Last Monday, our english friends took a giant step towards their future dream: their own house in the eastern Alentejo. They had been busy packing their things for weeks, because because they work from home (they are jewelers) everything had to be combined. Packing, working, and leaving everything clean and in good condition.
Cleaning is usually a stepchild on your moving-to-do list
Logical, because psychologically you are more busy there than here. Here is – almost – a thing of the past, there is the exciting future! And it hadn’t been easy to find another place, with the right conditions.
They are entrepreneurs, and then the banks are not so willing to convert their sweetsweet money into a loan to you. Banks want 1,000% certainty. The house that is collateral is not enough for them. They also want to be absolutely sure that you can repay your loan (+ the necessary interest) monthly.
Apparently, it’s not enough to prove that you’ve survived as an entrepreneur for so many years.
That’s why they’re going to rent first. Then they can take their time to see if they can find a nice house, possibly a fixer-upper, where they and their cats can grow old in peace. And then they might even have some security in their old age. After all, you can always sell a house.
The brazilian movers knew how to tackle things. They arrived at 9 o’clock, and an hour later everything was in the truck; I managed to catch them just in time for a photo. Afterwards, we all sat there feeling a bit melancholic and wobbly, because saying goodbye is never fun.
“It’s not forever and ever,” Paddy keeps the spirits up, “we’ll definitely come by for a game night!” “First we need things on track, to get going,” Stephanie adds, as she leans her head wearily against his shoulder. “I slept 3 hours last night …”
We also need to pull ourselves together, because now it’s our turn.
Cleaning! Unclogging!
My foster son’s mother has been, well, not thrown out on the street, but she does have to leave her house almost immediately, so maybe she can stay here for a while. Yes, of course. We have five days to get things in order, and despite S & P’s best efforts, there is still a wonderful task waiting.
An abandoned house always makes a very sad impression. Then you just have to get started quickly, otherwise it ‘s contagious. “We’re just going to work through the list, Broes,” I say bravely. “If you start on the clogged drain, I’ll start on the windows.” There are a lot of “surprises” waiting. Apparently no one has come up with the idea to clean anything more than the things you can see right away in all that time.
My old toothbrush is doing a good job for the small corners, of which there are an incredible number! The electrical outlets are dirty, the backs of the cabinets, the ceiling lights … and then we have the challenges of a collapsed ceiling in the walk-in closet, and the clogged drain.
The latter takes up the most time, and also raises the most questions. Whole pans of frying fat poured down it? Never used detergent? After sawing through the pipe the second time in a different place, and getting quite a bit of sludge and drain cleaner (which stings!!) all over me, I protect myself a bit better.
With the third cut, it looks like we’ve made it. The drain snake – a very long metal drain drill – seems to go through. We won’t really know until it’s all put back together, and that’s still a bit of a job. There’s now a hole the size of a football in the floor, where the pipe goes through. Broes downstairs, I up, we try to get the pipe in place.
“No, there’s more to come off. Stick your hand in the hole. No, no, more here!”
“YES! Where’s here! There?”
“No, more towards the wall!”
“Here then?”
“No, more there!”
“YES, hello, where is there then?”
“More towards the other side of the wall!”
And so on, and so on.
We have been nicely occupied with it for a few days. But in those five days the space has changed from a pitiful, deserted little house into a radiant apartment with cold and warm running water, which also drains away!
N.B. Regarding the adaptation of the kitchen, I would like to thank our unparalleled fellow resident P. very much for his kindly offered help. Without that it would have been a lot less beautiful. Feather in your cap, P.!
.
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
You can subscribe to this blog- see at the right side of this page »
You’ll get it every weekend in your mailbox.
On Sunday morning we publish it on our Facebook, on Pinterest and on Instagram.