Progress so far

We didn't imagine that it would take quite so long to get our building licence but there it is. We needed a certain amount of land in order to build which meant that we had to buy three fincas and join them together. We then had to get the plans drawn by an architect who then submits the plans to the School of Architecture for approval. From here it goes to two other 'councils' and can get held up at any stage. We are, I believe on the last stage and are just keeping fingers and toes crossed that we don't have a problem.

We will have no main services to our property and will rely on solar power, bottled gas and our bore hole. The bore hole has been sunk, in fact it was done over a year ago so that is one less cost for the future. We are also going to build a wooden storage/studio. Of course Will has designed this and had it made and we now need to transport it out to Spain.



Originally we were going to drive down in our van with the skeleton, erect that and then buy the cladding and other requirements locally. Will is now thinking along the lines of having it transported out there together with all the fitting and timber needed to complete the project. A concrete plinth is already there waiting for its arrival. It is set in the olive grove and will be a lovely additional bit of accommodation should we need it. It will also enable us to stay independently of Pippa and Manfred when we visit. They may be friends but there is a limit to how often they want us staying with them.

This wooden construction is grandly called the Olive House and I intend to paint it a variation of Cambridge blue - you can take the girl out of the fens but not the fens out of the girl!!! I think this will make it blend into the olive grove as it is to blue what the colour of olive leaves are to green. I often look around the fens and think how similar the colours are to Extremadura. Not least the willows that reflect the olive trees. It will have a compostable loo and an outside shower. I have seen one at a chandler that should be adequate.