Another nice and short one this week.
So, the second week in July proves to be a productive one on the house front, just like we had hoped. It wasn’t all about the house this week though, as we enjoyed some down time catching up with friends and meeting some new ones too.
We started the week off, supporting a community event in Batalha, which was organised to raise money for the centre for children with special needs, that includes our friends daughter. We didn’t film anything there, but it was really well attended and it was so good to see the kids enjoying themselves. We were treated to a show to music by the kids and also one by their helpers too and also by some very good live music. At the same time we had a good catch-up with our friends and we’re also introduced to a couple (British and American) who had recently moved over from the US near to Batalha where the club is based. Their neighbour turned out to be one of the carers who look after the kids and help run the club, so they offered to help out too, so it was super nice to meet them as well.
We also managed to organise a picnic with our pals from Alcaria and our soon-to-be close neighbours in Alvados. There will be many more, we are sure. The weather had been super hot leading up to that day, so we left it until the evening. In the end it turned out to be the only cloudy day of the week, but at least that meant it was cool. It is situated just off the road through the top of the hills above Alvados near a village called São Bento (a newly installed BBQ and picnic park). However, it does get exposed and the clouds eventually descended just before we finished, but we had a great time and a good laugh.
It is also Festas season here in central Portugal, and there are small village festivals popping up everywhere. We took the opportunity to walk to our next village to check out theirs. It’s always surprising to us the amount of effort these very small communities put in to these events. It is great to see them happening again though, because the pandemic put a sad stop to these joyful events for a long time! We loved the fact that some of the locals attended in traditional costumes too!
If you are interested in the house progress, the latest news is that they are continuing with the cladding on the exterior. The cork is being applied now. They have had to build a work platform at the living-room side where the building is cantilevered over the rock face, so not that easy to access. After the workmen had left, we actually climbed up onto it to help clear all the vegetation that was starting to encroach. We actually did this all the way around the property too, giving the workmen clear access without having to worry about clearing branched and bushes etc. It was nice to work in the cool evening, we can’t imagine how they work through the heat of the day. It did make us think about what we need to do about the vegetation taming on an ongoing basis though. We might need some sturdy ladders eventually. We also need to start processing all these cuttings for either BBQ wood or mulch too.
We also spoke with the architect on some internal work that is due to start this week too. He mentioned the electrician coming this week and the plumber starting next week too. We also need to think about some bathroom considerations so they can get the blocking installed for supports etc.
There just seems to be so much that needs to be done, it’s quite daunting. We look back to a six week project we had done in the UK and how much was achieved in that time too. So we are really looking forward to seeing some great progress and to be able to move in soon! It seems like it has been an age without our very own house to call home. That’s not to say we aren’t living comfortably. Our friends places and those that we sit for are all super nice, but it is different when you can call your own house HOME.
Bye for now, see you next week!
Our Portuguese Life 