And then the lights went out.... - Days 176 to 178

The 2.1kw solar array that tracks the sun

Literally....

A couple of very gentle days pottering, a trip into town for shopping, walking little Baby were a joy, settling down in front of the TV on our second night (we’d failed on the first night having to resort to a DVD. With my supreme BBC engineering skills I’d found the aerial coax pulled out the back of the connector, on our balcony, and knowing that a 1m air gap is not known for its transmission qualities, I’d shoved it back in). Halfway through the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, everything went off, and where we are dark is very dark, though fortunately we are coming up to full moon.... Instinctive reaction “is everyone off? Is it just us?” 

Oooh, whats that under there? It's tracking mechanism is done by a linear actuator. That's right up my street, it was a big part of my business when I was working. Lets look closer....

Mmm, not one I used to sell, that's a competitor. Never mind

There’s no one else to see, and of course it’s just us, we are off grid, self sufficient, generating our own solar and hydro power. No point in waiting to see if it comes back on then!

We finally got hold of Mike on the phone, who went very quiet, “it’s never happened before, it’s such a trouble free system...” Ring Ecki, the solar man, he’s a night owl. What a lovely man, he told us how to reset it, lights came back on, phoned Mike with the good news, breathe a huge sigh of relief, hurrah.



It all went dark again. Boo.

The off grid control set-up. Ecki told us the LH white unit is the water turbine control with a big green resistor above to absorb excess power and stop the turbine overspeeding. Right of that is the turbine intelligent controller, then there's various breakers, right again are two solar array intelligent controllers, above are electric meters to monitor usage. Right again are two inverters, one slightly above, the slave, and one lower. These convert the 24v battery voltage to mains 230v AC 

And here are the monster batteries. 6 twins of 2v each giving 24v

Back on the phone to Ecki, he talked me through interrogating various things, to no avail. I’ll come out tomorrow afternoon.

Lying in bed, everything running through your head, “we’ve got water running into the poly tunnel”, “yes but it’s the low pressure, so it’s gravity fed”, “didn’t we hear the pump for the high pressure water feed running as we were walking past with Baby?”

And a huge generator that should have started, but didn't

Clothes back on, stumbling up terraces, in Crocs, in the dark. Three water taps, high pressure to the house: always on. Low pressure for watering: on. Leave off, do not touch: looks off, but I can hear water through it, nudge it a touch, now it’s closed!

We didn’t want to ring Mike today, it was Mary’s hospital appointment which obviously takes priority, and he’s a long way away. He’s just rung. B had found a breaker down that shouldn’t be, “shall we reset it?” “Hmm, perhaps wait for Ecki as why did it trip?”

And outside right down by the stream are two water turbines generating power. There's two of them but only one is running as that's all that's been needed, and of the 4 water inlets to it only two are open. That generates 200w, so it has a capacity of generating 800w with both on all all input open

Little Baby pug dog looked unconcerned

“There is perhaps one thing you can check” said Mike, “as I changed the water over, in the dark on Tuesday morning, it’s possible I didn’t quite close the tap properly, this would have caused the pump to keep circulating water, it has been a problem once before...” “let me just stop you there Mike, in that case we have actually fixed the problem....” Hurrah, we will wait for Ecki before switching on the breaker, but things are really looking up. All we have to figure out now is why the generator didn’t start.....

Perhaps sitting in the sun might help

Ecki has been, what a lovely man, he didn’t actually do anything, but checked a few things, flipped up the breaker, even though it wasn’t on one of ‘his’ bits of kit. Confirmed the battery on the generator is ok, and cleared the fault codes. All we need to do now is test it early one morning, when we’ve dropped the voltage overnight before the solar array has done it’s thing.

I guess we can now say “experience of off grid properties” on our Housesitter profile!

The peacocks came down to see what was going on, or perhaps they were hoping we'd leave the front door open so the could wander inside, they apparently often do that

Here's a couple of them inspecting this strange chicken thing

Chickens, peacocks, dog and Jackie all together

It's peaceful down by the river. Mike and Mary's property ends at thewaters edge where Baby pug dog is

This photo shows the devastation from the forest fire of 2017. The building used to be Mike and Mary's rental property. There used to be a wooden building where the caravan is now and, beyond was/is a swimming pool. The fire swept through and destroyed the lot yet their house (you can just see the roof) escaped completely unharmed. How on earth did it survive when this building was destroyed? The tree is still alive but has a very burnt trunk

A view inside that building. You can only imagine how heartbroken Mike and Mary must have been but also, how lucky the housesitters were to have escaped with their lives

And after I managed to break one of the hinges on the freezer compartment in our fridge in Big Ted a while back, we've taken it out and, today I've glued the bits back together. The hinge furthest away had broken completely in half, the nearer one was cracked through and not far off breaking. The little white ribs are bits I've made and glued on in an effort to strengthen the hinge. The white clip was already broken (not by me), so I made a bit to replace the missing clip and glued it on. I also had to glue the freezer base as it broke with the hinge. I'm confident, but Jackie has found some spares on the internet to replace all the broken bits for about £50. I've told her we won't need those though, this repair is going to be perfect!

Up through Portugal and to a housesit - Days 170 to 175

Evening G&T by the lake at Barragen da Povoa

Evora was ok, and the parking by the aqueduct pleasant, but one night was enough. We’ll move on for two nights then, cross country, which wasn’t ideal, but it was a lovely site, over a dam, bit scary, but thank goodness we didn’t meet anyone coming towards us on the 7km road or the dam. The Aire was fine, though parking on the ‘beach’ was very tempting, if we’d been staying more than two nights, we’d probably have made the effort, but then we would have had the worry the police may have come in and moved everybody, glad to not have had to make the decision. It was beautiful, the bread van turned up every morning, perhaps Portugal is getting better. (Aire location: 39°29'01.7"N 7°32'49.8"W) (Aire facilities with photos: click here then on item 74 in list) One more night before arriving at the Housesit, a day earlier than we expected, but it was a simple request, and it is an off grid house, with solar and hydro power, so lots to learn....

We parked here in the official Aire at Barragen da Povoa, with slight views of the lake (easy 2 minute walk to the lakeside)...

...but we could have parked unofficially at the lakeside amongst these others

Conímbriga was our last stop, we checked out the Aire and dump facilities, which were fine (Aire location: 40°06'47.1"N 8°29'42.8"W)  (Aire facilities with photos: click here then on item 76 in list), but we got back into Ted and drove to the Roman ruins, where we were welcomed to stay by the lovely man selling tickets (Parking location: 40°05'56.2"N 8°29'21.5"W) (Parking facilities with photos: click here then on item 75 in list). 

Saw this little green striped frog in the lake

Jackie fed the visiting dogs from nearby with cat biscuits

The ruins were very extensive and very well restored. The mosaics were absolutely stunning. It was a much nicer place to stay so we happy that we were allowed. Nice little walk the following morning, sadly there was no water in the river, so no waterfall, but hey! Out for a good lunch before the last hour and a quarter to the Housesit. Although we’ve done a lot of miles to get here we are actually very pleased to have had the kick as we have just received an email from our letting agent telling us that the tenants from my old house are leaving after 14 years. We therefore need to get back as much work is required on the house, the kitchen and carpets are 25+ years old and the bathroom older than that! So anyone with a spare five minutes and a talent in gardens, painting or stripping (houses obviously though any other form as entertainment would of course be welcomed...) Helen and Ian, Denise and Paul, Sue and Richard......

It was the night of the 'Super Moon' on the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox and here it was just rising over the lake

Our bike ride with flowering lupins in the fields

En route I found the street that Mike had told us he would meet us at, not originally on Doris’s route, and he had said in a Skype that he’d had to rescue guests from the other side of the valley before, glad I found it. He and Mary were then going to come and meet us, his intention, to drive Brian along the track in before setting off in Ted. Only Brian as the little old VW has only two seats.... This is the email I wrote to Mother that evening:-

A view over the dam at Barragen da Povoa. That little stream you can see was what created the huge lake behind after the dam was built. It must have taken a very long time for it to fill it!

Here we are parked up in the huge car park at Conimbriga Roman Ruins

Oh my goodness, we are in Ted, we can see the house, and hear the peacocks, but we are not on the property, there is no way we would have made it in without losing the exhaust, at best.! We first parked at the end of the road at an old disused football stadium , he would probably have been ok, but he was a long way from our eyes and ears and the insurance wouldn’t have been happy. We are actually on the route Doris wanted us to go to the house, just before she uttered the immortal words “navigate off-road “ on a tiny square of grass that is used for parking for the river and the cycle way, that our host keeps mowed, so he’s left a message for the council lady... It is the most beautiful position imaginable, by the river, and apparently the mongeese, if we were just parked up, we would be so pleased. Getting in was a bit hairy, Doris’s route was too thin with cars and balconies, but insider knowledge got us round that street, one low tree was going to be difficult, Mike went to get his saw on a pole while we drove Ted round, we got there before he did, I came up through the skylight, like Venus from the waves, in a very health and safety conscious way while B drove towards it and I broke bits off! (Parking location: 40°26'15.7"N 8°03'43.1"W) (parking facilities with photos: click here then on item 77 in list)

The amazingly preserved (and probably slightly renovated) mosaics at the Roman ruins

It’s a fortnight plus till we have to get out....

More of the very extensive Roman ruins

The house is lovely, though we haven’t seen all of it, the living quarters upstairs are beautiful and have the most amazing views the pug, ‘Baby’ is very cute but as most pugs apparently suffers from bad breath which could be a problem as she is very licky...... the peacocks are noisy, and mating, so noisier than normal, and haven’t yet seen the chickens.

The are the remains of adobe houses built by the peoples displaced when the Romans invaded in about 139 BC

More mosaics  under a protective cover

Mary is in a terrible way, she’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s for two years and has been on all sorts of drugs. She’s trying to stop this and has come off one drug and has now started on the second. It’s like coming off heroin apparently, she can’t be left alone, for a minute, she got very anxious being left with me, when B went to check the route to the house with Mike, she can’t sleep, she can’t sit still, it was for her benefit, she wanted to be able to see us, that we moved here from position one, obviously we are much happier to be able to see Ted too, but she seemed to think we’d move back after they’d gone. She’s not coming back till the NHS has got her medication sorted, but how long that will be who knows. This in conjunction with the death of Mike’s father, the reason for the short notice trip to the UK has put them both under immense pressure. They are both lovely people, I made Mary laugh yesterday when she said “I can’t believe we only met yesterday “ to which my response was “yesterday, a year and a half ago” it really does feel like we’ve known them ages. Parking Ted in view had the desired effect, as she rushed out of the house the following morning, for the most enormous hug saying how she’d watched our lights till we went to bed, at which point she actually went to sleep and had a really good night.

This Roman road and wall were built in about the first century AD after demolishing some of the existing buildings, possibly as extra defences were required for the city due to increased raids by native peoples

Our walk through the forest at Conimbriga looking for a waterfall....

Mary thinks her condition and anxiety started when there was a forest fire, in October 2017, this is their review for the Housesitters:- “Two days after David and Rana arrived to learn the ropes and the day we left, the worst firestorm in Central Portugal engulfed our farm in the middle of the night. David and Rana saved our home and animals and thankfully themselves. For this they deserve 5 star plus in all areas. They also competently dealt with one of the pugs who became seriously ill. We wish you less dramatic housesits in future.”

Unfortunately this was the river bed, not a drop of water in sight. No waterfall then!

The guest accommodation, for Airbnb etc burnt down, plastic water bottles on the balcony burnt, the pig sat in the middle of her mudpatch and was ok but her sty burnt down, the caravan burnt, but somehow the house didn’t.... doesn’t bare thinking about, to return to find your house, intact, surrounded by devastation is unimaginable..... and then last October the Housesitters had a hurricane.... what are we doing? Thank goodness it’s only March....

Mike and Marys off grid house up there on the hill, where we are now housesitting for two weeks. The 1.7km earth road, sometimes very steep, sometimes very broken and narrow with quite sharp bends and steep dropoffs and adverse cambers, approaches somewhere beyond the high point to the right. It comes to the left, past that tall, thin tree, on left behind the hump to the left, then comes down the steep track you can just see to the left of the hump just where the spindly trees start (the remains of the burnt forest). It then turns sharpy and goes right towards the house. It is bad enough to drive in a car and there was no way I was going to take Big Ted down there, it would definitely have bottomed out and got stuck.

We had a lovely, though full on, day yesterday, learning about the solar, hydro, the dog, peacocks and chickens, while cooking a roast, helping pack and talking, talking talking. We were back up at the house this morning at 05.15 for Brian to squash in the back of the car, to bring it back from their friends who were also going to the airport, works in our favour too, we can nip to the local towns without having to disturb Ted. We both feel shattered so how Mike and Mary must be feeling I can’t imagine. We’ve emptied Ted’s fridge, walked Baby, done some washing and are now left with the onerous task of finding recipes to use the fresh asparagus from the garden, watercress from the river, oh and then the broccoli, spinacia, cauliflowers, lemons and eggs, a full house, 4 today. It’s going to be tough black kites wheeling overhead, the 49km cycle track, the beautiful river and stunning views. Just keep everything crossed that March is safer than October....

Here's where we parked him in the end. This is the end of another steep, narrow road at the point where it finishes at a cycle route. You can see the road snaking off up by that round tree (the one Jackie had to snap some branches off through the skylight to let us get through). I'm slightly worried about getting enough traction on the way back up the very steep bit, Big Ted is front wheel drive and going up steep hills with our 4.5T load takes a lot of weight off the front wheels so losing traction. I'll put that out of my mind and worry about it in two weeks time!

Here's another view of Big Teds parking from the cycle track and, beyond and up the hill is Mike and Mary's house

And this is the view from the balcony of the house. Down there is Big Ted, so we can keep an eye on him. The bridge is the cycleway that is a disused railway. Can't wait to get the bikes out and give it a try!

And this is the river the other side of the cycleway from Big Ted. It's idyllic! As is Mike and Mary's house and setting

Evening views on the riverbank. Just amazing!

Wherever you look it's just stunning

But with all this nature comes creepy crawlies. Found this chap in our shower in Big Ted. No idea how he got there, but he's under a glass with a card under and then he was released back into the grass. 

Taking Baby Pug for a little walk today

Down to another stretch of lovely river

Here's the peacocks scratching about. There's all nine of them in this photo, we have them to look after, 4 chickens and a cockerel, Baby Pug and an off-grid house to look after, that should keep us busy 

We took Baby down to Big Ted today to get her approval

Sorting photos out ready topost this blog on the outdoor balcony, Baby decided she wanted the seat Jackie was sitting in! Yes, I have got sunglasses on the top of my head as well as reading glasses on!

Last bit of Spain for a while and into Portugal - Days 166 to 169

The Via Verde cycle route to Ayamonte

We moved, on a Saturday, very unusual for us, but there was plenty of space, in a lovely new, independent Aire, fabulous views over the salt marsh, clean toilet block (though very, very compact). Very happy to be here. (campsite location: 37°13'19.0"N 7°19'21.7"W) (campsite facilities with photos: click here then on item 71 in list)

This end of the via verde was much much successful, we cycled along a straight, beautifully made track, waving merrily at other cyclists (it was Sunday, there were a few). It was a little windy, it’s ok he said it’ll be coming sideways so we won’t be cycling into it! That was true, but it did blow me across the path at one point. 

Here's our Via Verde cycle route through Isla Cristina:
We followed the track to Ayamonte, in theory we could have gone into Portugal, but we carried on

A much better Via Verde route than the start was in the previous post

followed the green cycle lane, past exclusive hotels and entrances to the beach, before finally arriving at the harbour in Isla Canela, where, a first for the bikes, we got on a little 12 person ferry, €3 each and €1 for a bike to go back to Isla Cristina. Fabulous. A little trip though the market before stopping for lunch. We may have slightly overindulged. I really wanted some coquinas, little shells (very like pipi Robyn) cooked in butter and olive oil with garlic cloves. 

We saw many, many storks in nests on top of electric pylons

They were better than I imagined. Our waitress had then recommended a tuna dish which was just what I wanted, though didn’t quite tick Brian’s boxes, so just to round off the meal and ensure we’d need no more food for the day we had albondigas de choco which was slightly confusing, meatballs of cuttlefish? Very like Thai fish cakes but in a tomato sauce, they too were delicious. A starter, two mains (but not necessarily in that order) and three drinks each, with complementary digestif €36 and why are we leaving Spain?

The Guardiana river that separates Spain (R) from Portugal (L) and the big suspension bridge that connects the two (and the one we went over to get there)

Our bikes going on the little ferry back to Isla Cristina

A sedate and careful final 2km cycle brought us back to Ted after a thoroughly enjoyable day out.

Monday we planned and chilled, before a little boat trip, an hour on the same sort of boat we were on yesterday, round the fishing areas and the harbour before a snack of some local prawns and a glass of wine, feeding the shells to the fish. We were collected and returned to the campsite, all for €10 lovely.
Tomorrow Portugal?

One of the sandbanks we passed on our early evening boat trip

Another sandbank of birds

Indeed ‘tomorrow ‘ was Portugal, though now it’s yesterday, and how things have changed. Rather than crossing the border and staying about 20 minutes in, we crossed the border and headed north for a couple of hours, reason? We’ve got a Housesit, starting on Monday about 4/5 the way up, one little pug and some chickens and peacocks....

We pulled in here at a mussel farm to have our tapas and wine included in the boat trip price. A small glass of white wine and a tub of prawns, which we peeled and ate, throwing the heads, legs and shells into the river/sea for the fish to eat. That building beyond looks like a lighthouse, but we were reliably informed it isn't, it's an apartment block

One of said fish grabbing a prawn leg

We stayed on a small campsite, with a great book exchange, at Castro Verde last night, and we could have been anywhere. Nice Scottish couple next door, lovely friendly cat, oh, we can’t be in Spain then... (Campsite location: 37°42'19.4"N 8°05'15.0"W) (Campsite facilities with photos: click here then on item 72 in list)

Today we’ve travelled another couple of hours north to Evora, a much more interesting town, old Roman ruins, huge aqueduct, big churches and little streets. (Parking location: 38°34'37.4"N 7°54'52.9"W) (Parking facilities with photos: click here then on item 73 in list)

Our overnight campsite at Castro Verde, Portugal

Impressions on Portugal so far? Pretty, green, flowers, terrible roads and a language that sounds Polish with a few words we recognise. I hate that I can’t use my normal rubbish Spanish for please, thank you, is this? How much? Where’s the? Do you speak English? I’m sure we’ll gel eventually, just not sure I’m quite feeling it yet.

And this very friendly cat paid us a visit and stayed with us most of the night, exploring Big Ted throughout and eating plenty of cat biscuits

And this quite large grasshopper thing visited us too, settling on next doors motorhome

Parked up on the edge of Evoria next to the 16th century aqueduct (we have since been joined by two other vans, a French and German - will anyone else arrive I winder)

Praca do Giraldo square in Evora

Inside the Igreja de Sao Fransisco church

The Roman Temple in Evora

Evora cathedral

The excavated Roman thermal baths inside the Town Hall

Another section of the Roman baths

Inside the main area of the Town Hall. The Roman baths are just off to the right and the table and chairs havecompters with free wifi

This is the Town Hall building, not somewhere we would have just walked into, but our map showed the Roman baths as being here, so we went in to see. There's nothing telling you outside that they are here

This is the same aqueduct that we're parked by, but this bit is further into town and, here, people have built houses into the arches

Here's our walking route round Evora. We're parked top left: