With so much going on in our lives, often key milestones, dates, and events pass us by. This last week has brought poignant reminders of past events and, as always, new memories made.
Some dates are easy to recall. My daughters’, parents’, and siblings’ birthdays. Others I find much more difficult, as my nieces and nephews know well due to being regularly late with birthday cards (despite having a diary). But at least I’m consistent.
I remember exactly where I was two years ago when I decided to move to Portugal I can’t remember the exact date. In fact, the date is immaterial.
A month later, I started Our Farm Portugal and it is now the second anniversary of my first blog. While I’ve missed the occasional weekly blog, I’m proud of my progress.
As I revisit earlier posts, I sense nervousness in my writing. Maybe because I didn’t know what the future was going to hold for me. Perhaps a combination of questionable confidence, fear and the unknown.
But I know that writing my blog has focused my progress and move to Portugal. It’s been the “insistent voice” that reassured me to keep making headway. Gradually, I have gained confidence which brings greater satisfaction to my writing.
My approach has always been to write for my enjoyment and document the progress, feelings, successes, and challenges of my adventure to Portugal. Publishing my blog has brought consistency and confidence. I know that if I was just writing a “diary” I would not have gotten past the first few entries.
However, somehow people are finding my blog and are reading about my adventure to Portugal. The interest genuinely humbles me. And the organic growth of visitor statistics is quite surprising.
Hopefully, people find some of the more practical blogs helpful and the addition of the property search and YouTube listings have been of interest.
Real life
As I reflect on the last two years, it is amazing how much progress I have made. I know I’m stating the obvious because I’ve moved from the UK to Portugal.
I’ve sold my home. Bought a left-hand drive car. Secured my D7 Visa. Taken a career break. (Extreme) decluttering and minimalisation. Undertaken distance-learning courses. Learnt all about buying a property in Portugal. The list is endless.
It’s much more than the practical things. My lifestyle change has needed a significant shift in mindset. It’s been liberating to think differently, and more positively.
There is still anxiety, doubts, reservations, and fear. But they are different. Very different. The positives and progress far outweigh the challenges.
I do though regularly reflect on moving so far away from my daughters. And I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. Really tough. I am sad that I have not been with them over the last two weeks as daughter #1 officially started her apprenticeship and daughter #2 has started college.
However, I am immensely proud and I receive so many virtual hugs, messages and photos on SnapChat and video calls. I know, a fifty-year-old using SnapChat! Who’d of thought it!
Current focus
While so much progress has been made and I am living in Portugal, over the next few weeks the activity and tempo in my property search will increase. I’ve made loads of progress already, have much greater clarity of the Portuguese property market and continue to have encouraging conversations regarding a couple of properties.
Over the next week, I am helping a couple of Portuguese families with their colheita da vindima [vintage harvest] – the posh name for grape picking. Hopefully, I’ll learn something but first, I need to get the Portuguese-English dictionary out to learn some basic words regarding uvas [grapes]. Every day is a school day at the moment!
Progress is also being made in preparing for my SEF appointment and, except for printing several documents which I can only do the day before my appointment, I think I’m ready. No doubt I’ll continue to check every week, but better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
I have a meeting scheduled to matriculate my car, although I can’t do that until after my SEF appointment. But all the documentation is ready (I think).
Overall, it feels as though it’s quite busy at the moment with some fixed appointments in the diary, but in reality, I continue to enjoy the simple, slower and less frantic pace of life.
Muito obrigado
If you’ve got this far, thank you for reading my blog. Please do get in touch or reach out by adding a comment below.
Thank you,
Marc
Main photo by kind permission from Grape Things