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Why is This Renovation Taking SO Long?

And how much longer will it take? We attempt to answer both those questions in this video. We've been renovating this abandoned stone farmhouse in rural Portugal for the last four years. We're doing the vast majority of the work ourselves and whilst we didn't expect it to be a walk in the park,…

Tiling Success and a Shower Disappointment

We're making progress on the bathroom renovation and just have a few more things to do before we can enjoy an indoor, hot running shower. In this video we'll be grouting all the tiles we installed recently, applying sealant to all the edge joints and installing the shower fittings and taps. As typically…

Making Cider With Our Own Apples and Special Guests

This season was a great one for apples so the obvious choice was to make some hard cider. We've experimented with making cider from apples in the past and successfully made apple cider vinegar. More recently we've had success with cider making from store bought juice. But with so many apples on the trees this…
The next step in our bathroom renovation is waterproofing and tanking the wet areas to make sure we don't have any water related disasters whilst relaxing in the wine appreciation area below. We're using a range of products by Schluter called Kerdi and Deitra which should ensure our walk-in shower area is completely waterproof.…

Landscaping – Part One of MANY

W With good progress being made inside our Portuguese farmhouse renovation, it's time to take a look at a bit of landscaping. We have some big plans for our one acre plot of land - down in the veg garden, future vineyard, orchards and olive groves - but also around the house. Today we're…

Trust the process

Up next in our ongoing bathroom renovation, restoration, remodel, redesign or whatever you want to call it is some more hemp and lime plastering. This is the beginning of the finishing touches that will turn this once dated (and very pink) shower cubicly into a semi-modern, semi-traditional family bathroom. We also take a short…

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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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