I am writing this post from a cosy big bed, in a hotel room. The place where we are staying is basically at a walking distance from our house. Downhill on steep roads, less than 10 minutes by car.
I have had a luxurious shower this morning, as well as last evening.
Although it has to be said that any kind of shower is luxurious for us, these days, after months of trying to shower outdoors with a tiny bit of often not very warm water - camping style on our new land.
And - for once - I haven't heard the elements ( wind and rain ) toying with our tent throughout the night.
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to sleep well, for several reasons that I won't go into, but at least @clareartista did and that was much needed too :<)
In all honesty, we were going a bit loco ( or as they say here: pazzo ) on our land, lately. Especially with the sudden change in weather; Summer transitioning into Autumn, plus the arrival of wind, rain and temperature drops. Add to the mix that we weren't sleeping well nor being able to clean ourselves properly and that Clare and I were struggling to stay on top of things.
Not having an entirely waterproof house (yet) and even a missing window sure added to the 'fun'.
And I forgot to add that we don't have any heating installed, as of yet...
Although we brought a mini wood stove with us, last week, we aren't sure yet where to install it and are also unsure whether we want to bring a way bigger and heavier stufa from Clare's/our house in Guardia Sanframondi.
Decisions. Decisions. Sigh.
Comunque/anyhow, having a day off and spending two nights away from our land, combined with more comfort and eating out, plus a couple of lengthy walks, seems to help us to reset our nervous system a bit. It provides us with the much needed perspective and serves as a reminder that all is well and that we're on the right path, no matter how messy and overwhelming it sometimes feels.
not our house but our neighbor's stable, right next to our casetta ( the building shown on some of the other photos )
Right now, Clare is paying a short visit to our land to check in on our cat and have some precious alone time. After her return we will spend one more night here, checking out the hotel restaurant as well as relaxing in our room and bed, while we can. Tomorrow we will probably have to sleep in our tent again. Hopefully the weather will be okay. Whatever's the case, we will find a way to soon be more comfortable. Whether that means finding a way to sleep in our unfinished house or, possibly, renting a house nearby our land, for a couple of months, I don't know but I promise to keep you all updated.
Sending love from rural Italy,
Vincent
Leaky roofs are the worst. 😕
It sounds like that hotel stay was exactly what you needed a well-deserved pause to rest and reset after so many months outdoors. Sometimes stepping away, even briefly, gives us the clarity and energy to face the next stretch with renewed perspective.
🌺⛺😍
Well it feels kind of odd to be reading this now that I've moved away from the struggles of raising a house in a challenging place. It's like reading myself from the past hehe
Anyway, something I found out too late in my journey because I was already leaving, is that if you have a lot of firewood available you should build a viking-like fireplace somewhere (you know, the large rectangle kind), even outside will help and make large fires that will not only keep you warm but actually make you feel so hot that you actually want to move away and seek the cold. Also those fires will make a superb amount of hot coals which you can bury under the soil below your tent for night long comfort.
Much strength and courage to you both and look forward to more updates
Oh yes temperatures got down pretty early, one months before the usual time... You gotta find a solution or the winter will be tough... Windows are pretty much a must i think... Good to take few days to sort of all ideas
I can totally relate to this! Sometimes a short break is all we need to recharge and remember why we started. It sounds like the hotel stay was the perfect way for you and Clare to reset and find comfort before getting back to your beautiful journey in Italy.