And the beat goes on ...
It's been a while since my last post: Things have been pretty busy with my return to full time work, and meanwhile there have been a few hold-ups with progress due to planning and cost issues. So the blog has taken a back seat...
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Horta Hospital A&E, a nice place to spend a few hours and have a broken wrist re-set by the inquisition. Actually, they were brilliant, and gave me lots of drugs that they won't give you in the UK - just a shame the drugs came after the re-setting of my wrist and not before. I only swore once. They said I was tough :)
But lots has happened. My last post really talked about the build-up to getting a place in the Azores, on Faial, my last visit to the island and buying the land. In effect, the past year has been spent designing a property, obtaining planning permission and obtaining a builders quote within budget.
Building a home, from the ground up, in your own country can be hard, even traumatic for some - embarking on a build in a distant land... well, where to start? Not for the feint hearted, that's for sure. I would say that the most desirable attribute is to be patient!
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How not to spend a day on Faial. But they did feed me and gave me the best soup ever ... Try getting that on the NHS in A&E. Brilliant Doctors & a small bill.
Life works at a slightly more sedate pace in the Azores. What would have people tearing their hair out in the UK is seen as "nada problema". Life is about living, enjoying and other more important issues such as family, friends and time to appreciate the moment. So, obtaining a builder's quote in the UK, one may expect some sort of response within a fortnight. It is wrong to expect this in the Azores, since the Azorean week has sixteen days.
I have learnt that no amount of hassle, emails , pleas or persuasion can make anything go faster than the pace set by the time of the tides, the rise of the moon or the passing of seasons. Que Sara, Sera.
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Be a cloud - remember good things are worth waiting for: Sunrise on Faial.
And the beat goes on ... back on track.
Next Up ... A Plot with a View