When we got the builder’s licence it was such good news. We were then able to pick up from the Council a special log book he has to use, and a poster which he needs to put up outside the work with the official info on it (needless to say neither of these things were done with Casa Azul). We handed these over, and the builder replied: Great, we just need to get the water and electricity installed. Now neither Richard nor I are violent people but we did almost both scream at him and shout WHY DID YOU NOT TELL US THIS BEFORE? So more legwork to offices, making claims and filling in forms (all of which could have been done last year) and now we have a new post outside:

The post to the right of the electricity pole has the our electricity box, and you can see in the newly built wall another box, this is for the water and there is a tap on the other side (the builder did all this). However, neither of these are connected. (Do notice an old telephone pole just to the left of the house, put in when they used to make them from tree trunks.)

So now we are waiting for THE post. Apparently the electricity company sends us a letter re the counter, or something (wasn’t entirely sure what was being said…) and THEN the builder can connect it. Ho hum.

There have been other changes. Continuing with the post theme the granite posts that were in front of the house have all been taken down. We drove past the other day and gosh! the posts had all gone. It has made a big difference:

They had been used for supporting the wire framework for the vines. And then when we walked down the hill to the back of the house which faces across the river valley (it’s on two levels), we were in for another shock: two huge olive trees had been chopped down leaving bare trunks:

This is what they looked like when we bought the house, you can understand our shock:

However, we did ask for this to be done. You can see how enormous they are and of course how much shade they cast. We plan to be able to sit here, and to the right of this place which was also shaded, so they did need to be cut. In addition, we know from personal experience how fast olive trees grow and in no time there’ll be new branches and leafy growth. It does also allow us to plant some shrubs, I’ve put in a few things already.

So what is that funny, wooden structure you ask. In Portuguese, it’s called an espigueiro. In Spanish, hórreo. They are a familiar sight in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula, anyone who has visited Galica or Asturias will have seen them too. In English, granary I suppose. They are used to store the corn cobs over the winter months. Traditionally they were made of stone and there are a number of places near us (notably Soajo and, less touristy, Lindoso) where there are a lot of these together. People still use them, the photo below right was of one in the village where we are now. It was September, the corn had dried on the plants and were being stored. The slats are for ventilation and the plinths for keeping rodents out (although I can’t see that myself):

And now I will tell you that we plan to knock it down! Despite being part of the culture we will never use it and it is obscures the lovely view of the valley.