The
difference between a house and a home in more than one way!
In
my last blog I was talking about the winter weather here in southern
Spain with high summer-like temperatures. The month of December was
extremely warm which was great for tourists, but not so good for the
land as it still needs a lot of rain.
I
will also start with the weather in this blog, because boy it's nippy
here! True winter has finally arrived and although it still hasn't
rained nearly enough, we have had quite a few pretty cold, and I mean
coats, hats, scarves and for some even gloves and winter boots cold
days. Even most tourists have had to give in and leave their flip-flops and shorts at home (apart from a few diehards) as some days
the cold wind is just a bit too much. With temperatures somewhere
between 7 and 15 degrees Celsius it's quite a shock to the system,
but luckily we have a wonderful pellet stove in our home and the
lovely live flame is creating a welcoming atmosphere and temperature.
When
we renovated the old house just before we got married, three and a half years ago,
I insisted in getting a pellet stove. I had previously rented a house
with such a stove and I knew what lovely heat they give out and also,
once the initial investment has been forgotten, how cheap they are to
run and, what I really like, they are Eco-friendly. So I'm a happy
bunny as I like to be environmentally aware.
I
must admit that I do not understand many Spanish people who don't
have any form of heating in their house, like my husbands direct
family. Some do have just a tiny fire hazardous stove beneath a round
table covered by a table cloth that goes down to the floor, so you
end up with burning hot feet whilst your ears and nose are freezing
cold. Many just cover themselves in layers or keep busy and when they
do sit down, for women the nylon morning gown is the solution, on top
of the other layers of clothes of course and the men just seem to
wear a winter coat indoors. Oh yes, I've asked them why live without
a heating and was told..."Winter isn't that long in southern
Spain, so why bother".
I
disagree and many expats who've settled here were shocked when they
spent their first winter here. The houses are cold as most of them
are built to keep the sun out. Many Spanish are so used to keeping
the sun out that they even do so during the winter months and instead
of letting the sunshine enter their windows, thus heating up the
house, they prefer to keep all the shutters closed. It baffles me
but, if that's the culture, then I of course respect that. Doesn't
mean I have to live that way. It did take some convincing to get my
husband to buy a pellet stove when we renovated the house, as he had
always survived the winters without a heater, but he reminds me every
year how grateful he is and he's totally fallen in love with our
stove. It has turned our house into a cosy home.
So
I had to take a few steps back and I can guarantee you that it was
very difficult for me. I always do something. Not a day has gone
past, literally these past few years, including Sundays, that I
didn't work on something from my 'priority list', such as writing a
story or a blog post, starting my next book, creating a few more
But
what do you do when you get a bit overwhelmed? Well, relax and in my
case, meditate, watching inspiring speakers or a nice documentary or
film, walking Miki, our bouncy ball doggy, and some evenings Miguel,
my husband, and Fani our bull-mastiff as well. Getting the fresh air
in my face and most of all, detaching myself from the outcome. So
that's what I've done and I feel a lot better. Oh don't get me wrong.
That to-do-list continues to exist but in a far slower pace and
without the priority attached to it. I do what I fancy doing and make
sure I take care of myself.
And
the result. Funny enough it seems as if I have more time than I had
before. I feel relaxed and the writing is flowing again. I'm not
putting myself under any pressure anymore. Painting is actually good
for me as it relaxes me, so that's a plus. I feel happy and let go of
my attachment to and hopes for the outcome. Whatever will come my way
will be OK.
All
this doesn't mean that I've lost my passion and please feel free to
read my blogs. My latest art blog is about what art can do for your house. I believe it's literally the difference between a house and a
home. So there you go! :-)
If you are interested to find out more about me as a writer and an artist I invite you to visit my website www.renatevannijen.com
where you can also read my art blog or my books blog. You can subscribe
for free and will receive two chapters of my book 'Cheers', which I'm
currently blogging about as it is a book that brings awareness to a
worldwide problem and helps people getting out of isolation.
Click the following link for my Art Blog
Click the following link for my Cheers Blog
|
