After a difficult week

Last week was a very frustrating week every job I had to do I was waiting for someone else. I was waiting for the last two units to arrive, these units are for my hanging clothes. I couldn't cut out fit the skirting boards till the units where in place. Each skirting board between the four units is having an LED light fitted in it, guess what I am waiting for the light units to be delivered. I can't stain the skirting till Chicco opens after his holiday to get the stain I need. Lastly the electrician is booked now everything is in place this week should see a lot done or so I hope.

Well worth the wait but the wrong colour./

Now i need to make brackets for the hangers to hang on.

The diference between two different makers. It will be easier for me to stain the one on the left than to wait for the guy to restain.

A very rude awakening this morning

This morning while fast asleep i was disturbed by a loud banging noise. It kept going for a while and i had to look outside to see what had woken me up. A ruin on the other side of the bottom lane had no roof on and this started by 8am. I tried to go back to bed but it was a waste i was by now wide awake so it was an early start to the day.

I had a good view from the window in my new bedroom and by 1pm they workers stopped for lunch or that's what i thought but they never came back. What you see below is the roof that took 5 hours to remove the old roof and make a new roof. Most of the timbers was cut using a chainsaw what you can't see is a scaffolding tower this was done from of ladders. Damn god job for 5 hours work.

Nothing to do SO

Today after finishing waxing the floor time was on my side and i had nothing to do till my two units for the wall arrive so after a nice cup of tea i decided to find something to do.

As the picture below shows my bedroom coming together how i wish i could have the chimney fitted into the end wall and get that finished. To get finished i need to get the ceiling in the lounge done and that's my next job. The reason being the chimney has to come through the floor and out the end wall, this is so heat from the chimney goes to warm the room in winter.

Last of the floor waxed

Well i have finally got the floor finished and the picture below is of the last of the floor that i had to wax. The next step is to put the skirting boards down but before i do that i am going to stain it the colour of the wall units. Inside the skirting boards i am going to install mini Led lights often called plinth lights.

 Below is a picture of the type of lights i am going to fit in the skirting boards.

It's coming on

I was on my knee's so much that in the end i had to give up i would just have to wax the floor a bit at a time. The last two units are on there way, skirting boards ordered and the trim for round the windows is to be varnished today so progress is being made.

Just had to put the TV up it makes the room look almost done.

Floor done now for a pint

The result of a long hard days work. The floor is now all done and the two new units will arrive any day now similar to the one you can see in the first picture.

The two units I ordered are done and they are on there way. They are for hanging clothes. One unit also has space for shoes.

My window seat looks so much better now the floor has been finished. Just the skirting boards to do all the way round.

What a day i have had

Today i got a call to do an emergency airport job. A couple flew in from Interlaken Switzerland to spend a week with a friend of mine. That would be OK but both of them came without a license to hire a car and they where stranded 300k from where they needed to be.

I got a call could i get to the airport to pick them up, easy but i was in the middle of painting and needed a shower. By the time i arrived they had been waiting for over six hours. Well i did my best to get them back as quick as i could but it was still just 11pm when i got them to there accommodation  and job done. On the left of this screen is a link to http://www.yurtholidayportugal.com check this out for where these people are staying.

 I had arranged to do the lay the floor on Wednesday but now i am a day behind with the painting. To keep on target i am up early to get the painting done on time.

The downside was i had two important calls that i was unable to take but i am sure that i will get those calls in the coming days.  

At last the plasterer arrived

I have wanted to get my floor laid since i did the first coat of wax. But i needed to paint the room before the flooring went down however i needed to plasterer to come back. Because i had made a start on one part of the ceiling the plasterer left that thinking i was going to finish it myself. Today at 8am and by 9.30am he had finished an now all i need to do is wait for it to dry.

The strip down the center of the ceiling is the part that i have to wait till it dries. Only a couple of days and i can finish the painting of the whole room. Then the floor.

A sneak preview

With nothing to do till tomorrow when the plasterer comes back to finish i decided to put a few of the floor planks down to have a look how it will be when finished.

I am undecided whether to have the  floor as you see it or make it a shade darker. Not sure just what i am going to do yet.

A joiner friend called to see me today and suggested i run the floor left to right because if i do from front to back it will make the room look long. So when the painting is finished  this is how the floor will look.

It's been a hot few days but work had to be done.

Working in the space below the eaves this week has been hard. I have had between three or four showers a day due to me sweating so mush in the heat. Todays job is to get the storage area brushed and cleaned out now everything in there has been done. I am going to have a door made and like me it will be unusual and just what it will look like i don't know yet.

Finally all the cables have been run in, sockets wired up. Lights fitted in place and tested now it's all down to the electrician to do his bit. Every room in my house has it's own fuse panel, consumer unit call it what you will all run from the main unit downstairs in the cellar.

This is my storage area under the eaves and it runs from the front of the house to the rear so plenty of room to store stuff.

For relaxing times

As it's so nice i decided to take some pictures of the river bar. The bar is a great place to sit on a hot day and relax and this year they have Strongbow on draught also loads of great food.

Here is the bar from across the river showing the grassed area to sit and relax

And from the bridge showing the tables actually in the river now how cool is that.

Well beats the UK.

How glad i will be when the painting is done

Well things are now coming on now that i can get on with all the painting of the ceiling. As soon as this is finished it's down to getting the floor laid and then fit the window surrounds. The window surrounds can't be fitted until the sills have been put in place and the it's almost done.

The grey for the walls is a light shade of grey and i am happy with it.

How clever was I all those years ago

Early 2010 i had already paid my deposit on my house and i was getting all my things together ready for my move. It was not till July 2011 when i got to make my move to this little piece of Heaven. The summers can and are hot and today when i got in my car it was 32.5c and the steering wheel was very hot to the touch.

In 2010 i found an offer for aircon units and got myself two units ready for my move. Shortly after moving in i installed my first unit in my lounge. Over the last few years it's proved a wise investment and as i sit here typing this entry to my Blog it's getting nice and cool an investment that has paid off. 

Someone else's journey has begun

I have met a number of people over the last few years who tell me that my Blog was instrumental in there journey to a new life in the sun.  Two couples, Tony who moved to a house 58k away to Geoff in my village it makes me proud that today another friend has taken the next step in a move to a new life in the sun.

Finding somewhere to stay while looking for a house can be a daunting task where do you look, who do you ask. In my case i had found the house of my dreams and i just had to pack my worldly belongings and move in.

Today my friend found a place to stay only a short walk from where we meet for a coffee most days. While the cottage is not huge it is more than enough for the needs of my friend. After viewing it he was happy to say to the owner that he would like to move in, in a short time he will have a base and then the search for a house begins. A new chapter in the life of another Brit looking for a new life in the sun.

A great day out

Today i had the pleasure to a day out with someone who must have been reading my Blog the longest from about when i started writing all those years ago. He is looking for that special place in the sun like i did and it's out there it just needs finding. I was surprised to learn that he knew so much about the writings on my Blog so if nothing my BLOG has been of some use to someone.

I was so lucky to have found my little piece of heaven and i hope that my friend has the same luck as i have had and he finds his special place to retire to.

So Good look.

So this is my garden

I have recently been asked if i like gardening. After the way my Mum and Dad looked after the garden they had you would think i would have green fingers as well. Mum is now 91 years of age and her garden is as good as it's ever been. She does get some help but mostly it's all her own work. Me sadly i get nothing out of gardening so to the follower who asked the question do i like gardening sorry but it's a No.

The grey thing you can see on the left at the bottom is my aircon unit.

Let there be light

I never wanted a door to my bedroom and today i decided to remove not just the door but the panel that i had made to cover the boards that hid the stairs. suddenly i find lots more light coming from the window upstairs. So that's a result, now lots of measuring and wood to order with floor to ceiling spindles on each step. I only did this because i am held up with what i should be doing upstairs.

I took yesterdays picture down after i was able to get the main pillar cut to size today. This now gives me a better idea of what i am doing and i can now plan a cupboard under the stairs. Each tread will have a floor to ceiling spindle and the rounded profile will also be copied onto the pillar.

Pictures of me

Well Steve what have we done, you have a massive traffic accident, your wife leaves and so many from the fourth year at school suddenly get in touch. Micheal Moss passed my email around and Dave Allen no not the comedian asked would i put some photos up on my Blog. Micheal also sent me a letter with all the details of the reunion planned for September.  Well Dave no sooner said than done. I can say to all from Roscoe Garsfield road school that Dave Allen still looks as he did then but now very OLD. If Dave passes my details on to any from school please call about 7.30pm it would be great to have a catchup. Oh and Steve i still have no way apart from my Blog of getting in touch apart from Micheal and i don't want to trouble him to much.

This is on my Veranda with my friend Cathy.




















This was taken on my veranda just as the sun was going down.



















This was taken halfway along my favourite walk along the valley where the river Ceira runs

This was after a couple of hours rubbing down the plasterboard.

Now the bedside tables

I need to finish the wiring before i go any further so today i have had to put up my bed to decide where i am going to put my bedside table. You can see the round bit underneath well the twin sockets will be hidden behind there so it can't be seen. On the opposite wall i have five twin sockets maybe a bit overkill but better to many than have to install more some time later.

The bed is rotten with dust and that's my next job to wash it down and then cut the holes for the sockets to go.

That's the new flooring you can see that has been waxed ready to go down But i may use a wax with some colour in it to take the newness of it a bit.






How does the paint look light grey for me looks good.

First paint

While waiting for the plasterer to finish his bit i decided to start the painting. Instead of white that seems to be the normal colour to paint here or so i have found from looking round. I decided to paint the gable end walls and the side walls a light shade of grey.

Have you ever noticed while typing some words show up as misspelt. These being grey, colour and misspelt all came up as wrong. These are correct but as the spell checker is American we whose language they use are told our spelling is wrong. Who gave them the right to change a language that has been in use well before they where invented.        
Sorry for the rant.

This colour grey i mixed by using a black Tinta acrílica  normally used by an artist in painting.

It's dried out quite well but i think maybe a shade lighter.
The ceiling will be painted white as per normal.

I had to put my window seat in place to get the best view of how it will all look now it's painted and i am happy with the colour.

Waxing the floor boards

The long hard slog has started, i have 60 length's of flooring to wax when i put it down on the floor i will have to wax the boards three times. to make it easy i am waxing now before i have to get down on the floor to do the waxing.

Wax on wax off as they said in the film Karate Kid. Well someone has to do it so why not me.

Floor delivered today

Today i had the floor delivered all 18 square meters of it. before it was delivered i check every pack to make sure there was nothing wrong knots or damage are things i didn't want and all was ok by me for delivery.

Not only has all this to be laid but every bit has to be waxed and polished now that's a big job in itself.

More LED lights

While i am waiting for the plasterer to come back to remedy a small section i am not happy with i need something to do. I have a job to do on a window sill it needs waxing but first i am putting some LED lights under the sill. I have got five lights left from a previous job.

Here you can see the upside down window sill with five LED lights. I now have to solder all the lights together.
See the chunky supports either side of the shelf.

Waxing standing up

I had no choice with the beam that held the main roof timber in place but i was able to replace it and move it a little to give me some more space to use. What could i do with a piece of wood standing up in the room, i put in another just like the first one i put in place. 

Here is what i have done this looks better than having two pieces of wood standing in the room. I had wanted to install a shower behind but getting water and removing the waste was a problem i couldn't get around.
















It has proved difficult to Wax the piece of wood you can see due to it's size. After 4 coats of Bees wax i decided that if i put it in position then it would be a little easier to finish of waxing the front and back. I am pleased the was it has come out and the effect it gives to the room.

Pre painting

Now it's the mammoth task of pre painting the bedroom before i start i have to find any blemishes in the work the plasterer did.  I am using a very pale blue paint to show up any faults

The above picture is of the gable end looking down the valley. I have already found quite a few spots i need to pay attention to .

Again on the curved part there are a few bits i need to go over to get a perfect finish.

My first table lamp

Today i was able to hand over the first table lamp i have made. i am waiting for a response because i need feedback so i can produce better table lamps. I have about a dozen i am working on and each one will be coated with Bees wax.

New estate agency to open in town

I took my friend who has just got himself a home in this green and pleasant land I live in. The estate agent who dealt with the sale after I found the property and who owned it was going to meet for a quick catchup. He announced that he is going to open an estate agency here in Gois the town close to me and the location is about the best spot you could pick with plenty of parking outside. All the best Nuno I wish you well.

Table lampsRus

I have had another project on the go for a little while and it's making table lamps. the picture below is of the first complete lamp i have made, pity i only had one lamp shade to use for the picture but it was only to see how it looked.

The lamp shape came out how i wanted and Bees wax gives it the feel i was after so watch this space for how i get on with this new side of life in my place in the sun.

















Much as i want to work work and do more work on my house sometimes i need to do something else and this is it. I am at present waxing the insert for at the top of the stairs and that's a long job.

A sneak preview

Back a day and i am already working in my new bedroom. If i hadn't made a start now after coming back from the UK it may have been a while before i got started again. Once it's been treated to Bees wax the look will change and also the feel will be smoother than it is if i had used varnish.

Well this is what's going between the two pillars you may have seen previously. The insert in the middle of the pillars will be a little higher, the same height from the floor and the ceiling.

















To get a truly unique finish i will have to spend days and days and more days with my cloth and bottle of Bees wax to get just the finish i want. This is to disguise the pillar that i couldn't remove instead i moved it about 12 inches. I wanted to move it to give me some extra space but then how to i hide a piece of wood holding up the main roof beam. I may have it for putting my coats on the back. Behind i wanted to have a shower but the headroom was not enough so this is what i came up with.

On my way

The time has come I am now on my way home to Portugal. I can't say I enjoy being back in the UK, it's great being able to see my Mum and the rest of my family.  I feel this time frustrated when I have so much to do at home, even more frustrated because I have had nothing to do during my time here. The van is packed and ready to go, my bag is pack and Sunday morning at 9am I leave. There is someone I would have loved to have seen before I leave but that's now not possible if I had it would have made the trip worth while but you can't have everything.

The ferry is booked for 7.55pm and by 11pm I will be driving south to Portugal. It will be great when I am home an starting work on my house and posting on here to show just how life is.

The last two trips where I drove home it rained from Liverpool all the way to Portugal and on one trip it rained all the way through France. 

I leave Sunday morning

I leave Sunday morning but I am taking back more than I came with. I am an addict god that was easy to say, yes I am an addict addicted to Fresh cream cakes and I would need help if I was to stay in the UK. What I am taking with me back to Portugal is excess weight I am ashamed to say. When I get home I will work hard to get rid of the weight and as I am not coming back to the UK for a long long time I should be nice and trim when I next visit my darling Mum.

First sight of my bedroom

Today I received the first picture of my bedroom. I only got one picture because the person who took the picture thought that it wasn't done properly. What he didn't know is this is what I wanted, what you do is tape all joints and skim over the joints. This is how I have done the lounge and kitchen walls and ceiling so I know it's ok.

At floor level I will be putting skirting and I have space for additional cables should I need them. The end wall now needs the chimney for my log burner to go through and I can finish up the wall behind it.

New chapter begins

I am on my way to the ferry on Sunday And i am calling to a place just outside of Dover to pick up a friend. My friend has just found a house for sale in my village and has just signed to buy the house. From the outside the house looks tired because it's been many years since it last had a coat of paint. A coat of paint and you could move in but like mine you couldn't use what is surposed to be the kitchen. I thought that my kitchen was bad when I moved in but this one is much worse but it's ok being like that because you just rip it out and start again just like I did.

 

The picture below is my kitchen on the day I moved in much different from how it is now.

As you can see above a good clean maybe but the cooking was done on an open fire and there are no units or cupboards. There is a huge chimney that is so low it's hard not to walk into it. The chimney bid open to the roof but the new owner is a retired builder who was a builder for all his working life so he knows what to do to turn this into a home.

It will be nice to have another house reopened instead of just another empty house. It will then make a total of four people living in the village and all men. Would have been nice to have a lady enjoying this amazing location but maybe in the future. Lots of the other homes in the village are holiday homes and are only used in August when there owners come back for there holiday.

Time to prepare to go home

Not long now and it will be time to return back home to my little place in the sun. The days are now spent buying all the things I want to take home with me. I have now got all my new bedding and Blackout blinds for my windows. Unlike the rest of the house I don't have shutters for my bedroom and when it gets light if I wake I have found it impossible to get back asleep so Blackout blinds it is.

A trip to my spice supplier is planned for tomorrow. I have been given a large piece of a Sycamore tree trunk to make table lamps from. Slowly the van is being filled up or it will be when I collect my leather chair I have had in storage I hope it's ok after being stored for so long since I moved in 2011.

I changed some money so I would have cash for the drive through France and Spain and then Portugal. On the last trip I found later when I used my card to pay for fuel or tolls each time I was charged £1.99. On its own £1.99 may not be much but I used my card a lot so the charges soon mounted up.

While my son and his fiancé have been away my granddaughter stayed a few times and she was good company but I had to get up to take her to school. I will miss not seeing her for her 13th birthday but I must be home on the 24th as I have an appointment to attend to that I can't avoid.

A few friends have asked if I could get them a few things, mainly tea bags, quorn products for one this trip I have no cool box because I came over with Ryanair so my cool boxes are at home so I won't be getting any Faggots in gravy for me and a friend. I have got myself 20 packs of bacon and it's in the freezer and vacuum packed do for me I will take a chance on it being ok.

Just look at this

Monday I went to buy my van and needed to go online at the van's owners house. I had to put in the password to get online and the picture below shows what I found. I was very surprised at what I found the one called Awesome is the one I needed to access to get online.

How did Facebook link these to me?

In another life many years ago lived a girl. This is the girl who happened to marry me and become my first wife till it all went wrong. How has Facebook linked her and her brother and sent a people you may know?

Poor Steve

I mentioned some time ago about one of my friends who I went to school with. I received some bad news telling me Steve had had a bad traffic accident and that he may never walk again. It's good to say so many people helped and encouraged him he is now on two sticks and with further help he should one day walk unaided.

Despite the bad news that while he was laid up in hospital his so called dear wife decided to cheat on him. To make it worse it was one of his children who saw her. Most people would just fall apart after hering news like that but it was what Steve needed to make him try harder with his recovery. Steve has just got an IPad and is now enjoying using FaceTime so I will be able to follow his recovery instead of just by email.

White van man

Well today I got myself a White Citreon Berlingo van. Just the thing to have for all the work I am doing in my house. I can now put the seats back into my car and turn it back into a car instead of a part van. The downside of the van and it's the only problem is it only has a radio, what good is having so much music on CD without a CD player. Message to self Buy a CD player for the journey home at the weekend.

I left Liverpool at 12 noon and the train journey lasted till 2.30pm. It was nice traveling by train instead of being behind the wheel much as I love driving it made a nice change to sit back for my journey. I was met at the station by a friend of the vans owner and after a test drive I paid and started of on my way home.

On the motorways and main roads in Portugal you can drive for quite a while before you see another vehicle in any direction. Driving out of Nottingham to go to Liverpool was not what I am used to. The roads where very very busy and the motorways where even worse the standard of driving was very poor people driving to fast or to close. Thank goodness for Sunday when I leave to go home to quiet roads and slower drivers.

A Birthday and a boring week

I seem to have been here in Liverpool for ever when it only been just over a week. My son and his fiancé are away on holiday and it's so boring here when I have so much to do at home. I did have a good day a few days ago when it was my Mums 91st birthday. My Mum is not a frail old lady she has all her faculties but is slow do to her recent hip operations. It did seem unusual to see a birthday cake with 91 on it and maybe that may be me having a cake with 91 on. Mum worked hard with Ellis her youngest great grandson getting him to blow the candles out but in the end she did it herself.

The one thing I miss is fresh cream cakes, tea bags, oxo cubes in fact most things can be found in Portugal but fresh cream cakes. Since I got back I have had more than my share of fresh cream cakes after all it may be another year before I come back as at the moment I have no plans to return before then. I have plans to work on the house and the money is needed for the building works.

Collecting old wood

For a while I have been making table lamps from old seasoned wood, Oak, Olive and Chestnut. I sent to the UK for the fittings to take the bulb but until the morning I left to visit family in Liverpool the fittings hadn't arrived. The fittings being late was a great shame as one was a special present for a person who would give me a honest answer to questions as to the quality of my gift. The reason being I would like to start to produce table lamps and for a while I have been building up a stock of old seasoned wood.

I have been lucky to have been given a lot of Oak off cuts that I can do so much with. The day before I left I was given some Apple and more Olive promised by a friend. Fortunately another friend has a huge lathe setup for making table legs and lots of my designs can be made on this lathe.

The picture below shows the first of my samples I cut. The one on the left has been finished and is waiting for the bulb fitting and cable and plug and then it can be sent off to my friend. With the fitting it will be transformed from just a piece of wood to a fantastic looking table lamp. Much as I searched I couldn't find the fittings I wanted, I could find fittings for the table lamp top but I wanted brass fittings because they give a better look than the plastic ones I found.  I have found a shop to get natural Bees wax from and after using the wax if this was a gift to me I would be happy with it. 

What a waste of time

I have been posting all about my new bedroom to show just what can be done by someone who is no longer the young man he used to be. I can fulfill everything i want and i hope that other may say Hey i can do that and give it a go.

Today i got up early to let the plasterer in only to find out that the hospital won't remove his stitches till this afternoon so it's been a waste me getting up early. Sad that at this late stage i have had a big setback as i wanted to get to see him start and he would have done a lot in the first day.

Arrangements had been made for someone to come in and take photos and email them for me so i can see the room finished.

The bedside tables are done.

Well the saga of my master bedroom goes on. Waiting for the plasterer i got on with my bedside tables today final sanding and then waxing with a dark wax. The colour you see in the pictures had three treatments to get the colour i am happy with.

Now i need to wait till the plasterer has finished and then i have to lay the floor and paint the walls so still a bit to do.

The sockets will be hidden by hiding it under the table top. The cables for the lights will be short so as they can't be seen

This colour is as close as i can get to the colour of my bed.

Plastering arranged

Well i leave for a break in Liverpool on Friday so i was anxious that the plasterer could start work today. Last week the plasterer had an accident with his hand and won't have the stitches removed till Wednesday and can't start till Thursday and finish on Friday but i am traveling back to Liverpool on Friday.

I will leave the plasterer in my house doing his job when he has finished he will lock the house up and give the keys to my friend for safe keeping. It won't be until i arrive home that i get to see the finished job. I have been to see his work so i know he will do a first rate job. I asked about how i pay him while i am in the UK and he said he is happy to wait till i return.

Brushed up, moped up and vacuumed up

It's been a hard few weeks i started by insulating the roof. Then as you can see from the various pictures from the last few weeks i have built a room in my loft. That room was also insulated and i just have a few joints to tape up to make double sure that there are now chance of any drafts from something i may have missed.

The end wall is where the chimney will go out of for the log burner. The chimney will also give of heat during the winter when the log burner is in use in the lounge below. The end wall can't be plaster boarded till the chimney is fitted. I have brushed up, vacuumed  up and moped up.






Now i am waiting for the Plasterer to come and plaster the whole room. After plastering i will paint and then lay a new floor.

Table lamps and shelves

While i wait for the plasterer to arrive and give me a date i have more than enough to be getting on with. I am making my own table lamps for the side of the bed.

This is my shelf for in front of the window. What you see on the top are the brackets for underneath to add as supports as well as a feature.

Here are two table lamps for the side of my bed and in the rear two for the spare bedrooms. The one on it's own at the front is a gift for a friend and this one has had one coat of bee's wax and i can tell the difference already. The dark one is Chestnut and has been waxed already and it really does look so good.