It’s all happening!

The shuttering for the terrace is done. Now the metal is going in. This afternoon the concrete gets poured. Also this afternoon, the countertops for the kitchen get installed.

It’s so nice to be getting a life back. Before this move I had no clue of how much I took for granted, and how important banal everyday things really are. Having a place where you keep the scissors, the right drawers where you keep the saucepans. A comfortable chair in the right spot where you can sit outside and not be in the sun. Another one near enough to the fire. A place to keep the tea and sweetener near the kettle, a place to put the kettle so it’s near the sink… Not having those things that make up our everyday lives is exhausting.

We started packing to leave Spain last November, and it’s only now that life is starting to resemble what it used to be. Six months is a very long time to live in improvisation, especially considering how fine tuned our lives were at Villa l’Africaine. I’d spent years perfecting everything. I could glide in and out of the kitchen and put things together so very quickly. It didn’t feel like work. For the past few months getting dressed (finding clothes) and even making tea became a hassle.

Anyway, having a fully functional kitchen happens today. I’ve also put together a functional dressing room. It’s not pretty, but it works, and making it pretty isn’t really a priority at the moment.