Some time ago, I joined a fabulous group of women in a global writing challenge. Each month, we all take on a prompt and share our musings with you. Gail from Is This Mutton? (UK) was the incredible woman who started this challenge, and while she’s decided to leave us to take her blog in exciting new directions, we’re so grateful for her vision and wish her the very best. Jill from Grown Up Glamour (Australia) has also moved on, and we’ll miss her contributions too.
Our current group includes Deb from Deb’s World (Australia), Mary Katherine from MK’s Adventures in Style (USA), Penny from Frugal Fashion Shopper (UK), Leslie from Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After (USA), Marsha from Marsha In The Middle (USA), Sue from and Rosie from Rosie Amber, (UK). Every third Thursday, we publish our thoughts on a new theme. Every third Thursday, we publish our thoughts on a new theme.
Last month, we wrote about Going Green. This month, the theme is Something New, chosen by Debbie.
A New Chapter: Building Our Dream Home
For years, we lived at the end of a little cul-de-sac in a wonderful open plan home. While it was lovely, there was always one lingering worry: the empty plot next door. We couldn’t bear the idea of someone else snapping it up. So we decided to purchase it ourselves with the vision of one day building the home of our dreams.
When the timing felt right, we sold our original house, and, in a stroke of good fortune, were able to rent the house directly across the street. This gave us a perfect vantage point of the construction process – quite handy when you’re trying to keep a close eye on your home taking shape!
The Joys (and Delays) of a New Build
Building a house in Portugal has been an exciting, albeit challenging, experience. Navigating the red tape was (and still is to a certain extent!) a test of patience, but we finally broke ground, and it’s been thrilling to see the house come together.
Of course, no build is without its hiccups. One of our biggest delays involved the windows, which were manufactured in France. Everything was going smoothly until we discovered that they’d forgotten a critical piece for the enormous main living area window! While the other windows were fitted just before Christmas, we’re still waiting for this star feature to arrive and be installed. And as I write this, I just found out that something else has gone wrong with the windows so it will be delayed even more!
Nonetheless, progress is being made. The ground floor – complete with a large garage, technical room, and loo – is fully tiled, and the electric garage door is in place. Upstairs, the open-plan main living area is nearly ready for tiling, which is incredibly exciting. We’ve chosen a wood-effect tile laid in a parquet pattern, which I know will look absolutely stunning.
Making Bold (and Green!) Choices
When it came to the windows, we decided to go for a sage/olive green finish, inspired by the timeless charm of English Cotswold villages. The shop staff thought we were completely mad – apparently, no one had ever chosen that colour before! But when the installers saw the final result, they admitted they were wrong to doubt us. The colour looks gorgeous, and it’s a choice that feels so “us.”
We’ve also taken a bold approach with the pool. Instead of the typical blue mosaic tiles you see everywhere, we’ve gone for something entirely unique, inspired by the famous Caudalie spa we visited in France. It’s a little different, but we’re confident it’ll be beautiful.
Designing a New Life
I’m especially excited about creating my office (above), which will be on the top floor alongside our bedroom suite and guest room. A space with a witchy, vampire-inspired, faerie-chic vibe – a mix of gothic and whimsical is what I’m going for. But I’m still debating whether to use wallpaper (Michael isn’t a fan of wallpapering), but a dramatic wall hanging might be a perfect compromise. I’ve bought some fabulous decorative pieces for it, including a steampunk skull and a creepy looking brass clock, among other things!
Here are a few images AI created when I tried to describe my office…they’re not too bad, but not quite vampish enough for me lol!
The garden will be the last piece of the puzzle, and for now, we’re content to wait. We’d rather live in the house and get a feel for the space before making any decisions about landscaping.
A New Bike (and Heated Seats!)
Speaking of “something new,” we’re shortly about to pick up a new motorbike! It’s much more comfortable than our previous one, especially for me as pillion. The fact that it even has heated seats is the cherry on top – perfect for chilly rides. I’ll share more details about this exciting addition in a future post, but for now, let’s just say I can’t wait for our first adventure on it!
New Reads (Thanks to Vinted!)
Anyone who knows me knows about my obsession with Vinted. While I usually rave about the clothes I’ve found, this time it’s all about books – wonderful, new-to-me books! One of my recent treasures is Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which I recently reviewed on the blog. I’m currently devouring the sequel, and it’s just as good.
Many of the other books I’ve picked up are non-fiction, like The Crystal Healer by Philip Permutt, which I read in one night. It’s packed with insights into how crystals can transform your body and life. I’ve already ordered some crystals to carry with me – let’s see how this new journey unfolds!
Another book I’ve always wanted to read is The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking. Hygge (pronounced hoo-guh, with a soft “h” and the “oo” like in “book”) is “The Danish Way of Living Well,” and I’m so excited to dive into it. Other gems I’ve added to my TBR pile include Rise Up: Be A Creator by Carla Lapa, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, Moonology, Factfulness, and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.
On the fiction front, I’ve been expanding my collection with books like The Morganville Vampires, The House of Night series, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and Coraline by Neil Gaiman (I finally watched the movie just before Christmas and loved it!) and Atlas of Paranormal Places, which details the most paranormal locations around the world.
Thriving Through the New
While we’d hoped to be in our new house by Christmas 2024, I’ve stayed positive through the inevitable delays. Watching this house come together has been an incredible experience, and I’m filled with gratitude that we’re able to create something so special.
This new home symbolises a new chapter in our lives, and I can’t wait to start making memories there. Until then, I’ll continue to cherish the journey – every little triumph, setback, and moment of joy along the way.
Don’t forget to check out the wonderful posts from the other bloggers in this month’s challenge:
- Deb – Deb’s World. Something new for a new year! Deb is looking at the year ahead with new eyes and trying to listen in new ways.
- Mary Katherine – MK’s Adventures in Style. Mary Katherine’s take on this month challenge of Something New is what will be new for her this year: retiring after 44 years of working full-time!
- Penny – Frugal Fashion Shopper
- Leslie – Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After. Leslie is feeling giddy with anticipation at the possibilities the new year brings. Although there’s nothing especially new that she is looking forward to, she is hopeful that 2025 see her routine to all the activities that her broken heel kept her from in 2024. WALKING normally, hiking, jogging, bike riding, swimming, dancing and chasing after grandbabies.
- Marsha – Marsha In The Middle. If you’ve read Marsha’s blog, you know the last year has been a bit of a struggle. Nigel has had his right hip replaced, and things are not going well. For that reason, Marsha is discovering something new on a regular basis. Head on over to her blog to see what she’s been doing!
- Sue – Women Living Well After 50. Sue from Women Living Well selected Bloom as her WOTY. For the Something New prompt, she is writing about Nurturing New Beginnings to live life in Full Bloom. She looks at how we nurture our growth and our garden of possibilities.
- Rosie – Rosie Amber. Rosie talks about her recent discovery of the wonderful all-round health benefits of Castor Oil.
What’s your “something new” this month? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! If you’re joining us this month, please add your posts to the link up below!
