Christmas '13 and a rainy day project

We've been busy as usual, working hard to get the guest suite up for our Christmas houseful!

 We're almost there now - close to actually having a dust-free house rather than an ongoing building site!

Christmas with all the family was wonderful. A couple of weekends before everyone arrived we dispatched one of our pigs (they are about 80% javali or wild boar- not especially big, but that suits us in a way as they are easy to deal with.

                                                                         sausages!

On Christmas day we did a four bird roast (duck, chicken, goose, turkey)

 We've been talking about making a piece of art for the house entrance and on one particularly wet and miserable day thought it would be nice to do something as a family.

We picked up some acrylic paints from one of the local chinese stores and brought in a piece of plasterboard.

We each took it in turns to draw around each others silhouettes with a pencil onto the board.

 then we all took some brushes and colours and filled in the shapes

 none of us were quite sure what the end result would be like, but we were hoping you would be able to make out our shapes at the end

 we couldn't imagine how amazing the final picture would look

  it now has pride of place on the wall 

 and we have a lovely lasting memory of our family Christmas

 If you look closely you can make out most of us in some form or another!

Progress at Velagota

We've been working hard on the house, trying to get it finished for Christmas. Lots of things happening, and we're not quite there yet but we've done really well.
Our mission should we like to accept it is to get a fully fitted guest suite up and running! (consisting of two bedrooms and shower-room). We've had some help with the plastering and friends have helped us paint and tile and we're nearly there!!

 

We've also plastered and painted the atrium

 

 

Built a Pump House and installed the borehole water system

 

and started on our main living area floor

 

 

(oh and plastered the staircase!)

 

so now its final touches and preparing for Christmas!

 

 

Remember the sloping garden we made from this earlier blog

http://velagota-portugal.blogspot.pt/2012/05/spring-12.html

this is it with planting in progress.

 

 

It was a hard job- after the retaining walls and steps had been constructed, we needed to bring in plenty of fresh compost.

Irrigation pipes were installed and weedguard material laid- all the time we are resembling mountain goats- hopping up and down this very steep slope!

 

Then the fun bit- planting!! I chose mainly drought tolerant plants- knifhofia, agapanthus, and mixed them up with some architectural grasses and Phormiums, Crocosmia,  and a few cactus-style plants- Echeverias, Sedum etc.

The prime spot, where the soil is deepest, was the perfect spot for a lovely Japanese Acer which was a present from Joan and balances out the bamboo at the bottom of the slope nicely!

 

 

Finally a layer of gravel

 

 

 

 

 

 

and now.... a year on- amazing how it looks like it's always been there- the plants are filling out brilliantly

 

 

 

and we now have a lovely view from inside the house

 

 

 

one more garden area done and we can start thinking about the next one!

A day in the life of a Weasel! (Weasel's big day out)

Weasel bags the pew with a view

 

Having a paddle

 Off for a walk

 A bit of rock climbing

 Exploring a ruin

 |Relaxing on the terrace

Exhausted after a busy day

Pigs and Parties

The pigs were let out of the small run last weekend. Although we strimmed the paddock down when they arrived, it's all shot up and they were lost in the long grass and wild flowers!

These ones seem really shy- perhaps it's because of the higher percentage of wild boar in the breed, but as soon as the fence was taken down, they were in their element, confidently running about and exploring!

 

We popped up to the village afterwards to watch the Fanfarras - the marches of the bombeiros/fire brigade bands

May in beautiful Central Portugal

May has to be my favourite month of the year here. Everything is lush and green and the wild flowers are amazing.

 

The few garden areas we have built come to life with wonderful colour and scent.

 Peony Duchesse de Nemours, Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus and Iris germanica

Along with the lovely gardens and wildflowers the grass is growing by the minute! It's this time of year we really struggle to keep up with the land- strimming and mowing, weeding and watering!

The thunderbirds house is blending in nicely to the landscape now!

 

Dear Pip

Today we said goodbye to our lovely Pip!  Primrose Goldberry :-)
we were with her from when she popped out from under the stairs in Pirbright, 'til the end. She had a lovely life and was a wonderful companion.

love ya Pippy!