CHANGE IS KEY, TAKE THE PLUNGE!

September 2019 proved to be a huge month, a month of change. As a family of three, my husband, 15 year old son and I decided to pack up our home, bid family and friends farewell and leave our home country. We had made Johannesburg in South Africa our home for 13 years. We yearned for a safer and simpler lifestyle. A lifestyle away from the crime and the hustle and bustle of city life.

On 1 September 2019, I sold my Honda Jazz motor vehicle. She was brand new and out of the box when I drove her away on 18 March 2016. My birthday gift from me to me. What a reliable girl! My husband had already sold his Mahindra Bolero and we were utilising a rental car for a few days.

My last working day was on 5 September 2019. As was my husband’s. It felt very surreal. After all the rushing about in getting everything concluded at work, came the feeling of calm and slowly gearing down, which was an odd feeling. It was a little sad to say our farewells to colleagues, after working at the corporate company for ten years. The feeling of excitement overtook the daunting feeling of resigning without having secured another business opportunity.

The next day we were on a flight to Cape Town in South Africa where we were to spend the next five days bidding farewell to family and friends in the Mother City, our place of birth.

We arrived back from Cape Town on 12 September 2019, fully rested and motivated. When we got back, we met with an estate agent the very next day to assist with the sale of our biggest “asset”, our home.

For the very first time ever our house was a home. We had put so much blood, sweat and tears into it. However, the challenge lay in it being a Buyers’ market and not a Sellers’ market, thus not favouring us. If we could move and take our home with us, I am sure we would have done it.

We felt that time was of the essence. The clock was ticking. We had no choice but to drop our price in order to follow our dreams in pursuit of happiness.

In blind faith that this would all pan out, we arranged with the pet company for the crates to arrive. We wanted our doggies to be used to the crates, being prepared when the big day arrived for us to board the long flight. The crates arrived, adding to the excitement. The pet company was fantastic, the crates were perfect. The size was correct and it was done so beautifully with ample space.

Next, we arranged for the removal company to collect our belongings. They came in and spent the day packing up our beds, kitchen and bathroom items, clothing, linen and odds and ends. Another very exciting day.

After all the selling, we still ended up with two truckloads of belongings. We sold a few pieces of furniture items with the house namely two red couches, a television unit, a coffee table and another side table, together with a Turkish lamp.

On 20 September 2019, the Offer to Purchase was signed, giving us three days to provide the transferring attorneys with the necessary documentation. The feeling was bittersweet. On the one hand, we were thankful that it had been sold. On the other hand, so much had gone into our home. It was a great experience having helped my husband with the renovations, especially with the build of our own kitchen and the clothing cupboards.

Installing the basin to rinse vegetables in the kitchen brings back the memory of when our Jack Russel, Daisy, was run over by a car in our driveway. It was the afternoon of 14 February 2019. I rushed home from work. We were awaiting the call from the vet. Tears streaming down our faces, we tried to keep busy. Then the call came and it was the very sad news that we had to put her down. We rushed to the vet and my son and I sat with her during her last few moments on earth.

On a week’s night, Daisy and I would often sit on the old couch outside during a Highveld storm. She would sit next to me and I would have a glass of red wine in my hand, enjoying the cool gentle evening breeze after a long day. As the gentle winds gave way to a storm and the heavens opened, a feeling of safety and comfort flowed over me as we sat together, undercover, on the old familiar couch.

Daisy was the reason I wanted another Jack Russel. I can still see her front little paws running towards me on that Monday evening, my little pony. The start of that awful week when we had lost her on that Thursday.

House empty, suitcases and hand luggage packed, we were ready for take-off. The day had arrived that it was “our turn”.

On 23 September 2019 the three of us, together with our two rescues, Shayna and Lilly, were on a flight to start our new lives in another country, one that would provide safety and a lifestyle change that we had been craving. We wanted to “march to the beat of our own drums”, have our own identity and freedom and not be “a puppet on a string” for the rest of our lives.

We had reached Portugal. It was a long trip from South Africa. It had taken some time to collect our doggies from the Cargo hold on the airport and my husband had to drive a big rental bus, on the right-hand side of the road may I add, transporting ourselves, our doggies, bicycles and suitcases from the airport.

We were greeted by a freezing Merujal, a small village right on the tip of a mountain top. This was a shock to our systems as we were stepping out of summer. To top it all, the accommodation stay included two rooms which consisted of a bedroom with two double beds and a dining/kitchen area with an outhouse.

I burst into tears by the somewhat cold greeting. It was overwhelming, to say the least. We breathed, took a step back and decided to make it work.

My husband and I had achieved quite a bit during the next five days. We managed to get Portuguese NIF numbers, open a proper Portuguese bank account and bought a motor vehicle. It felt as if things were moving at a really good pace. We experienced the friendliness of the locals and their willingness to please, which stood out and gave me goose bumps as we were not used to this kind treatment.

The following day was spent viewing land with the idea of having a homestead on a piece of land to plant fruit trees and vegetables and have a few sheep and chickens. Perhaps two pigs to plough the land.

While our son stayed behind continuing with his distance schooling, my husband and I went to view rural areas.

We were shown approximately five places, some land was really lovely with rivers running through the properties. Each was unique and had a ruin that we could restore and re-build into our home but it was not yet the “WOW” factor. The factor that would make it worth all our efforts of having packed up our old life and having sold or given away so much. We wanted a “WOW” factor that would be better than what we had left behind.

We viewed a place situated near to the city of Fundᾶo, being a lovely city. Just over the mountain pass lies Vale de Prazeres (Valley of Pleasure). This is where we decided to buy our little slice of Heaven.

There are no rivers running through the property but the location felt right and this is where we intend to restore the current ruin and build our home.

The land is 3.4 ha in size, tons and tons of space around the ruin for planting and having some livestock. It has a big rockery backdrop, bigger than what we had in Johannesburg. On 29 September 2019 the deposit on the farm was paid.

Next, we asked the estate agent to find us a furnished home that we could rent for the next few months, as we planned to build an access road and restore the ruin on the farm.

We were shown one place, approximately an hour’s drive from the farm. It was the only rental available, a little dirty and cluttered with old crockery and things. The kitchen, bathroom, a bedroom and a dining room are downstairs with a staircase leading to another three bedrooms and a little living area on the top level.

Upon first glance, I was a bit uncertain but it proved to have the potential I at first failed to see. Walking into the front door were lots of cobwebs. The rental greeted us with a musty odour. It had been closed up for far too long. The place definitely was in need of a good clean.

We managed to purchase bedding and a quilt just before lockdown, covering the beds with our own bedding, giving it our own identity and personalised stamp. The bedrooms were now far cosier.

Next, we gave the place a good clean. We packed away crockery, pots and pans that we knew we would not be utilising. We moved some of the furniture around, making it work for us.

We purchased a few plates, bowls and mugs and kitchen utensils, a dirt bin for the kitchen, towels, clothesline and pegs and odds and ends to make the rental a little more comfortable and homey.

Finally, we managed to get the electricity connected as well as the water. We changed the service provider of our cell phones, landline, Wi-Fi and television package and signed the lease for the rental on 30 September 2019.

What a month! Looking back at South Africa, is there anything that we miss? Sure, good restaurant food, family and friends and of course Mrs Balls but we have gained so much more. Looking back, was it plain sailing? Definitely not. Was it worth it? Most definitely!

Often the thought of change is daunting and we never know in advance whether we can do better. Will we be able to hear the birds singing again if we move? Will we hear the sound of frogs again? Will we have a long driveway again and a lovely rockery backdrop? Will we see our favourite flower again? Will we be able to buy the chutney or the mayonnaise that we are used to eating again?

At times we settle with what we have, not certain if we could do any better. It may be well worth taking the risk as often we are pleasantly surprised, ending up in a better position than before.

Never give up! Make your dreams a reality. We did! In a matter of a month we packed up our entire home. Now living in Portugal, we have a lovely big farm. We hear the sound of the birds and see the eagles soaring in the sky. We hear the sound of the frogs as they jump into our well. We have a long Roman driveway, much longer than we had before whilst living in Johannesburg. We have a rockery area on our farm with three beehives. We have approximately 60 olive trees, three fig trees, pear and mandarin trees and many beautiful wild flowers. I now make my own mayonnaise and bake delicious cheese cake as I can manage my own time. We can cycle and live in the countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of city life. Do we feel safer, tick. Do we have a simpler lifestyle, tick. 

At times we need to identify the opportunities life hands us, take the plunge and make the change. Life is short, we have no time to loose.