Keeping busy in Santa Luzia

 Tuesday 26/07/22

We love the evenings when it starts to cool down and we get magnificent sunsets.

On Monday we drove Bokkie down the very narrow lane in Colos to see the mechanic and, in spite of language difficulties, he managed to find and repair the cause of the brake problem.  

One side of the brake slave cylinder (the muscle that pushes the brake shoes onto the drum) had corroded and was not releasing the shoe.  This meant the brake shoe was permanently rubbing against the drum causing the tremendous heat build-up.  

We basically fixed Bokkie next to the road as his workshop was so full.

Luckily he could clean it up and we were soon back on the road again. He charged a ridiculously low fee for his time so we tipped him well as his expertise was very welcome, and he was super friendly. 

The drive down the narrow lane through the village to get out again was even more stressful, avoiding parked cars, overhanging roof tiles and overhead cables.  We wouldn't normally venture down such a narrow road with Bokkie but it was worth it.

If life hands you a lemon, just eat it!

The second heat wave seems to be breaking with a north-westerly wind keeping the temperature in the low 30's for a change, but the house is still very hot inside and will take a few days to cool down.  

We had a bit of a rough night last night, partly due to the heat and the fact that we were woken at 11:30 by the cat (just saying hello, hello, hello) and at 01:00 by Bokkie's alarm (spider spinning a web in front of the internal sensor).  We park Bokkie quite a long way from the house to find some shade so it's a fair old  walk to go and check up on her.

A lovely walk through the cork forest, very dry!

We decided to go for a really long cycle this morning (1.5 hours of dirt road, with plenty of hills and dust), so are both feeling a bit worn out today - but glad for the exercise. 

Molly, now worm and flea  free and as cute as ever.

Feeling the heat in Santa Luzia

 Sunday 24/07/22

We nearly stepped on this beauty, it flattens itself to make it look like a viper or adder.
Come on Charles, give us an ID.

When you pick it up, it shows it's true shape, long and slender.

We're back in our Portugal routine - busy mornings, exercising or working in the cool of the day and then sheltering during the heat of the afternoon.  The wind usually comes up in the afternoon and it has the same effect as a thermo-fan in an oven, blasting hot air over us.  

The temperature peaked just below 39 degrees yesterday and the house doesn't cool down much overnight, but we're not complaining!

This is why we love the place, it is beautiful!

Early mornings are great for cycling.

I've managed to make a little progress on Bokkie, the wheel problem is definitely the brake that is binding, I'm just not sure why.  We have an 'appointment' with a local mechanic on Monday so we'll see if he can help.  

I have fixed the step and spent a few hours trying to trace the source of the intermittent fault, still without success.  The most likely culprit seems to be a worn wire chafing somewhere which would explain why it happens on rough roads.  Ideally I need a reading from Bokkie's dated diagnostic system to point me in the right direction, maybe the mechanic can help with that as well.

Poor Bokkie's dash getting a work-out, tracing wires.

With the extreme temperature yesterday we managed to cool the horses down with the hose which they seemed to appreciate.

Shower time!

Followed by a dust bath.

And maybe a quick drink.

Charmeur getting in on the action

We realised Molly (the cat) was showing signs of a severe tapeworm problem and managed to order some medication online.  As we are completely off-grid here, we had it delivered to the butchery in the village and went to pick it up from them.  Kudos to the Portuguese postal service - the parcel arrived very quickly. (we were a bit nervous due to our remote location, and not quite knowing exactly how the address and postal codes work). 

Molly seems much more lively now and hopefully will get her body back to herself for a while.  She's allowed back on laps now that she is not permanently shedding tapeworm segments... 

We've been here a week already (time flies), and are staying for another 7 weeks or so - looking forward to many cycles, walking, relaxing and just enjoying this magic place.

Arrived at Santa Luzia, Portugal

Sunday 17/07/22

What should have been a relatively easy 4-hour journey to the house sit turned into an all-day ordeal with Bokkie misbehaving (not her fault, really).  As we turned in for our first rest stop I found the brake pedal offered no resistance and dropped to the floor, something I had noticed briefly on one of the long legs through the mountains the previous day.  Luckily, pumping the pedal reinstated the pressure and we could stop safely but there was obviously a problem.  I checked all the wheels and found the one left wheel was scorching hot.  

Talking of scorched, some of the recent fires, still smouldering, were quite a grim sight.

I had replaced one of the rear bearing in the UK but now the other wheel seemed to have an issue, either another bearing failure or a binding brake but repairing at the roadside in the intense heat was not an option.  Unfortunately it was compounded by the fact that the wheel has the exhaust just in front of it and was facing the sun most of the time.  

We resorted to driving 50km at a time and then stopping to douse the wheel with water, waiting for it to cool sufficiently and then repeating.  It meant we ended up driving through the heat of the day which we had hoped to avoid, and spent a lot of time in motorway services, gently boiling in Bokkie!

Bokkie has no air conditioning so we resort to old-school methods.
Windows open, dashboard fan and a water spray bottle.

It was slow, difficult going and once we were about 12km from the house, along the smaller, rougher roads, the intermittent limp-mode problem resurfaced.  It got so bad that when we turned onto the long, dirt access road we thought we might have to abandon Bokkie and walk the final stretch.  I switched her off, had a few words and tried again, managing to limp the last mile to the house.

Definitely some work to be done before our return trip.

The area is desperately dry and has been scorched by the heat wave but the horses are all fine and we are joined by Molly, a stray cat that has made itself at home at the house during the previous sitters' tenancy.  It's nice to have some company but she is super-talkative, and does take away from the peace and tranquillity a bit.

Molly, our guard-cat.  We might re-name her Skollie!

It's lovely to be back here; hopefully it cools down a little and we settle into a routine in this lovely place.

Beduido, Portugal

 Friday 15/07/22

Crossing into Portugal

It's been a tough day's driving but we are in Portugal, quite a way in.  

We've heard the Irish house sitter is really struggling with the extreme temperatures and is leaving a couple of days early so we are heading straight to the sit, as we do not want to leave the horses unattended in the heat.  We usually have a day or so built into our travel plans for any problems so we can simply adjust our timetable at times like this.

Loads of tunnels and loads of viaducts and bridges today

We left fairly early this morning to start the long day's drive - all the Spanish campers around us were still fast asleep. We stopped off to buy some perishables (obviously our fridge had to be empty for the long ferry crossing), and were surprised to find it drizzling when we came out of the store.  Even more unexpected was the mist we encountered when we climbed into the mountains.  We had complete white-out conditions which made driving very challenging, in some patches we couldn't even see the road in front of us.

Unfortunately there is a lot of smoke-haze from the fires so photography is a bit challenging

As we headed inland things heated up and we started to pick up a problem with Bokkie.  We've been plagued with an intermittent fault for some time, and it got so bad we had to pull over at one stage.  Some poking around under the bonnet and underneath her got us going again but it still doesn't seem to be completely resolved.  One of the hazards of a 20+ year old motorhome.

When we stopped for lunch we found that her step has also jammed, so Toni is going to have to take skydiving lessons to disembark until I can get it sorted!  We've got quite a few jobs lined up for this sit - these will just get added to the list. (This is also just a good reminder that not every trip goes smoothly, but we believe in: " 'n boer maak 'n plan". )

One minute you are driving along a narrow road and then suddenly you find yourself on
a few kilometres of pristine highway, which then gives way to a narrow road again.
All in the middle of nowhere - very strange, EU funding, I guess...

We also had a bit of drama when we took a wrong turn 2km from our lunch stop which resulted in a 25km circuit before we could get back.  To add insult to injury, it turned out to be a toll road so we even had to pay for the privilege!  

Luckily our rest stop for the night seems to be in a cooler area, we've had a lovely Bokkie-shower and are looking forward to a good night's rest before the final push tomorrow.

El Palacio, Spain

 Thursday 14/07/22

The view of Plymouth harbour from the ferry deck

We're spending our first night in a very hot Spain. It took ages to disembark and get away from the port, and we also managed to fill up with diesel in Santander and fill up our water tanks along the way to an air in Northern Spain.

I will post a few photos from the crossing with some comments.  Tomorrow we hope to cross into Portugal, but will see what our progress is like in the heat.

We think this is a Dutch naval vessel.

Bokkie in the basement with all the bikers

The Pont Aven

 Some of the interesting vehicles boarding.

Isn't she lovely?

Tear-drop caravan

Expensive cargo.

 

Video of us driving Bokkie up the narrow ramp to exit the ferry.

Plymouth, Devon

 Tuesday 12/07/22

We're in a small campsite outside Plymouth after a long drive on Monday.  We've managed to fill Bokkie's LPG tanks and put in enough diesel to get us to a cheaper filling station in Spain and have also done our final UK grocery shopping.

Bokkie parked in the tiny campsite, only five sites.

We even managed to get our gardening fix satisfied - in a local nursery.

Our walk took us through a field of cows, calves and a bull.  We decided to leave once he started 
scratching the ground...

Because we've done the Portugal sit before, we can remember what we struggled to find in the small, local shops so have hopefully stocked up with everything we want from the UK.  Our ferry boards after lunch tomorrow, so we'll spend the morning getting the final bits ready before heading off into Plymouth to find our ship.

We're not sure what data connections will be like on the ship so we might not be in touch until we are in Spain.  We're keeping one eye on the weather and one eye on the fires raging across Portugal to try and find the best route down.

We're quite excited to be heading to Spain/Portugal for 3 months!

Final preparation in Farnham Royal

 Sunday 10/07/22

We're finishing off our weekend sit and getting ready for our summer trip to Portugal.  We'll be back for a two week sit here in October so it was nice to meet the owners and get used to the house and pets.  We have an elderly Boxer, a French Bulldog pup, two Guinea pigs and three rabbits to look after - they have been keeping us amused.

One of the fluffy rabbits - we'll work on the names when we come back.

Mae and Maggie

Poppy, one of the Guinea pigs

Maggie, the boxer, is ball-obsessed but it is the first time a dog has played ball with us and not the other way around.  Maggie holds on to the ball and won't let it go if you try to get it from her.  She will eventually place the ball on the ground a sensible distance away from you and either roll the ball a bit closer to you or back away a few paces.  A high stress game of 'hold your nerve' follows with both parties twitching before trying to pounce on the ball.  If she senses you are getting too close she pounces like lightening before placing the ball in another position.  It is hilarious!

Play time, don't even bother to try brute force to get the ball...

With the scorching temperatures in the UK at the moment it was a blessing to have a wonderful pool and a rare opportunity to swim.  We also seemed to overdo our grocery shopping on the way here so Toni has been cooking like mad and we still have a lot of eating to do before the ferry (chicken, sausage, liver and lamb for a weekend?).  As the ferry trip is 20 hours long we can't have any perishables in the fridge when we leave.

We're also a bit concerned at the heat wave forecast for next week - as we need to cross through Spain to Portugal the temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-40's.  This is a bit extreme for Bokkie (and us) so we need to decide to either wait a couple of days near the cost at Santander until it cools a little or take a longer drive around the coast and avoid the inland areas.

Expected temperatures on Friday afternoon - need to make another plan

We've got a few days to think about it and do some planning, we are due to drive to Plymouth tomorrow, camp for two nights and board the ferry on Wednesday.

Bonus video - 

Anyone thinking of getting a French Bulldog, be prepared for snuffling, snorting and just a little snoring...

On a hilltop near Halton

 Monday 04/07/22

After our night at Orchard view, we moved back to a familiar site next to Wendover Woods.  We've stopped over here twice before on this trip as it's nice and close to Chesham (where Charmaine lives), and is in a lovely spot with fantastic walks and views.

Bokkie cuts a lonely figure in the distance, on the empty campsite

We arrived on the weekend to find a bustling campsite; luckily the motorhome parking area is separate from the tenting areas so not too noisy.  On Sunday when we got back from our walk we were amazed to find it almost completely deserted - our type of site!  Having said that, they are expecting a gaggle of Duke of Edinburgh walkers later today so might have another noisy evening, not that we're complaining. 

Lovely views from the edge of the Chiltern Hills

We're here for a few days and then head off to a weekend sit at Farnham.  We don't usually do such short sits but agreed to this one as we will be doing a longer sit for them in October when we get back from Portugal.  

We're starting to excited about our overnight ferry trip and the Portugal heat to come. In the meantime, we're enjoying the early summer weather in the UK, just before the official school summer holiday madness starts. Life is good.  

Moving on in Meadle

 Saturday 02/07/22

The owners' plans at our current sit changed slightly so they arrived back two days early and we have moved down the road to a camping site on a farm.  

It meant we could move Bokkie during the afternoon and cycle back to hand over the house and dogs when the owners arrived in the evening.  We were quite luckily to be squeezed in as the campsite is busy, full of hardy campers (mostly tents, small campervans and one other motorhome) hoping for some summery weather.

Red Kite

We loved our time with Bella and Beau and will remember the sit for the ever-present Red Kites swirling overhead.  In spite of many fantastic sighting as the magnificent birds glided over our heads, we only managed one semi-decent photo.  Must do better!

Beau the bouncing Basset frolicking in a field

The dogs were an absolute pleasure to look after.

Bella kept up constantly amused, here using spiders' webs as makeup.

We're re-adjusting our spatial awareness into Bokkie mode and should stop knocking against things in a day or two.  We now have a week of camping before a short weekend sit in Farnham to meet a family we will sit for again in October.  Then we will make our way down to Cornwall to catch our ferry from Plymouth to Santander.  It will be our longest ferry trip so far as we will overnight across the Bay of Biscay to the warmer Spanish coast.

Hardy campers setting up on a Friday afternoon.

Bokkie squeezed in at the end of the road.

It's always fun to be back in Bokkie and it's been a while since we have been in such a buy campsite with so many kids running around.  It almost feels like we're on holiday!