richard

Up to our necks in plums – again

July 20, 2015 richard Comments 2 comments

Regular readers may remember a post of the same name from this time last year. A slightly different scenario this time around however. Last year we were overwhelmed with yellow plums. They have come and gone already, in much smaller numbers than before. However, this year, the greengages have taken up the slack. Jackie is especially pleased as these are her all time favourites.

Following up closely behind the greengages are the damsons which are just ripening now – so more damson vodka for Christmas,

…and just behind them are the Stanleys.

It should be interesting as we’ve got a proper crop for the first time this year. In previous years we have only had one or two and they didn’t taste that great. They come from a plum tree we bought and planted in November 2009. Here are two photos taken from almost the same spot. The plum tree is still in the black plastic bucket. The Christmas tree is just behind a large rock. You can see the same Christmas tree in the recent photo, but look how the cypresses have grown!

..and after the plums will be the sloes. More Christmas sloe gin!

So of course, we’ve been eating lots of plums in various guises, mainly in desserts – plum crumbles and plum tarts

…and Jackie’s recent favourite – plum leather. It doesn’t look great but it’s an excellent little snack to take on walks.

Meanwhile Jackie has been playing with her new toy (Thanks Sue, Jim and Dick) and taken some great photos of pond life:

You can never have too many seating areas in the garden and here is the pergola I recently made for a corner of the threshing square. I only made it in May but already we have a mature grape vine crawling all over it and providing much-needed shade. Also notice that the apples are coming along nicely as well, but that’s for another post.

The fruits of our labours

May 31, 2015 richard Comments 2 comments

Although the fields round here are still crammed with spring flowers, summer is just around the corner. We had a downpour in the first week of May but since then it has been unrelenting sun with most days peaking at over 30 degrees. But never mind summer we also have half an eye on Autumn and the coming harvest.

The cherries are the first to arrive and have in fact already done so. We bought a young cherry tree a few years ago and it has always been a bit odd and remained very small but it has produced its first cherry. And second cherry. But that was it! Meanwhile our old tree is full of little gems which should be ready very soon. Around the time we bought the cherry tree we also got an apricot tree. Unlike the cherry, this tree is magnificent. Last year it produced its first fruit but none stayed the distance. This year we have two. Lets hope they will hang on and grow to maturity. Our garden is full of plum trees and fingers crossed it will be another good year for these fruit of many hues. Also it looks like a good year for the walnuts and the apples but we will not have a single pear. We also have a number of peach trees. They start off with loads of fruit but they either fall off too soon or if they ripen they are full of worms and/or are inedible. It’s strange how these things work out. The first of the soft fruit, the raspberries, are also ready but I’ll leave Jackie to fill you in on veg patch news next time.

Cherry number 1 and first of the yellow plums

At the moment, whenever we walk through the garden or indeed wander the village, with the gentlest of breezes we are engulfed in snowdrifts of confetti. The olive trees are now in flower and after last year’s disaster we are hoping for a good crop this time around.

On to another type of harvest. I can’t believe two years after we killed the pigs they keep on giving. Last week I found a liver at the bottom of the chest freezer and that means pâté. According to supermarket practice the liver may have been well beyond its sell-by-date but I can assure you the pâté was delicious. I’ve also killed this year’s first crop of roasties and so made some more pâté out of the chicken livers. Much smoother than the pig liver pâté but just as delicious.

pig liver and chicken liver pate — pig liver and chicken liver pâté

Soon we will be getting to the end of the spring flowers but the orchids keep on coming. Here are a few more found within metres of our house.

Broad leaved Helleborine and the Bug Orchid

The orchid on the left is a hypochromatic form of the woodcock orchid (normal one seen on the right). This is a genetic abnormality and there is much discussion in the orchid world about why it happens!

More controversy! The flower on the right is a Mirror Orchid. We thought the one on the left was also a Mirror Orchid but recently it has been identified as a species in its own right – the Iberian Ophrys. It is quite rare and only found in Portugal and some parts of Spain.

And our final orchid is Ophrys Lutea. Very pretty.

And finally a photo of Jussi – sporting her socks in an attempt to stop her licking her paws!

Rejuvenation

April 10, 2015 richard Comments 2 comments

Spring is the time for rejuvenation. The trees are full of blossom, bushes are sprouting and the grass just grows, grows and grows. It’s also the time for some man-made rejuvenation and now is the turn of the polytunnel.
Here it is just finished in January 2011

Although we have replaced the plastic once before, four years have taken their toll:

So time for repairs

and now, good as new

To continue the thread of our local orchids, the Early Purples and the Giant Orchids have all but disappeared to be replaced by the Naked Man Orchid and more recently quite a few Sword-Leaved Helleborines have appeared.

Now you see it…

March 30, 2015 richard Comments 0 Comment

When we moved into Casa Azul, one of the first things Luis our neighbour told us to do was chop all the olive trees down. They hadn’t been looked after and were quite frankly looking a bit sorry for themselves. We didn’t want to do them all in one go, so we have been slowly chopping down a few here and there. On the right of the photo below is the first one we chopped down and as can be seen, it has grown back pretty well.

However, we were more reluctant to chop one of the trees right in front of the house but this week was its time.

Over the last few weeks we have uploaded photos of the orchids as they have appeared near us. First was the Giant Orchid, then came the Early Purple. More recently a couple of Naked Man Orchids have appeared and a few Sawfly Orchids.

Jackie mentioned in the last post that we had bought some more roasties and ducklings, as they were quite a success last time, so here they are. Already fattening up nicely!

One of the joys of living here is observing the birdlife. Recent visitors were a pair of Cirl Buntings which are quite rare – at least in our garden. Although we hear the Barn Owls which live next door all year round, recently we have heard this year’s chicks and I spotted one at the window. I didn’t have the camera with me but here’s a photo I took last year.

In other bird news, a wren has decided to build its nest in a candle holder in our courtyard. Hopefully we’ll have a few tenants in the orange tree as well like last year. We haven’t picked all the oranges yet though.

Although we didn’t get a fantastic show for this month’s lunar eclipse, I did manage to get a decent photo thanks to the clouds.

And finally, here’s a different view of the disappearing tree.

Blossom

March 8, 2015 richard Comments 4 comments

March is upon us and we are starting to feel the warmth on our faces and the shorts have made their first appearance of the year (the legs won’t be shown on the blog for a while yet mind, thankfully). However, one of the gang hates the warmer weather and is always looking for an opportunity to cool off…

However, in addition to Betty, she has a new companion on our daily walks. Teddy II, who lives in the village has decided to join us. He’s always waiting for us when we set off and then after the walk he goes back home! Here he is doing one of his favourite activities.

On the walk last week we spotted a Giant Orchid, a telltale sign that spring is finally here.

Meanwhile in the garden, although we have had daffodils for ages, more are popping up every day and they are now being joined by the irises. Most pleasing of all, however, is the appearance of the tree blossom – blackthorn, peach, apricot, almond and here is the ornamental plum.

The courtyard has a new member. Jackie planted an avocado stone in a pot a few years ago and we kept it in the bathroom. It grew and grew and grew. And despite constant pruning to limit its size, it has simply outgrown its surroundings and so now has to survive outside. It should be OK for the summer but I can’t see it lasting the winter. We shall see.

The orange trees in the courtyard are still going strong and despite me making litres and litres of juice, the oranges keep coming!

Finally a few more shots of the hairy ones.

Admittedly the locals call Jussi “el gordo”, the fat one, however, I don’t know why she looks quite so lardy in this shot – she’s not that bad! It’s just her thick coat she says.

A place in the Sun

February 19, 2015 richard Comments 0 Comment

Last summer some friends of ours recommended us to a film company who was looking for people who had renovated an old farmhouse in central Portugal. They emailed us asking us if we were interested in appearing and then the producer and director came round to the house for a look round and to ask us about our project.

The premise of the show was that a couple from the UK wanted to buy a similar place to ours and renovate it. The people at the film company then showed the couple three or four suitable properties. They also wanted a short segment showing a couple who had already done it – that was our bit. So the producer returned again later that week with the film crew and spent two hours interviewing us and filming at the house.

Last October our moment of glory arrived and the show was broadcast on UK TV’s Channel 4. Two hours filming reduced to… one and a half minutes! Ah the price of fame. Anyway here is our bit.

Pallet crazy

February 5, 2015 richard Comments 0 Comment

This year we are hoping to spend more time at River Cottage, our little ‘project’ by the lake. The walls and roof are pretty much done so next up are the woodworking projects – doors, a veranda, and places to sit and admire the view. So here are my newest Adirondack chairs – version 3. They’ve actually changed so much they are not really Adirondack chairs at all. Made out of old pallets, of course, they are comfy and a welcome addition to the collection.

I ended up with a few extra bits of pallets so I also made a frame for our bathroom mirror.

Of course we keep all our food scraps for the compost so I’ve also been busy in the kitchen making this ‘sort of’ cupboard which keeps everything out of the way. It hinges at the bottom which makes it easy to use and it doesn’t take up any room. It’s also home to our bottles for recycling. A neat idea which I have to admit Jackie found on one of her favourite websites: pinterest.com

Winter arrives at year’s end

December 31, 2014 richard Comments 0 Comment

We’ve had a much drier and sunnier winter than last year and long may it continue. However the 29th December brought our first frost, followed by another on the 30th resulting in a frozen pond. As you can see it also almost finished off the few remaining leaves of our plane tree which looks transformed from the photos of our last post.

Anyway, we hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers!!

The Saga of Cheeky Charlie

October 4, 2014 richard Comments 1 comment

…or should I say Cheeky Charlotte. But more of that later. It all started in May. We had bought a dozen roasties which we keep until they are about 11 weeks old, then they are given the chop. Usually they are pretty easy to catch so I end up killing two a day, plucking, hanging and freezing until they are all gone.

Unbeknown to me, Cheeky Charlie had managed to avoid my grasp until the last day and when it was his turn, he escaped. Not just just from me but also out of the chicken run and into a patch of impenetrable brambles.

Jackie thought that would be it, he would either get taken by a fox or by a mongoose. However he managed to survive for many weeks and then he started visiting the runs of the other chickens. Not a good move as they picked on him and viciously pecked him. It then became apparent that the reason for his ventures into the other chicken runs was because he, or rather she, wanted to lay an egg and this is exactly what she did in the nest box of the young hens! She was, after all, now 20 weeks old. Added to that she now wanted to roost on top of the young hens’ run.

I’m afraid that was the last straw and so she went the way of a normal roastie. I’ll spare the details but I was interested to find loads of eggs in varying states of development inside her. Anyway, she’s now in the freezer and we’ll have to look for Coq au Vin recipes as although she’ll be very tasty, she’ll probably need quite some cooking in order to tenderize.

Meanwhile, Jackie has been down the market and rather than coming back with a dozen young roasties, she came home with 9 roasties and 3 ducks! I wasn’t keen on getting ducks as we don’t have a pond but I’m sure they will taste good!

The Great Escape

August 11, 2014 richard Comments 2 comments

Way back in mid May we bought our last crop of roasties. We got 12 of them aged 2 weeks. By mid July they were about 11 weeks old and ready for the chop. They were a bit different from our usual roasties. The big difference was that they were brown rather than white. I’m not sure of their exact breed but the white ones really put on weight fast and when I kill them at about 7 or 8 weeks they can be 3kgs after plucking and dressing. However, they are quite ugly and often can only stagger about because they are so fat. Actually not fat but their legs are just enormous. Therefore this time we decided to go for the more aesthetically appealing brown ones, still heftier than the egg laying chickens but much cleaner and seemingly fitter than the whities. They’re happy to walk and scratch about unlike the white ones who are reluctant to stand, even for a drink. I can also confirm they are just as tasty. As per usual with this latest batch when they were ready for killing, I grabbed two per day, killed, plucked and hung them in the barn. However when it got down to the last few they seemed to know what was coming and were a little bit more difficult to catch. And now we get to the point of this story. The very last chicken, Cheeky Charlie as he has become known, savoured his freedom and life a bit more than the rest and escaped! He managed to get out of the chicken paddock and escaped into the bramble patch. However, that was not the end of it. A few hours later he thought it was safe to come out but he hadn’t reckoned on Betty who lay in wait. With a quick lunge, she had Cheeky Charlie and was soon to be seen strutting through the garden with her prize hanging limp between her jaws. Eventually Betty let go of Charlie who sprang into life and headed back to the safety of the brambles. A few feathers missing but apparently none the worse for the experience. But there’s more! A few days before the Cheeky Charlie incident, we were having breakfast in the garden when we heard a huge furore coming from the laying hens. I ran to their paddock to find a mongoose in the chicken run! It was then a case of the Keystone cops with me chasing the mongoose, the chickens running with feathers flying everywhere, the dogs barking and Jackie yelling on the other side of the fence. Eventually the mongoose managed to escape over the wall. As the hens were unharmed, we thought that the mongoose had only come for their eggs – this time. And that is how we leave it – Cheeky Charlie still ‘free’, Betty on the prowl and a mongoose on the lookout for any opportunity.

the story of Casa Azul

and a new life in deepest Portugal

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