Oh my poor veranda

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's all for now.

Little boy raises over £1,000,000

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

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

Once the tank was built

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

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

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

Look it's coming on

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

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

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

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

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

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

Department of Works and Pension

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

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

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

First fish in there new home.

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

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

Here is a pair of half black sword tails

A single sail fin Molly

Limestone floor tiles for my Veranda

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

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


















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

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

My new veranda is on it's way

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

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

This is looking out from my workshop to the outside.













 
This is the side looking onto the ruin next door.

This is the side looking to the lane.

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

Here is the entrance to my workshop.

Well a little back to normal

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

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

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

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

Proud of Liverpool Coppers

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

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

So the borders are now open

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

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

So carry on staying safe.

R.I.P my veranda

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

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

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

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

If anybody gets upset reading this Tough.

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

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

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

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

My Lai Massacre - Definition, Facts & Causes - HISTORY

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

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

But some good news

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

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

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

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

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














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

My poor veranda

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

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

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

Just a bit of whats been going on.

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

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

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

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

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

During this lockdown

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

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

I live in a little village

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

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

Farmers told to cut Milk production

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

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

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

What a nice surprise

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

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

How to oder Spices

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

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

Orders are normally shipped within 24 hours.

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

Black peppercorns
Star anise whole
Tamarind
Vindaloo

Face masks what would you do

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

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

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

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

I sell Spices

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

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

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

Should you want to buy Spices from me read below

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

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

So please feel free to make contact.

I went into three supermarkets today

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

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

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

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

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

Not as good as my Mums

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

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

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

How cute

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


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

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

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

A single act of kindness

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

Please read the story below.

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

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

• Coronavirus - Updates from the East of England

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

Have we woke in the middle of a nightmare

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

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

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

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

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

No prison warders in sight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A time to be proud

Tonight at 8pm i changed channels on my TV but i couldn't understand what i was looking at. What was shown was people standing at the door to there houses and clapping there hands. 

At 10pm i saw the news for the UK something i don't normally do, perhaps i should more often. There where scenes all over the UK of people at 8pm standing at the doors to there houses clapping. They where clapping in support of the NHS and for all the care workers from cleaners right up to the very top Doctors.

I had missed the event and it did make me feel incredibly proud even though i no longer live in the UK.

NHS you are loved by one and all.

What will the world look like after the Virus

What will the world look like after the Virus.

Food shops are open but that's all i saw today but nothing else. How many people will be out of work after the end to this Virus a lot i think. Many businesses that are not doing well will just close and there staff will be out of work.

But what about young people who are finishing school only to find no work. Even for those coming out of University after studying for a Degree what do they do. Imagine after the transport industry has mass closures what this means is more unemployment.

I live out in the country but how about people in the cities i fear for a world that will change and not recover for a very long time.

What a shock i got

I mentioned yesterday about if you can help then please help.

I have just had a talk to someone i know personally who went out shopping and called to a local hospital. When they got to the hospital they where not allowed in but found hospital staff who had worked many hours and where having a few minutes rest. The food was donated to the hospital staff who gratefully accepted it.

If you look at the bigger picture this act was something that will not be forgotten  by those involved. It reminds me of something i did during the fires here in Portugal a couple of years ago. The feeling i got was something i will never forget.

So my friend your gesture will not be forgotten.

An urgent appeal

There are so many people who at these difficult times need help. I have readers from over 82 countries and i thank them all every one of them. May i ask if you know of someone near to you who needs some think of help Please offer help but don't put yourself in danger.

At this time your help may be just what that person needs.

Even a simple phone call to check that that someone who may needs help that call could make a difference.

Good luck and Stay safe

This Blog is about me BUT

It's been great to tell my story all about my life in the sun BUT.

Today i had a call form a friend to say to be up early because he was going to help me with something that was to heavy and to big to manage on my own Great now that would let me carry on with lots of other jobs until. An hour later he called back to say that the Government had declared that the country was in a Lock down. No travel and you can only go out to buy food.

After recent trips to Makro i have enough to get me by but the only thing i am short of is onions. I have lots of onion powder but it's not the same. There may be people near where you live and if you can do someone a good turn then think about other.

So i will finish by wishing each and every reader who reads about the life of this old Scouser.

On a recent shopping trip

On a recent shopping trip i called to a Makro trade store. I have a trade pass and decided to do a little shopping and the one thing i notice that nobody was told but everybody was keeping gaps in queues etc. The one things i noticed was that it looked like nobody was stock piling.

I next called at a local Aldi again people where keeping gaps no panic buying everybody well behaved. The local Minipreço supermarket close to where i live  also provided no hand spray.

I needed Yeast for my breadmaker and i go to a supermarket in a village near to me. I called on my way home and as i went into the store i was stopped to have some hand jell put on my hands. This was the only store that i had to rub Jell into my hands before i entered the store.

Sadly the National and International stores seemed to offer no hand protection.

Floods what did they do

Over about the last month or there about the UK has been flooded and i am told it nearly sunk.

I was walking by a river near where i live that had flooded some time ago. After the flood the river was widened quite a lot. The problem was the UK did not a lot apart from having flood defences in some places and some of these didn't work.

The pictures below show just what was done along this river. I am told that after the flood the local council had diggers go into the river to cut the river bank to make the river wider.

Trees are normally planted away from the river not right on the river side.

This is the best shot showing a stretch of the river with the trees right on the river edge. It works here but in the UK the owners of the side of the river would refuse to allow the rivers edge to be cut or they would want millions to give up there little piece of river to help avoid floods in the future.

Here you can see the bank being cut back if you look between the trees. The same between the trees of the picture below the river is being made wider due to recent floods.

Bacalhau salt Cod NO

One of the local supermarkets had an offer for fresh Cod not the salted Cod that is common everywhere. In over 10 years coming to Portugal and living in Portugal i have never seen fresh Cod on sale before.

The Cod was priced normally at 12.99€ per kilo but reduced on offer at 5.99€. At the supermarket They had 4 steaks for sale or one whole fish greedy me i got the whole fish. The fish weighed 5.185 kilo or about 11 lb the sales girl couldn't find bags big enough for the fish to fit in. It took some time for the fish to be bagged up for me but soon i was on the way home.

Below i have a picture of the fish on my work surface, i put my Iphone next to the fish to to show scale so you can see it's huge. I kept the bones and tail to boil down to make stock to be used for soup.  I managed to get 20 portions out of the fish and it's now all in my freezer. Below is the receipt showing the weight and price. So Peter got a bargain

A new country

I am pleased to say a big well come to a reader from A Southern African country. This country brings my readers now at 80 countries the country is Lesotho and thank you for reading my Blog.

This week another i have just noticed another two new countries where i now have readers. Turkmenistan and Namibia so i am up to about 82 countries something to be proud of.

I am looking forward to more countries joining my readers.

Panic buying

During last week i had a phone call from someone who was at the time short of transport. This person asked if i would that them shopping i said that they had only done a big shop three days ago.

No it's because of the Virus, i said why and i got the answer about the Pandemic after seeing the news the World Health Organisation had not declared a Pandemic. But my friend was sure there would be and they wanted to stockpile food. What i said was not something i could print. This was stupid as at point there where no cases of the virus in Portugal.

Now they had there own transport again i am sure that they will be out filling the house white as they say dry goods i say let them.

An exclusive

It's sad that over four years my Spice supplier has ceased trading due to ill health however there is still a supply of stock i can make use of. In the UK lots of Spice suppliers mostly sell to the public or they are very big and don't want to deal with someone who wants orders of 28 kilo each time. The quantity weight limit is due to using UPS as a courier where over 30 kilo there is a premium  price over 30 kilo packages.

One product i have that is very popular is Smoked Paprika but it's the same as you get from any supplier until now. I have searched far and wide until i found a supplier in Hungary. Hungarian Paprika is known to be the best in the world and i have just found a supplier.

It will be nice at the markets to be able to say these Paprika's are exclusive to me, the supplier has said that they are exclusive. Paprika in Hungary is graded by what is call the ASTA systemI will be buying an ASTA 190 that is a hot Paprika. A ASTA 160 that is a sweet Paprika and a smoked Paprika. I don't know if i will have these new product ready for the first market in April but i hope i can get them in time.

It's what our customers want

The supermarkets in the UK often say when questioned about the policy of have only perfectly shaped fruit and vegetables. We all know it's a load of crap it's about Control and the control they have over there suppliers.

Today i went into a supermarket i go for fruit and veg. On display where a few tomatoes that the UK supermarkets got rid of many years ago. Here in Portugal ok the tomatoes don't look perfect but they do taste  so good.

The red and green peppers also don't look perfect but the taste is so very good.

something i need to learn

I have posted photos many times and the pictures are passable but not great. I took a couple of pictures using my camera instead of my Ipad or Iphone.

Although the tank is 5,000 Lt and for tropical fish at the moment i have to condition the water and at present i don't heat the tank. So Goldfish are being used to cycle the water ready for the tropical fish.

I was asked to send some pictures to a friend but looking at the pictures and i used the flash on the camera. so for i have now to use my good came. I need to take better pictures than the ones below.

The thing is despite feeding regular these Goldfish are clever whenever i come in the room they come over just to get some more food.

The recent bad weather

I am not talking about the recent storms in the UK because we have had problems here in Portugal and floods.

While going over to a place called Seprins i saw the effect on the river Ceira had at the bridge i have to go over. The icture bew shws just how strong the weather had been here.

This is the approach to the bridge and you can see that it is a wide river.

Here on the left you can see part of the rubbish that was swept down the river in the recent bad weather.











Now  this is what the river swept down from the surrounding areas from about maybe 10 miles away

The traditional dish of Liverpool Scouse

I have tried in the past to make a beef stew but nothing like my Mum used to make or even my Ex. I won't call what I used to make Scouse  because it never came close to what I have had in the past until now.

I was watching a YouTube video about a chef making Scouse I was working while I had the TV on showing YouTube. I followed the recipe to the letter and for the first time I made Scouse not a beef stew beef stew is for everybody Scousers make Scouse.

I made two portions one for my evening meal and the other to go in the freezer, if I hadn't put it in the freezer I would have had it for my next evening meal.

Power cuts

Power cuts are not at all rare but the last one was, the power went of at just 5.45pm just after I had had my evening meal. As it started to get dark I got out some candles and closed the shutters but my pellet burner went of and sitting in the dark reading was not for me. I decided to go to bed and have a good read of a book on my iPad with Kindle on it.

When I got up in the morning I checked two of my timers that control some of my lights They where over seven hours out. It didn't take to long to change my five timers that control most of my lighting. I was glad I went to bed instead of sitting in the dark and I finished the book I was reading.

During the fires of a couple of years ago the cuts we had where only for short periods of time. My worry at the moment is what effect my power went of and what damage was done to my filters in my fish tank. As the tank is 5,000 litres hopefully the bacteria in the filters will be OK.

I heard from my past

I very rarely go onto Facebook but today my son posted a picture of his van at the MOT. I noticed some messages and one was from the best member of staff i ever had work for me. I know if she reads this she will say but you had to say that, no it's the truth.

I owned a business in Liverpool and sadly because i have moved country doesn't stop me thinking about my previous life. Always i think of this one person and if she has a read of my Blog i hope she goes back to see some of the things i have done.

While i had the business my best mate Dave would do everything for me OK i paid him but. Yes this is a big BUT sadly Dave passed away a little while ago. Here i am on my own so doing anything is all down to me now.

I am glad to say I came here on my own we parted before I moved so no excess baggage. My major project at the moment is my fish tank. I have three solar panels that should provide enough electric to run all the lights, filters and pumps.

Shortly I hope to but a ruin not to far away from me and move my Orange trees and Lemon tree from my veranda.

More in future posts

Peter

3.98 Mbps never seen that before

Since I moved to Portugal I have had a battle with Meo my internet supplier. The best speed I had was about 1.75 Mbps what the means my speed was rubbish but I could manage. Many many times my speed got much worse down to as little as 0.06 Mbps but sometimes a phone call would get my speed up to something my computer could manage with.

Seeing the speed family get in the UK just made me feel worse. In Portugal there is a system and every business has to have on display a book called the Comlaints book. This is something that you only fill in when nothing else helps with your problem.
Finally Meo offered me what they said was all they could do to give me better internet speed. The offer was a Wifi router great for me IPhone and IPad the first test was my speed was 3.98 Mbps.


This speed was a speed I have never had in my house before never seen anything over 1.75 Mbps so what's my problem now.
Well it's this how do I connect this Wifi router to my computer just a little Wifi thingy that fits into the back of my computer.

Just where we go from here is this a happy ending to the saga about my internet speed maybe this is the end.

I used to have three Video shops

It's a long time ago that i had at one time three video hire shops. I went to a Library here where i live to attend a language class.

In the classroom i got a surprise Thousands of VHS video tapes.
After looking through i noticed that they where all films and all you need to do is ask at the library.

The little stream

A little while ago i mentioned about a dried up little stream.

I had picked through the bed of the stream during the summer to fill my 5,000lt fish tank.

I had picked every stone that i wanted and what i left was no good to me.

 We have recently had storms and the rain was as bad as i have seen in the last nine years.

I stopped today to have a look at the stream bed now and what a surprise i got.

To you the reader this may not look look interesting but to me this was a gold mine.
OK not gold but a wealth of stones and maybe i will go back to collect more in case i was to make changes into how the tank looks.

Clever idea

A long time ago while i lived in Liverpool and before i moved to Portugal i started to buy things that i may need for my new life. I knew that in the summer it gets very hot and what better than buying air con units. I got my self two units and shortly after moving into my house i fitted  one to the lounge and i enjoyed it from the day i fitted it. Also this unit could be used for heating and that first winter it was great in use a lot of the time.

When i built my bedroom in the loft i also fitted my second air con unit to make my bedroom comfortable year round.  Last night was a cold night and when go to bed i like to read for a while. Last night when i went to switch on my electric blanket i also switched on my air con. When i went to bed i looked first at my air con unit and the temperature was 30c . Reading in bed last night was so Nice.

This morning was again was to cold for me so on came the air con and the electric blanket. I put my electric blanket ON so i could warm my clothes ready for when i was getting dressed, nice warm clothes now that's a good start to the day.

Knowing what i know now was i right to bring with me air con units i would say yes it certainly improves my quality of life being in control of my comfort.