Autumn Showers

The rain keeps on coming and the hills are greening up. The farmers are tilling their fields, turning them dark red-brown.

The chestnut trees are dropping huge quantities of nuts.

I made a cake using cooked chestnuts whizzed up with three eggs and some honey and butter. It's more like a sweet bread than a cake. Nice with butter spread on it.

I have put some cooked and peeled chestnuts in the freezer as it is not drying weather, but today, since it is so wet and gloomy I have lit the stove (for the first time since... March?), so it would be possible to dry them on the stove.







I have continued working on the studio, but slowly. Now that it is safe from the rain I can relax. I go down there and just sit in the room and feel good. The fire works very well and it is nice to hear the wood burning and see the flames. The clay steams as it dries out.

I still have to finish the plastering, inside and out, but thought to try doing a bit of floor, just to see how much work it could be... I dug out around the west side, where it is much lower than the rest of the floor, and put in gravel and stones, then covered it in weed barrier, then put the earth back and tamped it. Worked very well, raising the floor level closer to the final height, but oh boy, it's intense work! I think I will carry on with the plastering, and do a bit of floor at a time. Can't wait to put linseed/turps on to finish the floor surface. Also looking forward to lime washing the walls so that they are dust free. If you lean against them you end up with big marks on your back!

A View from the top, looking NW.

 

 

I went for a short walk this morning and took these shots from the hill top.

View looking SW, with Monchique in the distance.