Friday 27th of june

Today we had to go to the vet again. Mirande drove us down to the vet and the kittens got their vaccinations. They also have their rabies vaccination now. So we just have to wait 21 days before they can travel across the border to the Netherlands. The vet told us to just let the kittens out, we asked him if he was sure but he said yes. You can see on the video that the cats loved it, but the vet understood why we asked if he was sure. Donna and Ad were running around and Ruby even climbed up the vets leg and on to the table to see what was on there. Kim was very chill at first but not long after wanted to play with her brother and sister. All the vaccinations were done quickly and we went back to Quinta do Vale Verde. 

We walked outside with the kittens and played with them. Later in the afternoon it was time for Megan to work. After work we called with a few friends and after that the sun was gone and the stars were there. We watched the stars because there was a meteor shower planned for tonight. We saw a few falling stars and we even saw a few satellites. It was a lovely evening.

Saturday 28th of june

Today was a special day! We were going to see a plot of land for the first time. When we got there it was really hot already. We met up with the person that would show us the place and we saw how many trees there were. First we were happy to see so many trees, but we heard from Michel and Mirande that it wasn’t a tree that is nice to have on your land: Mimosa trees. If you cut one down, ten more will fill the place. And they were everywhere! Then we found out how steep the way up was and more issues followed after. So not the place we were looking for. When we went back we stopped at a terras to get a cold beer and apple cider to discuss what we had seen. Michel ordered snails so it was a new experience for us: eating snails for the first time. It was better than expected! The rest of the day we relaxed and called friends to tell them about the viewing of the land.

Sunday 29th of june

We made friends at the place we were before and we are still in contact with them. We missed them and we are now looking to get them to the place we are now. Only there is no power here so they have to be able to get off-grid. So Bryan was helping Jonny to get a solar power system. While that was happening Mirande wanted to show the neighbors property. They are planning on selling and we were happy to see the place. It is much more the way we wanted, so it is an option. We have to think about it some more, before we make a decision.

Monday 30th of june

We woke up and it was already very warm today. Even the cats didn’t enjoy the warm weather anymore. We put a blanket under water and put it in the freezer to cool them off. At first they hesitated by stepping on a cold and wet blanket, but after a little while all four kittens slept peacefully next to each other on the ice cold blanket. Megan had to work today again so we tried to keep the camper cool, but in weather more than 40 degrees that is a challenge. Bryan designed a chicken ramp today for a few chicklets to walk outside in this heat. By the end of the day we talked with our friends again about the move here and they are planning to come here in the next couple of weeks. They think it will be around 2 weeks from now. 

Tuesday 1st of july

Today we started with the chicken ramp and when it was done we waited for the chicklets to come out. but after a few hours only a few looked out from the top of the ramp. Later we heard that a few got out, but they need to learn how to use the ramp. 

Today a new month started, so that means doing some administration. After the administration Megan had to work a little and Bryan cleaned up outside.

Wednesday 2nd of july

A chill day today. The last couple of days the weather has been so warm we couldn’t do anything in the midday. We sat by the water looking at the ducks. Megan wanted to do something but because of the heat it took a while before some movement was made. Megan drew out a birdhouse and was planning on making it by hand and painting it after. After drawing it out she started collecting materials and started sawing, but after 1 little plank it was too warm… Bryan came to help after a little while and Megan started the sanding. When it was almost 5 o’clock we were done. Mirande came by and asked us if we would like to go to the pool and we happily answered yes! We went for 2 hours and it was nice to cool off. We were supposed to do something after swimming, but that didn’t happen.

Thursday 3rd of july

We woke up with chickens going through our stuff, so that was a nice wake up call. After cleaning up Megan continued with the birdhouse and came close to finishing it. After creative time it was time to work. Megan had a lesson with Nova and Mercy, the children of our friends, and we also talked about them coming to us a bit earlier. After the lesson Megan went with Lut to the river and they had a lovely time exploring and swimming together. When they got back we got the text! Our friends will be here tomorrow! We were really excited to see them again. So we went to bed early and they will be here by the morning.