Back Blogging

Hopefully I'm back blogging now.  It's been a while and a lot has changed since I last wrote back in June 2016.

There have been a number of reasons why I have been AWOL, the main one being that I could no longer access the page.  Blogger was swallowed by Google at some stage and I lost track of my passwords and user names and it all became rather complicated.  Coupled with life without electricity and easy internet access discouraged me further from taking the time and energy to find a way back.  

But here I am, fingers crossed that this isn't going to be a 'one off' posting, with news and a huge update on snippets of what's been going on in my life.

I'll try to put them in chronological order, but can't promise complete accuracy........

I've moved from France to Spain, well, more accurately Catalunya.  I found a property soon after my last blog posting, in the summer of 2016 and bought it in the heat of the summer.

With plenty of land, mainly planted with hazel nut coppice, along with some olives, almonds, figs and other fruit trees.  A considerable amount of clearing is needed as the previous owner was unwell for some time, but I know basically what I'm needing to do and am sure that the weeds won't grow back half as fast as they did in France.  It's far too dry.

The house is just outside a village of 400 inhabitants with a small general store, a couple of restaurants a bar and summer pool, so I'll have much more chance to be sociable (so long as I make the effort). and only fifteen minutes from the sizeable town of Reus, with all the amenities imaginable, including an international airport with flights back to the UK and beyond.  Twenty five minutes from the coast and golden sandy beaches of the Costa Daurada and within easy reach of Barcelona by road or train.  

architect visits

With several failed attempts to engage an architect, I now have a good ‘un, or so he seems for now.  We’ve had two productive discussions in his offices and a very useful visit to site.  He was impressed with the location and am very proud with the fact that he thinks my plans should fit in very well with what remains of the old farm.  We tiddled about with a few details inside and even moved the house  by a few metres, from it’s initial location.  I think it’ll be a much better arrangement now.

For his visit I had cleared the front of the old house of all the brambles and mess of collapsed walls and detritus that has gathered over the last thirty or so years.  The building looks a bit more proud than it has done up till now, and definitely worth keeping, even if it is going to become a workshop rather than a home.  There is a concrete path running along its length which will marry in well with the proposed covered terrace and has set levels for the whole project.

Not much treasure yet, just some lovely old bottles and a couple of pan lids.  The rest is tiles, mainly broken, which is no surprise, along with roots of brambles, brambles and more roots.  Stupidly or otherwise I am taking the time to sort the rubble as I go.  The tile fragments will be ideal hardcore for later use or even rough track grade for more solid access around the site.  The beams, rafters and other timbers are fairly rotten to date, but still coming in useful for raised bed construction and any excess will be put to one side for future projects.  I’m still waiting for some decent bits to construct a frame for a fruiting arbour.

in need of attention

beardy man clearing brambles in french farmers uniform

my first treasure

concrete.  a bit of a rarety here

all clean and tidy

The ruin is going to be saved in part.  The walls are going to come down to the height of the window sills on the first floor then a structure is going to be erected within the footprint of the building which will support a new roof.  The walls will be left intact but will not be expected to bear the weight of the new roof.  Facing due south, an excellent place for a few/plenty of solar panels. 

panoramicos fantasticos