BBC you got it wrong

For years i have watched and read the news on the BBC because it seemed fair  in it's reporting or they made it look that way. Till today

I know this turn in the road because i turned here to go to the market at Figeuro Dos Vinhos some time ago in 2017.
I used this picture because it's a turn to market i had made many times and it's known person to me.

A picture from a drone no doubt

This is the road where 11 people from the same village died a Third of the population died that day

What you see above was the aftermath of looking into the gates to Hell.  What do the BBC say about a fire on the moors they say Apocalyptic as bad as when the Sun said Liverpool fans robbed and urinated on there fellow fans at Hillsbourgh football ground. Anything for a cheap headline cheap but not accurate a bad fire but not Apocalyptic.

Where is the apocalyptic fire where is the danger that i saw in the area i live.












Does that look more dangerous than the fire in the top picture????

Here is a BBC reporter doing his job reporting just what he found and an honest report.


















This how it's done in Portugal or at least in the area i live.We have water tanks all over the countryside like the one in the picture below. In the picture on the left you can see another tank being built the land was donated my my neighbour.

I had a pillar that need attention

After cutting a whole in a wall I had a difficult job getting old chestnut to cap off one part of the opening I had cut. I made a panel up out of parque flooring but I didn't want the edging on show because it didn't look right. I first made up a test piece of how I wanted to make the moulding look but first I had to cut and shape a piece of the profile to look.

Cutting the profile was no easy task because a professional would have moulding tools or machines. Because I was only cutting a small piece of wood to put up in position to see that what idea I had in my head would look how I had figured it would. To mould a piece almost 2 meters long was beyond what I could cut but I have a friend who had the machine I needed so of I went. After a little practice I got just what I wanted and after a good varnish it looks as I had planned.

Advertising how far does it have to go

have you ever considered the subject of advertising. We can't help really because everywhere we go or look we see some form of advert. But how intrusive does advertising get Doctors surgeries, schools, hospitals but just when does advertising get just to much. I recently went by train to Porto airport and on that journey I needed to use the Loo. I was shocked so shocked I took a photo but not till after I was in the Gents on my own. Look at the picture below and yes that is a some kind of video display on the urinal yes right in front of me an advert moving and in full colour. How of was that, it's not something you expect to find when you go to the loo.

Mirranda do Corvo Market postponed

If you had been planning to go to the Miranda do Corvo market it's been postponed till the 10th June. There is an Expo in the indoor market place and due to possible rain the Camara have changed the date.

If you can please let others know to save them a wasted journey.

Above is the text i have put up on three Forums i am on. It's OK  the Camara (Council) changing the date but so many people will not have found out the market has been postponed till the next week. Lots of people are creatures of habit and thee following week they already have plans for the next weekend.

So if you know anybody who would normally go to Miranda do Corvo market please let them know.

Top of the tank almost done

Today has been another good day. I have managed to get the top for my fish tank finished ao should i say apart from securing down to the base it's all cut and stained  so now just securing into place.

This is the left hand side where the water filter will go.

This corner is where the last corner is and the clamps need to be taken off and joined to all the others.

This  side is where water will be treated for doing water  changes. But it's coming on.

Polluted UK

I had been reading on the BBC news website about the Pollution in UK cities. Knowing how interested i am to clean air as where i live is pollution free. I was driving to the Maternity hospital where my daughter had just had her second child a beautiful baby girl. On my way to the hospital looking ahead in the direction i was driving the sky was blue and cloud free. So i took a picture because the blue sky was nothing like i see at home in Portugal.

I took this picture the day i returned home and as you can see the picture is looking through my veranda.

The difference in colour can only be down to the pollution in the air. The report on the BBC news put London as the worst place in the UK. Liverpool came about halfway in the list of polluted cities. How glad i am that i live and breath clean air everyday apart from when i go to Liverpool to visit family.

On a vist to a Santander bank

So many Santander banks have closed down like many others. Now it's hard to find a branch of most banks open but one is still open that I use Santander but not what you would call local. Kirkby is a overflow town outside of Liverpool long long ago it was built to take people who wanted to move out of Liverpool to a bright new town. Unlike what I have seen in Liverpool things are not so bad as I found over the last few days.

  " If you think i am cleaning up after that you can think again.

From where I parked to walk to the bank I came across well I don't know what you would call it but here goes. Something that looks like a Viking long boat with an Elephant stood in it. I tried to take the picture with the bank in the background well i couldn't but it's still a great picture.

Fish Fish Fish

During my teens I was lucky my Dad had a fish tank made for me and then another till I had three fish tanks. In those days I was new to keeping tropical fish and over the years I have had tropical fish again till now. Being retired I am now in the position to get back into the hobby of keeping tropical fish. I follow on YouTube someone called the Diyfishkeeper who got my interest in not just a fish tank as we all know them but a big tank. I have mentioned this before but I am making a big tank 5,000 litres big but this is not about the tank it's about Fish.

This fish is a Pacu from the Amazon and is related to the Piranha these fish are veggies.










I have asked on Forums over the years about finding shops that sell tropical fish. I have even found a few but after watching Joey the Diyfishkeeper on YouTube I now want something more and till yesterday I didn't quite know what I wanted. I have mentioned Oscars and I may got for them who knows but let's wait and see.

Here it is the Oscar my favourite fish that i have never had.












Because of the trouble finding a good selection here in Portugal I started looking in the UK where I know Tropical fish shops can be found everywhere. I must have called twenty shops by email asking if they have the means to export Tropical fish. Most didn't reply a few did but really you can only get quantity from the likes of the fish breeders in Thailand, Vietnam or in fact most Countries in Asia.

What could look so majestic than a silver Arrowana. They grow in the wild to about a Metre or over a Yard.







I started my search again online and found as Spain was not far away I started my search again in Madrid. After all a round trip Madrid and back could take a good day so that was it. After finding so many in Madrid I started to look in Salamanca and then Valladolid. At least now I know I can see the variety of those I may choose to have and the advertised price is so much better than importing.

Unlike the other these Platinum Angle fish don't grow very big and i would need about 20 or more in my tank.
That's my short list and i don't know just what to have yet nut i have lots more to the tank to do.








I have three choices as I said Oscars, Platinum Angels or Silver Arrowana. Oscars I could only have about six at the most. Angels as they don't get as huge as Oscars I could have twenty. But I am leaning towards Arrowanas but as these even in a large tank can get to 70/80 cm and in the wild over a metre so six would be the maximum. I will post pictures when I can I can't now because this damm Ipad won't let me.

The old garage

I have mentioned about the phone I have just got myself but on the way to the address I went down Menlove Avenue on the way towards the airport in Liverpool. Menlove Avenue was the home at one point of some you may have heard of John Lennon. John lived just around the corner from the children's home made famous in the song Strawberry fields Site of a former Salvation Army children's home & the inspiration for the famous Beatles song.

Enough of that driving down Menlove Avenue I stopped at traffic lights and at these lights is a garage forecourt that was a car sales and car hire business in the 1970's and still is. I worked for a time there after going on a course to learn to be a mechanic after getting married. As a newly married man the wages from being a butcher was not enough so I left butchering to become a mechanic.

Stopped at the lights I let myself dream back to the day I had to change the oil on a Ferrari Dino and to return it to his office now that was a day. That was a good job just as long as I kept the cars well looked after nobody bothered me.

When I travelled over to Portugal so much before I got my house and not wanting to pay huge parking charges it was so easy to park in a side street. The house I went to for my phone was one I parked outside a few times certainly a small world. I mentioned to the lady what I used to do and she said she remembered my car as it had a private plate. Small world.

Getting rid of landline

Over  the years I have enjoyed an offer from Meo the phone company. The offer is for 200 minutes free to call any landline in Europe at any time. I have used this to call my Mum and it was how I kept in touch for all this time. But from the start I have never been told when the offer ends until I get the latest phone bill. As I don't know the offer has ended I just carry on until the phone bill arrives a month later.  As I had no notification when the phone bill came in I would then get not just my normal bill that had the Internet cost but also all the free minutes charged for.

Every time I get a phone bill with increased charges I would call and complain but not her ever got done. The only thing that would happen would be to reinstall my 200 minutes offer but not back dated and I had to pay the charges.

It's happened again the offer has ended without notice and my bill instead of 32/ 35€ came in at 96€ quite a shock. Ok I made the calls but with the amount of British people living in Portugal you would think there would be a system in place to let them know sorry but not all Expats can understand Portuguese and could they let use know in a form we understand. In this day and age it's not a problem to translate from one language to another and with the computing power they must have it should be easy.

What makes the problem more difficult is I am in the UK so I have no means to call and complain as the phone number is 16200 not a number to call from the UK. In Portugal they have a system where every business has to display a complaints book. Also it is law that when asked for the complaints book the person you ask must immediately provide you with the book. Now the system has changed and the complaints book is online this system over a period of time will affect all companies. At the moment only the largest of companies have to have the complaints book online.

I made a complaint online and received a reply early next day. The reply said that the offer runs from one date to another date the next year and to discus the matter call 16200. What part of telling them I was in the UK till the 14th May did they fail to notice?

When I get back I will call and see if I can cancel my landline as my UK mobile on the Three network only cost me 3p per minute. The problem there is some people will not call a UK number from a Portuguese phone so I have an answer for that. My Portuguese mobile that I don't normally use I will use that instead of my land line. As I like my tech my Portuguese phone is great for calls and text nothing else it's no good for the modern world.

I pound for sale in the UK an IPhone for sale and all I need is to get it unlocked and use the sim from my old phone to keep my number. So Meo your days as my phone provider are numbered when I get home I will no longer have a land line.

I have a friend who when we talk we can talk for hours having a good catchup what do I do, I suspect he will be in touch with an answer as I know he reads my Blog.

Visiting my Mum

I'm lucky to still have my Mum unlike many others at my age. My Mum is only a matter of days from being 93 years of age and has said she doesn't want a fuss. What lots of people don't realise how lonely it must be sat on you own not in the best of health and without company. When my Mum was recently in hospital a number of times she said to me how she wished " why won't they just let me go ". Hearing you Mum say that and more than once is heartbreaking and what do you say.

Yes I like the rest of my family want Mum around after all she is mine and my brother and sisters Mum BUT. Yes a big but this time we are selfish just consider for a moment about quality of life. Mum has four careers come in each day as five of Mums children live a long way away. Me in Portugal but I have one sister who lives local and is with Mum most days but she also has her life to live.

My Mum is just like a prisoner, a prisoner has a cell, somewhere to spend time with other and an exercise yard. My Mum has her house but as walking is not very good she spends her time at in a chair. Very occasionally Mum ventures out into her garden so you see life is no better than life for people in prison.

I call Mum almost every day and try to avoid the afternoon as Mum has a nap then. Yes family visit but they also have there own lives and with Mum's coming birthday I hope that the family are able to spend some time with our own prisoner.

The high street has gone

Today I am in Liverpool for my Mums birthday and to become a Grandad again. Leaving Mum's I got the bus into town so I could catch another to where I am staying. While travelling along we went along a road where I trained as a butcher in 1964 and also past where I had my own butchers shop. I can say the High street as we know in the UK is dead. R.I.P the high street.

I traveled up Townsend lane that when I had my butchers shop there was full of shops all doing good business and not an empty shop in sight. Today it has a Ghost town feel from maybe 20 shops in my day to now only a handful and all look past there best.

At the top end of this block was the insurance broker i used for my first car. in 1968 an Austin A50. The car cost £11.00 from Liverpool motor auctions.




 From Townsend lane we started up Breck road past the only business that seems to be thriving Georgson's car sales. The owner of the car sales came in every Saturday and I cooked him a leg of lamb from when I worked in the shop to when I became the owner. His business looks to be doing well and during my time he certainly had a very good name as a person who was good to do business with.

Sadly just passed there was the Cabbage Hall pub recently closed and looking like it closed years ago dirty paint holes in part of the roof not a pretty sight.

Between the Pub and there turning for Belmont road what shops still open looked tatty and in need of a good clean and a facelift outside. Sadly with the lack of trade there is not the money to allow the owners to spruce up the exterior of there sorry looking shops.

As the picture shows this is 3pm in the afternoon. little more than a Ghost town.
The hay day of yesterday is long gone. The next think will be housing.

 As I pass the turn for Belmont road we come to the block of shops where I worked and learnt my trade as a butcher. The bank on the corner gone and the building looking sorry for itself, the little shoe shop and next door a ladies dress shop again looking really sorry for themselves. Rushworths the record shop now a Deli but looking so tatty who would go in there. The shoe shop on the corner closed.

Across the road Ohares the jewellers now a Pawn shop Sayers the cake shop gone and empty so is the Chemist next door. Looking past its sell by date next door is still a pet shop and the pub on the corner it would be kinder to knock it down.

It's the same up the road every block less than half the shops on each block closed and what's left looking sad. Across the road and further up are new housing estates so why is everywhere looking like it's time to close and say enough is enough.

Who's fault is it a shopping area that had everything now has nothing. The Car that's where it started, the car gave people the chance to be able to travel to the new supermarkets. The war between the supermarkets drove down prices and the little shops suffered and closed.

The council lost many millions in Rates but did the Rates from the supermarkets make up for what was lost from the high street???

About the only shops left are the ones owned by the ethnic communities because the shop has no wage bill to pay and all the family works in the shops. These type of shop offer no chance of employment for the local communities.

Solicitors, hair dressers, fast food outlets ( chippies ) and second hand shops. That's about all that's left but this is not a problem in just Liverpool it's a problem across the country as reported often in the news.

R.I.P the high street 

Another spoilt trip

While I was over in Liverpool I seem to have stayed to long in Farmfoods in Birkenhead after a trip to friends. It seems you can only shop for an hour and if you stay longer you get a parking ticket. While my daughter was in hospital in a difficult stage of her pregnancy I borrowed her car and did a big shop. I came home to Portugal shortly after unaware of any problems I may have caused while looking after my granddaughter.

Now when I go back for my Mums 93rd birthday in May I may still have this parking ticket to sort out. I can't understand how you can get a parking ticket when you are in the shop spending in my case some of my Pension on food. I hope Farmfoods are happy.

Portugalwildfires

Portugalwildfires is a site created because although the laws a clear not everybody knows just what's what or they think they do. My friend Steve who lives in a village were some people died in the fires of 2017 created this above named website. Actually that's not quite true it was his wife Susan who created the site but with Steve's input.

Much is said on some of the Forums i am a member of but it seems every Brit on the Forums has there own idea of what the rules are in regard to trees being cut down. The laws are in place to make sure all the villages and towns are better protected from any further fires.

Land must be cleared 50m round houses and 100m round the outside of villages and trees inside removed . That's putting it simply but there is so much more that is involved and Steve and Susan have got every detail that home owners need to know. You can even print of the laws to show to the GNR/ Police if they come and tell you trees that are allowed are to be removed.

The best thing would be to go to the site and have a good read or follow the link on the left hand side of the page or the link below.

http://www.portugalwildfires.com/

All done

I mentioned a short time ago about one of my sons going on a run. While taking part in a Marathon is only for the fit and the brave and to run 26 miles is a fabulous achievement.

My son has just run in temperatures of up to 50c in the Sarah dessert in 6 days a 156 miles. To make it more difficult they where limited to how much food and water they could have because they had to carry everything the runners needed to finish . It was really a case of using resources carefully and doing everything that his years of training in the Marines had taught him.

He was not the tallest Marine but in my eyes he is a Giant amongst men.

Congratulations so i am so proud of you.

My best friend

Normally i don't mention anybodies name on my Blog because some people live a private life and don't want to see there name of a Blog for all the world to see.

Some time ago i meet someone who has become my best friend and i have needed a best friend after my best friend Dave passed away. Dave never came out of him coma and due to certain brain damage his wife and son agreed to turn the machine off that was keeping him alive. Knowing he never suffered was a help as Dave was the person i used to turn to often over the years.

Now i have another best friend Ashley not one to replace Dave but someone who lives down near to Tomar quite a drive away from me. I am jealous of Ashley I write just what comes into my head when I come to post something on my Blog. Ashley has a much better command of the English language than I do so it makes reading his Blog different.

Ashley like me is at total ease with life because we are quite the same. Like me he is looking at changing his house to make it more comfortable to his needs just like I started some time ago. So if you are thinking about moving to Portugal his Blog would be so helpful.

https://expatinportugal.com

My Plants

I am lucky a friend who is renovating a house just behind me agreed to take pictures of how my plants are doing. We have had so much rain that after two years of little rain now the reservoirs are full. That rain has helped my fruit trees and everything is showing signs of good growth.

This is the nearest i could get to an Acer tree. I had been looking for a long time for an Acer tree but it's almost just as nice.

This is the smaller of my orange trees but with plenty of little flowers starting to grow.

Maybe this year my Lime tree will have some fruit on it and it's showing a few buds.

This is my pride and joy Black Cardamon that my friend Paul planted for me still looking good.

This is a pear tree that i only got because it already had a few pears on it when i found it in a market.

Now i know that this grape vine is a Chardonnay because last year the fruit was a white grape. I originally got a variety of Chardonnay and Shiraz. As the grapes where white it has to be a Chardonnay.

I looked today at my Black Currant and found some little flowers that will grow into Black currants.

And i came back

A little while ago i was in Liverpool due to my Mums continued ill health and i was due to stay for 2 months until Meo called me. I received a phone call from Meo the phone and internet company and again two days later. What Meo wanted was to tell me that they would be calling at my house to install Fibre Optic for my internet.

Now my village does not have Fibre Optic but they called me twice and sent a contract so i had to go back home. I had the contract translated and yes all was correct and all i had to do was wait till Monday morning. Monday came and i was pleased to say the Fibre Optic guy came and before he came to me he had a walk round the village.

The Fibre Optic guy was walking round looking for the cable that should have been installed ready for him. But he came to see me to explain that he only does the indoors part of the connection. Today he couldn't install my Fibre Optic connection so he got in his van and left. I tried calling Meo to find out what was going on sending someone out before they had even installed the cables. I was told that someone would call me back the next day. But the next day all they said was i was to far from the road where the nearest connection was. Until more people move into the village Fibre optic is not an option.

Today was a very Memorable day

I had an appointment today to meet a close friend I had not seen for a while. I was going to see Christine my friend Chicco's daughter at Chicco's old workshop. Christine has been advertising timber and furniture on Facebook and I was after Chestnut timber. To get a better finish when I am varnishing wood I was advised to get something called Tapo Poros it stops the grain in the wood from lifting when you apply varnish. Chrisine went of to find the Tapo Poros but when Chrisine came back her father Chicco came with her and as usual Chicco had a big smile on his face when he saw me.

Helping Chicco and Christine get rid of lots of timber and furniture was Chicco's brother. I was lucky that he found some Chestnut for me in the lengths and sizes I need. I have been following a wood craftsman on YouTube and he often uses Walnut wood. Walking round I saw some walnut and I know of something I can use it for.

I know that a machine that had been used to do some moulding for me was still setup for just what I need to top of my windows. Chicco's brother when he saw one I took to show him said how many do I want as simple as that and hopefully within a few days I should have the mouldings for my window tops.




I had friends with me and they found a tree trunk to make a set of Spiral stair case. They also found an Oak table for there kitchen. A good day had by all.

As Chicco came down to see me Christine was looking at the time on her phone. While we where talking Christine mentioned that it was 12 months ago that her father had his accident but also to the minute. 

More Led lights

I got fed up waiting to find some more Chestnut to finish around the opening into the TV room so I got started today. I had the top panel finished and measured up to fit 5 LED lights and when done I glued the panel up into place. The panel to the right is made up of parquet flooring and with a final coat of varnish should be done in a day or two.
This room has 22 Led lights and 5 in the opening a total of about 24w per hour better than a single 100w bulb in the ceiling.

No name mentioned YET

A little while ago a friend here in Portugal put a post on a Forum we are both members of needing help too buy a drill bit. As i was going back to the UK for a quick trip i told him i would get a drill bit for him. I found just what i wanted on Ebay and the price was only £4.50 so i ordered one for my friend. I contacted my friend who told me that he had found one in a town near where he lives.

At this point i had not paid for the drill bit and had forgotten all about it until i received a message from Ebay. It seems that because i hadn't cancelled the order he seller wanted his money. As i no longer needed or want the item i explained that i couldn't find a way to cancel the purchase. They replied with "    It is not possible for us to cancel the transaction." 

As i couldn't get them to see reason i can only think a sale for a drill that costs just £4.50 is really very important to them. I have closed my Paypal account and instructed my bank to pay nothing without my permission. So that's where i am up to and i have not named them as of yet but should they really need that £4.50 then i am sure they can always fly over to Portugal and go to the Small claims court should Portugal have such a system.

Imagine  this they take me to the small claims court in the UK and the Judge finds in there favor. Wow now after two weeks they send in the Bailiffs who can't find me But. Now they go to the High Court and the Judge gives the Bailiffs a High Court order and they have much more powers. Watch " Can't pay we'll take it away ". Sorry i have no UK address as i now longer live in the UK but i live in Portugal.


So watch this space.

Wood work is coming to a halt

I have been trying to varnish a number of parts for round one of my windows. Every time i try and apply varnish the finish comes out very poor so i sand each part down again. After sanding down again i try to apply more varnish being careful that i add the correct amount of water as it says on the tin. I think the mistake i am making is that i didn't notice where it gave the minimum and maximum working temperatures.

My only option now is to wait till it gets a bit warmer when i can get started again. But all my existing jobs are all based on my windows so i need to find something to do that is not based on using varnish and windows.

Here is all my present job and a couple of bits to make a couple of clocks and a table lamp. At the front is the sill for the window i am working on at the moment.

A Marines Prayer

I have no idea of the name of the Royal Marine who wrote the words below but i am sure in dark time when deployed these words may have given some comfort.

This reminds me of a songs by a singer called Wink Martindale about a pack of cards.

The cards represented a replacement for his Bible some of the words go like this." "You see Sir, when I look at the "Ace, " it reminds me that there
Is but one God. And the "Deuce" reminds me that the Bible is divided into
Two parts, the Old and the New Testaments. When I see the "Trey, " I think
Of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And when I see the "Four, " I
Think of the four Evangelists who preached the Gospel; there was Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John. And when I see the "Five, " it reminds me of the five
Wise virgins who trimmed their lamps; there were ten of them: five were
Wise and were saved, five were foolish and were shut out. When I see the
"Six, " it reminds me that in six days, God made this great heaven and
Earth. When I see the "Seven, " it reminds me that on the seventh day,

A proud father

I am lucky that i have children to be very proud of. My daughter is going to make me a Grandfather for the third time. But that brings with it a problem, i have a favourite grandson, a favourite Granddaughter. But what do we do about the next we have joked about the day i signed onto a new Forum and it said Male, Female or Other. Up till now it has been Little other but soon when it's born it will no longer be little other but a person. So that is my dilemma  how do i refer to my newest Grandchild.

I have two sons both i am so very proud of one who has made a change to his life and career. He now installs Glass and acrylic  splashbacks to kitchens but please look at the picture below to see how special they are and how good his job is.

Not my favourite but still a stunning job and well done.

This is my favourite the Liverpool Skyline this is absolutely stunning.













My other son's work i can't mention on my Blog but i can say that he is in training for a little run. We all know the London marathon and the New York marathon. Well lets tell you about a proper marathon and i mean no disrespect to those who run normal marathons.

When you put into Google  156 mile marathon the top of the Google list is

Marathon Des Sables https://marathondessables.co.uk/

This is what it says "  In just six days you will run over 250km (156 miles) through endless dunes, over rocky jebels, and across white-hot salt plains. The sun will be your constant enemy with temperatures regularly reaching 50 centigrade. The sand will be your constant companion, clouds of it under your feet, sheets of it stinging your eyes "

My son is more than capable of such a run and he is self funding his training and the entry and his run himself but he is trying to raise money for Charity the Charity is Rock2Recovery in my sons words " an amazing cause! " So what i am asking is if you can spare a few Euro's or GB pounds then please consider sponsoring him but at least read the link below. 

Below is a link
 https://teamfortitude.co.uk/participant/lee-calder/

So you can see how extremely proud of my Children each amazing in there own right.

Stair pillar now hidden

It's taken a while to get this part of the stairs finished mainly because i needed a piece of Chestnut wider that i could get. The only answer was to join two pieces together of Chestnut together.

There used to be a horrible green pillar holding the stairs up until now.

Three sides of the stair pillar are now enclosed in Chestnut all glued and clamped up and job finished.



















At the very top of the stairs i had to make this panel out of two pieces of Chestnut as i couldn't get what i wanted wide enough.

No Laundry basket not even under the bed

After completing my bedroom downstairs one thing that didn't look right was my laundry basket.It always looked out of place so i had to find an answer to having the basket in the bedroom. When i showed my son the pictures below i must admit he laughed until i explained what i had done.

For about 20€ i came up with the answer to have my laundry basket downstairs by my washing machine but. One thing i didn't want was to be having to go downstairs with my washing so i came up with my Laundry chute.

Here is the pipe now in place in the corner nice and tidy.

Here is how it works just drop the washing into the pipe and it falls downstairs to the basket.

There it is my washing down at the bottom of the chute in the basket.

I've seen lots of animals

Over the last more than six years traveling down the same lane I have seen lots of animals from  what looked like Badgers to wild Boar and birds of Prey but today. Today I saw a very young Deer and as it ran of along came another running acros the lane. I came back a couple of hours later and saw the pair of Deer again. These animals run so fast that by the time I reached my camera they had gone. In future I will have my camera out on switched on ready.

After six years driving

This is my sixth winter I have lived here in my little village. Whenever I leave the village to go into Gois or further afield I travel down a little lane only as wide as a car. This year we have had a huge amount of rain and from the forecast it's due to end soon.

I travel down this lane many times a week and this is the first time i have seen it flooded. 

Water water Oh dear me

Last year whoever gives out the rain forgot to send any to Portugal so the rivers almost ran dry. The reservoirs where so low that properties that had been flooded when the reservoirs where built got forgotten.
I don't know how long it's been raining because i was away in the UK for a while. When it rains here sometimes the rain forgets to stop for days at a time.

The ground on the left of the picture for most of the years gets baked by the sun all day everyday. When the rain comes the ground to to hard to soak up all the rainfall and it just runs of into the drains.
This picture shows the effect of the rainfall washing what loose earth there may be.

First time in my life

I am not  a plant or flower lover never have been and my answer to a garden is to pour concrete and paint it green. I don't mind trees in tubs but that's about as far as i would go.

I have a friend who has just got himself a house in my village near to me. Today i saw growing in his garden some Daffodils growing so i picked them. There where only six but i decided they needed a home in my house.
I have a Rosemary bush growing at the bottom of the lane and i took some cutting from the bush to add to the Daff's.
I don't have and won't get a vase but i do have a Grolsh glass  and for now that will do.

Since i got back

Since i got back i have been working on the Pillar on my stairs. I have the Chestnut to go round the pillar and to finish the top of the stairs.

This is the Pillar i am putting Chestnut round.

This is the pillar fitted together to check all the joints ect are OK before it gets a final coat of varnish.

 Here is the top of the stairs all dry fitted because everything needs to be varnished before final fitting.

Modern technology

Over the years technology has greatly advanced. I am due to be a Granddad again and I have seen pictures of the scans of my new grandchild. Today I received a picture of Little Others face, little other is my nickname for the baby because I don't want to know the sex till Little other arrives.
 

I have received picture of the tiny baby long before now but just look what modern science today can do. This is only a scan not a photo but who cares certainly not me i am pleased to see the next member of my family who is due to arrive soon.

How it was when the snow came

Liverpool has always been lucky when it comes to weather. What the rest of the country gets Liverpool doesn't get it as bad. The first picture is the morning after the snow came thick and cold. OK maybe not as thick as the rest of the country but thick for Liverpool.

Weather wise Liverpool never gets what the rest of the country gets. What you see is as bad as it gets and would we have it any other way no.

The picture you can see if you look out of the window you can see the snow much later in the same day.

Flying high

I was flying at 38,000ft back to Liverpool when i looked out of the window when i saw the sun setting. A few minutes later i looked again and the picture shows just what i saw a magical sunset.

iPad just what a pain

I have had computers going back to the first Amstrad computers for my video hire business and before that I had Sinclair Spectrums. I ditch Windows on my desktop computers when Ubuntu Linux was at version 4.10 when I first tried it. Ubuntu 4.10 and was released on 20 October and from then on I haven't looked back I never have many problems and my system does not suffer from Viruses. So what's this got to do with IPAD lots.

The IPad is easy to use and when you buy one its main consumer target is people who have at least some computer knowledge. If having some knowledge then why does the box the IPad come in not have a huge manual telling you how to use it.

With the knowledge of computers I have at best I have should not have problems considering the IPad is simple to use. If I try to put pictures on my Blog I click on the symbol on my Blog as I normally do from my desktop. All I get is to add pictures from my Google Archive, my phone, a URL and lastly From this Blog then why can't I post pictures from my IPAD?...

While away from home I still keep my Blog up to date but I can never find a way to include pictures. Tonight I have spent hours trying to find a way to make IPad and my Blog work together. I suppose I will have to wait till I get home on Friday.

What a clever idea

I had a request on Facebook from someone who wanted to be a friend. I took a copy of the picture, what a clever idea to make a pool to keep cool in.

Now if that's not a clever idea i don't know what is. What better way to spend an afternoon in the sun.

News about an ex soldier friend

After leaving hospital yesterday I walked to a different bus stop than the one I use normally. I noticed someone walking on the other side of the road who I knew it was an ex soldier friend of mine. As he saw me he had a big smile on his face and came over to me. It is now seven years since we last met and it was good to see him after all this time.

My friend had left the army due to injuries he suffer mainly to his shoulders and an arm. If fairness to the army they did all they could to help him but it came to a point where there was nothing more that could be done. Due to advances in medical care and treatment he has now had five operation to his shoulders and one new shoulder joint and more surgery to come.

My friend was always of the opinion that life was how it was but the difference that seven years makes is remarkable. I am glad to say that the army has at long last settled his claim for the injuries he suffered and when he told me that I said and how much have you got left. I said that because he had a habit of always looking after others instead of himself. His reply I spent every penny on buying a house and now he has no worries.

I promised to go and see him for a cuppa when I had the time when I next come over. At the moment my time is taken up at the hospital seeing my Mum.

Extra mature cheddar cheese

I only have four days to go and I have been out to get the one thing I like to take back after my travels and that's Extra mature cheddar cheese. I know I won't run out of cheese because I now have in my freezer 9 blocks of extra mature cheddar cheese all 750/ 800g. So why do I want to take more back you may ask, well I would rather keep a stock of cheese than risk running out.

I like putting cheese into my egg poacher before I put my egg in, also cauliflower cheese. So what's wrong with cheese in Portugal well nothing but I just prefer what I enjoy. Today I got three blocks each this time 800g and only cost £3.90 each. Lidl have mature cheddar from Northern Ireland but it costs more than twice what i pay on my travels to Liverpool.

Iberianspices

Below is a message I have had to post on various Forums and advertising site to let people know I won't be at the markets I normally go to. I do have two markets before I fly back so I will get a chance to let lots of my friends know how things stand with regards going home to look after my Mum.

Due to ill health I have to go back to the UK to help look after my seriously Ill Mother. I will not be attending markets at Miranda do Corvo, George and Dragon and Barril de Alva.

Sunday the 4th March and Saturday the 11th March will be the last two markets I can attend. These markets are Miranda do Corva and George and Dragon. 

Sorry for the inconvenience but Mum comes first.

Please let friends and family you know who would normally come to the markets who may not see this message that I will be back soon.

Sorry for any inconvenience.  

UK Comedians

have you ever seen Comedians on TV almost every comedian has during his act has a swipe at Liverpool. Everybody from Liverpool just laughs at the Comedians because the can't come up with anything new.

This post came about because myself and one of my sisters are in a Liverpool hospital visit my Mum. Each time we visit we take Mum for a walk but today we couldn't find a wheel chair so. Being Scousers as in all the Comedians jokes we robbed a wheelchair  from another ward to go on out daily walk with Mum.

Being good Scousers we will return the wheelchair after we have made use of it. It has come up while I have been at one of my markets some has said about don't go to Liverpool in your car because they will rob your hub caps. No I say why would we rob the hub caps when we could rob the car.

Fat Fat and more Fat

I am in Liverpool at the moment and I am shocked. I had seen a TV program about the problem with obesity and health problems associated with the condition. During previous trips to Liverpool I hadn't noticed how many Fat people there where. OK I am a few pounds overweight but only a few pounds and I have been congratulated at how I have done well shedding about a stone I needed to loose. But what I saw while traveling from the airport into the city centre was appalling. Maybe I should be politically correct an call people Obese but call a spade a spade they're are Fat.

I am visiting my Mum who almost 93 years of age is in hospital. You would think the hospital would offer there staff who are overweight help as an example to others with a weight problem. Outside of Mum's room is the fattest nurse I have seen but being Fat seems normal but not to me.

I have to admit I am an addict and I face my addition every day, I am addicted to Fresh Cream cakes and I haven't had a single cake yet. Being in Portugal it's easy you can't get fresh cream but now back in Liverpool I will try to avoid cream cakes if any kind.

Ryanair

the very word Ryanair brings out the worst in some people, often it's moan after moan and the latest was about the luggage going in the hold. What Ryanair have done is changed the rules about the luggage. All luggage now has to go in the hold unless you pay for priority boarding when you can take it on the plane.

I have flown with Ryanair many many times and the main problem has always been people trying to get all there bags in the overhead lockers. While all this is going on it takes up so much time while the cabin crew try to get all the lockers closed.

But today Wow what Ryanair have done has made so much difference. The plane was boarded so much quicker and the time it took to get going was reduced a lot. Ten minutes early is common on the Porto to Liverpool but today we arrived 23 minutes early. A lot of that saving was of so few people now taking baggage onto the plane and I for one will look forward to my return trip to see if it's as good a flight. By the time I got from the plane to go through Customs the baggage was just coming  onot the carrousel and my bag was one of the first.

The sad part of this trip is my Guinness sport bag I have used from September 2009 to date is now redundant and I need a case. I borrowed one till I get time to buy one for myself but the bag didn't have a lock. Instead I used a cable tie and it worked perfect,and I have had things missing from my bag on a trip to Spain that's why I used a cable tie.

Back in Liverpool

liverpool was for most of my life home but not now my heart is in Portugal a and to be honest I would rather not to have left for a trip back to the place of my birth.

This trip was one I tried to avoid for the best of reasons or for me they where the best of reasons. I cast my mind back to when I took my Dad to see his sister dying from Lung cancer. I was persuaded to go and say goodbye but being a coward if coward being the right word I didn't want to see her. I had great memories of visits to her house but after going to say goodbye all I saw was a skeleton lying in her bed, I was shocked. That was my last memory of such a wonderful Auntie and most of all she was a good friend when needed.

Now we have gone full circle and this time I have to Man up my wonderful Mum is seriously ill. Mum is now nearly 93 years of age and the hardest thing was when she said that she has had her time and she just wants to go. After four hip operations her quality of life is not good and won't get any better. Mum apart from family now has help come in each day.

I have now made the trip over and on Tuesday morning I will see my Mum. I would love to see Mum recover and get home but now is not the time for dreams it's time to face what may happen but hope it doesn't.

And here is how it's done

i failed to pay attention to woodwork at school something I dearly regret. My big problem now is getting the wood I need to carry on working on my house. I can now get supplies of Chestnut but I can't find supplies wide enough for my needs so I have to make my own wide enough.

What I mean by that is I have to put two pieces together and cut it down to the size I want. I can't get wood thick enough for my needs so I have to glue two pieces together to get just what I want.

Once varnished you will be able to see the different grains in the wood. 




 I made the last two window sills today but with all the gluing it took two days waiting with drying time allowed before I could start the sanding. The sills in the long, tv room and bedroom are all different from each other that makes each room different from the others.

Now all the surrounds need to be cut shaped varnished and fitted.

Thanks to my mate

The law here is you can't have anything hanging out of the back of your van so 3mt long planks of timber are sadly to long for my van. I am lucky i have a friend who has roof bars and offered to bring my timber back for me. So of we went to the timber yard to get some timber to carry on with the jobs i have to do.

Today i cut one piece for one window and another for another window. I also cut two window sills and now everything needs planing and sanding. But another shopping trip for more wood glue and varnish so i better make the most of the time i have.