A good start to 2025

Good morning, dear readers! Here we are again! First of all, the most important thing: maybe once more, the very best wishes for the new year.

We are going to make something beautiful of 2025.

At least that is the idea of most of us. If you have good resolutions, we wish you much success, possibly strength, and perseverance. Did you do the traditional Dive? No? We did not do that as well. (very wise)

For us in the Termas, 2025 has certainly started well

On January 1, eldest son Fausto arrived for a 10-day visit. It had been a while since he was here, because he has been busy building up his own company. You have to stay focused on that; companies do not build themselves.

Now Faust is not a person to sit still, so soon the question arose for a nice project in those 10 days. No problem, we always have ideas or plans. And so the two brothers are now standing shoulder to shoulder adapting the village square to the demands of the new era.

There is a Dome on the village square, where pre-Covid we had a covered play area for younger children, before that we served the buffet there or had cozy evenings with nice conversations, guitar playing and tea lights. That was a long time ago. Post-Covid we need more space and light – which is a nice way of saying that the dome was completely overgrown with a climbing rose, persicaria and blue morning glory.

And was hardly used as a place to sit or eat anymore.

That vegetation was nice for a few years but then it became a chaotic gang war, in which the persicaria was defeated, and the blue morning glory wanted to claim sole dominance as the triumphant winner. Now they have all been defeated within a day – the Rulers of the planet have sawed the whole thing down and incorporated it into a wood hedge (shelter for little animals) in the backyard.

Then they went on with the roof – took it completely off

I am now sitting behind the kitchen on the terrace typing this, having complete confidence in their abilities, and at the same time trying to push away all kinds of disaster scenarios that want to get stuck in my brain. “Stop that, brain!” I say sternly to myself. “Keep your grip, girl!”

Tomorrow it will rain, and it will be completely finished. Swept clean, ready for the next phase.

If that is not a good start, then I don’t know what is.

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We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, Holland to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal.

A big step, especially with two small children.

We are busy to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa which has been turned into several holiday houses, rooms and a campsite.

You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.

Since 2018 we call ourselves the first B&B&B in the world – Bed & Breakfast & Bathrobes. You can buy a home-made unique bathrobe/housecoat with us.

Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation

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