Mixing Work with Pleasure

As well as getting a few 'jobs' done regarding the house I did have time to get out and about, socialise, have some nice eats and explore a fair bit.

With that in mind, this is not a 'holiday blog' so the things written here will relate to what I discovered in relation to the house and living on Faial.

Within an hour of being on the island and settled into the Quinta Das Proteas my project manager joined me at the Quinta I was staying at, bearing an arm full of beers and some wine. The great news I received within 30 seconds of cracking the first beer was that all the licence paperwork was in order and had been issued.

This was a major relief: The sheer volume of paperwork made me wonder how he'd managed to carry it all from his car while hanging onto the aforementioned beers! The folder was about 2 or 3 inches thick... mostly red tape and bull. But of course, essential. This meant that we had no fear of the project being stopped or delayed, and of course meant that the builder could press on legally... yes, all the work done so far was without paperwork, but it is the norm on the island to make a start while the paperwork is sorted out!

My first night was 'interesting' as the local dogs decided to kick off howling for some time. They didn't repeat this performance for the rest of my stay, so the reason remains a mystery: Was it the phase of the moon? Was it that they could sense a new stranger in their midst? Or perhaps they just felt like having a sing-song. Or a portent of a upcoming earth-tremor? Whatever the reason, I was pleased to have some ear plugs with me. Then I slept like a log.

The next morning I was up at dawn and after a coffee I took a walk up to the house, which was about 150 meters up the hill of the Caminho Velho, the road that leads to my new front drive.

The road opposite is the Caminho Velho... the big clump of trees behind the small white house (my new neighbour Joanna) is where the house is being built. The little Nissan Micra hire car was just the ticket for the quiet, twisty roads of the island. Despite having never driven LHD before I fell in love. Shabby Chic?

The weather was amazing, and despite it being only about 9am it was very warm, so by the time I walked up to the house I was sweating. I'm out of shape though, since my accident and subsequent foot injury, so walking takes its toll. I was pleased that the Quinta was so close to the project. I had a hire car though, so if I'd needed I could have whizzed up using the wheels.

One of the beautiful sunrises I witnessed during my stay. This is taken from the garden of the Quinta. A great view to enjoy with a morning coffee.

There was no one on site; I'd been told that it was a national holiday (yes, another one*), so when I got up there I had the place to myself. I was able to have a good wander around. As I mentioned in my previous blog, it is a good job I visited at this stage, as there was one major issue with the stairs. A wall had been constructed where there shouldn't be a wall.

* Talking of holidays, the previous week had seen the Week of the Sea celebrations, a week long party of music, food, drink and all things nautical. Everyone went back to work for Monday and Tuesday, then as mentioned, Wednesday was a national holiday. Further more, Friday night saw the start of Pedro Miguels village Festa... which was more music food drinking and processions for the entire weekend. Yes, the locals know how to get the work - life balance properly out of kilter to their advantage! I have received news from a friend on the island that another village festa kicks off this coming Friday ... and of course everyone goes to other villages to join in. There is almost a competitive vibe about these festas between the villages; who can put on the best party!

During my casual look around the house I noted one brilliant thing, not by design, but by accident, the coolest part of the house was the bedroom. Out away from the morning sun it was cool and a place to cool down out of the relentless sunshine. Now, the downside of this is that you won't get a view of the sea when waking up... but a small price to pay for somewhere cool to sleep in the summer months.

I determined to see how it was in the mid and late afternoon. Did it stay cool? More later.

This picture shows the entrance to the bedroom from the dining area / kitchen. As you can see, it is shady and was considerably cooler than I thought possible.

After having a bite of lunch Soren turned up and we shared a couple of beers... then I got some more exercise as we walked up to the house. It was good to get the feedback on the build from Soren, as our plans are close cousins, since in the end I used his plan and modified it. He made some good observations and suggestions for work going forward. We had a great time and he's a brilliant fella. We also met my next door neighbour, Joanna. More beers followed...

As you can see, one day in and I'm red (not helped by the bright orange T-shirt) and virtually bleached blonde.. as opposed to Soren's healthy tan. Me: typical Brit in the sun. Now, did I pack my hat?

The day ended with a BBQ - just for myself; eating al fresco is great, and this was exploratory territory for me since I was cooking with local products that Cristina (the manager of the Quinta) had kindly provided. Beautiful quality rump steak hit the grill with some peppers and potatoes. Wonderful. And cheap. So started my education with local prices and quality.

The next day saw me get picked up by the project manager. We visited the house and spoke to the builder - well at least the Project Manager did, as the builder speaks no english, at all.

Much was discussed, including the offending wall... out came he plans, and after some head scratching, yes it was a mistake. We also discussed the kitchen window. It is just to big to safely be horizontally opening. So it has been changed to a standard sliding window.

The hot water issue was discussed with such head scratching from the builder, as mentioned in the last post. Very funny.

Lighting was discussed and there was a bit of confusion over it. I think it is all sorted now as I asked for points to be made in order to supply some track spots to illuminate the kitchen and breakfast bar. To be honest, it's all a bit of a mystery how it will come out, but I'm sure the builders will be sensible on placement of the supply points.

By the time we had finished with the builder my trusty translator was exhausted - speaking Portuguese as a non-native for over an hour can take its toll. We headed to Horta to visit the kitchen builders...

The project manager had some other business to attend to in Horta first, so I wandered down a long hilly path about half a kilometre to the local supermarket. I didn't shop here apart from a pack of smokes, but I was here to visit the local Worten, an electrical outlet similar to Currys here in the UK. Generally the prices are quite a lot more than the UK. I was thrilled to see that a Sony Bravia 55" Smart TV that I have bought for £499 in the UK (thanks prime day) was on sale in Horta for 1,650 Euros. Result.

After about half an hour, I'd had enough, realising that most likely I'd be acquiring and shipping from the UK. So I took a stroll outside and found a little bar about 20 meters from the supermarket. Now this was an important discovery. Properly local, no one spoke english, but I managed to order a beer and find the toilets without issue. The time learning some Portuguese paid off. My confidence was bolstered. Except when I asked how much... and had to just hold my hand out with a bunch of coins :) The beer was 80 cents. Not in my vocabulary.

Ah, a beer. Muito Frio. Then I saw lots of other little shops... there is one opposite, but no sign. It seemed a bit rude to just wander in and wander out so I didn't. This is stuff I need to know though.

By this time it was time to hook up with the project manager, so I headed up the long road to our meeting point... that road seemed a lot longer going up, and by the time I got there I was completely done in; the temperature was about 28 degrees. Note for the future: When seeing a hill use wheels.

A nice lunch at the Cafe Porto Pim followed and this will definitely be the place to come when driving into Horta for shopping at the big supermarket. Lunch for two including a beer came in at under 5 Euros. This was for a substantial slice of quiche with salad.

Then we headed out to the islands kitchen manufacturer. Everything is manufactured, cut and assembled in the factory, so it is bespoke in nature. I was shown many different samples. and ended up getting two quotes for different qualities and types of work surface. The showroom was very good, with lots of example kitchens on display. I soon realised that to get the colour worktop i wanted I would have to go upmarket. Done.

That concluded business for the day, and after a quick visit to the project manager's house for a beer and look at his kitchen (as an example) and veg. plot I was back at the Quinta for the late afternoon. I drove into Pedro Miguel and found a couple of cafes. One looked a bit scary as it had two old locals sat outside: I was not quite ready for the full on language assault! The other had a stack of tables out front, a bar inside and also housed the local mini-market.

I had a browse around and found a local bottle of wine for 3.56 Euros and a pack of 4 burgers for 2.60 Euros, grabbed a coffee and relaxed there for a while taking in the ambience, and trying to make something of the overheard conversations. Fun, if impossible.

The next day I decided to take a walk to the viewing point on the coast. It's only 1km away. Well, I got halfway and the road looked like it was falling off a cliff. So, I stopped and walked back. Along the way I saw my house from a different perspective!

From the bottom of the land, on the New Bedford Road (Yes, that is what it is called!) gives a new perspective on the build and location.

And this is the road that leads to...

This perfect little beach... almost private, not a footprint in the sand.

So yes, I walked back up and got the car... a good job as well, because the gradient is very steep as you approach the beach and viewing point. Doable for me on a bike though. I didn't take a swim because I had not brought my towel. Shame.

Back to the Quinta and WhatsApp to the rescue and Bruno came over for a few beers, bringing Swiss Chocolate with him as a welcome gift. How nice, and the chocolate was rationed out for the rest of my stay. It was the best. I had a brilliant afternoon with Bruno and we got along famously. He gave me lots of info regarding life on the island too. I was starting to feel very comfortable about my future social life. Thanks Bruno.

Bruno and I pose for the obligatory selfie under the gazebo at the Quinta. We must have been laughing at the cat.

This post has been far too long, so enough for now.

Next Up - More Exploring....