It was market day today

This market o go to is a craft and produce market and it worked this way for so long. One day someone arrived with a car load of junk, stuff that i have thrown away better before i moved to Portugal.

This was taken early before the crowds came There is everything from fresh lemonade to pottery to fresh bread. 

The lady in blue sells home made perfumes and various oils. The guy on the left sells lots of Organic honey also a few plants.















There is someone you can't see who sells sausage on a barm. He makes the sausage from his own pigs. Also he sells bacon and various smoked products including fish.

It has been hot very hot

We have had heat of 44c for a few days and even though it was not uncomfortable in my new bedroom aircon just had to be fitted.

Before i moved to my house i got two aircon units to bring with me from the UK. This is the second unit i am installing but i couldn't fit it at the height it should be. because of the shape above the window the aircon wouldn't fit so i had to put it somewhere else so it  was below the window.









All the inside has been done and now it's down to the outside to do, fit the main unit and run the pipework up to the top unit and switch on.

Another trip back to Liverpool

Just a little note to mention i have a trip booked to go back to Liverpool. I have found another company to supply me with Spices but this company also sells Organic Spices and i can sell them at almost the same price that i sell my existing stock with little price increase on most of my stock.

I last saw my Mum who is 91 years of age and i do miss her so great excuse for a trip back.

Lastly there is a school reunion to attend and it seems Steve and Micheal have found lots of my old mates from Rosco Garsfield school.

This is how to do it

A long time ago i stayed at a friends house and when i plugged in my Iaptop the socket was loose in the wall. When i removed my Iaptop plug the back box came out of the wall.

When i came to plasterboard my walls in each room as i go along below is how i do it so as to maintain an  air gap.

I put plenty of sockets using the above method to each room as i go along. Kitchen 23 sockets, Lounge 16 and the new bedroom 16 sockets. It's better to install when you are doing the work but also it's easy to fit should you find you need more. I am lucky that my electrician comes along to check i have laid the cables in correctly before he stars to connect them all up.

Each room also has it's own fuse panel or as some know it as a consumer panel this saves shutting down the whole house when electric works are needs, this way you just turn of whatever room you need the power switched of.

Screw a block of wood to the wall and then screw your socket back box to the block of wood. Simple.

This is after the back box has been screwed in position.

Hope that helps someone i am sure it will.

Moving into my bedroom

Well the bedroom is coming on and i have started to move my clothes up to there new storage units.

It's looking good even my leather chair that i have enjoyed for many many years and it's in place for me to watch TV.

It's coming on almost there

Today i received the LED lighting pack, The Auger drill bit for the table lights and the quilt. I decided to iron the quilt cover and make up the bed. The quilt cover was so badly creased it took an hour to iron all the creases out.

Over the coming days the skirting will have the LED lights fitted and the skirting will be finished.

Next i have a long drill bit delivered to drill through the table lamps to complete my custom made lamps.

Window finished

Today i managed to finish the window frame i have been working on.The architrave had it's last coat of varnish yesterday and it was time the architrave was put in place. All it meant was for the blackout blinds to be fitted.

These blinds come in one size and they need to be cut to fit. This was before the weight was fitted into the bottom of the blind and it now fits and looks good.

It should be dark of a morning even when i get up late.

Family is on there way

I have family coming over in the next few days so it's time to finish all those small jobs that i have been leaving to finish the big jobs.

I took a friend over to see Chicco and while there he ordered a desk to be made and guess who got the job of delivering it to Colmeal ME.

My friend will do all his own French polishing that's why it's still in bare wood.

Here is the last pieces of wood to be used till after my family leave to go back to Liverpool. I may put up my new ceiling fan if i get the time.

All the stairs now finished

It's taken me longer than i had hopped but the stairs up to my bedroom are now finished. Now i need to decide do i varnish them, do i stain them and then varnish them. Lastly do i paint them at the moment i can't decide just what to do but that's the last big job till my Son and Charlotte come over for a few days break.

I have lots of little jobs that need finishing and for the coming week that's what i will be doing.

Starting with the lights in the skirting boards.

You need stairs to get to the bedroom

Since i last posted i have been busy but not with visible things that i can take a picture of and post on my Blog. Cutting wood for the new stairs is not worth taking a picture of me in a dark cellar but today. Well today i was up early and the the results can be seen. I am only doing what you can see today because of the heat.

The spindles are only in position because i cut them ready for when i plasterboard the ceiling. The newell post is outside drying after three coats of varnish has been applied.

Tomorrow the top half will be finished but again i need to get up early to avoid most of the heat

Phew 33c inside

Phew today was hot, I was I was finishing the stud work for the ceiling in the lounge and I sweat continually from start to finish. As I finished I put my aircon on to check the temperature it was in the room. The temperature was 33c at 6.45 pm just when it should be cooling down there seems no sign of the temperature going down any time soon.

A day playing with skirting

The skirting has all been cut, sanded down nice and smooth and now has been stained. None can be fitted until the LED lights are fitted. Today was a good day and lots done but not a lot to see.

Skirting done and ready to be fitted, the short skirting next to the unit will have a LED light.

Staining now done and after the new door to the storage space is done and in position the skirting can be fitted. Oh the LED lights go along here as well.

More materials arrived

After weeks of waiting i am now getting together the materials to carry on with the jobs i am in the middle of doing. For my stairs i am having floor to ceiling spindles up the stairs with a big floor to ceiling Newel post When i went to collect the spindles one had a bad mark on it so i asked for another to be cut but i will have to go back for that.

Each spindle is made of two halves that have to be joined together and then have the edges moulded to produce the effect i am after.

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.