So the sale of Casa Azul went ahead. Not without a few minor issues: we had to stop the proceedings to collect the original copy of the habitation licence. At the council the woman behind the desk couldn’t find it, are we sure it was ready to be picked up today? A phone call later and she finds the precious document in a different in-tray. It is received with sweaty palms.

And then the notary insists we arrange a meeting back at the council with the land registry person and have the demarcation of our property officially recorded online. We need to specify exactly where the land starts and finishes, and the size of the house.

This morning? After the meeting? Ah no, it seems we need to make an appointment for that. We are a little startled by this unexpected turn of events. Firstly we felt that if the house was no longer ours, it was not our responsibility. And secondly, perhaps most importantly, we had the car outside parked in the shade full of all our stuff. And Betty. The deeds are sitting on the table, unsigned.

So another phone call was needed and we are glad to say a very helpful chap at the council agreed to deal with the land registry for us straight after the meeting with the notary. We signed the deeds, handed over the keys to the new owner knowing that the house and garden would be in safe hands, and popped to the council for a second time (luckily Penela is a small town). Then we headed north, perhaps for the last time. It was another glorious day, not unlike the one when we first drove to Ponte de Lima to our rented house 13 months ago. Farewell, Casa Azul.

So what has been happening up north? Not a huge amount compared to the first few months. There are fewer workmen on the site but they are making steady progress on the barn area. It was these outbuildings that first attracted Richard to the house:

Whenever I see buildings like this I am always amazed: constructed without heavy machinery, huge granite blocks are beautifully put together to make strong, straight walls. Built in the 1930s, or perhaps earlier (records don’t start until 1932) these walls are 2 layers deep. Despite the original intention of being shelter for animals and food storage there’s so much attention to detail. Compare that to the shoddily built attachment to the left of it made some decades later with unevenly placed breeze blocks, the walls are not straight. And then the lean-to at the end had a sheet of corrugated iron thrown over the wooden supports, not even tiled. Shoddy.

It’s positive then that we feel the workmen are doing a good job. The restoration of the granite walls has been well done, as has the replacement structures and roofing. The lean-to has also been tiled and the wooden beams replaced (mostly recycled from the original roof).

So what are we going to do with these? The barn stays a barn. Richard will put up shelving and we’ll store all our ‘stuff’ in there. The smaller building is the Man Cave with space allocated for Crovan Brewing; yep Richard will have his own pub, or rather brewery (named after the Norse “King of the Isle of Man and Dublin” from the 11th century). And the lean-to will be the barbecue area.

The workmen all have the last two weeks of August off. We’re hoping the full team will be back come September and work continues again on our future home: Casa Lima.