Anticipation…

Hard to know exactly when the dream began.  Sometimes it feels like it was always with me.  Bored with my job, which nevertheless paid the bills, I watched season after season of ‘A Place in the Sun’, each week convinced that this was the place for me.  Perhaps not Benidorm, and never, ever a do-er upper, but almost anything else was fair game.  There was so much world to choose from!

Early on, I discounted Florida.  Too far from family, I rejected the notion of becoming a snowbird and, silly as it sounds, I hate alligators.  I am thoroughly European and, though I might want to wander further, my natural habitat was always going to be on our continent.  Italy was a front runner.  With all those delicious miles of coastline and inspiring culture, how could ‘La Dolce Vita’ be wrong?  There was the allure of Croatia and its island jewels.  Greece with its ancient history and azure seas.  France seemed logical.  I had A level GCE in the language, and that whole unknown country, almost on my doorstep.  The Canary Islands, a contender too.  A nomadic life between islands and an agreeable climate would always appeal.  One place I didn’t consider was Poland, though in retrospect it could have been an interesting choice.

Halkidiki, long years ago
Learning chess, in Austria
Studying icecream at Lake Garda
Madeira, a 60th birthday celebration
Wild waters at Porto Moniz, Madeira
Tiles as I knew them, before Portugal
Granada, of course

Portugal was quite low on the radar.  I’d never been, and knew little of it.  A week’s holiday swiftly changed that, and I came home the joint owner of a house.  Fortunately my husband loved it too.  The adventure of furnishing our home began.  Our first visit, 4 frantic days, was spent buying beds, a boiler and light fittings, and arranging for the fitment of a fireplace.  Two bright yellow, folding chairs doubled as indoor and outdoor seating.  The bare essentials of life.  We gazed in wonder at our ‘place in the sun’.  Tavira filled us with pleasure each and every time we ventured out.

Cacela Velha- if this isn’t heaven…?
Azulejos rule!
Ponte Romana, the iconic Tavira bridge
Further afield, red cliffs dominate

The years ticked by, and holidays came and went.  The love affair didn’t wane, and we began to hope for the day when we could make the Algarve our permanent home.  Dad died, and there were no longer any serious impediments.  The youngsters would be able to visit us whenever they chose.  Time to put the English house on the market.  Much scrubbing in corners (having first emptied those corners!) ensued.  No doubt about it- the house needed decorating.  Should we strip everything for that blank canvas look?  Or go out and enjoy a ravishing English summer, potentially our last.  I bet you know the answer!

Silly question, wasn’t it?  As summer wanes, we now have some choices to make.  With a few viewings but no serious offers at the moment, at the end of September we will fly out to Faro.  No point yet in emptying the house and driving down, with as many memories stowed in the car as we can manage.  We will need to come back, for at least a week or two, to keep an eye on the house, our old friend of 29 years.  The family are already booked to join us to celebrate another significant birthday in early November.  It would be rude of us not to be there, wouldn’t it?  Until then, we’ll keep on anticipating… and preparing.

All set to see Cathy off on her next great adventure, ours has yet to begin, but it’s getting closer.  Join her at Wander.essence for Anticipation & Preparation.  I hope you will love the path she has chosen as much as I do.  Wishing you safe and happy travels, Cathy!

135 comments

  2. Having moved countries a few times I can sympathize with you Joanne. It’s never easy to uproot, to leave family behind, leave what you know and jump into a new life. But you’ve been going backwards and forwards to the Algarve for a while so you know that you like it and you feel at home there too I suppose, and England is not that far away either…
    Hope your house sells soon and enjoy your new life in sunny Algarve.

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    1. Well you know all the things that I love about the Algarve, Sami, and you must sometimes be homesick. If you can manage it from all the way over in Australia I really don’t have any excuse. Thanks darlin xx

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  5. Oh, I also meant to say, you would have HATED Florida. It’s hard to believe you ever considered it. It is so hot and humid there, and not nearly as nice as Tavira. And I would definitely opt for Europe rather than the U.S. You made an excellent choice in my view! I’m quite envious.

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    1. It never really appealed but the bit up by Fort Augustine I would have liked to see. We enjoyed our Florida holidays (meant to scan some pics to include but couldn’t find time 🙂 ) and Sylvia seems very happy there, doesn’t she? Like I said, what’s meant to be… hugs, darlin!

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      1. I’m glad you enjoyed your Florida holidays. You are a real beach person; I guess in the end, I’m not. I prefer mountains and grand vistas. I used to love the beach when I was younger though. I don’t know why I find it boring now. I do love to take a boat ride like we did in Tavira though, and look at all the harbor activity. Sylvia does seem happy there. You can tell I’m just not a fan of the state. 🙂

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  6. Like you I devoured the ‘Place in the Sun’ progammes, thinking yes, I could do that one day. But my aspirations were set on Australia and you know how that ended. Followed by possibly working for VSO in Africa. That came crashing down too. Unexpectedly my life changed through meeting the OH, now that was a twist. We have talked about buying overseas – France, Spain, Portugal – but I’m not sure I want to keep returning to the same place time after time. Plus I have done the living overseas bit before and I did miss some elements of England. You seem to be happy going back to Tavira and you have to take the plunge at some point to try out living there full time, if that is what your heart is telling you. Maybe the house not selling quickly is a sign to take it slowly, don’t burn all bridges. I’m sure everything works out for a reason.
    Lovely post btw 🙂

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    1. As I was saying before my phone rudely interrupted me…. possibly got it out of your system, Jude. I can see the disadvantages too but would still like to give it a go. You never did tell me how you met OH but you seem very happy with life as it stands. I’m still searching for that level of contentment. It may never happen but meantime I try to be grateful for what I have. Just picked another big bag of apples from next door. Pop up and get them? 😃😃

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    2. I have. I lived in Switzerland and then Norway before South Africa and travelled quite a lot for weeks at a time. I couldn’t stay in England long then, I guess that was my restless period. Having to raise the kids on my own and have a settled place was important and although not in my choice of places I had the dream of Australia to keep me going. My wobble was in 2000 when that dream died and I just wanted to leave England again, but my dad was still alive and in a home and my brother was still alive and also in a home so a difficult choice. But life is full of them.

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  7. What a great post about your boredom with your job and watching the series “A Place in the Sun,” which I’m not at all familiar with, and all the places you considered might fulfill that dream of living in a sunny clime. I love to read about what thought processes people go through, those niggling attractions that won’t let go. I am right there with you, Jo, in your anticipation of your big move. I know you can’t wait to get back to Tavira at the end of September. I sure hope you’re able to sell your house sooner rather than later. Like you said, your house has been your dear friend for 29 years, but in the end, you’re not so attached to the house as you are to a place in your heart. Thanks so much for your link and for your kind words. I am so nervous that I’m not at all physically prepared because now I have an additional pain in the my adductor muscle (groin) from some kind of overcompensation to make up for my knee pain! Unbelievable. If I actually am able to complete this walk, it will be a miracle. Thank you for your hugs and good wishes. And thanks again for sharing more bits and pieces about you. I’ll be linking it to my next anticipation post of 9/28. 🙂

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    1. Oh, Cathy, I’m so sorry about that! It sometimes happens, doesn’t it, when one bit of the body is compensating. 😦 😦 You know hon, it’s a bit like my move- what has to be will be, and all your controlling tendencies can’t make it any better than it’s meant to be. Go and enjoy what you can, Cathy, for the experience and quit when you have to. I so wish I could be with you and I’m feeling incredibly guilty right now. Thanks for being a lovely friend. 🙂 🙂

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      1. I know, it’s a real pain, how my knee is letting me down now, Jo. People in the health profession keep telling me to keep moving though, and so I should at least attempt to do what I can, with an open mind that I’ll make alternative plans if I have problems. There are so many options of how I can handle knee-related obstacles. The thing that worries me most is those first two days crossing the Pyrenees. If I can do that without exacerbating the problem, then I can keep plugging along at whatever distance I can do! I absolutely know I have no control over how this turns out, and I’m willing to let go and let what happens happen.

        Why are you feeling guilty? Because you can’t accompany me? You’re the sweetest. Thanks for being a dear friend too. xx

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      2. Yes, I feel I ought to have managed to walk some with you. The only days when I think there’s a possibility to see you and Mike are 30/31st October. I will look at Porto flights in the next day or so. Keep smiling, hon! Soon be on your way. 🙂

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      3. It would have been great to have your company for some of the walk, but maybe some other time! (If I am able to complete it and love it so much I return to do another route!) The 30th we’ll still be in Porto, but on the 31st, we’ll be on our way to Obidos. If we can see you, I’ll be thrilled, but I certainly understand if you can’t. 🙂

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  8. Cathy has certainly stirred us up with what we post and this is a great insight of your anticipation and inner thoughts as you transition to the next period of your life. Hope the UK house sells soon and you can finally settle were your heart is taking you. Thank you for sharing with us and best wishes.

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  11. It sounds as though you’re at one of those pivotal moments in your life Jo. I can understand your trepidation, excitement, doubts and anticipation. So many unknowns. But I’m sure everything will work out for the best. Warmest wishes Jo. xx 🙂

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  13. Good choice, Jo, life is far too short to have regrets. If we can cope with the worst case scenario when making a decision, then it is all go 🙂

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  15. Jo, when we moved last year I thought I would badly miss our family home. I thought it would be so sad to leave behind so many wonderful memories. But we could not be happier and we now think we should have done the move years ago when our kids left for University. To live life just inside your comfort zone is boring. I think Portugal will be a great place to enjoy even more your passion for the outdoors 😄

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  18. This is interesting. When we moved to France back in 2007, it was meant to be forever. We spoke good French, we integrated into our community, we loved our life there. In the end, we came back. This was partly – no mainly – family circumstances: we couldn’t have been so far away when part of our family was going through hell. But also we were beginning to realise that as the French get older, they seem to turn to family. We feared that in a community where we had friends, we might nevertheless become isolated. With Brexit looming, it’s hard to know if we made the right choice. I don’t recognise what my country is becoming.

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    1. The family circumstance is a huge factor, Margaret. We had just decided that things were stable and if we were ever going to do it, now would have to be the time, when things changed for our son. Hopefully that will improve soon but we know many expats whose lives have changed dramatically and they’ve needed to be ‘home’. You can only play the hand of cards as they’re dealt. 🙂 🙂

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      1. As you know from my experience last year, family emergencies do arise. But if you keep putting the move off for one thing or another it will never happen as there is always one thing. Or another. Children. Parents. Our own increasing years. Moving to Cornwall is not as dramatic as moving to Portugal, but there were still those doubts, being so far from family. And there are things I miss about living in a town. But when I stand on a cliff watching the waves or glimpse the sea whilst driving to the supermarket it feels like we have done the right thing. It is like being permanently on holiday, without having to rush around seeing everything in a fortnight.

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      2. Tavira life is a bit like that for me but I know I’ll still be restless. I wish I could drive sometimes but I am a nightmare in that respect. There are buses and trains and nice people to trade ideas with. In some respects the worst happened anyway because Dad died when I was away. Impossible to plan for all contingencies. Let’s just do it! 😃😃

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  20. You had me holding my breath with this post, Jo, even though I know a bit about this already. But then it’s rather a breath-holding time, isn’t it. Betwixt and between. So much to look forward too though, and that header shot really sums that up.

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    1. Thanks, darlin 🙂 🙂 I wanted to use some of my old Florida shots, but never got round to scanning them. A rainy afternoon’s work, if ever there was one! Yes, it’s a funny old time. I’m even more restless than usual at present. 🙂

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