“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.”
― Arnold Bennett
Last night was the first night I left the door slightly ajar for the cats to come and go as they please. Yes, I know, but I’m a helicopter parent, and I prefer to know exactly where they are while I’m sleeping. I survived the first night, and as summer has arrived with a bang, and the house gets too hot unless I allow for cool night air to enter, I simply had to get over myself where it concerns the cats.
There is a lot of lounging around these days, especially during the heat of the day. One of my priorities these days is to learn the art of taking a siesta, as going to bed at 11pm and getting up at about 5.30am is taking its toll on me. I need at least 8 hours of sleep to function and cope with life emotionally, which means I’ve been a grumpy, emotional mess the last couple of days.
The 32°C days (and they are bound to get much hotter) have highlighted the summer flaws of our house, and although well insulated, it faces the wrong way, which means no sun in winter, but lots of hot summer sun baking on the windows and doors. Having lived in air-conditioned spaces for nine years, I would like to avoid having to rely on one, but 29°C inside, isn’t exactly comfortable either.
I love spending time in the garden during the cool of the morning, and sit outside with a cold glass of wine when the day’s heat slowly starts to retreat. Apart from those two times of the day when I feel energetic and alive, I try my best to focus on chores that don’t require too much mental energy for the rest of the time, while doing my best to avoid the sun. Needless to say, we need to make a plan to get the sun off the windows, which means the long to-do list Michael is busy making for his upcoming mid-July visit, needs a reshuffle of priorities. I am cringing already, as I’m writing off my rule of working from 6-10am, and doing fun stuff for the rest of the day, like lounging in a revised version of our temporary splash pool, or going off in search of river beaches.
Lily loves water and regularly comes home drenched and dirty, so I wonder if she would want to jump into the pool too. Midnight, I’m sure would shudder at the thought. She once made the mistake of jumping into the well, as she mistook the green layer of algae for a solid base. Her shock was so great that she ran straight up the wall and was half way to the house before either one of us had time to react.
The grass is starting to crunch underfoot, and Tim is scheduled to come cut the out of control grass that is once again waist high this week. I tame the areas closest to the house with my lawnmower on a regular basis, but this would hopefully be the last time for the year it needs to be cut where I can’t reach.
After months of talking and making plans, the stars finally aligned for someone to come with his portable sawmill to cut the logs we kept from a fallen cork oak into thick 5cm planks. Some of which Michael will hopefully one day be able to use to make a big table for our outside kitchen/braai (barbeque) area we are planning. For now the planks are stacked in the barn where they will take their time to cure.
I’ve managed to spread a layer of straw around the base of the olive trees to act as a mulch, and as it decomposes, to enrich the soil, while higher up the tiny olive blossoms have transformed into tiny green olives.
In the vegetable garden I’ve managed to stake almost all the tomatoes, while the two zucchini plants are giving me one or two a day, teaching me the meaning of seasonal produce. The coriander and rocket have bolted, but their green leaves, and that of my ample supply of lettuce have forced me to become creative in the kitchen with what I call my green sauce. I’ve done various versions, adding all sorts of green and white edibles, including garlic, capers, olives, nuts and ginger to create something between a pesto and a sauce that I’m turning into salad dressings, mayonnaise, and pasta sauces, to name just a few.
My Stand-in came to paint the barn roof red last week, which now blends in nicely with the red roof of the house and is no longer and eye-sore, while the solar panels have finally been installed, which was the last outstanding puzzle piece in our complicated journey to get a habitation licence. Fingers crossed the paperwork will be finalised soon.
Portuguese Words:
praia fluvial – river beach
piscina – swimming pool
temporário – temporary
verão – summer
verde – green
relva – grass
Written by: Jolandi
Ahh, brilliant photos, except not so brilliant wet cat. 😀 But if she is searching to be wet herself, then it’s all good. That swimming pool from the other link looks most excellent! Is it near the house? Do you have water in yet? Not so good to hear of the hot house. Did you forget about the positioning or just thought it wouldn’t matter much? Our garden faces north and the sun only comes a meter or so into our garden. The front door is in the shade all year round. But our air-conditioning is busted and we need to be clever with open windows too. It got hot in a matter of a few days!
We made all the rookie mistakes one can when we bought the land, Manja. Initially we thought of building a new house, but the municipal laws state that it must be 50 metres from the boundary fence. We have an odd shape of land, which meant that the only place we could built was where there is a seasonal stream, so not ideal. In the end we repurposed a stone ruin and changed it into a tiny house, as one is allowed to build on the footprint of these. We are hoping one day to connect this with the stone barn next to it, but for that we need to buy the next door land, which is another story alltogether!! So we did the best we could under the circumstances . . . We’ve always wanted to add a porch anyway, but like always we have more projects and dreams than time and money. 🙂
The splash pool is near our well at the bottom of the olive grove, so about 50 or 60 metres from the house. It will one day become part of a greenhouse or nursery we are planning down there, but for now we will use it to cool down in the summer heat. The idea is to eventually build something near the house, but I believe that we need to live in the space for a while to understand how we should develop the land best.
It really did get hot this last week! I see there is a heat wave predicted for Europe this coming week. Good luck with finding coolness in your house too. – Jolandi
Oh Lily! I’m with you in spending as much time in water during the summer heat, though I think my cat would rather die than step into a pool. I can’t even get her to take a bath, not without my donning gauntlets and a face guard (because I like having two eyes and two arms).
Jolandi, I think your idea of sitting in the garden in the evenings with a glass of chilled white wine sounds the best, however. We have mosquitoes out where I live, so evenings outside have to be spent under a screened gazebo or porch. But your life, in spite of the challenges and the heat (yes, have Michael install awnings over those sunny windows, or plant some tall-growing shade trees 20 feet from them), sounds very idyllic! I’m looking forward to reading more about it.
Oh how I giggle at the image of you giving Sunny a bath, Hangaku. Although it is clear Lily loves water, I think it will be on her own terms, and if I ever want to give her a bath, I may end up ripped to pieces and bleeding, too. 🙂
You know, we also have mosquitoes here, but still don’t have a real problem, so I’m loving every moment of being outside. We also need to get screen doors installed, so that is part of my to-do list to find out if I can get someone in the area to make them for us. You know, despite all the challenges, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Good luck with your mosquito battles – I hope your summer brings pleasant moments to your day. – Jolandi
I love that photo of Lily so wet and dirty! I have never known a cat that enjoys getting wet.
Heat is so tiring, and if you aren’t getting enough sleep anyway you must be feeling particularly miserable! Having a siesta is a good idea, though I have never been able to sleep during the day unless I’m ill.
It is good to know you are gradually getting through all the jobs you need to do to get a habitation licence; it will be wonderful to get that paper-work done and out of the way! It is good to know you are getting produce from your vegetable garden too, and your green sauces sound delicious!
I will have to put a lot of effort into my siestas, Clare, as like you, I struggle to actually sleep during the day unless I’m ill. For now, my siesta consists of lying around reading, and drifting off for about 20 minutes if I’m lucky. 🙂
Both Michael and I can’t wait for the paperwork to get done. It has been such a long process.
I’m really enjoying picking things from the garden and being creative in how to use it. Such a joy. I hope you also have a lovely veg garden on the go. – Jolandi
I can’t imagine the heat. I use to love the heat and would spend hours laying in the sun. As I get older, the heat takes a toll and wipes me out, so I understand your feelings. How nice that you have the cats to keep you company and I had to laugh at Lily. Most cats don’t like water and she looks like a drowned rat, but a cool one for sure. I love, love, love your garden. How fabulous to enjoy the fruits and veggies of your labor. Stay cool! Terri
Lily does look like a drowned rat when she is wet, Terri. She is such an odd one clearly gravitating towards wet places. With her long hair she looks much bigger than what she actually is, so really looks comical when she is wet. I would love to see what she does when we set up our temporary splash pool again.
Hot flashes and heat waves don’t work so well for me these days. Thank goodness today is a pleasant and much cooler day, as we had some thunderstorms and quite a bit of rain during the night. – Jolandi
Oh yeah, hot flashes and heat don’t mix. I am so jealous of your rain. We are suffering with a severe drought. I don’t know what the rest of the year looks like for us as we are severely lacking in water. Hope you have cooler weather.
They certainly don’t, Terri. My heart goes out to you in this time of drought. I pray that you will receive bountiful rain soon. Life is impossible withot it. We have been enjoying 6 days of cool, even cold weather. It was quite a bit of a relief, even though I thought the change rather extreme. Not sure its normal. Anyway, my body loved the cooler weather. – Jolandi
Hello Jolandi,
I’ve been playing “catch up” yet again with my favorite blogs. It is a treat to read this most recent update from you. I can imagine the ongoing challenges/adventures can feel a bit overwhelming at times, but so glad to see you are taking it one step at a time. (The expression on the wet cat’s face is priceless!)
May you and Michael have a safe and good summer, and sending warm wishes from Japan as always.
Yip, some days can be very overwhelming, Takami, but I guess that is just life. Isn’t it? Thank goodness they are always balanced out with joyful or peaceful ones. And having the cats here mostly help to create joyful moments. I hope you are having a beautiful summer that is not too hot. – Jolandi
(it’s Crystal) Like Clare, I have not heard of a cat that likes getting wet. That photo is pretty funny. I chuckled seeing the kitties taking naps all over the place. My goodness cats are universally skilled at napping. Napping is apparently the best thing for a hot day. I understand all the growing pains of getting to know a new property, and I’m glad you realize it will all get figured out, step by step, with years and expense, but yeah, perfect eventually. :o) I do hope you find a beach nearby that you like, because that can make all the difference on those especially miserable days. It can turn my attitude from super-grumpy to happy again, if I can splash in the water and cool down.
I wish I had their skill of napping, Crystal. And yes, I do hope I find a good spot to escape to for cooling down. I’m not a big fan of swimming, BUT when it is hot, it is the best tonic for the body and the soul. Apparently there are a lot of river beaches in the area, so it could be interesting to explore all the options.
Yip, I guess you know exactly how much work a big property has! – Jolandi
The olives and vegetable garden look very promising, Jolandi. I hope you will continue to enjoy the fresh produce and find a way to stay cool.
Best,
Tanja
Thanks, Tanja.
Like one of the others has said, it seems window awnings will assist when the money allows. In the house where I grew up, all the windows were of the sash variety, they could be opened at the top as well as the bottom. It meant air circulated as the old physics thing of hot air rising and cool air dropping took place. Otherwise, there is the good old standby of ensuring the curtains are kept closed during the day. If all else fails, take the entire bottle of wine out in the evening. At least you will sleep . . . not well, of course 🙂
Hahaha! Taking outside the entire bottle of wine in the evening sounds like a great idea, Gwen . . . 😉
I ordered the steel and roof sheets for a porch yesterday, so we will start working on that as a priority project when Michael arrives. It is something we were always planning to do anyway, but were waiting for the habitation licence to get finalised. That will keep the sun off the big sliding doors at the front in summer, and gives us a dry outside space in winter. The trick is really to keep the sun off the windows, I think. To the one side we are planning to put up a custom made canvas sheet, while on the other side we will use a bought one. That should make a big difference to start with.
For now, I’m keeping the curtains and blinds, as well as doors closed during the day, and also hang two old sheets from the gutters to keep the sun off the windows. Although it doesn’t look great, it is definitely making a difference.
Ironically, today is only 20C, and the next couple of days have a very similar prediction. What a contrast! – Jolandi
Hi Jolandi, my computer system is not sending me alerts when you reply to my comments, so it is only when I go back into your blog I see them. So if you have told me stuff and were hoping to get feedback, that’s the reason. All you have said above sounds great! And you are right. The windows are the conductor. Here where we live, facing the southern side (not good in our hemisphere) and close to the ocean, it is cold that leaks through our many windows. Since curtains are not in fashion for modern apartments, I invested in a second set of internal holland blinds, block out variety – not so much for the light, as for a draught reducer.
I know about the alerts for follow up comments, Gwen, and have actually looked to see if I could do something on my side, but I can’t find anything like that in the settings. These are the times when I realise how great certain settings are on the free WordPress site, as we take them for granted, but using WordPress on a paid hosting site is a different story altogether. Hence also the fact that I set things in such a way that I have to approve every comment, as otherwise there is a terrible amount of spam coming through. I can of course install an app for that, but it comes at a cost . . .
I find your solution interesting regarding your problem with your windows. You know, I will take all the challenges that come with having big windows any day, as the fact that I can see outside the whole day and that it makes our tiny house feel much, much bigger, makes an enormous difference to the way I feel and live. – Jolandi
Enjoyed seeing the cats today–even the wet one! Wish I had the energy for all the projects you have going on. Seems like hard work but fun and rewarding in the end I am certain.
The cats are such a delight to have around, Greg. They help to ease some of the exhaustion and frustration that comes with all the joys. I’m not sure I have enough energy for all these projects, but the dream and vision we have is definitely helping us to keep going. – Jolandi
Heat aside, you and your cats seem to be making your land and house more and more your home every day. My favorite visual was Midnight jumping into the well and bolting out like a cartoon cat!
The whole incident with Midnight really was like a cartoon, Lex. I’m so glad you enjoyed that visual. The cats bring so much life and joy to the quinta. I cannot imagine life here without them. What I like most is how they follow us/me around when going for walks or doing outside work. – Jolandi