A move forward and a look back

I know it seems like once again I have fallen off the face of the earth. I haven't. However last month we moved house and the new place doesn't yet have an Internet connection. Not having access to the Internet is a bit like falling off the earth, isn't it? 

Seriously, phone company you could have told us when we applied for service that your technicians don't 'fish' for cable. It would have saved everyone a huge waste of time. Cable guys we have called it in four times and told your office that the house is 200m from the road. Three 3 different guys have come by and still, no hook up. Sheesh! Walk with enough cable, already! 

Honestly, a month without any kind of technology and we are all like "Goodnight John-Boy," up in here. 

So how did we get here? Well two years ago, my husband and I purchased what we optimistically called a fixer upper. Looking back at this photo, I am willing to concede that might have been a-glass-is-half-full, kind of description.

The reality was actually a nightmare of  exposed wiring, bare concrete floors and walls that were clearly once inhabited by the crooked man of English nursery rhyme fame.

But see, here is the thing... on the day we went to view the house, we saw this first.

Can you say SOLD!

Its funny at the time I wrote this post we had no idea that we would ever have anything more than a postage stamp, sized garden. Now that we are staring at the the reality of something more, we are starting to question our sanity. Words like insane and crazy have been tossed about but I prefer the term visionary :-) Apparently so did the bank.

It would seem that my husband and I are in possession of some mad powers of persuasion. No one was more surprised than we were when we managed to secure financing for this project. This was achieved in part by waving this picture around and describing the surrounding scenic views of green hills and the lush vegetation.  

Hey did we mention the view of the waterfall from the front porch? 

Okay, so most days its a small spring but on rainy days the mountain opens up and it is quite spectacular. 

Interior renovations are complete and we have moved in. Most of the 'neighbours' including this magnificent falcon have already popped by for a meet and greet.

Understandably our first meals here were quite simple. The kind of thing that doesn't need a recipe. This is a simple red pear, walnut salad that I topped with pomegranate seeds and served with a store-bought strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. Being surrounded by all this green makes me think of salads and wholesome meals.

A lot of work remains to be done on the outside of the house but my new kitchen is a dream. Hopefully it won't be long again before we have an internet connection and I look forward to sharing with you the meals that come out of it as we settle in.