boy raises over £1,000,000

 i have just been watching the UK news on the BBC. A little boy has raised over £1,000,000 for charity amazing but he had his legs removed because of abuse as a baby/ toddler and he has artificial legs and walks with crutches. 

Thankfully this little hero now has foster parents to give him the Love and support he needs in life.He is now raising money for things in his home what a super little boy.

Once the tank was built

 Once the tank was built i could put water in but that was all. I had to condition the water and by that i mean i had to get the water quality ready for the fish i wanted to get. I way is to get a liquid conditioner ir put fish in till the water is conditioned. I decided to get three gold fish and let them condition the water and that worked fine. I caught two goldfish and then it came to the last one and that's where the battle began. It has taken me three weeks to catch the last goldfish and tonight i finally caught it. 

All of my young plants had been ripped out of the pots they where in that last goldfish did lots of damage. I had started to buy fish i wanted  but to plant the tank i had to remove about 3,000 litres water till the level was low enough for me to get in and do the planting all for a goldfish to ruin.

Now the tank is goldfish free i will have to remove another 3,000 litres so i can get in the tank to replant it in the coming week.

Look it's coming on

 Some time ago i found that three of the timbers had woodworm. I built the veranda for mine and family and friends to enjoy. I didn't build it for woodworm to enjoy so the veranda is now gone now only a past memory.

I have built a new veranda that the woodworm are no longer welcome it's made of concrete. I did most of the work myself  but i must admit for somethings i did need help for i got help.

I went to a town not to far away to get tiles and after deciding on limestone i had to go back after they where made for me. The company also made them almost none slip hows that for service.

Before the tiles get put down the outside and inside of the veranda need to be prepared for painting.

I am putting a door on the entrance to my veranda and this will make an extra storeroom,

So i hope you enjoy the progress i have made up to now.

Department of Works and Pension

 Some weeks ago i requested from the Department of Works and Pension a Statement of my pension after i received a request from the local tax office. A simple request you may think and i carefully worded my request carefully.

In due course i received  a letter and on opening it i was let down what i got was a proof of life request. It's something the DWP send out now and again just to make sure that people like me who live outside of the UK get. I understand that the DWP need to know that we are still alive.

But what about the idiot who didn't send me the statement that i wanted.

First fish in there new home.

For a long time i have been preparing to stock my 5,000 lt fish tank. A big tank would be great for big fish but i am not into big fish.

Plenty of plants and now fish, now i need to learn to take better photos

Here is a pair of half black sword tails

A single sail fin Molly

Limestone floor tiles for my Veranda

Friday was the day i was collecting the Lime stone for my veranda and the tiles where cut just for me. I went to a granite factory and after looking round i found just what i wanted.

I had heard about Limestone on a number of property programs It may have been Grand designs.


















When i got home i had to put some tiles down to see how they would look in place.

These tiles and for the top of the wall are an off white colour,
To me perfect.

My new veranda is on it's way

I could never have known when i built my veranda out of wood and the work in treating the timbers that cracks in the timber was like opening a door to Wood worm

A friend offered to help me build a veranda that would be Wood worm proof. It's now built out of concrete beams, blocks and everything wood worm can't do harm to
I didn't know my friend had been a brick layer in his distant past. He watch for a few minutes and could tell i wasn't familiar with bricks and offered to help. I must admit at this point i became the labourer fetching and carrying.

This is looking out from my workshop to the outside.













 
This is the side looking onto the ruin next door.

This is the side looking to the lane.

This is a side view and we now have one row of blocks in place

Here is the entrance to my workshop.

Well a little back to normal

I was told a few days ago that a market i normally go to was to start again. Sadly it was a a different location and in another town. Normally the market was in the grounds of a restaurant but it had been move. I don't know why it had been moved but the new location was outside of the local health centre  in the Centres grounds.

Everybody was told to keep a distance from other stall holders and i was lucky to have the Honey lady at my side. At the previous location she is normally by my side there somehow it just felt a little like it had before.

The reaction from so many of my regular customers was great everybody had a story of how there managed to get through the Lockdown. Across the road was a timber merchant that although closed you could see over the gate lots of what looked interesting wood. Somebody who during the fires of the year before last lost a lot of trees. I was told that the trees that where only burn on the outside would be cut down in about a months time. The main trees i was interested in was the Oak and Walnut i was told that there was plenty to choose from.

After such a busy market i have to order new stock before i have shortages. Hungary is world famous for there Paprika and the large variety from mild to very hot and also smoked from mild to hot. I will soon be advertising that all my Paprika is Exclusive to me and nobody else in Portugal will be selling this world famous Paprika.. Also i can confirm that there will be no increase in price from the prices i charge for Spanish Paprika.

Proud of Liverpool Coppers

I am from Liverpool and proud of it even though i now live in Portugal. After ready over a number of years how the Police in America only shoot to kill. A young woman was shot while asleep and other young man shot in the back both dead.

Yesterday a person who had been Tazered was then shot in the abdomen by a firearms Police officer.  The officer could have shot to kill but he did the right thing doesn't it show how good the training is that he didn't shot to kill.

So the borders are now open

So the borders are now open so what. After watching the scenes on many of the UK beaches you couldn't believe that there was a deadly virus.

During my limited travels to go for a part for my van and to go shopping i saw many foreign cars and motor homes. Where i live it seems to be a centre for motor homes and this week i have seen Italian, French, Dutch and one from Austria. Plus just as many cars for me i am staying inside until it is really safe to move around

So carry on staying safe.

R.I.P my veranda

I posted years ago about the veranda i had built all on my own. I built my veranda after treating all timbers in a timber treatment. Each piece was treated three times and all end pieces stood in the treatment for a couple of days. I felt safe that i had done all i could that made my veranda secure for the future.

A few weeks ago i found a timber that looked week after inspection i found three timbers that where rotten. I asked a local timber expert and although i had treated all my timbers the high sun and cold morning caused some of my timbers to split. This was it an open door to whatever creature wanted to get into my timbers and i didn't know anything about the invasion.

Here is my veranda now during strip down since this picture i have removed every trace of my beloved veranda and the site is clear.

In it's place will be a structure that is wood worm free it's going to be made of Concrete with a none slip floor surface.

If anybody gets upset reading this Tough.

Reading the constant news about the murders in the USA of people whose only crime is being Black.

Today I read of another murder of a guy trying to run away from the police, they shot him twice in the Back. In the UK it's a crime of murder in the US it's Murder, felony murder or aggravated assault. How can shooting someone in the back be anything less than Murder.

What is the saying I remember " land of the free home of the brave " unless you are black.

Readers from the USA remember Waco and  remember a place in Vietnam called My Lai an attitude of if it moved kill it old men and old women mums children babes in arms there crime being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My Lai Massacre - Definition, Facts & Causes - HISTORY

Apr 17, 2020 · The 1968 My Lai Massacre was one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed against unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War. A company of American soldiers brutally ...

I am sorry I am really angry, a young girls age 25 asleep in her bed was shot but police with a warrant that they can just enter a property and they did and the poor girl is dead. Shot in her sleep 8 times did it take 8 bullets to take down a Black girl who was sleeping. Murder. This girls name was Breonna Taylor another Black person murdered by white police.

But some good news

A friend who arranges the Boot sale at a restaurant asked me if i was still making cutting boards. I now make boards in the shape of countries, normal cutting boards and mirrors, The boot sale is only for artist and craft  type people and there product.

My friend is also having a website built by here son and during the making of the site there are a number of my boards for display.

I painted black round the edge of Africa because it made the board stand out

A heart mirror including a mirror cheese board.
This is my favourite one finished and one to be finished.

This is a board that has just had 8 coats of a food grade mineral oil applied.














This is a heart complete with 8 coats of mineral oil and one heart ready for finishing.

My poor veranda

A long time ago  i built my very own veranda outside of my kitchen door.. sadly due to extreme heat, rain in the winter, frost in the mornings some of the main timbers where past there best.

The only thing i can do is to build a new veranda so for the moment i am busy taking the old veranda apart before there is an accident.

I will have to take some pictures to show the demise of my veranda. 

Just a bit of whats been going on.

During the lock down it's been difficult for me as it has been for most people i have stayed in doing a few small projects.

Being an ex butcher i know at a glance what is a good buy.One day while out at a local supermarket i had a look at what was in the butchers counter. I found a piece of belly pork and a piece of shoulder port ideal for making sausages with. My only problem is i don't have a sausage machine but with my mincer i could make sausage meat. I had always liked Cumberland sausage so i started to ok n the internet.

Soon it was like a Thursday afternoon at G Norris & son in Liverpool. It wasn't long and i soon had a big bowl of Cumberland sausage meat in my bowl

One thing i did have was a burger press so i made my sausage that looked like burgers. I did find that the fat content was to low but for now was OK but next time i will get enough fat content to make them perfect.

For now i have about 24 sausages frozen ready for use in my freezer.

During this lockdown

I have tried to keep busy during this lock down but it is difficult but my problem is getting materials for things i want to do. I have ordered a new chuck for one of my lathes and i have lots i can do when that arrives.

I already had the wood for the floor in my fish room but working on the floor with knees that need some repair put me off.

I live in a little village

I live in a little village and normally anything bigger than a small van is a problem. Most drivers as they drive up the lane see it's narrow and they stop and get out to see the turn is OK.The lane stops just past my house so you can't drive through and you have to turn round to leave.

I wonder what the driver said to his boss when he returned to work Sorry!!!

Farmers told to cut Milk production

In Scotland the dairy Farmers have been told to cut Milk production. How do they do that go into the fields and ask the Cows to not produce as much. Read below from the BBC news website.

The dairy manufacturer Muller has ordered farmers across Scotland who supply them with milk to cut production because of an oversupply.

It has written to more than 250 dairy farmers asking them to reduce output because of changing consumer habits caused by the coronavirus crisis.
It has been estimated more than a million litres of unwanted milk is being produced across the UK each day.
This means some dairy product is having to be poured down the drain.
Even though demand from supermarkets has increased, that has not filled the gap left by the closure of cafes and restaurants.

What a nice surprise

Today i had a knock on my front door. There was a 4 X 4 parked outside and someone was standing in my gate asking questions i couldn't understand. I figured out he was asking how many people live in my house and when i told him only one. I was offered something i didn't understand what it was i was being given. As soon as i was back inside i looked and what i found was a face mask in a plastic bag. There was a leaflet and it seemed that the mask was given as a gift from the local Council/ Camara. What an amazing gift to receive something the councils in the UK wouldn't be giving away.

So Gois Council/ camara Thank you for helping me stay safe.

How to oder Spices

I believe that i have the best selection of Spices in Portugal and you can order my Spices online.

Use the email at the top of the page after first looking through the Spice list on the front page of the Iberianspices blog at       https://iberianspices.blogspot.com/
Up to 500gr cost 2€ delivery to mainland Portugal.
Up to 1kilo cost 4€ delivery to mainland Portugal.

Orders are normally shipped within 24 hours.

Out of stocks until further notice changes will be made to this page should any other item become out of stock.

Black peppercorns
Star anise whole
Tamarind
Vindaloo

Face masks what would you do

Well the title says it all. i imagine everybody who reads my Blog is in the same position that i am in. We don't want to die until our use by date is due but i want to go by natural causes after all we all have to die sometime. Everybody who can is wearing face masks and when i go shopping i carry two masks with me.

I Have 2 family members who works in a Care home in Liverpool. Last week on the BBC news website i read about two care homes in Liverpool. In one home it was reported that 15 people had died because of the virus. In another care home 8 people died and it's wrong.

These people who died had worked all there lives and they died because of a virus not natural causes.

I am today getting in touch with news organisations in Liverpool. How dare someone tell my family members not to wear face protection because it may upset the residents. The residents are mostly intelligent people and would understand the care givers need to stay safe.

I sell Spices

It's no secret but i sell Spices and i am known as Spicepete i only mention this because i have had a number of emails asking if i will do mail order. A short answer is yes.

On the front of this Blog is an email or on the front of Iberianspices Blog just type Iberianspices into Google and you will find at the top of the page the email to use.

As my email is at the top of the front page i am not going to repeat it in this post.

Should you want to buy Spices from me read below

Postage up to 500 gr will be 2.€
Over 500 gr and up to 1Kilo will be 4€

Go to Iberianspices and look at the product list on the front page. The only things out of stock is Tamarind, Vindaloo curry and Star Anise but i do have Star Anise powder.

So please feel free to make contact.

I went into three supermarkets today

Today i went shopping first to Lidl near to me in a place called Arganil as i drove into the care park i saw a queue of about 20 people. I am not the most patient of people so i drove straight out of the car park. On the way back home i decided to go over to a place called Lousa to the Lidl over there.

Great now queue i walked straight in no getting hand protection no trolly being cleaned. I found everything i wanted even some ice cream. I got in a queue and as i moved forward someone with a huge trolley moved over in front of me. i pointed to get behind me but i was pushed out of the way and she then called other people over to get in front of me in the queue. Oh how i wish i could speak Portuguese i would have stood my ground so i pushed paster her and left my trolley and walked out it was not the time for a row.

I then went on my way home to my favourite supermarket where if you have your own bags you are not allowed in time they are sprayed. next you have to put the hand cleaner and they make sure you rub it well into your hands. Now you can go in to do your shopping. How good is that. Also fresh Strawberries 1.99€ per kilo Mmmm

I forgot to get butter so near home i went into another supermarket near home. As you walk in there is a bottle of some kind of hand cleaner but only if you want to use it. Not one trolly was cleaned but i got my butter.

This deadly virus and two national chain supermarkets are not doing much to keep there customers safe.

Not as good as my Mums

My Mum had one thing she enjoyed was her garden in later years she was only able to sit and look at her much loved garden. She had a most amazing Acer tree and when i had the chance i got myself one. OK it may not be as good as the one my Mum had it's just as special to me as it was to MUM.

When i moved to Portugal i got myself an Orange, Lemon and a Lime tree. However i didn't put them in the best place and they have stayed alive but that's it until now. I had planted them in completely the wrong place on a hill and in direct sun so not enough water. Now they have been moved into big pots they are all doing well.Below if a couple of pictures outside of my front door where the orange tree is.

This orange is looking amazing now looking so healthy but also lots og Blossom that i hope to get turning into oranges for later in the year.

How cute

I read on the BBC news website about a little girl who was 9 years of age.  With the help of her father she made Pizzas for her neighbours in her Cul de sac. So as to keep away from people and being a fan of remote controlled cars she had an idea. What she wanted to do and with Dads help she used a remote controlled car to deliver Pizza.


Another feel good story was about a 99 year old war veteran who tried to raise £1,000 by walking with a walking aid round his garden. The last time i looked he had raised £17,000,000 and all funds are for the UK NHS.

These are just two of the stories i have read that as nice feeling at this the most difficult time that i have known in my lifetime.

I must also mentions all the people all over the world doing good deeds to help others.

A single act of kindness

I live in Portugal and Portugal is my home. But an act of kindness has just made me feel proud to  call myself an English man.

Please read the story below.

A "humbled and emotional" paramedic has thanked a stranger who paid for his shopping and customers who applauded him at a supermarket.

People queuing outside Lidl in Cromer, Norfolk, made way for David Tillyer - who had just finished a night shift - "with applause and thank-yous".
He said a woman who "ran up and swiped her card" as he went to pay told him: "Not much you can do to stop me".
His thank-you on Facebook has been shared 78,000 times.
"I am humbled and a bit emotional," wrote Mr Tillyer, who works for the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS)
"Thank you to the lady that did that and thank you to all the shoppers that made me feel special after a tough run of shifts #NHSandProud #stayhome #covidkindness."

• Coronavirus - Updates from the East of England

Speaking to the BBC, he said he had just finished a 12-hour shift and was about to join the end of the queue waiting for Lidl to open when the young couple in front of him let him go ahead.
"About two-thirds of the way through the queue someone said 'let's give him a round of applause', and people started clapping and saying thank you.
"It was really heart-warming to know that people out there really respect what we do and are grateful to everyone on the frontline of the NHS for what we're doing at the moment."
He praised the "amazing, kind gesture" from the woman who ran to the till to pay for his shopping.

Have we woke in the middle of a nightmare

I just love going to bed and having a good read. Anything for my Ipad with my Kindle app installed and any book free. I like reading Thrillers and suspense books and a little WiFi.

It's like i have just finished a book and woken into a new world but not finding out till i went out to the shops. I got to the shops only to find people wearing Gloves and Masks. What's this all about i ask the staff the answer i get is what do you mean this is how are normal life is here.

When i got home i opened my Ipad and went onto the BBC News site and found that almost every article was about something called the Corona virus. I went from reading the World news and then the UK news the same in the UK almost everything was about this Virus thing.

So what is this nightmare i seem to be in after a few days i wake up one morning to realise that it's not all a bad dream this is life a new life.

It turns out the started in a place in China, was this a virus developed in some laboritary for a biological weapon. Who knows.

No prison warders in sight

There may be no prison warder but life feels just like being jailed but having committed no crime. Automatically moving back if someone comes near. The only contact with the outside world via the phone or Whatsapp or Skype.

Short term release to go to the shops but it's taken so long for the shops near me to impose distance rules. Basic hygiene is still not as good as the little supermarket in a village close to me. The national chains where very slow but are getting better. 

While being in my prison i am busy but i need a square metre of mirror to make the mirror i have got ready to prepare.

That's me busy in my prison so what are you doing i would love to hear.

I had a space between the window and where the sliding door is going to go. I used the gap to put three shelves and each shelf was three pieces of wood glued together. I also made three vertical cuts to put some Walnut into the shelves.

Here is a cheese board in the shape of Africa it's made out of Chestnut and this one now needs a Food grade oil so that it's safe using it for food preparation. 

This is a county in the UK as it's for a customer this is the rear as i don't want the customer to see it yet.

Well as you can see this is Australia but this is the frame after i cut the Australia board from it. But this is the Australia mirror, i am also making Africa the mirror. USA the mirror. China the mirror and China the cheese board.