High and dry, must be July

Well, it started off fairly cool….Then the Jet stream shifted back where it’s supposed to be – tormenting the UK and the rest of Northern Yurp, and Summer bullied in like a really overheated Sumo Wrestler.

The clear felling between us and the lake continues, with huge lorries churning up and down the road and the incessant drone of chainsaws. This came to a halt when the temperature got into the forties and the Bombeiros (Volunteer Fire Brigade) declared the forests in our part of Portugal off limits for fear of more mega-forest fires.

We have started cutting back the Bracken and Brambles from the banks and in the woods – hand tools only…hopefully preserving some Pine seedlings along with the Oaks as, due to the Pine Plague, we could well lose all of our mature Pines. The bank in front of the house is steep, really steep, the soil is fragile, so it’s, um, a challenge to manage.

We’re going to try to get some kind of aggressive (non-thorny) ground cover growing on it, come wetter weather, to prevent further erosion.

This is the point at which Paul and Cris started work on our overdue roof repairs. 

 

The gable ends had originally been done in wood and were getting pretty desperately rotten.

So they were replaced with a plastic composite which looks like dark wood and should outlast us.

So there they were, swatting wasps with the temperature well into the forties….

The sides of the attic dormer were very rough too. So they have had the same treatment.

 

Before

After

The work also includes a roof window to get a bit more
light into the attic. The final stage will be a partition wall to split the attic into two bedrooms.

Then the really fun part comes when we have to completely repaint the attic. Mmmmm can't wait...not!

Down at the Ponds we had some good news when our ‘rescue’ Turtle, now known as Verne.. showed up, hale, hearty and growing.

We now have a real over-population problem with the Gambusia (mosquito fish), the water, at feeding time is nearly solid fish, they bully out the goldfish by sheer crowding…Something Must Be Done…

 So we’ll try to con friends into taking some for their ponds and also net as many as possible and return them to the river.

You’d think our Water Snake and Verne could get into a fish diet, eh?

Bugsy continues his endless pursuit of frogs which he releases unharmed, guess they taste weird… 

and Scraps continues her relentless pursuit of a tennis ball…

 Missed!!!!

On the creative side of things Sylvi continues to teach her drawing class (check out the blog if you want to see what is going on) Drawing Diaries

Meanwhile, having perfected making a couple of model warship cases, I have been helping a couple of friends with their water colour technique as a taster for planning a water colour course for the autumn.

 Sylvi is back in sewing mode and while starting her Christmas projects has completed the second  Mexico weaving hanging. 

One more to go!

Then just this week we heard great news...that our niece Hannah gave birth on Tuesday Morning to Amelie Elizabeth at home in Truro. She is a bonnie wee thing and already capturing the hearts of her older brothers.

More on the family front James and Adela have been on holiday to Hong Kong..James hoping to retrace a few steps from our time there in the early 80's. Met up with friends Sue and Colin there and had a great time. Then, after a brief visit to Macau and Phuket back to the UK and then zooming off to Turkey for a week! 

All right for some eh!

Meanwhile grandaughter Lexa is off this week for her first holiday abroad. Going on an aeroplane to the beach with Mum and Dad for some sun and fun.

Have a lovely time sweetheart!