2017 - here we go again!

So we arrived after a long travel from Stockholm. The first part through Sweden with the (biogas)car went well, but we were happy that we had margins as there were a few stop and go situations and we used up most of the extra 2 h we thought we had to arrive to the ferry.

Blondie checking out the view on the ferry from Sweden to Germany

Day 2 was waiting for the train in Hamburg, which was exciting as there had been a terrible storm the night before where lots of people got stranded and no trains left Hamburg whatsoever. But our car-on-train company assured us they were planning to leave as planned so we stacked up on provisions and got ourselves into position to check in. As people started to arrive we got entertained by the ensuing chaos but in the end all go onto the train and we were on our way - or so we thought. Because 200m from the station the train came to a screeching halt. And did not leave until late at night and with firebrigades involved. Turned out that two of the car carrier trains had defects on the brakes and two of them had to be left behind, including the passengers, which got woken up at 2am in order to get off the train. That was not us. Luckily, or so we thought, but this was not the end of trouble for this train ride. To make a long story short, in the end and after spending the whole day on the train we did not arrive in Verona but got driven to Villach in Austria.

Yes it was a long day on the train but the coolest cats found good sleeping places

We had to drive quite a long way on day 4 after a night in a Hotel in Austria, first through torrential rains which made it dark at 10am and then through blistering heat, but the amazing travel cats did not complain and when we finally arrived in Casario, they recognised all immediately.

once arrived the inspection immediately begins

and the view is still stunning
 

And so did we - sort of. The house looked just like we left it and there was no visible signs after the terrible floods last November which apparently also had our wine cellar flooded. The garden and the land totally overgrown with 2 meter high grass. Everything  very very dry. Just to get hands onto the tools to clean both indoors and outdoors and then we can start!. And after the first week we seem to have fixed stable Internet.

weed never sleeps

Why haven't we written anything?

We had internet problems the summer of 2016 and therefore have not been able to do the reporting on our three week stay there and then. We have not been there since, but are full of plans to get the job done! Watch this space...

A new facade

The big summer job that was postponed. Now it is done. We had the plastering expert give us an estimate while we were still in Italy and then one of the wonderful Bianco brothers had an eye on the works development and sent us updates via pictures and whatsapp. Modern communication has reached the remote italian village after all, at least the pioneers. It will be interesting to see for ourselves what it looks like up close. Another milestone reached.

the ugly facade

job starting

window detail

door frame

window frames

colour added

final result

still showing the old stones where possible

we got an entrance

The door was already put in last year, but it was not so very very convenient to get in  because the stairs were lacking. This year we got a bit of work done to hopefully keep a bit of humidity from the outside wall on the north side and as a bonus we got entrance stairs. We re-used the old stones that were there before, a bit rough at the edges and one is broken, but we decided it will be better looking than new stuff. It is very comfortable now to enter in the 'guest' section!

Our neighbour construction workers got so appaled by the behaviour of the guy who let us down with the facade, that one of them took action and got in touch with another contractor who is apparently very good and has time to do our facade in September. We will oversee the job via whatsapp and mail. Lets see how that chapter evolves!!

still wet cement, the end result will be light

Room with a (new) view

about three years into the project we noticed that we wanted a window in the kitchen, additional to the existing big door that we were converting into a glass door. We asked our project director to help us with the construction permit, but according to him the commune said no. Two years later we tried again, now with the help of a little networking (friends of friends of friends) and voila! the permit was not a problem. We don't know how hard the director tried of course..

So this was the summer of demolition man going at it again. With a big borrowed machine Niklas made the hole in one day, the remains filled the back of a little tractor, and we got all sentimental over the times when we filled all those containers with construction trash to be driven away and make room for new sand and cement to fill the void.

With a little help from our neighbour construction workers both door and window was put into place, and then Niklas spent a few days on a wingly scaffolding and now we have the result: a view but most importantly a lot more light in the kitchen. It will be so great when it is all done.. :-)

new glass door, the old metal door on the outside is kept

demolition starts

before the project

the full disaster

a full truckload of debris

hard working in the heat

working area outside

 

finished result!

Pergola saved

Yes the Pergola. We had a few attempts to save it, over the summer with Uta and Stefan and my Mom we made a start, we looked at it over the new year but left it as it was.


But this summer was the summer of the rescue of the Pergola, at least for now.. It is standing there in its glory and as I type, the grapes are getting some colour..

hopefully standing a while

looking good

new glory

the winter situation .. still collapsed

summer excitement

Ok, I will start with the complaining and then it is out of the system and I can report about all the good stuff that happened this summer.

One of our big projects for this summer was the north facade that we wanted to have fixed. We made an agreement with the two muratores last year, they had estimated it will take about two weeks and we agreed the job would be started when we come to Italy about mid July in 2015. 4 weeks before we left Sweden, we confirmed that we indeed will be arriving in mid July. So far so good.

When we called the muratore upon our arrival, he unfortunately had booked himself so much that he could not do the job!! What is wrong with this country...

so now I have complained.. next post is going to be positive again.