It’s November 1st and that means it’s time to update on all of the fun and exciting things that happened in October on my off grid homestead in Central Portugal. It was a fine month, indeed, with visits from my parents and one of my best friends and we got loads of stuff done and had fun doing it!
November is shaping up to be a good one on my little quinta with a variety of jobs on the cards like insulating my metal door with cork, making a window in the door (or attempting to… I have no idea how to make a window!), fixing and cleaning the flue for my janky wood stove, some work on the land, and a few other exciting things! I’m a bit sad everyone is gone but I’m looking forward to getting to work while the sun shines and the weather isn’t too chilly (yet!)
For anyone interested in making a contribution to my project, there’s a Thanks button up above but, as I mentioned in the video, you could also use Paypal if that’s more convenient. My Paypal address is * travoholic@yahoo.com *.
I hope you enjoy this little update and a summary of November’s plans. Thanks for watching, as always, and I’ll see you Friday for my usual weekly video!
46 Comments
A window in the door is an excellent idea even if it takes all month. Being in a space without a window creeps me out. Sounds like something corporate America would do….put people in a space with no natural light. Can’t believe the amount of hot sauce you’ve got! You are gonna be one hot mama. Learning Portuguese should be a very rewarding endeavor in your every day life. On top of all this you have Mikey to keep you company.
When it comes to learning languages, I have found that a combination of active studying and passive listening works well for me. You would be surprised by how many words and phrases you can learn just by listening to your mp3 player while you're trimming your olive trees or doing other jobs. I find myself repeating some phrase hours later with no idea what it means. Then I look it up. Once I have done that, I know it forever.
Just a hint when you are working with stapling plastic in place use a small piece of cardboard and staple into that. that will help secure your plastic, so that it doesn't just tear off from around the staple
My eyesight is diabolical so only stayed for long enough to write this Vaseline lenses not me 👎
You got loads done. Did Sinead buy the land beside you????????
What about a half door??? Your doing a great job, your parents are so lovely 😍.
So enjoy your videos…..I also watch the ads to the end so you can benefit from a little revenue from that as well. Merci et bon courage…..🥰
You got quite a bit accomplished in October. It was lovely to see your Mom and Dad….they are quietly humourous! Your November list looks totally doable for someone on their own. Looking forward to the transformation of the front entry with the door window and patio. It'll be so colourful with the plants and door colour. 🪴🏡Have fun!!
Typical Canadian, beer break yes, work done no,come on give me a break
Well done on October progress! You have achieved lots 🙂 It has been great watching your parents, they are so funny!! I am looking forward to the door project as it is very similar to ours and I have been also thinking of putting a window in ours to increase the light we have in our living space. I might make a start in a few weeks so please let me know your thoughts as I trust your judgement rather than my own lol 🤣
It was lovely to see you and your parents and friend working together, folks who have formed who we have become help us almost instinctively and do what we need done so willingly and eagerly. Your mom did a wonderful job of the weeding and preserving your jalapeños and making hot sauce. We have a joke about in the family that weed is my drug of choice! I'm like your mom, I can weed for hours. So happy you had some assistance, having so much to do can become overwhelming. All the best for your November tasks, so enjoy your videos!
You're making such great progress! Keep it up!
Great progress, looking forward to watching you conquer the Nov. job list 🎉
Love watching your videos – great progress and can’t wait to see your home with a windowed door ?! 👍🏼🥰
👍👍👍
IMHO I think your wood stove, pine cones and gas box should be top priority…being snug in your home during the winter sounds cozy.. a tool shed you mentioned before will help you tons in clearing up space inside, hopefully that guy gets back to you soon. Im also in the same shameful position regarding putting real effort into becoming fluent in turkish. I can get by but Im starting to get flak from in-laws about it 😳😂🇨🇦🇹🇷❤️ looking forward to your next vid.
You got a lot done, great having all that help. You look so much like your mum.
Can you please find out why the super thanks is not showing up on my channel.
don't think propane gas bottles freeze outdoors…sure that lpg tanks don't. 🙂
You've achieved quite a lot. You give yourself too many jobs to do in a month. I guess it's nice when you've achieved most of them. A window in your door will definately brighten up your living space. 💚
learning portuguese ?! u could do with a tuga buddy(namorado,wink),lol.
I think the window will not be as bad as you anticipate. If anyone can do it, you can!❤️ love all the progress.
Cindy Vine has a similar door and a friend of hers did the insulation and opened a window. You can see in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZHPPzd9pqc
I think the first thing is the leveling the dirt. Move gravel then set up gas garage your dad built, put a roof on it. All the other stuff will be easier. Or not. Lol you also have to fix stove sooner than later. Love your channel. This is a great way of showing how to set small doable goals! Love it
hi why do you hate that jigsaw? does a window from a camper van make sense in the door? maybe easier to put in the door. cheers from germany
Hi, enjoy so much your videos from Chile.
Did you adopt the cat? Or are you just looking after it?
Is a nice and friendly cat. Is is female or male?
So, because the window in the wall has been bugging the crud out of me. And, I'm not so sure about the door window as that is far more complicated. So, I sent you a PayPal contribution to make me feel better. Maybe you could use the contribution to hire some help. Glad you had both company and help in October. Carry on…
Any video that features a cat within the first five seconds gets an instant like from me
Uh-oh! She’s got her wipe board out again!
So glad that your channel is thriving! Have a good week, Laura 🍻
I love the whiteboard sessions. Thanks for sharing your adventures 😀
Go onto Cindy Vine Portugal and look for the video called renovating a ruin in Central Portugal jazzing up a metal door. Her door was like yours. She insulation the door plus put a window into it. Just a thought it might be a beginner start to your project.
Another great blog! I love watching your wood working-ive been trying making stuff for a year-you are brave with the tools-great to see you use Japanese saws-i love mine. Looking forward to seeing more soon 😊
Saude!
Hi Laura I just have a question ⁉️ where is your toilet?
Oooh, the door project will be interesting! Imagine all the light… you probably have already imagined it, haha. And how cosy will it be to have the fire going again? Looking forward ot hearing how your friend's land purchase went. xo
…challenge yourself…set a 10 minute timer for each job ….😁😅❤
Not sure if this is applicable to your situation, but we used to have to disassemble our stovepipe to clean every year, which was a whole production and extremely messy! Then we put in a double walled pipe and have hardly had any build up inside since. At that time (maybe ten years ago?) you couldn't just buy a double walled pipe of the correct size in France, so we made one from two pipes of different sizes, one inside the other. Works like a charm!
I always enjoy yr vids and look forward to the next one each time!
You got a lot accomplished in October. I look forward to seeing your home improve in November. Your sense of humor makes it fun to watch.
I don't know where you are in Portugal, but thought that with your window woe's if you watch Cindy Vine Portugal – Video called Renovating a Ruin in Portugal Jazzing up a Metal Door pick up the window at 20:23 where it is shown. Another very helpful person is Nick who's channel is Portugal Project, he is I think a Builder, and I'm sure if you needed help or idea's (Help) he'd be glad to do so. Great though to watch everything you are doing.
Gas bottles will work more slowly when cold, and flare up when hot so put them in an insulated box is a good idea
So now you are organised for November……usually warm sunny days…..I always have a sunny birthday in UK its horribel!
When you’re done with the flue/wood stove changes, please have a service specialist check it out before it gets too cold. The material you’ve exposed so far, shows that all are fire resistant but don’t discount carbon monoxide exposure.
Hi, yes, tidying never ends 😂. I was thinking, ithink you can get port-hole window kits, but thinking more, you could probs get any window, cut the metal hole and silicone it in? A bit like fitting a cat flap but higher up. I would also be overwhelmed by big masonry jobs, so i hear you. Good luck y saludos desde España
Hi from Bulgaria, I am also gathering and cutting up gash wood and I have a decent amount, also winterising my doors and windows this month, its important never to finish the project, I am doing four operations which all feed off one another, I am reducing one area and the soil is feeding the raised beds, and the good gash wood is constructing the raised beds and I have a pile of 10 yo rotted down wood also feeding the raised beds………….looks like a bomb site but it will all come together