A week away from home. More like a week in our new home. Either way it’s been a week since everything changed.

Still adjusting.

Haven’t cried in two days, so I guess it is a good sign.

We left on an extremely early Saturday morning, with our dog, Mattie in a travel box. After about 12 hours ( felt much more) we opened the door of the box and our slightly shaken Mattie took his first steps in Madeira. To be more precise, in our garden.

Back than it was all green. Now it’s dotted with dried out patches. So apologies to my gardener, whom I’ve been bugging for the past couple of months back home about those unexplainable dried out areas in our lawn. I was totally convinced that the oil was leaking from the lawn mower, or they accidentally poured some chemical on it.. Sorry guys! Guess I was wrong.

Instead of our house in Palheiro, we decided to live in the apartment close by the sea. Brand new apartment, brand new life…

Big and shiny modern kitchen (not my style), teeny-weeny garden ( so not me), but otherwise perfect.

In a week’s time we’ve picked up the new car, a bright red cute Nissan Qashqai, drove a couple of times with my heart in my throat, especially when I had to drive all the way up to the Golf Club at Palheiro. So steep, at some points you almost feel as if you are driving straight into the ocean. A is really patient with me, and my son doesn’t seem to understand my worries.

“Mum, you drove in fog, in snow, on icy roads back home, this is easy here.” he told me the other day.

Been to a nursery, wanting the guy who did our garden to come back and look at it again. Tens of tiny plants has grown into 2 meter tall bushes, taking over everything. Thank God I’ve brought some flower seeds, intend to create an English cottage garden instead.
Got a cleaning lady (starting tomorrow, fingers crossed), managed to lock ourselves out while dog walking, found a cheap place close by which makes amazing pad thai noodles, had some of my pics printed onto canvases to be hanged on the walls.

Visited our usual places, had some awesome  fried octopus, got hooked on a 12 Euro wine ( only mentioning it because in the restaurants it costs anything from 30-50 Euro)

Took Mattie to the beach, seeing him swim at sunrise was the most wonderful sight. Until we found out that dogs are not allowed.

Got my swinging chair in place, shovel and gardening gloves, apples in the fridge, what else is there to miss…

Perhaps the air, the birdsong in the morning, the walks in my Enchanted…my heart is in turmoil and I wanna know why…

Wanted to do this, then why should I cry…

The city is not for me, I am a forest girl at heart.
Will let you know how I am doing…read my next part…