Spring has arrived here in Evora, the heartland of Portugal, with an average daily temperature of 19°C & 10 hours of sunshine and the flora & fauna are bursting into life. Geoff & I have visited Portugal many times over the last 16 years, but we have never stayed long enough to see the seasons change, well I can honestly say it’s been worth the wait. Every day, Geoff and I see a new plant or creature around our new home & marvel at its beauty. Of course, it always takes a few hours of research (Google) to identify exactly what we have found and learn about it. Sometimes the discoveries are a pure delight, such as the “Barbary Nut” which is a dwarf Iris and it’s flower opens around midday but closes in the evening, the wild Lavender, which happens to be the National flower of Portugal, the “Golden Eagle”, sat looking at the carcase of a dead sheep, who’s has a wing span is 2.34m and the Cuckoo, who’s calling song confirms the arrival of Spring.

But of course, with the necessary balance in nature not all of our discoveries were a delight, such as the “Pine Processionary Caterpillar” which when we first encountered it made us laugh because as the name (Processionary) suggests the Caterpillars walked ‘head to tail’ in a line.

The Pine Processionary Caterpillar builds a silk nest in not surprisingly a pine tree. The danger comes from their hairs, when they come into contact with the skin as they can cause severe skin irritations and if ingested possibly even cause Anaphylaxic shock. The Caterpillars are also a significant danger to our new dogs (Bella & Charlie) because when dogs get too close to the caterpillars they may pick up hairs in their paws which they then lick, and therefore ingest with potentially catastrophic consequences including death. So we have stopped laughing at the Processionary Caterpillars & avoid them.

We also found a large (4ft) slithering snake next to our patio, which Geoff was keen to inspect. Geoff approached the snake & immediately the snake lifted its head into an attacking position & began to hiss loudly at Geoff, who bravely (stupidly) took a good picture of the snake.

Thankfully research concluded it was a mature “Ladder Snake”, who kills it prey (mice & lizards by constricting them, I think Geoff was safe!

When we purchased “Herdade da Avessada” the 7.65ha (19 acres) of land that came with it, didn’t really mean much to us, other than it gave us options to plant and landscape. Having our new family, “Charlie & Bella” we wanted to ensure the perimeter was secure, so took a very long walk around the perimeter, this is when we first realised the scale of our project. Having discovered a piece of low lying ground, which gave the dogs access to the front road (track), Geoff immediate set too carting soil in a wheelbarrow, each trip (500m) and the day’s winter temperature at (23°C) took longer & longer each time. Not for Geoff to be beaten, he set about filling rubble sacks with soil & transporting them in the back of the ‘pickup’. Mission completed, Geoff totally exhausted, ‘lesson learned’! Get the right tools! So the research began what type of utility vehicle would we most benefit from, conclusion; a tractor, with a ‘front loader’ (new terminology for me!) Our online research, began and numerous enquiries made, but a lot of the enquiries revealed the tractors were not actually in Portugal, which was going to make importing very difficult. Geoff found a UK company willing to transport & complete all import documentation at a reasonable price. So we entered into an email & phone discussions with the UK company & agreed on a price & delivery date. Then things started to get a bit strange & it quickly became obvious it was a scam! Financial disaster averted,
lesson learned (again), so we went to a professional Portuguese company
https://www.magrimal.com/ & are now the proud owners of a Kubota L4200 tractor, twin axle trailer & lawn mower.

Geoff seems to have mastered the tractor quickly (not sure how, seeing he’s never driven a tractor in his life), me I’m taking it steady! The morning after the tractor was delivered Geoff was keen to advance his new tractor skills, but couldn’t figure out how the ‘front loader’ operated. Just at the same time our friendly ‘Shepherd’ arrived, having seen our new tractor & was keen to inspect it. Now ‘Mr Shepherd’ is about 75 yr of age & can’t speak a single word of English & Geoff only having a handful of Portuguese words, it always fascinates (amuses) me how these two seem to communicate, but they do! ‘Mr Shepherd’ tried to operate the front loader, but everything he did had no effect. Not deterred Mr Shepherd removed a mobile phone from his pocket (to my surprise) & rang the supplying dealership & two minutes later the front loader is going up & down! Geoff walked with the ‘Shepherd’ back down to the front gate, both still speaking their native language. When Geoff returned, he told me the ‘Shepherd’ couldn’t stay long as he was going to the dentist, there was a slight oil leak on the front hydraulics (tractor) & there was going to be thunder/rain at about 4pm! How the hell did Geoff understand all the ‘Shepherd’ had said?? Now it’s time to light the BBQ, then a snooze for Geoff & the dogs!

Back in August 2018, my blog ‘Brainstorming ideas’ was just a dream, then we met the very nice Nuno O’Neill the Architect, who we entrusted with interpreting our dreams into feasible plans. What Geoff and I didn’t realise at the time of enlisting the professional help of Nuno, was just how incredibly gifted he was. Over the last six months, we’ve had numerous meetings with Nuno, both at his office & at our home, during which he listened intently to our ideas and dreams. Nuno’s dilemma was trying to design our ideas into Portuguese planning regulations & restrictions. Well, all I can say is; “he performed a miracle”!

When Nuno presented his plans to us, we were both totally blown away by his vision. Nuno explained in detail how he had managed to utilise every square meter of available building space to create his masterpiece, which meant the plans were pushing the boundaries of the permitted building permissions. This meant potential problems with gaining planning permission, which Geoff and I had painfully endured whilst renovating the old Henley home. Nuno was confident that his plans would be achievable, so he arranged to meet with the City (Evora) Architect to present his plans & seek to obtain ‘outline planning consent’. Great news, the City Architect saw no problem what’s so ever with other proposed plans. Now Nuno has to submit a detailed planning application, together with architectural plans. We (Nuno) are hoping to submit the official plans in May, fingers crossed!

Geoff & I discussed at length different breeds, colour & sizes. It was obvious that we wished for different qualities, so it was agreed that the solution would be, get two dogs. It was unanimously agreed by Geoff & I that we both wanted female dogs. In Portugal, stray dogs became a large problem for the local authority and the municipal kennels became full of unwanted & neglected pets. Up until 23rd September 2018 when a new National law came into force, local authorities used to euthanasia the animals as a form of population control. Last year, 40,674 stray and abandoned animals were taken in by Portugal’s state-run kennels; 11,819 were put to sleep (around one animal per hour) and 16,144 were re-homed. So Geoff and I started our online research and discovered numerous charities dotted around the country that offered dogs for adoption. After a false start, the dog was in Germany & it was from a puppy farm, we made several inquiries up & down the country. So the day finally came to visit one particular charity in Lisbon, to view a 3-month-old puppy. On the journey to Lisbon Geoff & I had the serious discussion, about not falling in love with the first puppy we see. When we arrived we were greeted by a beautiful female puppy & her adorable brother! After the lady from the charity gave us the distressing life story of these two puppies it was time to tear up the master plan and listen to our hearts. One of our easiest & quickest decision made, two bundles of joy adopted!

First things first, names required! My sister said she had the answer, the female name was “Moët” (Champagne) and the boy’s name was “Bud” (Budweiser), I’m not sure what she suggesting about Geoff & I preferred refreshments. Anyway after Geoff and I shortlisted several names a decision was made, “Bella” and “Charlie” are now part of the new family.
Bella & Charlie’s mother was a “Cão Fila de São Miguel” which was a breed of dog introduced to the Azores for cattle herding. Traditionally, their tails & ears were docked, although this practice is now illegal in many areas. Bella & Charlie both have cropped tails but thankfully their ears are intact.

Our research reveals Cão is the Portuguese word for “dog”. The “Cão Fila de São Miguel” is a family friendly and loving dog, they like to cuddle and be near their owners. The breed creates a deep bond with its owner, being very gentle, loving and receptive. When trained well, these dogs make fantastic family pets as they are highly intelligent and docile.

NOW THE TRAINING BEGINS!

The sole purpose of the ‘Phase 1’ renovations was to make our home liveable, as always Geoff & I wanted to go ‘one step further’ so we decided to make a few extra additions, just to make life more comfortable.

The first one was the large water tank (8,000 ltr) we had installed, as part of the borehole supply, which became a bit of an eyesore and also required a cover from the summer heat & ultraviolet rays. So our trusted friend, Antonio (Pine Tree Constructions) was consulted and a plan was hatched that we would have a temporary corrugated metal structure constructed. Temporary because when we build the Agricultural building (very large garage) in the near future we will move the water tank to a permanent position.

The second addition was the 4th bedroom only had three walls, which meant it couldn’t really be used as a bedroom. Simple solution, build a wall & put a doorway in. But Geoff & I wanted the room to have a dual purpose, which meant double sliding doors with windows above. Now, I hear you say ‘SLIDING DOORS’! Well here in Portugal, the sliding door concept is somewhat different, because the door(s) actually slides into the cavity of the wall. Antonio consulted, measurements and drawings completed.

The third addition concerned a hallway situated between the kitchen/utility & WC. It felt like the Architect who originally designed the house had got the proportions wrong which resulted in an oversized hallway. Geoff always states “you can never have too much storage space”. Which seems odd as he is a man who never hordes anything and rejoices in the minimal style. Still, he had a point, as our home enjoys the luxury of a fixed pipe vacuum system, which simply put means you can plug your vacuum hose into numerous points around the house. The drawback being is I need somewhere to store a 12m vacuum hose! Perfect solution, commission a new base & top cabinet to be fitted into the corner of the hallway.

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The fourth & fifth additions were our own ‘hard labour’ the main entrance driveway was looking decidedly unkempt & unloved and the orchard (½ acre) was overgrown with ten years worth of weeds, brambles & grass, which was 3ft tall! Well, three good hard weeks of labour was all it took & a load of blisters!

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This ‘retirement larky’ is blinking hard work, at times, but absolutely LOVING it!

With all the in-depth planning & preparations over the years, in order to fulfill our dream & make our new home, just as perfect as our Henley home, the one thing that never found it’s way onto the planning list was the electrical plugs or Electricity costs! Have you ever stopped to count the number of electrical goods we rely upon on a day to day basis? Well, over the last week Geoff & I have been! Every time we attempt to plug one of our electrical appliances into an EU socket, it reminds us! So not to be beaten, Geoff provided the electrical ‘know how’ & after several lessons, I set about converting our existing electrical goods to EU plugs (with just a little help from Geoff).

Did you know Portugal has the third highest Electricity cost in Europe!
With Geoff & I on an energy-saving mission to reduce our household running costs, I walked around the interior & exterior to count the number of halogen bulbs we were using, I was surprised! Total count = 150!! Forgive me, but a quick lesson on light bulb running costs.

Bulb Type:	Halogen	LED
Bulbs needed to last 25,000 hours	17	1
Total bulb expense	£32.80	£1.00
Total cost (buying and running for 25,000 hours)	£220.30	£23.03

So it was a ‘no brainer’ really, next on the work schedule was to replace all 150 halogen bulbs with cost-effective LED’s.

With my calculations, I can now buy SEVERAL bottles of Champagne on the savings!

For the very first morning in our new life, it seemed only fit & proper that it should begin with a ‘harvest festival’ (gifts of food) from our own garden.  Geoff, having had his obligatory early morning black coffee was dispatched to the existing fruit orchard to gather in the harvest. Oranges & lemons as the nursery rhyme goes seems so long ago now and I can’t even remember actually learning it. It was just there in my subconscious; a folk melody passed down through the generations.

Laranjas & Limões

Geoff’s efforts are rewarded by the ‘fruits of his labour’. Not bad for day one!

Not wanting to waste any of our gratis fruits, it was my turn to toil, so out came the cookbooks & a few text messages to my sister, for added knowledge & “hey presto”, I present my very first lemon marmalade.

The coincidence being that the word Marmalade originates from the Portugues word of marmelada, I bet you didn’t know that!

 

 

Geoff and I have often discussed marriage, but for whatever reason, it kept on being superseded by other ‘work & life’ issues.  The matter of marriage between Geoff and I should on the face of it be fairly straight forward. That was until our dearest friend; Fernando (Lawyer) enlighten us on the technical difficulty of getting ‘hitched’ in Portugal because you have to be able to provide documentary evidence (certificate of no impediment) to prove we are both free to marry. I really don’t think Fernando believed us when we explained that in the UK, you simply have to make a promise!

So it came to be on Friday  18th January Geoff & I tied the ‘knot’, with my father & sister bearing witness to the ceremony,  this is exactly what Geoff & I wished for. Then it was straight back home for a special dinner with immediate family only. Geoff had a number of years before, bought me a very nice bottle of vintage champagne (Dom Pérignon 1999) which I had kept for a special occasion.  Not a moment to waste, champagne opened and our new marriage toasted.

Having so many great friends between us, it seemed only fit and proper to announce our marriage, thank our friends & say goodbye in style. So to add a bit of ambience to the event, where better than a Portuguese restaurant;  The Square – Henley

WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO VISITORS.

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It felt at times as though the moment may never arrive, but on reflection, the past twelve months seem to have passed us by at supersonic speed. January has been a particularly busy time; retire, get married, international house removals to name but a few!

Well, Thursday 24th January 2019 has finally arrived, after years of planning & preparing! The journey began at Heathrow T2 @ 10:30hrs, a late breakfast was called for, the first step to relaxing after a manic couple of days.

As it happened, our journey began at gate A17, with flight TP1367 departing at 12:25hrs, destination; LISBON.

No queue at the Car Hire desk….sunshine & blue skies amazing! The hour’s drive to Evora, compliments of Geoff, is simple, fast & beautiful. For those of you not acquainted with Portugals Toll roads, the best way to describe them is; it feels like you have the honour of being the first person ever to drive on a brand new motorway.

Arrived safely, seven hours ‘door to door’, for those of you planning to visit! As we drove across the ‘Common’, as we have affectionately named it, there is a certain point which gives the first glimpse of our new home & the most fantastic panoramic vista. This is the spot which I’m sure most people have, normally from there childhood memories, of the sight which means you’ve arrived home. For Geoff, it used to be driving over Henley-on-Thames bridge and he would say, “now we are home”. Well, now we have our new spot!

To top it off, Geoff’s new friend, who he has aptly named “Branco”, was there to ‘meet & greet’ him….simply perfect start.

A very special day made more special by celebrating it in our new home.

Having spent several days on the run up to Christmas opening what seemed like hundreds of packing boxes and sifting through our belongings which have been in storage since February, was a lovely feeling & brought back beautiful memories. Christmas decorations located we (Tracey) set about putting up both the Christmas trees, making use of our new found space, one tree in the lounge and the other in the hallway.

 

CHRISTMAS MORNING.

Having awoken to the characteristic Alentejo melodious music, made by sheep bells echoing across the pastures as the sheep graze and then to look outside to discover a perfect blue sky and brilliant sunshine was truly uplifting. Today, daily routines are suspended in order to enjoy this one special day.

The first exploration trip (walk) from our home was quickly agreed, walking boots laced up, off we set. It felt like a spring morning and we had only been walking for about twenty minutes when jumpers were being removed. The wildlife, in particular, the birds (Hoopoo, Peewit & our old friend the Red Kite) are in abundance.  The strange sight and sound of the ‘White Storks’ circling above make for an impressive sight & sound.  An adult White Stork have long red legs and long pointed red beaks and measure on average 120cm from beak tip to end of the tail, with a mighty wingspan of  220cm.

When we arrived back home, some two hours & 8½Km later, our Christmas spirits were high. As per our plan, Geoff moved the bbq around to the West side of the house and placed the bbq on what is referred to on the plans as the “Sun Terrace” and lit the bbq (if you know us well this should come as no surprise), whilst I prepared the leg of lamb. Time for a glass of Champagne & beer!

A very Happy Christmas All!

PS. How does Geoff manage to get a tan on Christmas morning??