Nervousness, Niches, and Great News

Such a different day to yesterday, which was a study in fresh, bright blues; today was a flat damp grey all day long. Spent most of it cooking for various events coming up, still makes me nervous cooking for Alentejanos...

Walked into town for a haircut, and ended up talking to a local artist, António Palmira, in his studio. He's been creating these tile panels for the backs of a series of schist niches that all the religious processions stop at (one of them in extras, taken yesterday). Unfortunately, the owner of the wall that one of them is in has decided they shouldn't be altered, so this one panel is still in António's studio, waiting for the conflict to be resolved. Will look a bit strange if only one of them has no panel... And the next procession is day after tomorrow, Palm Sunday.

Best news of the day: Mike has got the hot water working, tonight we'll have hot showers!! There wasn't enough water pressure for the heater to automatically switch on, so he had to keep moving the barrel higher up the Land till it worked. As well as lots of other complications, hopefully all sorted now.