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Why Portugal?

Why did we want to leave the UK and move to Portugal? Why Portugal and not Spain (or Australia or New Zealand)? Why did we want to move abroad at all? When did we start thinking about it? How long did it take to plan and move? We'll answer all these and more in this…

Our Daily Chicken Routine PLUS New Coop Tour

It's time for a tour of our chicken coop and a bit more chicken TV. It's been a few weeks since our hens arrived and we've learned a lot about keeping backyard chickens already. In this video join us for a "day in the life" as we take you through our daily routine of chicken…

How Did We Get Residency in Portugal?

How are people like us (originally from the UK and Australia) able to move to Portugal and buy property? Do we have to have dual citizenship or do we have to give up being British? How can UK citizens move to Portugal after Brexit and how did we get our residency? We'll address all these…

DIY Limecrete Floor – Part 1: Excavation

We've been busy for some time working away in the house and finally have something to show for it. Join us for the first part in a series of renovation videos as we start the process of laying a new floor in our old Portuguese farm house. To lay a limecrete floor we first…

Doubling the Size of Our Veg Garden for Summer Crops

After a warm dry spring, we have LOTS of plants ready to go in the ground: tomatoes, cucumbers, luffas, summer squash, winter squash, corn and asparagus crowns to name just a few. We've been steadily expanding our growing area over the last 18 months and now it's time for our biggest expansion so far.…

How Our No Dig Garden Has CHANGED

Our no dig vegetable garden in the interior of Portugal (Zone 10a) has changed a lot since we started it back in November 2020. We started with 2 beds – each measuring 80cm wide and 5m long. They were made by layering cardboard (from packing boxes from our recent house move) and 600 litres…

Cleaning Out Our Well

The old well in the middle of our Portuguese quinta has partially collapsed and has a lot of stuff growing in it. Cleaning, securing and ultimately re-building the well has been on our project list since we bought the place but it's one of those activities that needs to be approached with caution. When my…

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Yarn Projects (crochet/knitting)

Knitting Needles

I've only just started knitting again and have had to upgrade from my original Symfonie needles (they tend to snap quite easily). I have a set of stainless steel needles from ChiaoGoo and also an ebony set from Lantern Moon.

I like both! The stainless steel was a little hard to get used to but yarn really glides on them. I like the look and feel of the Lantern Moon set too, but unfortunately they don't come in all the sizes I tend to use so I now end up switching between the two sets.

Crochet Hooks

I've tried loads of different single hooks to find the 'perfect' hook. I finally found what I was looking for in the Clover soft touch range. The hook glides well and the thumb rest is really comfortable. Unfortunately they don't seem to be available in a set, so I have a jar full of all the sizes I like to use.

Tunisian Crochet Hooks

My favourites are these from Lantern Moon, they're super comfortable and glide really well, and the best bit is that they swivel. They are also compatible with the KnitPro Symfonie hooks (these seem less sturdy but also glide well).

I also have a set from ChiaoGoo made from bamboo. These are very lightweight but I find that they can snag on some yarns (a nail file often helps to make the hook head better).

Yarn

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