Wow what a storm we had , the day before yeaterday just out of nowhere it clouded over, started thundering and then for almost 12 hours it rained.... and rained, and rained... and then it rained some more... our drive up to the house which is actually a Municipal road is now a mud track... its never been good but is now dreadful... Rik is going to approach the Camera(council) and try to get something done, the logger lorries just ruin the roads... at least we are lucky and have two ways in, the road down from the village through the forest although its not great is still better and passable ...
No van on the road yet... we've done the track rod ends, the master cylinder and now three new tyres... bloody hell, three!!! so expensive, Rik then taxed it and this morning has took it to have the engine steam cleaned and spruced up ready for a test this afternoon.... fingers crossed!!
It taken all the money we've saved during the last few weeks to get it this far...
The Garden.
Well we're now eating courgettes (well I am as HE doesnt like them) every day and freezing them for soup in the winter, plus first early green peppers, the butternut squash are everywhere....Aubergines , tons... the french beans are really picking up now, the black fly just vanished... the problem with the green beans hasnt though and sadly I may pull them all within the next few days...
The first of the caulis are coming on nicely and look as if we'll be eating some soon...
Tomatos.... wow... millions , all green yet but with luck we'll have a bumper crop this year...
Sadly all this rain mid season wont help the grapes at all, already some are splitting....
Frugal living in the Portuguese countryside,Eco-tourism, Agri tourism, recipes,family life, self sufficency, eco living, vegetable growing, tips and self help ideas for country living.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Thursday, 25 June 2009
And there's more...
Hmmmm no update for weeks and then suddenly I'm here three times in a week...
We've had some luck and Rik's off to price up the tyres for the van, they are really expensive out here... and hopefully within the next few days we'll get it on the road again.
Its been a while and my inflamed coccyx really protests at all the time spent on the bike, i'm just learning to live with it and sit 'differently' bending over weeding also puts pressure on but stopping that just isnt an option at the moment... anti-inflamatories just upset my stomach so it seems Im stuck with it for the time being.... luckily i seem to have a reasonably mild case as its uncomfortable but not agonising as some folk get it...
The Garden...
Beetroot.... bloody beetroot, Ive now pickled 9 kilos of the stuff... but according to Rik he will need about 25-30 jars to see him through the winter.... damn piggish if you ask me... Im also experimenting with freezing it part cooked at the moment...
As we eat a lot of beets hot with cheese sauce... mmmmmnnn lovely, then I need a way of keeping them for the winter, so Im par boiling and cubing and freezing it... I've done one portion and will then cook it from frozen in the oven and see how it is... let you know later...
The cougettes are coming on, loads of them , Im leaving two plants to grow huge ones for chutney... but eat the others just tossed in herby garlic butter.... yummy.
We've also got quite a few butternut squash coming on now, plus some spagetti pumkins too, any ideas what to do with the spag pumpkins would be a great help....
The peas came out and Rik retilled the area and we've replanted loads more parsnips and of course the dreaded beetroot...
I have parsnips already in the ground but never seem to get them in the ground to get a frost so they taste a little different... this batch should stay long enough....
This time of year is so busy for us... the land needs so much work with weeding, planting , harvesting pickling etc.. we are also madly trying to chop and stack enough wood for the winter, we need to fill a whole barn to the roof to have enough for our range cooker, the fire upstairs and the cottage fire too... it takes loads of work.. but its worth it, it gives me such a feeling of security to know our barn is full....
Im also busy stock piling and stashing food everywhere.... We were a little caught out last year, rik had no work during the cold wet winter and with the economic crisis cottage rentals were poor, luckily we had a few savings and tons of food put by, but it got a bit tough at times, I fully expect this year to be equally as tough, but this time I'll be ready!!!!
Every time I go to the shop I buy something extra, if we have a little money I buy a few things, if we're skint its just a packet of stock cubes or a 50cents tin of tuna... but always something, coupled with the garden , we'll be well set up for the winter. (I have 20kilos of rice....)
Well I think thats about it for now....
Pat
We've had some luck and Rik's off to price up the tyres for the van, they are really expensive out here... and hopefully within the next few days we'll get it on the road again.
Its been a while and my inflamed coccyx really protests at all the time spent on the bike, i'm just learning to live with it and sit 'differently' bending over weeding also puts pressure on but stopping that just isnt an option at the moment... anti-inflamatories just upset my stomach so it seems Im stuck with it for the time being.... luckily i seem to have a reasonably mild case as its uncomfortable but not agonising as some folk get it...
The Garden...
Beetroot.... bloody beetroot, Ive now pickled 9 kilos of the stuff... but according to Rik he will need about 25-30 jars to see him through the winter.... damn piggish if you ask me... Im also experimenting with freezing it part cooked at the moment...
As we eat a lot of beets hot with cheese sauce... mmmmmnnn lovely, then I need a way of keeping them for the winter, so Im par boiling and cubing and freezing it... I've done one portion and will then cook it from frozen in the oven and see how it is... let you know later...
The cougettes are coming on, loads of them , Im leaving two plants to grow huge ones for chutney... but eat the others just tossed in herby garlic butter.... yummy.
We've also got quite a few butternut squash coming on now, plus some spagetti pumkins too, any ideas what to do with the spag pumpkins would be a great help....
The peas came out and Rik retilled the area and we've replanted loads more parsnips and of course the dreaded beetroot...
I have parsnips already in the ground but never seem to get them in the ground to get a frost so they taste a little different... this batch should stay long enough....
This time of year is so busy for us... the land needs so much work with weeding, planting , harvesting pickling etc.. we are also madly trying to chop and stack enough wood for the winter, we need to fill a whole barn to the roof to have enough for our range cooker, the fire upstairs and the cottage fire too... it takes loads of work.. but its worth it, it gives me such a feeling of security to know our barn is full....
Im also busy stock piling and stashing food everywhere.... We were a little caught out last year, rik had no work during the cold wet winter and with the economic crisis cottage rentals were poor, luckily we had a few savings and tons of food put by, but it got a bit tough at times, I fully expect this year to be equally as tough, but this time I'll be ready!!!!
Every time I go to the shop I buy something extra, if we have a little money I buy a few things, if we're skint its just a packet of stock cubes or a 50cents tin of tuna... but always something, coupled with the garden , we'll be well set up for the winter. (I have 20kilos of rice....)
Well I think thats about it for now....
Pat
Friday, 19 June 2009
More...
I didnt get time yesterday to give a complete overview of the last few weeks.... we've been so busy its impossible to remember it all...
Although money has been tight, our quality of life has been as always (since coming to Portugal) excellent, we were giggling to ourselves only the other evening about it... we had not a penny to our names at that point, but the sun was shining , we'd just had a dip in our pool and were sat up on our balcony looking at the view with a glass of our own red wine eating fresh cherries and icecream.... bliss!!!
The sun deck area is almost finished, another few days and it will be done, Rik has had to work so hard, the stones he's used for the lovely steps are piles outside my backdoor, to get them to the deck area he has to load two at a time in the wheel barrow, push it up hill to the top gate (the bottom one is steps) across the rough ground to the road, down the hill across the car park , across the front of Mara's Cottage and up to the deck area.... phew.... its been weeks of hard grind , bless him...but it will be stunning when finished and I light it with candles and lamps in the hot evenings...
Cola and Bonnie are very well, Cola in fact has a new lease of life.... a friend sent over some Devil's Claw for him... its been a few weeks and the difference is remarkable!! He runs around likea young dog now. Rik has been on the same thing now for a couple of weeks and is starting to feel the benefit... less joint aches and pains.... when he starts licking his balls I'll know he's as well as Cola...
Bonnie is the same as normal.... digging up the garden any chance she gets...-
Well, thats about it. we have friends over from the UK , and are getting ready to Party... Its our local Figueiro Dos Vinhos town Festa for the next four days!! The lights are up, there's a party atmosphere everywhere, tomorrow we'll be in town for the evening for a meal and a few drinks, listen to the bands and just soak up the spirit of the thing. Free Sardines and bread supplied by the Camera (town hall) mmmmnn.
Pat
Although money has been tight, our quality of life has been as always (since coming to Portugal) excellent, we were giggling to ourselves only the other evening about it... we had not a penny to our names at that point, but the sun was shining , we'd just had a dip in our pool and were sat up on our balcony looking at the view with a glass of our own red wine eating fresh cherries and icecream.... bliss!!!
The sun deck area is almost finished, another few days and it will be done, Rik has had to work so hard, the stones he's used for the lovely steps are piles outside my backdoor, to get them to the deck area he has to load two at a time in the wheel barrow, push it up hill to the top gate (the bottom one is steps) across the rough ground to the road, down the hill across the car park , across the front of Mara's Cottage and up to the deck area.... phew.... its been weeks of hard grind , bless him...but it will be stunning when finished and I light it with candles and lamps in the hot evenings...
Cola and Bonnie are very well, Cola in fact has a new lease of life.... a friend sent over some Devil's Claw for him... its been a few weeks and the difference is remarkable!! He runs around likea young dog now. Rik has been on the same thing now for a couple of weeks and is starting to feel the benefit... less joint aches and pains.... when he starts licking his balls I'll know he's as well as Cola...
Bonnie is the same as normal.... digging up the garden any chance she gets...-
Well, thats about it. we have friends over from the UK , and are getting ready to Party... Its our local Figueiro Dos Vinhos town Festa for the next four days!! The lights are up, there's a party atmosphere everywhere, tomorrow we'll be in town for the evening for a meal and a few drinks, listen to the bands and just soak up the spirit of the thing. Free Sardines and bread supplied by the Camera (town hall) mmmmnn.
Pat
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Late, late update...
So sorry to all our followers who have contacted us about not updating the blog, yes thanks we are fine, its just been down to a whole series of things, good and not so good...
To start with the dosh situation was terrible, so we were actively trying NOT to come into town and waste fuel on non essential things ... plus, the garden just takes so much of my time and energies during the summer months, its been fantastic, we've been cropping so much stuff, eating and freezing peas, eating new spuds, ... mmmmnnn yummy! For the first year ever Ive had a great success with onions and we've now pulled them and after a few attempts Ive managed to plait them attractively and hung then up in the cubby. All the ones which went thick neck or hadn't grown suitable, I chopped and froze as green onion, which we love. The first crop of leeks is in the freezer too, Ive been madly picking beetroot for what seems forever, Ive sweet pickled 6 kilos already, we've had tons of beetroot surprise, Riks been eating them boiled like apples.. and still they come!!! The leaves are a good substitute for spinach too.. Our first two Aubergines went into some pasta sauce the other night along with courgettes, I picked the first bucket full of green beans today too... its all go.... but we are eating from the garden every day, more lettuce than ever before, a few probs though, black fly on the french beans, we've sprayed with soft soap but no different... some of the green beans have a rusty looking spots on them... Ive pulled the plants and got rid of them, we put it down to the incredibly humid weather... its been in the 90s a lot but quite wet at times too...
Jaqui and Jay(followers of this blog) arrived, and stayed with us for a few days... what lovely people, we hope to remain firm friends for a long time... it gave us a few days nice riding with friends on the bikes...
The van is still off the road due to dosh problems, no insurance and needs new tyres... it maybe a while... But rentals for the cottage seem to be picking up a little now the exchange rate is better, so who knows!!
Must go. food to pick...
Pat
To start with the dosh situation was terrible, so we were actively trying NOT to come into town and waste fuel on non essential things ... plus, the garden just takes so much of my time and energies during the summer months, its been fantastic, we've been cropping so much stuff, eating and freezing peas, eating new spuds, ... mmmmnnn yummy! For the first year ever Ive had a great success with onions and we've now pulled them and after a few attempts Ive managed to plait them attractively and hung then up in the cubby. All the ones which went thick neck or hadn't grown suitable, I chopped and froze as green onion, which we love. The first crop of leeks is in the freezer too, Ive been madly picking beetroot for what seems forever, Ive sweet pickled 6 kilos already, we've had tons of beetroot surprise, Riks been eating them boiled like apples.. and still they come!!! The leaves are a good substitute for spinach too.. Our first two Aubergines went into some pasta sauce the other night along with courgettes, I picked the first bucket full of green beans today too... its all go.... but we are eating from the garden every day, more lettuce than ever before, a few probs though, black fly on the french beans, we've sprayed with soft soap but no different... some of the green beans have a rusty looking spots on them... Ive pulled the plants and got rid of them, we put it down to the incredibly humid weather... its been in the 90s a lot but quite wet at times too...
Jaqui and Jay(followers of this blog) arrived, and stayed with us for a few days... what lovely people, we hope to remain firm friends for a long time... it gave us a few days nice riding with friends on the bikes...
The van is still off the road due to dosh problems, no insurance and needs new tyres... it maybe a while... But rentals for the cottage seem to be picking up a little now the exchange rate is better, so who knows!!
Must go. food to pick...
Pat
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