I could write a novel about house renovations! It is a great achievement for mankind that we are no longer living in caves as the process of making a house liveable (and lovable) can take years! I should know after all my renovation projects over the years in different countries, discussion with builders in foreign languages and misunderstandings about what is included and what’s not. Two years ago I bought a summerhouse a few kilometres south of Ulricehamn at a fantastic location. Jochem was not home so I made the call and got us a house with a lot of potential and in need of some TLC! Sometimes it is good not to know what you are getting yourself into!
Since then we have been renovating a house with a strong water history. Flooding due to broken pipes (twice!), a drainage all around the house that got the water away from the walls but not from the floors (it is coming up from underneath the house!), new bathrooms, new ceilings, renovated floors, new electricity, new isolation, new roof, a new façade, a new balcony, a new entrance etc. etc. With an almost finished house we now have a new roof in the bedroom but no contact for the lamp in the ceiling and a tap in the bathroom so close to the wall that you can hardly get any water out (just to mention a few things…). Despite the struggle we feel that we might cross the finishing line after two years of constant renovation and from now on actually enjoy the house! It is a special house and in a few years we will all be able to laugh about all the mishaps and funny things we’ve been through (at least I keep telling Jochem this). It is a charming house on a great location overlooking the lake Sämsjön and every time I’m there I feel that this is a unique place, which will give us memories to last a lifetime!
The summer holidays are coming to an end and the first soccer practice for Ingrid just took place. She has arrived back from a month in the US with the statement “this was the best summer of my life” and with many new friends spread around the world. The first few days were difficult as it is obvious, even for an 11year old, that some friends she will never meet again. The world is getting smaller and larger at the same time. You can travel everywhere, meet new friends and learn a lot from each other. At the same time it is impossible to stay physically close to people living on the other side of the globe. So, we have spent a lot of time talking about the meaning of friendship, of the memories and insight new experiences give us and that a unique experience is never lost even if you might lose contact with friends on the way. It is what we do with the knowledge we take in and how we use it that make us grow as individuals. And for now we have the Internet giving us possibilities one could only dream of 30 years ago.
Hope you all had a summer full of memories to last a lifetime!
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