I am confident I am making great progress with sorting everything out in Portugal. However, it feels like I am not quite on top of things in the UK. I haven’t taken my eye off the ball, nor have I lost sight of my to-do list. But fewer things are being ticked off the list.
Part of this is around timing. Some things you can only start to do closer to the move date. However, over the last fortnight, I’ve made a few more baby steps. Not too many, but a few.
More household items have been gifted or sold. The garage is looking bare. Charity shops have received an abundance of bags. The gradual reduction of furniture and possessions continues to be therapeutic.
I’ve finished sorting all the paperwork I’ve collected over many years. I’ve been scanning, saving, and recycling. What was originally six folders is now down to two. One for the UK and one for Portugal. I expect the Portugal folder will become two as already I seem to be collecting lots of paperwork!
I’ve also commenced the laborious job of changing addresses. Like most people moving abroad, I will continue to have a UK mailing address so that’s all sorted, and the gradual transfer of addresses commences.
Digital hiccup
As part of the cleaning, I have also cleared a lot of old files saved on the computer. Some of these were nearly twenty years old. I made the decision for a wholesale delete. Change of address letters from four houses ago and research documents when I bought a car ten years ago.
I checked there were no folders containing photos, and after a quick scan, I confidently pressed delete. Cleaning complete.
A couple of days later, I went to send a few emails. All my contacts have vanished. Strange. I’ve recently changed my email software, but I’ve exported and imported my diary, contacts, and email – although the email is stored on a cloud server.
Somehow, I’ve lost my contacts. I can’t find them anywhere. I’m puzzled. Therefore, I’ve started reaching out to people with who I seem to have lost their contact details. Frustrating.
Honestly, it’s been a good excuse to contact people, but it is a little embarrassing that I’ve managed to lose their contact details. Gradually, I’ve recovered quite a few contact details.
What transpires, is that I don’t have a central, or primary, contacts directory. Some are stored on my phone, some in my email contacts, and a few are connected to my Gmail account (which I only use for log-ins).
Quick reflection
I feel as though I am coming to the end of an era. The end of a phase of my life. But it’s about rejoicing and celebrating the future. I feel that as I move towards the end of this period, I am sure the choices I am not making are changing my life dramatically.
Life is definitely going up a gear or two and accelerating forward. I feel I have the willpower and strength to really drive forward. For the last two years, I’ve been learning, planning and dreaming. I’m now potentially down to the last two months.
I believe destiny is at play. Occasionally serendipity. Many things are coincidental although increasingly, I believe it is synchronicity due to my diligent planning. I’m going to take some credit!
I do get the occasional negative feeling, which is purely around my daughters, family and friends, although throughout the whole adventure so far, I have been brave and fearless.
As I’ve been writing this, I’ve been distracted. But they’ve been good distractions. I’ve had two separate conversations with people I’ve met since I started my Portuguese adventure.
Destino Portgual – If you haven’t yet taken a look at Destino Portugal, and are not one of their 10,000 subscribers (well done guys!) then I suggest you grab a cuppa and watch a few of their vlogs.
Quinta-Essencial – A great new enterprise that is just starting in central Portugal. Looking forward to following their journey as they create an organic market garden. At present, their website is still in development, but I’d recommend following them on Facebook and Instagram.
Muito obrigado
As always, I’d like to thank everyone who reads my blog. I am humbled by your interest in my little world. I write for myself and I write in the way I read. I’ve always approached this as my personal blog. Please do get in touch or reach out by adding a comment below.
Muito obrigado.
Marc
Featured image is used by kind the permission of Felicia Buitenwerf
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Thank you. Muitio obrigado, Marc