The last two weeks have been interesting, to say the least. The house that I bought in Portugal, last September, is undergoing serious construction and renovation.
The first couple of days were focused on improving the outside ( removing paint, cleaning the crap out of the walls and then adding new layers and making the walls water resistant ). The second week, the interior of the house underwent some serious surgery. In fact, it was opened up almost completely ( walls, floors and stairs were removed and a big hole was made on the balcony side )
Before you misunderstand me, it wasn't me doing all this. I am better at using my brain than using my hands. I have keyboard hands.
I merely tried to stay away from the construction site and focus on how nice it's all gonna be. Nevertheless, there were loads of decisions to be made and all in Portuguese. Luckily, I have a twin sister - who wanted to be an interior designer in another life - as well as a Portuguese brother in law. Not only do they know the contractor, they also helped me out with quite a few decisions and some ( technical ) translation.
No matter what, it's quite an experience. I guess there needs to be a first time for everything. I have been spending the last two weeks at a rented apartment next to my local ( and only restaurant ). It's only a minute or three walking from my house, so I'm able to go there whenever I like. Part of me would prefer spending the next couple of weeks ( the operation is gonna take about three more weeks ) on a tropical island but that just didn't feel right. It might actually stress me out even more. Instead, I decided to stay nearby but I'm not trying to control anything. I just trust in the people and the process.
As the contractor ( a guy three years younger than me ) seems to like me as a person, I am having lunch with the builders a couple of times a week, in our village restaurant. Therefore, it's hard to escape the situation. It's fun though, most of the time and - besides that - pretty damn good for my Portuguese.
And for those of you who didn't know, I'm living in a town with 200 to 250 people. Right now, in Winter, there's only a couple of dozen inhabitants. Most people have another house in Lisbon or Porto and only spend time up here, in the mountains, during Summer. In other words: Nothing here goes unnoticed ;>)
Alright, I guess you understand now why I'm a little less active on here lately. Let's say that I need most of my free time to focus on positive thinking, meditation, walks in nature and all kind of other activities that make me feel as good as possible. That makes it a lot easier to trust in a positive outcome.
The end result is gonna be awesome and I'm already looking forward to having friends ( perhaps even you? ) and family over and enjoying a drink and some food, overlooking the mountains. A lot of good things will be happening here in the ( near ) future. No doubt about that.
The picture above this post shows me on my balcony. The sliding doors were installed yesterday. In the corner you see my 5 year old nephew, Miko, who probably didn't recognize my house anymore.
P.S. All this wouldn't have been possible without the help of my mom and dad. I love you!
It sounds amazing Vincent! I really can't wait to visit you in your home one day, major props for walking the steps to a better life step by step <3 <3
Muito obrigado for the kind words!
It would be awesome to have you as a visitor :>)
Great to see that house is coming along nicely. Forever jealous of those views!
you know you’re more than welcome to visit and enjoy the view yourself, right? ;>)
You look a bit like Malcom McDowell in Time After Time (1979) in that picture!
You know I’m the one on the balcony, right? ;>)
Hint taken: I need a haircut. It’s very much late 70s / early 80s
No don't change on my account! I think you look cute, as does McDowell. Have you ever seen Time After Time?
Thank you! I honestly can't remember I've seen that film and I must admit that I mainly connect Malcolm McDowell to psychopaths ( due to A Clockwork Orange ):>)
He plays a good guy in Time After Time. In fact, he plays H. G. Wells. In the movie, Jack the Ripper uses H. G. Wells's time machine to visit the future and ends up in 20th Century San Francisco, where he starts killing again. Then H. G. Wells follows him to try to catch him.
Haha! Sounds like an intriguing premise. Now I'm curious who plays Jack the Ripper. Checking IMDb, I feel I've seen the movie poster before but something tells me it's very similar to a movie poster of a more recent ( 1980s? ) film.
P.S. I was reminded of Scorsese's After Hours (1985 ) but just looked it up and it's not similar, besides the pocket watch.
Enjoy your weekend! :>)
David Warner -- Jennings the photographer from The Omen--plays Jack. One of my favorite Jacks as a matter of fact. I just wrote a longer piece about this film on my blog.
I wanted to say that my favorite Jack is probably Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining but I get what you mean... Jack The Ripper.
A post on different Jack the Ripper movies and performances would be interesting too, I think.
Will check your post out in a bit.
Bye for now! :>)
P.S. I like him as a photographer in The Omen
The view is amazing indeed!!!
Good luck with the constructions, looks like you're gonna have a nice little corner for yourself.
(And if you ever need more help with translations or something like that, let me know.
Such an amazing view you have from your balcony! Portugal is in fact such a wonderful place to live. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the renovation!
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