The very unassuming back gate that I use as my main entrance - don't let the cover mislead you
I have been at my house sit here in Portugal for 10 days now and I feel I am finally settling in. Yesterday was my birthday – yeehaw. My new found friend and only english neighbour, Jesse, helped me celebrate with some tea and fruit cake that he had made, which was lovely.
One of the lovely corners of the main terrace - a place to enjoy morning coffee
It has been a bit of a challenge settling in, getting to know the house, dealing with a bit of a temperamental beater car and just my own self. But I am finally feeling at home and building up a routine.
The actual back door of the house
House sitting is always it’s own “animal”. I have always let the house sitting assignment choose my location instead of me choosing the location and finding a house sit. Of course it has to fit in with the basic area I am interested in visiting, but the actual location is determined by the house sitting opportunity. Often, as such, you are a little isolated, which is generally why people want/need housesitters to take care of their plants and animals while they are away, because it is more convenient to find a house sitter than it is to take the animals to friends or boarding etc…
The view from the backdoor down the hall to the front door
So I continue to explore my 17 room 300+ year old casa. I have mostly relegated myself to about 7 rooms – kitchen, dining room, tv room, sitting room, bedroom, office and bathroom. I have closed off a couple of rooms that I don’t need or want to worry about and still want to prepare and clean up some rooms in case friends visit.
The view from the hallway past the sitting room, into where I sleep
Inside the house it is quite cool and I find myself wearing a fleece most of the time even though the temperature outside might be about 17C. The walls are on average about 2 feet thick and made of stone and mud, so they are thermal mass and therefore not heated up. So it keeps the house cool. This is good because apparently in the summer it can get up to 40+C and the house remains cool. So for now I am happy to wear a fleece.
From the kitchen - the dining room and little fireplace room
It is quiet at night and I sleep soundly. So far there have been no ghost sounds or sightings :o)
My lovely office