IT WILL BE A BUSY SUMMER

 



After 2 months in Norway with some short trips to Italy and Moscow it is soon time to head back to our beloved house in Montecarlo.

It is not completely finished with our furniture on the road to the house and arrives in week time, so I just will give a sneak peak of what you can imagine.

Pasqual from Limpresa sent us a picture of the sidewalk where we also could see the nice color of the house with the green shades.

Gianluca from Limpresa posted already some pictures of the doors to our master bedroom on the ground floor to his Facebook page, so he must be very pleased with the job. Our architect Galileo told us he was very very pleased  with our solution for that challenge. We reused a couple of the doors from the bedrooms upstairs and Limpresa managed to treat them excellent so we can see the character and soul of the house in these doors.

We got some bad news the other day from the architect. We get electricity in a day or two, but water and gas will not be connect until later in July. Guess who got frustrated with the Italian late ordering services when you got fixed dates in the plan and plenty of original time. OK just have to cross our fingers that the architect manage to push them nicely so we can have part of our summer vacation with a nice shower and water in the toilets. In addition we have to work on alternative solution within the next two/three weeks.

 

 

 

I did spend the last months in Norway with 7 of the 8 grandchildren. We had fun and enjoyed many events during the period. The last months in Norway also gave me the opportunity to arrange shipment and sent away our furniture and other parts we have had in storage for the last 2-3 years. The company has an agreement with Team Relocation and I can just say that their staff at Forus, Stavanger is efficient. When their office people in Oslo tells me it would take 4-5 hours to fill up the container, the guys at the storage did it in 1,5. Wonder what will be on the bill to the company.

We did not do a truck direct to Italy, we arranged a container load by boat to Rotterdam and then by truck to Montecarlo. Savings is more than 50% so why not. I rather pay 25000 NOK than 65000 NOK. Thanks to Thore at STB who I have known since 1983 from the same business, and he have been in this business all the time so he know how to get the right price for you. We will get you accommodated and find you tickets for the ANDREA BOCELLI CONCERT 2017.

 

 

When I arrive next week in Montecarlo it will be a couple of nights at our regular B&B until I have managed to organize the house and make it livable. The day after my arrival I have to get hold of the VAN for transportation from the offloading point at Casata Davini and to the house. Mario let me do this and it would not take too much time or space at his place. It is a part of the relation building done over 15 years in Lucca area. And we look forward to build even more relations now, people we know but have not met. Even an Italian teacher we have connected with so I am prepared to start picking up on the Italian I started to learn when we lived in Houston. No more Russian lessons for me.

 

Must say it was good today know some of the Russian and could communicate with the driver for the lost suitcase two days after arrival myself. Got it and got the Norwegian chees in the fridge.

So that’s all for now, we will travel to Italy, spend 2 months finish the house interior as best as we can and prepare you for the result and give you an update sometime into August.

It will be great to go and lower our shoulders as almost all are finished and all milestones are history.

Have a great summer all.

 

 

 

 

ALMOST READY TO MOVE IN

 

We had hoped the house was ready to move in to, but not. Schedule was May 1^st , however prior to our arrival we got the information that paint outside needed to be done, bathroom needed tiles and a few more things was still outstanding.

 

 

 

It is back to my previous experience with lack of being proactive and organizes a bit too late things that at times need more time than expected. OK our great architect, we know what you are good at. And coming to the house now just days/weeks prior finish we can see our dream house become more than what we were dreaming of. Cannot wait to move in! So please get finished, the furniture’s are on its way by June 1^st.

 

When we were at the house first week in May the kitchen installation was made as well the installation of alarm. Minor challenges with the counter top, but that IKEA would fix for us. Alarm works well and we can make sure that the workers have put on the alarm in the evening.

 

In a way it has been a reality show for us, fun for us when the insurance people came to prepare an offer. That we had the responsible people to explain what had been done, in addition knew our main construction company assisting it to go a bit smother.

 

It was a sunny day and so it was the day after when we visited IKEA again in Florence to organize bunker beds for the kids rooms and a bed for us along with an island for the kitchen.

 

We are just looking forward to spend 6 weeks summer vacation in our new home this summer. I have to head to the house before that to put most of it in order with the furniture and all our goods coming from Norway. 40m3 of what we have forgotten what is, ok most important is our dining table for the kitchen. Kitchen will be the main room for us when we have family and friends visiting. So if you think the kitchen looks large, yes it is and there is a good reason for it.

 

My dear friends, just a few weeks and you will see the house painted, bricks on the sidewalks and bathroom finished. In addition you will find me cutting grass and make some plans for the outside area.

 

Until next time, it will be June.

3 MONTHS IS GONE

 



Yes we have been waiting 3 months to see the progress of the house in Montecarlo. No pictures have been seen from the work in progress, so it was quite exciting to travel to the house this time to see if the progress as indicated was on schedule, or any deviation to what has been told us.

 

Italians we knew are not as a person like me that have been involved in logistic work to the oil and gas industry in Norway. The importance of correct information is not known, it is not their culture. Do I know having a lot of Italian suppliers over the years. Some are however good, but you do not know until the end of the work accomplished.

 

We have a culture due to the new business that have been developed in Norway over the last 40-50 years that when we walk the stairs in a B&B in Italy we have hand on rail. Park the car with the front to the street on a parking lot. So when I asked prior to our arrival in Montecarlo just days before if all the work indicated was accomplished and I got a yes in return. Was it a yes, or a yes, but.

It is something we have to live with, but when we say that the installation of the kitchen will take place May 6^th the kitchen floor just have to be ready for the installation.

 

All is ready for the installation of the windows and doors that also need to be in place by the same date in May. Let say it is our new milestone. Milestone to us, and for the architect and all the other work in progress. It is our aim to be back at that date to watch the installation of the kitchen and get the real feel of an almost finish house.

 

The week we had in Montecarlo this time got busy. We knew that we had some activities, but things take time (3xT). First of all we had a minor tax issue that we needed to solve together with our neighbor, Real Estate Company and our local lawyer. An experience that the local tax office could come back 1,5 year after we purchased the house and change the taxes we paid. OK, we made sure to have a god local lawyer to look after or case, so we hope that issue will be solved in our favor, other than the cost of the lawyer.

 

Kitchen we had planned for over some months. When we were in Stavanger last November we went to IKEA to draw the kitchen so our architect could work out the electricity, gas and ventilation. Also for us to bring the drawing along to Italy so we could purchase the kitchen at the local IKEA.  We had alternative PISA or FLORENCE. Due to the easy access to IKEA in Florence we picked Florence outlet. Just 30 minutes away from our home so for visitors I am sure if you come by air it will be the place to land.

 

Two visits to IKEA, and the last one on Thursday we had first a 1,5 hour wait in line to some to deal with us and then 2,5 hour dealing with the paper work. OK, we got free meal. What else could it be than Swedish Meatballs. So finished the meatballs and finished the complete kitchen order. We cross our fingers and expect that the installation will be to our milestone.

 

When we did the drawing for the house some months back, we had the layout in our mind and expectation of how things would be. At this visit we could see that our expectation will be fulfilled. The bedrooms upstairs are as we expected it with good space for the beds in the rooms for the kids as well for the adults.

 

On the ground level testing for the pipes at the water heated floor system was ongoing. The temperature levels both outside and inside the houses in Italy we noted will need it, so we are very happy for the installation of this system. We did not push too much of the system in our bed room, but all other rooms. In Moscow we sleep with the window open in 20 or 30 degree minus, just have a good blanket.

 

It looks like I will get some busy months ahead too. During May I need to arrange shipment of all our stuff in storage. In June heading back to Montecarlo to receive it all and get it in to the house.

 

In May as we watch the kitchen to be installed, we also will get back to IKEA and purchase some beds and other item needed for the house so we can live in it from July and the summer vacation.

 

Step by step we get there, and the goal is closer than ever. It was an imagination two years ago and now just a few weeks away.

 

 

Even it was a busy week we managed to get into Lucca to watch the beauty of Corso Guiseppe Garbaldi with all the Magnolia threes. It is just fantastic how it looks.



We also got time for some wine tasting and to buy some wine. One of our favorites is the ecological wine yard to Elena Carmignani. We went to her and got our wine cruiser filled up



Last evening we shared with Erica at the Antica Dimora Patrizia B&B were we staid the week. It is not the normal thing she does offer the guest dinners, but I am sure she try to improve her service even that is superb already. Her teacher in the kitchen is her mother and when meat cook for hours and pasta is made as it melt on your tongue, it is just heaven. To drink a bottle of red wine, sad to hear that it is a wine yard that had to stop it production and bought by another local larger wine yard that will implement the grapes their production. I do not like to see the large variances of local wine from Montecarlo reduced.

 

Now we have to plan the furniture’s, our trip back in May and not at least the garden.

Be back with more in May.