In the meantime

Paulo has installed new pipework for the septic tank and made good the garage floor. A strange place to have a septic tank - we will live with it to see if there are any problems with it being there. Can't find out why it was placed under the garage floor and why there were no pipes connected to it. The other septic tank, directly outside the side of the house, is probably blocked with earth. We say that as we and the builders couldn't find a way of accessing the tank to inspect it let alone empty it. We are not sure as to where it is actually located and, as we want to build a paved terrace against the side of the house, we will have to be careful when digging around. Anyway, our thanks to Paulo for responding very quickly to a nasty situation.

Our new kitchen will be installed soon. We are really looking forward to that as it will make so much difference to us when staying there. We will also be installing a fridge/freezer and a washing machine but not enough room for a dish washer.

Sammy is looking out for someone to finish the strimming of our land. It is quite a large area, just over half an acre, and the grass is as thick as straw.

In the meantime, we are working out the next stage for refurbishment and will be asking Paulo to give us a quote. Our idea for parking is to dig out part of the lower terrace and, as it is quite high above the road, a car parked there should be lower than the terrace, and we might be able to build a roof structure to keep off the sun.