I just don´t get it

First of all I got a good whipping for my blog entry from yesterday. I wrote that I wanted rubber boats and many of my friends liked  it a lot. That is of course wrong. I want rubber boots for Christmas and nothing else. I will not even blush over that mistake. I give it to you all as a early Christmas Gift.

Tomorrow it will be first advent and December 1st. This means that I hopefully have spent my last November in Sweden for many years. I hope I will not regret writing this down in blog. Maybe i will be back in Sweden by this time next year crying and wondering what on earth got in to my mind when I thought I wanted to live in Portugal.

We got an email from our very good lawyer yesterday and he had some good news and some news we didn´t understand.

Maybe someone out there will understand it and explain it to us. The first half we understand, with the good news parts, but the rest. Well here it is.

"The engineer called me yesterday to explain all the details of this project.

The process has been approved by the City Hall: good news. 

The decision of the approval will be signed by next Wednesday: good news.

The sellers will collect the license for construction: good news.

Then I will ask the agents if the notary will accept to sign the deed with the license for construction.

If not, we have to wait for the license if using, which will take 15 days approximately (counting from the collection of the license for construction).

If so, it is possible to sign the deed but we need to confirm and put it in the paper that the sellers will pay for the collection of the license of using.

The engineer did not mention the costs of this license but it can several hundreds of Euros."

Åse

Friday morning

I will not speak about Portugal today if I don´t get any good news.

Woke about 6 am. Normal time to get up if I start at 8. It is so dark outside so it feels like in the middle of the night.  There can´t be many people up by this hour but if you open the door to the balcony you will hear the highway. It is really terrible. Even if I am in the kitchen with windows and doors closed you still hear the noise from cars, trains and tucks.I would like to live where it is quiet.

I would like two things for Christmas.

1)That the TV-channels work again. Since we switched company in June we haven´t had any service since September 1. It is not a big issue because we can watch some things we like on the computer but sometimes I miss that big screen.

2) That we can get the screw we need for the kitchen zink. As it is now we cannot use the water or the sewage system. We can run the dish washer if we put a bucket underneath the drains.

I came up with another thing i would like for Christmas, a pair of rubber boats. The ones I got has a torn in them and takes in water.

Now I have to get ready for work so see you later.

Åse

Last portuguese language course and no Portugal

Yesterday was the last lesson in my Portuguese language course. I can´t really say that I have learnt that much but you cannot expect so much in 10 weeks 90 minutes/week. Lasse is missing his course tonight but his last is next week. I think he is pleased with his.

I found a good book on the net that I am trying to work with at home. I am doing about 2 hours a week. And I think it is paying off a bit since I am learning quite many new words.

It looks like there will be no signing for us this weekend. We know the papers were approved by the Cãmara in Caldas da Rainha. Then they should be registered, sent to our lawyer for inspection. THEN everything is ready for signing. How long time it will take we don´t know.

On the farm there are about 20 olives, some very old and some very young. They haven´t been cut or pruned at all I think, not for a long time so there is very little olives on them.

I saw my friends CAnnelie and Hasse in Tomar when they were harvesting their olives and I got jealous because I know they will have good olive oil the whole year. They will even be able to sell, to ME.

If you want to see when they harvest and read about it.

 http://svenskiportugal.blogspot.se/2013/11/mer-oliver-och-sallskapsdjur.html

Now I have to hit the shower.

Until next time

Åse

Good news and pizza

Yesterday was a real shitty day. First of all we didn´t get the news we wanted eg. that the papers of the farm had been approved by the Camara of Caldas da Rainha. Secondly the pipes in the zink was clogged and wouldn´t clear even if we used a type of Drano. Lasse decided to open up under and everything went fine until he was going to put everything back again. A special brass screw broke and you couldn´t find the same kind anywhere in our town.

Lasse then headed for Gothenburg to get a new one only to find out that for this type of zink there are no spare parts to buy. If the manufacturer doesn´t have it you have to replace the whole zink. He went home and we were really low. We went to bed early.

Good news today. The manufacturer had one of these special brass screws and is sending it to the reteller. AND more importantly we got positive news from Portugal. The papers have been approved and is now being processed. It means as soon as they are ready they will be sent to our lawyer so he can make the contract. So that is what we are waiting for now.

When I got home from work my son had made pizza with extra everything on. That is why I am drooling over the computer right now. The smell is incredible and I am so hungry.

Tonight is a real good night.

Åse

The final countdown?

Is this the day? The day when the Camara finally decides if they are going to approve the papers of the farm.

There have been two problems (so far)

1. One of the rental houses which is the one that is most rented has no building approval. This means it has to be drawn into the title deed, approved by the architect and the Engenheiro. Then approved bu the City Hall and drawn through the system.

2. The land was much bigger in real than the original drawings of the property. This has to be measured, approved by all the above and be drawn into the title deed as well.

Today is the day they are going to decide. And all we can do is wait.

This afternoon or evening or maybe tomorrow even we will know if we have to try to find a plane ticket to Saturday and fly down, transfer the rest of the money and sign.

I can´t tell you have nervous we are.

In meantime there will be a lot of work as usual. Marking papers, oiling the oak bench in the utility room, opening up under zink to see what is blocking the sewage system since the water will not go down. Another day in paradise in other words.

Have a good day to you all

If you haven´t liked our page on facebook, pls do.
Farm Holidays Silver Coast

Åse

Duna is going home and lovely weather

Went up quite early to get Pontus before he was going out. We took a nice walk in the lovely weather. You can only walk him because he still has this limp when he trots. We think it is good to walk him or he will get stiff. He is 21 years so you have to be careful with him. He doesn´t limp when he walks only when he is going faster.

He was in a good mood once we got out because the weather was wonderful. It was a bit cold but the sun was shining and there was no wind.

When I got home we ate and Lasse had done such good work in the utility room. I took a shower and continued cleaning the bathroom, kitchen because it all looked a mess.

Now we´re waiting for daughter and boyfriend to come to pick up their dog, Duna. She has been here for 11 days while they were in the Malidives. Lucky ones.

Tomorrow is D-day or the day. Will they approve in the Camara and stamp our papers of the alteration on the farm. I guess we will not know until Tuesday or something, Monday afternoon if we are lucky.

Keep all fingers crossed now!

Åse

Latest news

We got a new message from the real estate agent. It seems like it is certain that the papers will be approved by the Camara= City Council and the maire on Monday. The the papers will be sent to to the Conservatorio agenand Finances. Tight tight tight with time if we are to find flights from Gothenburg to Lisbon next Saturday. The signing date is set to December 2 but the agent wanted to know if we can change the date to December 9 instead if the time is running out and we cannot find any flights.

We have a ticket December 26 so it seems a bit stupid to fly there December 9 as well but we WANT to finish this deal as soon as possible. Partly because we ant to know that the farm is ours and partly because of many people want to book. I can´t confirm anything before I am certain the place is ours. Still it is a nice problem in a way. I mean that so many people want to book and come and stay with us. :-)

Tonight it is a bit chilly outside and the dinner is in the oven. Roasted chicken, ajvar relish and veggies on the menu tonight. After dinner we are hitting the sauna. I don´t understand why we didn´t repair it before. It is such a relaxation to do.

I hoped to buy my mum a plane ticket to Portugal in February. I would pamper her a lot and drive her to all the places she wants to go. She can read, have a glass of wine and I would make dinner. That would be a lot of fun I think. Hopefully we can arrange this.

Tomorrow morning I am off to the stable to take Pontus out for a nice morning ride. I am really looking forward to that.

Have a good evening!

Åse

Friday evening

Hard work today. My Fridays are horrible. I´ve got the last two lessons of my 8th graders day. They are not very easy to teach anything then. I am absolutely soaked in sweat and exhausted by the time I get home.

Right now I am having a glass of wine and then I will cook dinner. Today pork chops with mushroom sauce is on the menu. For dessert we´re having apple tart with vanilla ice cream. A glass of wine (or two) will probably accompany the meal. By 11 pm I am probably in bed, sleeping like a baby.

Tomorrow we will continue working on the house so we can sell for a good price. The utility room is to be finished first. It is almost done. Lasse is going to build benches from oak and had bought a new zink to put in there.

I will assist him tomorrow and continue sorting junk out. I tried to find a company that could move our stuff to Portugal but haven´t been able to find anyone yet. One person told me that Portuguese moving companies are much cheaper than Swedish ones so I´m continuing exploring that.

I wish the deal is going to be off soon. In the meantime i´m pouring yet another glass of wine and wait....

early morning

November. The worst month of the year in my opinion. It is so dark outside and you haven´t had time to get used to it. When December arrives with all advent lights it is a bit lighter and brighter. People are putting Christmas decorations in their gardens and the streets are not pit black anymore.

The Camara in Caldas da Rainha was supposed to decide about "our" vineyard last Monday but apparently the had tp postpone that decision due to too many issues.  Next Monday they will give it another go. Hopefully they will say ok to all the alterations done in the paper work regarding the farm. Maybe we can go to Portugal November 30 to finish the deal. BUT I think it isn´t likely. Time is running out and it will be difficult finding flights.

On Sunday my daughter and boyfriend will return home after the Maldives. Then their dog Duna will go home. I will sure miss her because she is such a gentle and adorable dog. The walks will be easier though. It is hard work to walk four large dogs. I have had some reports from the Maldives that they´ve had a wonderful time there and maybe I will go there one day. The chances are really high that hose islands will disappear soon due to the climate changes.

I will keep you posted about the vineyard

Åse

waiting

Boring

It is so boring to wait. We are waiting to finish the deal in Portugal but we haven´t heard anything for a couple of days now. Mailed the real estate agent today and asked for any kind of news but no reply yet. It must be hard on the sellers as well. they want to sell and we want to buy. Well enough of that now. In the meantime I am doing some Portuguese studying and doing a lot of reading of the Silver Coast area, from a touristic point of view.

In Sweden it´s getting darker and colder and I hope this is my last November at least for a couple of years. I will not miss this darkness.

Lasse and I were talking about blueberry jam the other day. We will not get that in Portugal. Do they have blueberries in Portugal?  Picking chanterelle mushrooms is something we also will miss.

Can you grow avocados in Portugal? Many questions and so few answers.

We have another dog at home. It is Duna Madeleine and Fredrik´s dog. They are in the Maldives at the moment and they thought we had so few dogs so we could have another one. :-) I cannot walk with the four of them but both Lars and Adam does. I walk them two and two.

If I hear anything I will tell you

Åse

I missed my anniversary

Yes I sure did. I missed my one-year anniversary. One year has passed since I started to write this blog. It was November 5th 2012. Over 23000 viewers. Maybe not much if you compare with the Really popular blogs but much more then I expected.

When I started I didn´t know that we now should be the soon to be new owners of a vineyard in Portugal. Because I started to write to sort things out in my head. Maybe also to get some help from people who had greater knowledge than us.

We wanted to buy something in Greece or Portugal but didn´t know where or when. Now we have decided that is going to be in Portugal. We know where but aren´t sure about when.

So one year: Thanks to all of you who have commented and cheered and wished us the best of luck.

Åse

new date

It has been a change of possible signing date. No the papers are still not ready regarding the farm. The first date set eas November 28 but due to Lasse is having important business meetings then the new date is December 2. Now we are only waiting for the paper work to be finished. It is and has been a long and nervous wait.

Yesterday I, Madeleine and her boyfriend Fredrik tried to sell things at the Swedish Fair ( Svenska Mässan) on a big flea market, On The Flea.

We didn´t sell that much but we are at it today as well so we hope for better luck this time. Madeleine and Fredrik mainly sold shoes and clothes and tried to sell books but books weren´t a hit to sell. I must be so off because the only things I ever buy is just that, books. Doesn´t anyone read anymore? The prices were really low so it wasn´t because of that.

I had brought information about the vineyard and there were quite many interested people who signed up for more information. It is good news.

Now I have to go and try to promote our vineyard. Wish me luck.

second hand

This weekend I will sell second hand items on Svenska Mässan= (Swedish fair in English). I have been trying to go thorough all my closets to find shoes and clothes that I don´t use anymore that I can sell. I didn´t find that much because I don´t buy so much clothes or clothes for that matter. The ones I do own I kind of need.

What I did find, a lot, was books. I now have four big bags of books and audio books. I don´t know if you can sell them but I will sure give it a try. It is good to get rid of some things before showing the house to potential buyers and moving.

I listen to audio books in my car whenever I drive. In that way I can read one at night before going to sleep AND listen to another one in my car. I normally listen to crime novels in the car because they are kind of easier to listen to whenever you get home from work all stressed up.

Tonight I will go riding Pontus again. We are still taking it easy because he is still not well in his hoof but is slowly getting better.

I am so excited for the almostcertainbooking I got. A family wanted an apartment for the whole month of June. Hooray! The there was two other families that also wanted to book but I don´t know exactly when.

Found this really pretty chicken coop. This I would like to have on the farm.

28/11 that will be the day?

We got a mail from the real estate agent yesterday. It said that the legal take over can be November 28. If that is the case we can go down to the vineyard over Christmas being the new owners. What a Christmas gift. Well I will not jump for joy until I am there signing the papers and everything is in order.

Today it is Portuguese language course again. I must do some studying before I go. Luckily I quit my job early today so I will have the time to study this afternoon.

Doggie kindergarten is closed today as well due to the outburst of some kind of stomach infection. My son is at home so the dogs will not be alone.

The sellers wrote a mail they wanted to know what to do with some booking requests. They had a couple that always want the whole month of June. That will 4 weeks. It sounds good to us. Maybe we can pull this off. They also had other families that wanted to come. The families have rented for many years and love it so much and wanted to come back next summer. I will send them my email adress so they can forward all requests to us.

Now I am in a hurry.

Have a lovely day
Åse

No news=good news, right?

We haven´t heard anything about the paperwork on the farm yet. The hard thing is that you imagine all kinds of things that can go wrong. What if the sellers regret the sale. What if the cottage will not be legalized and they have to tear it down. What if...... The mind is spinning at night when I ought to be asleep.

The weekend came and went so quickly. Lasse painted the walls in the utility room. Now only has to paint the radiator, windows,doors and the pipes. The he will tile the floor, build a bench and put in some cupboards. tata done.

We did some gardening as well, raked and cut down some bushes. That garden with all its big trees is a never ending story.We are soon rid of all leaves after I don´t know how many loads.

I went riding on Pontus on Sunday. We only walked for 20 minutes because he still has to take it easy.

The dogs are home today and tomorrow because many dogs had some kind of stomach infection with diarrhea and vomiting. They have to sanitize the whole doggie kindergarden before any dogs can return.

Today I am going to mark some tests, study Portuguese and vaccuum. Of the three the Portuguese studying is the best. I think it is so much fun but we are moving too slowly. I don´t think we learn quickly enough. Well I probably get tired of it in the end but for now it is so much fun.

Keep your fingers crossed that the paperwork will be ready soon.

A vineyard with a view

Åse

Nääs Castle

Once in a while, when we have the time and are in the same end of Sweden, we try to meet, A-L and I. Sometimes we meet in Goteburg because that is most strategically best place for the both of us. A-L lives in Falkenberg but works in Umea so sometimes I can catch her on her way to her job. We meet for lunch or breakfast and try to catch up on everything we have done the last couple of weeks.

This time I tried to convince A-L to meet me in Lerum. We were not going to spend time at my house but I thought that we should go somewhere else for a change. I had Nääs castle in mind and I checked on the net before to see if it was open for lunch. It was.

I met A-L at the train station in Lerum and we drove to Ljungberg`s textile fabric factory outlet. They had some nice fabrics but the prices wow! really expensive. We didn´t buy anything there i might say.

Nääs castle

After we drove to Nääs castle. It was raining outside so the walk in the castle`s park was out of the question. I didn´t have enough money for the parking so I went in to the restaurant to change but they send me to the tourist information. They couldn´t change so I got a parking ticket for free. Really good service. The tourist information was in the same building as a gift shop.

The gift shop had many beautiful items but also clothes. We both found something nice to buy. I bought a knitted poncho and A-L bought a nice pair of jeans and a top to go with them.

Now it was time for lunch. I had the pea soup and pancakes and A-L had salmon. It was ok I guess. we sat and ate and chatted away for a long time

After lunch we had a walk in the park since the rain had stopped. It was a good day to spend with your best friend.