Busy busy but relaxation at last

Sorry it took a while before I wrote a new entry but I have been very busy and I also had some problems with my computer. Luckily my son helped me out and found something nasty that had crept into my lap top. Now it is gone thanks.

Yesterday I went to the Beauty Factory, in Swedish Skönhetsfabriken, together with my daughter. We had a gift voucher that we got as a Christmas present from mum and dad. We had to use them before I go to Portugal.

We had made a reservation for a facial and what a facial that was. A wonderful woman named Jill took care of us and her hands worked magic and it was a true bliss. Thanks to Jill and and mum and dad for the nice Christmas gift.

Before the facial we had a nice breakfast on a café. Thanks Madeleine for the wonderful company. I really hope we can do it soon again.

This was the relaxation part but before that we have been so busy with lists of things to do. As soon as you have done 2-3 things on the lists you have added on 4 more things to do on the list.

We have been ordering plane tickets for Lasse and the dogs, ferry tickets, checking hotels which can accommodate us and a dog, having the car on service, riding Pontus, seeing friends, writing letters to holiday makers who wants to book with us, reading how to start a business in Portugal and more, much more.

Today will be just as busy but when I am rushing around I will think of the feeling I had yesterday having my facial or think about Portugal and how wonderful it will be when we get there.

See you soon

saying good bye

Three weeks to go now before my big move to Portugal. So I have started to say good bye to my friends. Tonight we are going to Falkenberg to visit my dear dear friend A-L and her husband H (also a good friend of course). Hopefully we will be fed properly since A-L is a trained chef and makes wonderful food. She no longer works as a chef but the skills stay.

It is hard to imagine that we won´t meet that often anymore but we can talk on Skype. It is obviously not the same and hopefully I can lure them down to Portugal to visit us soon. I will miss her so much.

Santana market

I can learn to live with this view

It is a dirty job but someone has to do it 

Now  I must hit the shower I have a massage coming up. I write later.

Ase

Our place in the sun

some of our vines

We started many years ago to dream about something else. We wanted to be together more but the few hours of spare time we could share. Lasse is working so many hours and is travelling a lot and spending quite many nights away from home.

We dreamt of something else, owning our own time. We stil wanted to work so ir wasn´t a retirement we were dreaming of. To sip drinks by the pool (well sometimes) and play golf all day long just isn´t our thing. We wanted a piece of land with grapevines or olive trees, a few fruit trees and some cottages or apartments to let to holiday makers.

We spent many years searching in Greece and Italy. Our choice became Portugal. The prices were right, the people friendly and the climate not too hot in the summers but mainly because of the vineyard I found on the web. The quinta seemed to be too good to be true. We had to go to Portugal to see it irl. Of course it couldn´t be as good as it looked in the pictures. But it was only better.

Of course it is a bit run down and need quite much TLC but Lasse has to have something to do. hahahaha.

Normally working but here he is resting

We fell in love with the farm the very instant we laid eyes on it. The views, the potential to make something wonderful of. So close to Lisbon, beaches, golf and many cultural sights.Also the possibilities to have animals was interesting. It had 4 apartments to let, 120 fruit trees and 2200 vines.

our grapes ready to be crushed

We can keep chickens

beaches near by

Now it is final. we have signed and we are so happy.

If you are interested to rent an aparment contact us or visit our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/farmholidayssilvercoast

25 days

I´ve got a long lists of things I have to do before I go. There are also so many people I want to see and say good bye to, at least for a while. I might be back soon enough but you never know.

I am currently working on my list to get it a bit shorter but I keep adding things. There are so many things to think of before you move abroad.

Our old dog, the one who is soon 12 years, is loosing its vitality. He is simply getting old and these last weeks it has become noticeable. He is getting thinner and thinner, loosing a lot of muscles, has got arthritis and cataract. We have been discussing back and forth whether bring him or not. The thing is I cannot stand leaving Sweden without him. He is simply to dear to me.

Got a mail from our lawyer tonight. There will be no signing of the deed tomorrow. Our tourist licence is ready to be collected but it will take another few days before the deed is ready to be signed. It is very disappointing but there isn´t much we can do about it.

We´ll see when the new date is set.

Tomorrow I am bringing transport cages to Landvetter airport. I am bringing them to a lady who is going to take them to Spain. Then she is returning to Sweden on Saturday with three dogs in them. :-)

Now it is time to go to bed

Ase

hoofs or hooves

Oh my god. When I was out riding it suddenly struck me that I had misspelled plural of hoof when I wrote my entry this morning. I started to think calf-calves, half-halves, hoof- hoofs (?) Why did I write hoofs? It must be wrong but it looked right to me. I shiver went down my spine. How embarrassing me being an English teacher.

When I got home I looked it up and both varieties hoofs-hooves are correct. Puh! What a relief.

I had a beautiful ride on The wonderful horse Pontus. The weather was wonderful and I took a trail I hadn´t ridden for a while and only once before. When I was in the middle of the woods there was a big part where heavy machines had taken down all trees and I couldn´t find the trail. I turned back to try to find another trail but there was none. I turned back again and let Pontus find the way and so he did. It was a really hard path but Pontus did it. Steady as a rock he went through the forest like a small tractor. He is just the best to be lost on.

Now it is evening and we are awaiting Tuesday anxiously. Then the deed will be signed. Wish us luck please.

The web page is still not out but please visit our Facebook page and like us.


https://www.facebook.com/farmholidayssilvercoast

Ase

26 days and riding

Today it is Sunday and on Sundays I borrow a horse, a nordsvensk named Pontus.

Pontus

He is quite old now and a very relaxed guy. There isn´t much that scares him and if i am lost in the woods he finds his way home. He has his own ways and doesn´t always do what I want. His hoofs are so big and he tramples away quite happily without minding where he puts his hoofs.

Now it is 26 days until the move and we started on a list of to do:s before I/we go. There are so many things you must remember. Service on the saab, new tires for the same, buy things like a flight cage for dogs, a skibox and many many other things.

It hasn´t really hit me yet but my dream is actually coming true. I am leaving cold and dark Sweden for a warmer climate. Well it is very light outside now in Sweden and it is getting lighter and brighter each day, but the winters oooooh my.

happy and relaxed in the sun

Got to go

Ase

27 days and a tick

If I am correct and the deal is signed on Tuesday I will move to another country in 27 days. Now the butterflies in my stomach really started their big dance. There are still so many things to do before this could be a reality.

My old Saab needs service. If it is going to take us 3250 km it will definitely need some TLC.

We need to buy a skibox so we can bring a lot of things.

We need to arrange some kind of transport for the rest of the stuff eg. clothes and furniture.

Alert all the authorities.

Throw away, sort out more things. We cannot bring everything and the property in Portugal comes with some furniture, pots and cutlery.

Breathe, breathe


Today we are going to a friends house for a brunch and we are all bringing something to eat. We got an egg dish so I am .starting with that right away. I am going to make two different oven omelettes with shrimps on one and a morel sauce on the other. Hopefully they will turn out well.


Found a nasty big thick on the floor. So now it has started, the tick season. I need to get tick protection remedy for the dogs asap.


I will write more this afternoon if I have the time.

Ase  

close now and Familjen

So today I got a mail from our lawyer. They will try to get a time to sign the deed on Tuesday. Only four days left in that case. But first I had to get down to the bank and transfer the rest of the money.

It was money for the transaction and all other additional costs, like tax. In the amount there is also the costs for the license for agro turismo. The right to run a small tourist business on a farm.

Tonight we´re going out with our good friend Nisse. We are going to Familjen, a resaurant in Goteborg I really like. They have good food to reasonable prices.

Tomorrow we are going to a brunch. All of us attending are bringing some things to the able. A very nice and relaxed way to spend some hours together.

Have a good evening.

Ase

agreement

There have been so many twists and turns when it comes to buying this property so I can´t remember them all. But now we have reached an agreement, at least yesterday. So Tuesday next week we are hopefully signing. We were supposed to sign before March 15 but it is a Saturday and today our lawyer was busy so Monday or Tuesday next week it is. Hopefully.

The vendors had to reduce the price because of a cottage on the premises that wasn´t approved by the City Hall. We have to demolish that cottage and build another one. That work will start immediately after the vendima, wine harvest. During the summer we will have some guests and we don´t want to start on a big building project with all that noise when they are here. Then there is the harvest and that will keep us busy for a couple of weeks so after that it will be perfect.

Our house here in Sweden is sold. We signed yesterday but the buyers will take over in June-July. So right now it feels like everything is falling into place. We will see for sure next week. We are not settled or counting on anything until the vineyard is signed over to us.

Now I´m off to have a massage. My body is aching and so stiff everything hurts.

Get back this afternoon if I have the time.

Åse


https://www.facebook.com/farmholidayssilvercoast

4.23 am

Woke up really early this morning, well I usually do. I normally wake up to go to the bathroom in what it seems in the middle of the night. This morning was, as mentioned, no exception.

I was so warm so I went out on the balcony to cool off and couldn´t help noticing the bird singing from the top of our big birch. It was my favourite bird, the blackbird. The bird who sings so incredibly beautiful and reminds me of my childhood´s summer.

I looked at the clock on the stove only to see it was 4.23 a.m. Why on earth was the blackbird up this early singing?

I sat there in the dark and listened to the beautiful song and then I noticed another blackbird singing somewhere further down. And another one, and another one. it seemed like they were reacting to each others singing and answered each other.

It reminded me when I was in portugal in October and had gone up to go to the bathroom really early in the morning. I was warm then as well and had gone out to cool off. At that time it wasn´t a blackbird I heard but a rooster somewhere distant, and another one and another one. It was like a chain reaction and finally it was the rooster on our farm who sort of coughed and started.

I came to think who is starting. Do the blackbirds and the roosters have some kind of agreement and taking turns. Or is it the rooster/blackbird who is highest in rank who starts? What if one is sleeping late, maybe had a bad night. What happens then? And why are they up so early? Are they too, warm and need to go to the bathroom? Yes it might be just as simple as that.

Åse

https://www.facebook.com/farmholidayssilvercoast