# stuck in Portugal/Spain ? too many oranges , too much time ?



## n brown (Jan 18, 2021)




----------



## Pauljenny (Jan 18, 2021)

Thanks Nigel..
You've just undone 18 months of strict dieting.. Sugar, Nutella, Honey... Carbs..!!
I've turned into the Incredible Hulk.
Jenny had to have an extra shot of insulin.
I think our total crop of 2 ,
Wouldn't go far .
Looks evilly delicious.


----------



## trevskoda (Jan 18, 2021)

Im fecken starvin now Mr Brown.


----------



## Robmac (Jan 18, 2021)

We haven't got any oranges, would it work with potatoes?


----------



## n brown (Jan 18, 2021)

Robmac said:


> We haven't got any oranges, would it work with potatoes?


that's a very good question and of course it would Rob ! slightly different flavour,shape ,smell, colour, weight and appeel , but apart from that , identical !


----------



## Robmac (Jan 18, 2021)

n brown said:


> that's a very good question and of course it would Rob ! slightly different flavour,shape ,smell, colour, weight and appeel , but apart from that , identical !



I'm on it!


----------



## mariesnowgoose (Jan 19, 2021)

Bad boy!


----------



## REC (Jan 19, 2021)

I have a few to use up, juiced quite a lot, orange drizzle cake, more on the trees....might have a go. Thanks


----------



## trixie88 (Jan 19, 2021)

REC said:


> I have a few to use up, juiced quite a lot, orange drizzle cake, more on the trees....might have a go. ThanksView attachment 91456


lovely interesting picture ruth.....love the blue gingham......and of course the pile of oranges...enjoy


----------



## Robmac (Jan 19, 2021)

trixie88 said:


> lovely interesting picture ruth.....love the blue gingham......and of course the pile of oranges...enjoy



I agree Trixie, it's a lovely rural kitchen, I'd love one like that.

...for Julie.


----------



## n brown (Jan 19, 2021)

ahh,the Portuguese concrete kitchen ! one place we lived in had concrete sofas as well !


----------



## mariesnowgoose (Jan 19, 2021)

n brown said:


> ahh,the Portuguese concrete kitchen ! one place we lived in had concrete sofas as well !



Nowt wrong with a concrete sofa that a few extra-big, fat, plump cushions couldn't sort out


----------



## REC (Jan 20, 2021)

mariesnowgoose said:


> Nowt wrong with a concrete sofa that a few extra-big, fat, plump cushions couldn't sort out


No concrete sofa yet, have seen them but mainly outdoors. We have an old futon clik clak sofa we brought out....unfortunately not able to use as double bed any more since the wood gave way! Concrete kitchen is very practical here, one day I might have cupboard doors but that's when the gingham gives out....bought a 2 pack of curtains for £5 in Kent and chopped them up, they get very dusty though. Bit basic kitchen ( or simple, if being generous!) but we do tend to use so many gadgets in UK whereas here we started from nothing so everything bought was thought about rather than accumulated. Brought coffee machine with us this year, as treat for Dave who does like his coffee. Loose tea for me as the water is so pure, tea tastes totally different.


----------



## trixie88 (Jan 20, 2021)

Robmac said:


> I agree Trixie, it's a lovely rural kitchen, I'd love one like that.
> 
> ...for Julie.


also love it rob......cos it looks lived in and used.........not like its just come out of a magazine with not even a cup or pot in sight .........if you are reading this ruth...would love to see more pics.....it looks so idilic....cant spell these days.....


----------



## trixie88 (Jan 20, 2021)

n brown said:


> ahh,the Portuguese concrete kitchen ! one place we lived in had concrete sofas as well !


wont get any damp then if its concrete eh    no drafts coming up thru the floorboards...no joist to rot........oh gimmy gimm gimmy....


----------



## n brown (Jan 20, 2021)

mariesnowgoose said:


> Nowt wrong with a concrete sofa that a few extra-big, fat, plump cushions couldn't sort out


yeah ,till your head slips off the pillow.... CLONK ! you're awake !


----------



## REC (Jan 20, 2021)

@trixie88
Concrete floors  but floorboards on mezzanine level, here are a couple of " progress" photos!


----------



## n brown (Jan 20, 2021)

have you got electric ? we ran a house on an old diesel citroen bx made a really quiet and economical 12v genny for a couple of years . i always really enjoyed the hillbilly life !


----------



## trixie88 (Jan 20, 2021)

REC said:


> @trixie88
> Concrete floors  but floorboards on mezzanine level, here are a couple of " progress" photos!View attachment 91508View attachment 91509View attachment 91510


wow ruth these are great........have you done it all yourselves....building in progress look interesting......must be a job keep dust etc from rooms you are using..........brilliant


----------



## REC (Jan 20, 2021)

trixie88 said:


> wow ruth these are great........have you done it all yourselves....building in progress look interesting......must be a job keep dust etc from rooms you are using..........brilliant


Most was done in first couple of years, first picture is now the kitchen/diner and third is mezzanine level living room with bedroom behind. You can see the living room and bedroom space before conversion, in first picture. We did it completely ourselves. Still a work in progress after 14 years...the adega needs to be made into a room, and the water tank has to be connected to homemade solar panel ( left the original one out for a summer and the perspex melted! Glass bought now since we know it will be hot enough!) With all the land, it gives us a free choice of jobs to mess around with.


----------



## REC (Jan 20, 2021)

n brown said:


> have you got electric ? we ran a house on an old diesel citroen bx made a really quiet and economical 12v genny for a couple of years . i always really enjoyed the hillbilly life !


We have 1150 kw input (simple tarriff) and solar lights, candles and oil lamp. We had a generator for a few years mainly for power tools but never use it now. Yep...hillbilly life is really relaxing and appealing! Nothing posh, just functional.


----------



## n brown (Jan 20, 2021)

i remember now . anyway ,re; solar panel , we had a 1000ltr tank on the hill behind us , and i put a 50metre roll of 25mm irrigation pipe in the feed to the house. very cheap black pipe from the local drogaria. sometimes the water got so hot it was dangerous and i had to cover the coil , but it worked well


----------



## REC (Jan 20, 2021)

n brown said:


> i remember now . anyway ,re; solar panel , we had a 1000ltr tank on the hill behind us , and i put a 50metre roll of 25mm irrigation pipe in the feed to the house. very cheap black pipe from the local drogaria. sometimes the water got so hot it was dangerous and i had to cover the coil , but it worked well


Yes we have done it with black pipe too, but the water gravity feeds into the barn at the moment. Dave has built a water tank which will fill by gravity from source about 200m away and then plans on pumping it up to a storage tank higher up behind the barn. Then we will have a decent pressure and head of water to work the solar panel and fill pipes etc. Does get extremely hot. Earlier solar panel was lower down so filled by gravity but no pressure so not very effective. It's fun working these things out.


----------



## trevskoda (Jan 20, 2021)

Maybe just a we back up just in case.


----------



## Pauljenny (Jan 20, 2021)

We have a friend who rescued a rusty 1.5 m satellite dish and stand from a campsite tip.
He wound a long black hosepipe inside it , coupled up to the outdoor tap
He can adjust it to optimise solar efficiency. 
Ex- motorhomer, of course.

He can relax , with a wine, and watch his wife washing up the dishes, for free. 
How I envy him, sometimes.


----------



## trixie88 (Jan 21, 2021)

REC said:


> Most was done in first couple of years, first picture is now the kitchen/diner and third is mezzanine level living room with bedroom behind. You can see the living room and bedroom space before conversion, in first picture. We did it completely ourselves. Still a work in progress after 14 years...the adega needs to be made into a room, and the water tank has to be connected to homemade solar panel ( left the original one out for a summer and the perspex melted! Glass bought now since we know it will be hot enough!) With all the land, it gives us a free choice of jobs to mess around with.


wow what a project...you must be mighty proud of yourselves............  was it a tumble down house to start with or a barn/outbuilding etc.......


----------



## REC (Jan 21, 2021)

trixie88 said:


> wow what a project...you must be mighty proud of yourselves............  was it a tumble down house to start with or a barn/outbuilding etc.......


It was a barn which was four reasonable walls no windows or doors, and jokey roof, plus a tumbled down two storey farmhouse which only had lower floor left filled with rubble from top floor! The barn was converted first, then, not long ago Dave and a friend dug out the lower floor of the farmhouse and made it into a one storey bed/ sitting room. Made a  concrete flat roof and could rebuild the second storey again but tbh, no real need for more space. Also have a two berth caravan which was our home and then spare bedroom for first few years. We love it but I think many would class it as a hovel


----------



## mariesnowgoose (Jan 21, 2021)

REC said:


> It was a barn which was four reasonable walls no windows or doors, and jokey roof, plus a tumbled down two storey farmhouse which only had lower floor left filled with rubble from top floor! The barn was converted first, then, not long ago Dave and a friend dug out the lower floor of the farmhouse and made it into a one storey bed/ sitting room. Made a  concrete flat roof and could rebuild the second storey again but tbh, no real need for more space. Also have a two berth caravan which was our home and then spare bedroom for first few years. We love it but I think many would class it as a hovel



Not me, sounds about perfect


----------



## trevskoda (Jan 21, 2021)

Is no planning of council involved over there, not get away with that here.


----------



## Pauljenny (Jan 21, 2021)

REC said:


> It was a barn which was four reasonable walls no windows or doors, and jokey roof, plus a tumbled down two storey farmhouse which only had lower floor left filled with rubble from top floor! The barn was converted first, then, not long ago Dave and a friend dug out the lower floor of the farmhouse and made it into a one storey bed/ sitting room. Made a  concrete flat roof and could rebuild the second storey again but tbh, no real need for more space. Also have a two berth caravan which was our home and then spare bedroom for first few years. We love it but I think many would class it as a HOVEL..



HOVEL?
Some  of the nicest people live in Portuguese hovels.
We've been in ours 17 years .. It's still a work in progress.
We would have been bored witless these last 12 months, without it.

We really miss having the Moho parked nearby.. Escape pod, Guest bedroom, spare bathroom, kitchen.
Still we could be worse.

No TV.. ?
Us too.
Do you play dominoes..?
My sweet, silver haired, dimpled Granny of a wife , turns into a Hell Bitch, with 7 bones in front of her.
Barred from most tap rooms in Yorkshire.


----------



## REC (Jan 21, 2021)

Dominos, yahtzee, Jenga, cards. Also dvds, memory stick with downloads and now streaming. Think some people assume we have a smart villa on the beach.  
We definitely don't think of it as a hovel, but it is basic!


----------

