Most of the potatoes are being harvested this month. Two different harvester machines are being used, the new one requiring a new, more powerful tractor in sloped lands.

Potatoes are medium-sized, good average of not-damaged, full-developed tubers. Harvester machines leave the potatoes spread on the ground. First selection is thus made on the plot, by hand.

Tubers are carried on a tractor, brought to a storage place where they will be selected again, and disposed in a right environment (light and temperature the most important factors).

In the countryside most of the sewer pipelines carried runoff with flows of pluvial or drainage origin. Domestic wastewater treatment was solved with individual containers per household. Hence in many places a new pipeline and facilities are needed for a more efficient, collective sewage treatment.

I have been setting up a sanitary sewer system in an village close to a nature reserve zone. Later I moved to an area where new industry buildings are to be built, for the setting up of the sanitary sewer pipelines. I have been working mainly with the manholes, and concrete & mortar related steps rather than the positioning of pipes, a task I dealt with some years ago, with such a good topography team as I haven't seen again.

I have been invited to read a speech for the XIth Green Sweet (100% Never Pungent) Pepper Festival. Being my first time in such an honorific task I read a text. I felt a little bit nervous so probably the written version is easier to understand. For those of you who can read Portuguese I enclose the link. For those who do not, well, you don't miss much, as usual I talked about... oops, you guess right... construction, philology and potatoes!!! Well, and a little bit on piquant and peppers too.