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.