December 2009 – the story of Casa Azul

Thunderbirds are go! (if it stops raining)

December 31, 2009 richard Comments 1 comment

Following on from the last post, we had a meeting with the Council planning honchos and they have given us the verbal go ahead to start work on the house!

Well, the roof anyway. We think. So next week the builder is coming to start work on the roof – if it stops raining and that is less than certain.

We have also been told that the formal approval for the rest of the work will be through in a couple of weeks (we’ve been told that before).

Anyway, it’s all good news (except for the weather) and hopefully the next pictures we post on the site will be of workmen beavering away on Casa Azul’s roof.

A new year, a new dawn.

Is that light at the end of the tunnel an oncoming train?

December 28, 2009 richard Comments 1 comment

We are coming to the end of the year and as far as the house is concerned sometimes it feels as if we are still just pushing a huge boulder uphill, inch by inch with a great deal of effort getting us not very far. The huge boulder of course being Portuguese bureaucracy.

Adding to our frustration we had recently met some Brits who told us that they had put in for planning permission to rebuild their house over a year ago and it had only come through the week before. However, in that time they had already done the work! They said that they had met the big cheese at the Camara (municipality) quite some time ago and he had orally given them the OK to start work and that had been enough for them.

We decided to do likewise so took the bull by the horns and attempted to see someone at the Camara (municipality) who actually had some clout. We were determined not to be turned away this time.

So far, we had put in our planning application and last month we had got news that we had to make a few minor changes/provide further details. Our architect had done this and resubmitted. When we got to the Camara we were told that another letter had been prepared in response to our new submission and was about to be sent out to us. (Although written, this letter could have taken a week or two before actual posting so it was good that we went anyway!). This new letter contained further requests for information and matters that needed remedying. One item stated that there was a problem because our house was less than 3 metres from a neighbouring property. Were they now asking us to shift our 100 year old house by a few metres? Why had this come up now?

Anyway, we got to see the head honcho and told him we needed at the very least to start work on the roof as it was leaking quite badly. There was then much discussion between colleagues, not about our request, it seemed, but that certain internal procedures regarding our application had not been followed correctly. Oh no, not more delays! The senior engineer was called in for more consultations with the senior building inspector. We hadn’t a clue what was happening but then suddenly we were asked if we could meet them again tomorrow, with our builder, at our house with a view to moving things along so we could get the building work started – at least that’s what we think was said.

Is that light at the end of the tunnel or an oncoming train?

A white-ish Christmas

December 18, 2009 Jackie Comments 0 Comment

So the year draws to a close, a frost2 nd how nice that would be if we could say that at last the builders are busy on the house. Alas, that’s not to be – although it does seem that the paperwork is done. Now it’s a matter of getting it all approved, and for that we need the officials to be in their offices… well, it is Christmas I suppose and things do wind down this time of the year…

The weather has turned jolly cold and looking across the valley it was white with frost one morning. Not a great event for many but for me, having lived in more clement climes, it looked lovely, hence the pretty frost pics…

Looking out of a top window from Casa Azul it was great to see so many birds by the big pond, although one looked like it was walking on water – yes, even the big pond had frozen over. This was lunchtime too and the sun had been on it all morning but it was still completely iced up. The pic shows the pond completed before the frost – just to show you what it looks like now filled with water.

And the garden plot has had a lot of work on it now. The last three beds were weeded (and the stones removed), then covered with paper and finally with grass. The idea being that this will prevent the weeds returning (ha!) and also add some nutrients to the soil. The worms should come up and break everything down. For those interested the compost heap has grown (and shrunk), we have made another compost box for all the horse manure we’re collecting (thanks, Dolly), and there is now comfrey root growing in pots (I hope) which will grow huge leaves that make fantastic organic fertiliser. Well, that’s the idea anyway. The most successful gardeners look after the soil rather than the plants, it is said, so at this rate I should have the best produce in town! (When Luis saw us digging up the brambles he scoffed and suggested his tractor friend Tony come round and sprinkle poison over everything!)

Finally, when the sun comes out we get in the pick up and have a run around. The countryside around here really is lovely and we always feel better afterwards. We are spending Christmas down in Lisbon which I’m really looking forward to. So Boas Festas and here’s to a house-building 2010!

Green

December 6, 2009 richard Comments 3 comments

It seems winter really has finally set in now. As I type it is chucking it down. However, it must be said, winter here is not like the winters of old I remember from the UK – the winters I promised myself I would never revisit. Freezing wind, rain, floods etc. I hate to say it but I actually quite like the winter here (so far). Here, it’s not actually that cold (I say again, so far). It has just meant a change in nature’s palette. The vine leaves are red, the sycamores and the chestnut leaves are yellow but there is still the bright green backdrop of everything else. In our garden it is the relentless green of the grass, in our temporary house it is the green of the pine and eukalypt forests.

It also hasn’t stopped us going ‘down the farm’. Yesterday, with a backdrop of drizzle I finished off the big pond. Now we just need to wait for the spring and hopefully it will prove tempting enough for the frogs to drop in some spawn. And we need them, giant monster slugs have started appearing. Licking their chops and asking when the veggies are going to be planted.

Meanwhile Jackie has rejoined the battle against the brambles and a new ‘super weed’ we have discovered. In actual fact it is a dense and deep network of roots from the plum trees which are sprouting all over the place. Nice to know we have a lot of plum trees but their roots spread wide and are very difficult to dig up.

Away from the garden we have been spending a lot of time shopping – we have bought tiles for the whole house. Most of the rooms will have the usual terracotta tiles found in houses round these parts (you will not believe how many shades of brown there are!) but the bathroom will be shades of green. Tiles chosen by Jackie, which she says were inspired from our trips to Ko Samet, a beautiful island in Thailand. Those beachy days with our toes in the sand seem a long way off now…

the story of Casa Azul

and a new life in deepest Portugal

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Month: December 2009