Our Journey, A Diary.
This page is about sharing our progress with Friends and Family. It also serves as a reminder for ourselves of what a journey this is.
The latest news is at the top of the page, for the full story, start at the bottom.
June 9, 2021: What an Old Boiler.
Devis Frusetta has just visited to look at our defective boiler and what an old boiler it is. Just look at the element that he replaced.
Jan 1, 2021: Ticino Snow.
Our neighbour Sam has sent some pictures and a short film of the house taken on the 1st of January 2021.
November 22, 2020: Jungle No More....
From the outset to yesterday. It now needs rotavating, paving and planting...hurry up spring.
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Our patch of land will, forever, be named The Jungle (even without Jungle)
October 31, 2020: Lumberjack
The picture says it all!
October 7, 2020: Sunshine = Motivation.
We are back after five weeks away. The start of the week was very cold and rainy but with sunshine comes renewed motivation in getting on..
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Emma has shown herself to be a demon with a paintbrush (and a tin of Hammerite).
August 26, 2020: Kitchen and Snug...
The Kitchen and Snug are now in service.
Our original kitchen is now a kitchen diner with the dining table in front of the fire. Nice for winter months but also great for cooking.
The second kitchen has now been "rebranded" The Snug. The idea is to create a relaxed space, free from technology with a cosy fire as a centrepiece. It is currently home to our dishwasher but that will change eventually.
August 25, 2020 Renovated Front Door.
We had our front door renovated yesterday by
Piergiorgio Genini (Genini.pg@gmail.com).
Almost unrecognisable. Fantastic job!
24 August, 2020: The Fire in the Snug.
We have lit the fire in the Snug for the first time and it draws well!
August 22, 2020: Three Bedrooms Servicable
We have done a huge amount of work over the past few weeks but wow!
Click on the picture to see more photographs.
August 5, 2020: Back Door Renovation.
We had our back door renovated by Piergiorgio Genini (Genini.pg@gmail.com). Fantastic job!
June 27, 2020: Cleaning the lock.
We brought one of the older locks to Wädenswil to clean. We will take it back and refit it on the 10th. Time to get the WD 40 out!!
June 21, 2020: Not quite home.
30 minutes from home and the tyre pressure alarm went off on the car. Never mind, we have ”run flat tyres” so we slow down and get there....
June 21, 2020: Luca Likes to Jet Wash.
Once he started we couldn’t stop him! Good results though. Nice stone uncovered from beneath years of dirt and the old outdoor sink is...
June 20, 2020: Lunch with a view.
This is EXACTLY why we bought the Ponto Valentino house.
June 20, 2020: We could get used to this.
The weather forecast said rain all week. We have had a few short heavy showers but generally it has been lovely. breakfast outside again.
June 19, 2020: Painted Windows.
From neglected to cared for, the ground floor
windows have been painted.
June 18, 2020: Fresh Snow in June!
I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing this ...
June 18, 2020: Paradise!
June 17, 2020: PMSL Here!
Wanted a stop-gap solution and this seemed a
good idea..... HOLY SHIT!!!!
June 17, 2020: Not so nice Weather.
But the view is still spectacular!
June 16, 2020: The Battle of the Steps.
We're winning!
Only two more steps to clear of tree roots.
June 16, 2020: Bizarre Laundry...
An unbelievable saga!
We order a machine from Fust.ch. they fail to deliver (in 4 weeks). We cancel and re-order from Digitec who insist on delivering to Wädenswil. Again we cancel.
Third time lucky, we reorder from xxx who commit to deliver next day, then, not one but two identical washing machines turn up. The one we expected and the Digitec one that could not be delivered here!
June 15, 2020; When in Rome.
It tastes okay too.
June 15, 2020: Is it Cast Iron?
Spent the afternoon cleaning and then painting the outside banister and side gate. I think it looks great from a distance but will need a coat of paint.
June 14, 2020: We're Back.
Back at the house. Having left Zürich in heavy rain it is nice to be out in the sun. Having made inroads into "The Jungle” two weeks ago,...
31 May 2020: Back in Wädenswil...
.. and can't wait to go back.
We have a camera installed which detects motion and sounds. It records what is going on and sends an alert to my phone. we can also look...
31 May, 2020: Stopped in Disentis.
On the way back to Wädenswil. interesting roads and quite some places to visit..
31 May, 2020: Last Breakfast.
We are having our last breakfast here for a couple of weeks.
We‘ve decided to come back mid June for
another week, hopefully making use...
29 May, 2020: A Ten Minute Drive Away.
Looking forward to trying the slopes here next winter
29 May, 2020: A Walk with a View.
Stunning, we really are sure we have done the right thing ....
May 29, 2020: Out with the old...
The noisy, rusty, old fridge has gone
xx May, 2020: From Gardener to Demolition Man!
May 28, 2020: Gardener Jones.
Slight problem with the new lawnmower but the neighbour’s one works perfectly.
27 May, 2020: Enjoying the Fire.
May 27, 2020: Power Tools R Us.
Strangely satisfying and ”hands on ” development....
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First steps towards a second usable ground floor
room.
May 27, 2020: A Gift From our Neighbour
From Chiara, A prize for guessing what it?
May 26, 2020: First Night Out.
Lovely dinner out at our local pizzeria Val Sole.
May 26, 2020: Relight My Fire....
... your love is my only desire Relight my fire cos I need your love.
May 26, 2020: More Residents....
We were sitting on the sofas at the other side of the house watching the world go by and a couple of house martins popped out to say...
May 26, 2020: Daily Routine!
We now have a daily routine chat with our new
neighbours. very homely!
May 26, 2020: Chimneys Swept.
We had all three chimneys swept this morning. the amount of ”stuff“ that came out was quite something, including an old wasps nest...
May 24, 2020: A Glorious evening ....
What a glorious evening.
I was concerned we would miss out Wädenswil lake views but this is quite some compensation!
May 24, 2020: Our new friend - Elvis
Elvis is a cool dude. He lives in a bush in the garden and makes daily appearances... It looks like Elvis is a European Green Lizard.
May 23, 2020: Still Camping...
But making progress.
May 22, 2020: A Key Obsession....
We‘ve just locked up the outbuilding. I could get
obsessed with locks and keys the way we are going....
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look at this....
May 22, 2020: Luca is in his element here....
His next job is to cut the grass though .....
May 22, 2020: We have the keys...
Lovely reception from the neighbours.. They where waiting in our kitchen with bubbles and nibbles to welcome us to the village.
May 22, 2020: On our way.
Coffee break, just through the St Bernardino.
The drive was pretty daunting, a larger than expected van, filled to the gunwhales with stuff and an "interesting" diversion on the way.
Together with the prospect of making a farming village our home with no idea of whether we would be welcomed or not.
May 21, 2020: First visit to Our House.
So, tomorrow is the day. The truck is bursting at the seams with stuff, ready for an early dash to collect the keys at 11:00. Exciting times...
May 16, 2020: What have we done?
Sitting on the balcony in Wädenswil contemplating the start of the second phase of our adventure. We will pack the van on Thursday and drive to Ponto Valentino on Friday morning to collect the keys at 11:00 on Friday morning. what have we done?
