Gosh, it’s just under three weeks since the last post and so much has happened it’s difficult to keep up sometimes. Firstly, the new house of course. The reinforced concrete first floor / ceiling has been done and dusted enabling us to walk through the ‘kitchen’ and ‘dining room’ and onto the ‘balcony’. Then we experience the best thing about the house, something which was not on our must-have list: the view. Actually it seems rather high up, and there was a sense of trepidation walking towards the edge before they put up a temporary wooden railing. We need to take a panoramic photo so you can see the valley sweeping left (westwards to Ponte de Lima) and right (eastwards to the Peneda-Gerês National Park). We regularly hear a cuckoo calling from the valley, and see buzzards soaring above.

Work has also started on the walls that will be made with brick rather than granite.

One of the top tips we give to people also having work done here, actually THE top tip, is to be there regularly on site. Not just to check the workers have turned up, but that it’s going to look how you want it to. We have poured over plans and designs and the bewildering list of construction materials (in Portuguese…) but it’s not until we stand in situ and see everything in 3D that we get a proper perspective of what is being built. And this has enabled us to make some changes. Anything internal, and these have been minor, have not been a problem. But we realise now, and talking with the builder who, fortunately, completely agrees, there needs to be some changes with the windows. As the changes mean fewer windows, and smaller ones, this is not a problem in itself but we do, at some point, need the Council’s permission to change the project. This means the architect has to redraw and then resubmit the plans… We sat in the builder’s office and stared at each other. Do we really want to negotiate again with the architect, get him to resubmit the plans and wait for the Council’s approval all over again? It seemed a step too far, and yet the changes would be a big improvement. The builder then said that if the architect agreed to do that, we don’t need to wait, he would make the changes as long as the redrawn plans, at some point, were put in. So without worrying about any delay in the building work we have agreed for him to do those. And we both feel happier that the house will be the one we actually want to live in.

And now they are working on the front part of the house, a small south-facing conservatory where we hope to escape the winter cold. We have been really impressed with their craftsmanship in working with the granite. I was worried it may look too different from the original stonework but they have done a terrific job. Today we saw them adding a huge vertical slab of stone that will separate the two front windows.

Now the clouds are gathering and rain is forecast for the foreseeable future so there will be some delay in the building work no doubt but till now we are happy.

There is more news: you’ll remember at the end of the last post that Casa Azul was put up for sale. We had a lot of interest straight away and come 24 May we had a buyer! Not only are we happy we can sell the place, and move on, but the buyer is someone who will enjoy the garden and restart the veg patch so great to know it will be in a safe pair of hands (with green fingers).

That has meant a number of trips in the car, all rather tiring. But we have also, sort of, started our Friday walks. This has included a trip to the north of the country where we ambled along the ecopiste of the Minho river near Vila Nova de Cerveira…

…plus a walk along part of the Coastal Route of the Caminho Português de Santiago where we delighted in discovering the wonderful rock pools that reminded us both of childhood summers on the Isle of Man and Jersey.

The pilgrims doing the walk also enjoyed the view but didn’t venture off the path to discover the Iron Age salt pans near Viana do Castelo that can be found there. We are definitely going to return with our shrimping nets.

Meanwhile Richard has been brewing again: having recently made ‘Rhumsaa Red Ale’ and ‘Sierra Snaefell’ (an American Pale Ale) his latest, a Lima IPA, will be bottled in a few days’ time. I have designed my 45th knitting pattern, made some red plum jam from our neighbour’s fruit and sewn Richard a colourful shirt.

So a busy few weeks. We are looking forward to a bit of rain, it feels as though there is another long, hot summer to come so it’ll be good to feel refreshed and ready for that.