R.I.P Jose Alves

I came back from shopping in town to find a notice pinned on a tree by where i park my van. I went to have a read only to find the it was the first person i saw the day i moved into my house.

R.I.P. Jose Alves 91 anos

Whole meal bread

It's now over six years now that i have been making my own bread. I admit to be using a Panasonic bread maker and it's about the most important gadget i have and won't be without it.

I treated myself to 12 kilo of Allinson Wholemeal flour. The recipe I used was for a 50% mix of white flour and 50% Wholemeal because i don't really like brown bread but as it's good for me i have to give it a try.











I used the recipe that comes in the Panasonic manual when you buy a bread maker. Each loaf was life brown bread and not as good as i am used to. Today i used the recipe that is for white sandwich bread and it worked perfect just like white bread but brown. After cooking put a damp cloth over the top and it makes the crust as little softer.

Iberianspices Mail order

For those who don't know i sell Spices and most probably i have the best selection for sale at any market to be found in Portugal.

After being asked a lot about mail order i have decided to give it a go. Over the next few days the Iberianspices Blog will change.  A complete stock list with product pack size and price will be displayed.

I have a Paypal account and all i need to do is send via email a Paypal invoice and you can make payment from your card to Paypal. Please note you don't need a Paypal account to make payment.

As they say watch this space for news.

The market

Today was my first day at the markets since i returned from the UK. As a little treat i brought back a few treats for those English who can't do without English food.

This market is great undercover so no chance of rain or even wind as it's under cover and protected on most sides. 

As a bonus the market now has Wifi

The Reunion

While in Liverpool on my last trip i went to a school Reunion for those who attended Rosco Garsfild road school.

The night went well in fact a little to well but nobody got drunk after all we are all in our late 60's. The surprise to me was a number of ladies turned up, our school was in two halves and a fence between the two. The only disappointment for me was John Wild never turned up, i wasn't told till the end was that he passed away the week before. John and i used to help each other with homework and generally where good mates at school.

Seeing Steve after his accident was good he has made great progress and is now able to walk but not unaided.

I took loads of pictures on my digital camera and put the memory card in my wallet. The next day while i was in town my wallet was stolen and all the photos have gone i can only hope some of the others there on the night will have some pictures they can let me have.

Back and settling back into life in the Sun

It's only a couple of days and i am back and waiting for my first market. The highlight of the trip was seeing someone special apart from my Mum. We enjoyed some nice nights out together and i look forward to a trip over soon to see her again.

I got to see my Mum a lot and even cut her grass, i can't even remember the last time i cut grass. Of course i got to see my grandaughter always a highlight of any trip back.

Two thousand kilometers is a long drive but this time i had someone who wanted a lift back to the UK so it was nice to have company.

I have a new Spice supplier who also sells Organic Spices, i have found they have 12 Spices that i can but and sell for the same price as i did with normal spices. After speaking to both my suppliers they both tell me that over 90% of my Spices are in fact Organic. The difference being that most growers can't afford the fees to register as Organic. For four years the growers have to hae there land surveyed and certified as organic. After four years they can claim to be Organic but the cost is the prolem so they just sell there Spiees 

getting ready for the drive back

It may be a few days early but I have to get ready for the journey home some time so I stared a few days early. This time I am bringing loads of Organic Spices and I can sell them for the same price as my none Organic spices. My supplier tells me that most of the Spices I have been selling are in fact Organic it is just the cost to register and have yearly inspections that stop the growers from declaring they are Organic.

As I have room in my van I am also bringing back to sell at the markets English food. There are loads of people who don't or won't accept the fresh Portuguese food on offer and would rather pay extra for English food laced with all kinds of additives. Last trip the most popular thing I had was Custard creams and Cloudy lemonade and I have an order for 6 bottles of lemonade. I picked out only a small range of goods for sale and hopefully after two or three markets all should be gone till my next trip to restock.

Who said Scousers don't work

After seeing English workers during my time in business I was so surprised at what I saw while sat outside my daughters house. I arrived from Portugal at 6am in the morning and instead of waking her I stayed outside in my van.

My granddaughter is always excited to see me so I wanted to surprise her before she went to school. I told my daughter not to answer the door on the morning I was due. I knocked on the door at the agreed time and my granddaughter opened the door. It was worth waiting outside just to see her face she seems just as excited to see me as she always is.

Now back to waiting in the van. A little before 7am I saw someone walking fast with a long ladder and at first my first thought was he had stolen the ladder. Until I saw him put the ladder up to someone's window, then Oh is he going to break in but no another two guys came with ladders came and started to do the upstairs windows of a number of houses in the street. As quick as they came 2 more came to clean the downstairs now remember what I said about time it still was before 7am in the morning.

I do have a photo but the IPad won't let me download it so I have to wait till I get home and have access to desktop computer whe I get home.

Turmeric new Wonder Spice

After reading about the new wonder Spice Turmeric i had to have my say. I stock Turmeric but i am probably the only person selling ORGANIC Turmeric here in Portugal. So look out for me at the markets and get this wonder Spice it's certified ORGANIC.

Turmeric - Nature's wonder drug! The healthiest herbs & spices

• Herbs and spices have more antioxidants than any other food group
• Can help prevent the initial triggering of mutations in your DNA
• Taking a moment to spice up your life can have far-reaching consequences

By Dr Michael Greger For The Daily Mail

Published: 00:56 GMT, 1 March 2016 | Updated: 09:02 GMT, 1 March 2016

Ounce for ounce, herbs and spices have more antioxidants than any other food group.

This means they can help prevent the initial triggering of mutations in your DNA that could lead to cancer or other diseases.

So taking a moment to spice up your life can have far-reaching consequences. And the truly amazing properties of turmeric make it something we should sprinkle on our food every single day.

TURMERIC

What if someone could invent a magic pill that protected us from some of the worst diseases on the planet? Imagine the joy of the pharmaceutical companies - and what they'd charge us to buy it.

Ounce for ounce, herbs and spices have more antioxidants than any other food group

Well, I have news that Big Pharma doesn't particularly want to hear. The ingredients for that pill are probably already right there on your kitchen shelves: in a packet or bottle labelled turmeric.

Since the turn of the century, more than 50 clinical trials have tested curcumin - the pigment in turmeric that gives it that bright yellow colour - against a variety of diseases.

These show that the spice may play a significant role in preventing or treating lung disease, brain disease and a variety of cancers - including multiple myeloma, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer.

Curcumin has also been shown to help speed recovery after surgery and effectively treat rheumatoid arthritis better than the leading drug of choice. It may also be effective in treating osteoarthritis and other inflammatory conditions, such as lupus and inflammatory bowel disease.

In the latest trial for ulcerative colitis, a randomised, double-blind study found more than 50 per cent of patients achieved remission within a month on curcumin - compared with none of the patients who received the placebo. And consuming turmeric with soya may offer a double benefit for osteoarthritis sufferers.

So how much do you eat - and how do you eat it?

'Turmeric is potent stuff. If I gave you an eighth of a teaspoon of turmeric to eat once a day for a week, then exposed your blood to an oxidising (bad) chemical, the number of cells with DNA damage could be cut in half'

Turmeric is potent stuff. If I gave you an eighth of a teaspoon of turmeric to eat once a day for a week, then exposed your blood to an oxidising (bad) chemical, the number of cells with DNA damage could be cut in half. All because you had a little bit of turmeric onboard.

Because this spice can have such powerful drug-like effects, I'd advise everyone - including pregnant women - to take just a quarter of a teaspoon a day.

Ultrasound studies show that even this small amount causes the gallbladder to contract, squeezing out half its contents. In doing this, it may help to stop gallstones from forming. But be warned: if you already have a gallstone, that turmeric-induced squeeze could be painful.

And here's a good tip. Try to have your quarter-teaspoon with black pepper.

There's evidence to suggest raw turmeric may have greater anti-inflammatory effects, while cooked turmeric offers better DNA protection

About five per cent of black pepper is composed of a compound called piperine. And one of the things this does is to prevent your liver from actively working to get rid of the curcumin you've just eaten.

Even the tiniest pinch of pepper can significantly boost curcumin levels in your blood.

You can buy turmeric from any supermarket - or get it raw from Asian shops and grate a quarter of an inch of the root into your food. There's evidence to suggest raw turmeric may have greater anti-inflammatory effects, while cooked turmeric offers better DNA protection.

I find that turmeric of any kind goes particularly well with brown rice, lentil dishes and roasted cauliflower.

But wouldn't it be easier to take a curcumin supplement?

No - because curcumin is not equivalent to turmeric - it's just one of its ingredients. The few studies that have compared turmeric with curcumin have suggested turmeric may work even better.

Against breast cancer, for instance, curcumin kicked butt, but turmeric kicked even more butt. The same was true against pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, multiple myeloma, chronic myeloid leukaemia and others.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3470432/Turmeric-Nature-s-wonder-drug-healthiest-herbs-spices-revealed.html#ixzz4JEEXMxwZ
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Figuerio dos Vinhos

This is just one roadway out of five at the Munucipal market in Figuerion dos Vinhos. I had to take three photos to give an idea of the size of the market.

If you look at the three pictures you can get an idea of the size of this place and this is only one roadway out of five.

Me ever the show off at my market stall.

This is to my left.

Directly opposite me.

This is down to my right.

Aircon done finished and working

It's taken a while to do a simple job but life at the moment has been a little busy till today. I got up early to finished the fitting of my new aircon unit. I went to get some plastic channel to go over the pipes that run down the wall but i couldn't get the same profile as i used on the other unit. I will have to wait till i get back from the UK when i will fit the same profile to both sets of aircon pipes.

Inside unit in fitted and working.

Just the outside cover to fit but that is the last job after it's been run for the first time.

Carglass great service.

All to often good service goes without mention well today I got service that deserves a mention and it's a company in Coimbra called Carglass.

First lets go back a bit I am insured through my bank for my car insurance. Not knowing what to do, who to call I went into my bank and met an assistant who spoke good English as my Portuguese is rubbish. He not only dealt with the insurance claim but also found a company for the replacement but also provided all the details on how to get there and who to see. That's serivice for you.

I duly arrived at the agreed time and a technician was waiting for me. After signing a form he started the replacement and an hour later the job was done and not a sign the car had been touched by anybody. He drove the car out and came back with the keys to tell me to wait 20 minutes for the sealer to take effect.

OK it's his job but it's a pity you can't record how good a job he did well it's here on my Blog. So if you have a glass problem the service is 100 per cent.

Going home to a reunion

I leave in a few days to see my Mum and go to a reunion, sadly i have heard that the closest friend i had a school John Wild has passed away Micheal, Steve who is now recovering well and Paul and Dave will all be there so it promises to be a good night. Sadly our school was a boys school and i don't expect that there will be any girls to attend.

Iberianspices now stock Organic spices

As the title says IberianSpices now stocks a range of Organic spices. Not only are they Organic but the prices are almost the same as the none organic stock. For example Cracked black pepper is cheaper than previous none organic stock.Turmeric is 10c more expensive.

Because something is sold as Organic doesn't have to be sold at a silly price because of the word Organic. I am having a banner made for me to collect when i go to the UK next week.

Organic Spices Normal Prices Someone who sells at Barril de Alva but sells for twice the price that i do for half the quantity. Rip off

Click the link on the left For Iberianspices or Google Iberianspices to see a list of all the Spices i sell. There are a number of new Spices on order and some have already arrived.

Himalayan Pink salt
Hungarian Paprika asta 80
Arrowroot powder
Fajita seasoning
Fennel powder
Celery seed
Celery salt
Paprika Organic

Helicopter Heroes

Today i could hear planes flying very low going in the direction of a place called Colmeal. Shortly after the beep thud and  drone of a helicopter flying low could be heard.

Here the helicopter is coming in to take on water.

Great shot of another helicopter coming in past my front door.













These guys are really true Heroes without them the forest fires would be uncontrollable and would cause much more damage.

Who's got an address

For a while there has been talk of all roads having address signs it seemed that not many did. Well today it was are turn to have a formal address.

My postman says to just carry on as before because we are known by our name and he and the relief postmen also know those in my village.

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.