Lovely Portugal in April

One of the best things about living in the UK is the ease of travel. We just "popped" over to Portugal for the weekend and it was absolutely lovely. The weather was spectacular this time of year...the sun was hot but the nights were cool. Portugal is known for its oranges and the fresh orange juice every morning is worth the trip alone! O...and don't forget the coffee con leche or "white coffee." Our condo is located in a small fishing village called Albufera. It's just out of the main tourists beaches and shops but has it's own quaint beach and boutiques. A wonderful weekend full of sun, wonderful food and great shopping!

Britannia Place

I have shown you in my recent post, the inside rooms of Britannia Place. The outside needs just as much work, if not more! :o) I am not really into the white brick so hopefully, we are going to get someone to blast off the white and leave the exposed brick. The brick will be very old so on the first attempt, we will get the paint blaster to do just a block. We have no idea what lies underneath and what the old bricks will look like. If the brick does not look like it can be restored or cleaned, we are going to repaint the house white.

Britannia Place.

This is the garage...soon-to-be dance studio.

The garden of bliss is on the other side of the fence...the side of the house.

Just had to put this in here!! 

From the Inside...Out

Our home, Britannia Place, needs a lot of work. It's a full on renovation...room by room and step by step. Steve and I are very different, especially when it comes to decorating. He wants to keep the old english look while I want to modernize each room. So we have comprimised by intertwining old english with new modern. That is the goal, although we are months from a completed house. We have walls to take down, walls to build, roofs to change, and bathrooms to install...and that is just the inside. Our plans keep changing and our design is now finalized. I have never done anything like this while Steve has always renovated houses and has a true gift for it. It's a new experience. Here are some pictures of the inside:

This will be our new kitchen which was the old lounge

This is our current kitchen which will be a new office or utilities closet...not sure yet! 

This is our new lounge...needs a good clean and some modern furniture! 

Bay window in the lounge

This radiator is under the bay window. It's a great decorative piece in the lounge. Steve refurbished this.

The stove fireplace in the lounge.

This is the conservatory, currently being used as storage. 

Another photo of the conservatory.

The small greenhouse...needs a good wash!! 

Elvis enjoying the garden. The back fence is visible. 

An old cabin in the garden next to the pool.

View of the side of the house from the garden. That is the conservatory.

As you can see...there is some work that needs to be done. Ha! We have a vision for our home. And I know that it will be beautiful when it is completed. We are both looking forward to this adventure.