Some good news
Mount St Joseph Abbey, Co. Offaly
Good afternoon friends/ family/ acquaintances/ readers!
I’m in a good mood today because I get to share with you some really good news!!
We have an apartment in Portugal! It’s pet friendly, ground floor and has private outdoor space. Great location, too and just the size we were hoping for. I actually can’t believe it! We’ll be making our way over at the end of the month, and then, hopefully, I’ll be posting about how it really is as great as it looks and sounds.
We’re well on our way with the preparations now. The moving van is booked. By the way, if you’re ever looking to hire movers, just be ready for drastic differences between quotes. Don’t settle for an expensive quote right off the bat! I think the difference between our most expensive quote and the lowest quote was about 4000 euros (which is more than what we’ll be paying in total for the move). Crazy.
We’ll be flying over, buying a car and coming back on the ferry to get the animals. Ferrying the animals over worked out as the cheapest option for us. If you’re looking into transporting your pets abroad, remember to check the import requirements for your pets well in advance (Rabies vaccines, Pet Passport/ Vet check letter/ chips, etc) and price up all your transportation options (ferry, cargo/hold, cabin) - again, there was quite a difference between prices. Bringing your pet in the cabin with you when you’re flying is the cheapest option, but there are size restrictions and a limit on the number of pets per flight.
Speaking of the animals, we’re currently trying to train the dogs to wear muzzles (it’s a requirement for the ferry) and we’re trying to train Loki, our cat, to wear a harness and eventually to walk on a leash. For those of you who don’t know my dogs, Tilly is a 6-year-old chihuahua. She only has maybe 10 teeth left now (due to some sort of hereditary disorder that causes their roots to break down) and her tongue is starting to protrude out the front of her mouth. It’s exceptionally cute, but putting a muzzle on her seems a little unnecessary. I suppose it’ll prevent her from gumming anyone! If you’re wondering, they do make muzzles that small!
And if you think we’re crazy for trying to leash-train our cat, well… I kind of have to agree with you! But, he loves going on family walks. He knows the word “walk” and he’s at the door quicker than the dogs. Unfortunately, we can’t always take him with us because of the roads. My fear is that in Portugal, because we’ll be living in an apartment in the city, he won’t get as much time outside. The apartment is ground floor and backs onto some woodland, so we’re hoping Loki will be able to climb up and over the wall and venture into the woods like he does here. But if he can’t or just doesn’t, then I’d love for us to be able to take him on hikes or beach walks. Here’s hoping! If anyone has experience with this, please send me an email or drop a comment below with any and all advice!
Another bit of an update: I’ve uploaded a few new crochet patterns to my Etsy shop! I’m gifting the Bunny pattern for free with the purchase of any other pattern. Check them out if you’re curious! They’re super cute and beginner-level. The physical toys will hopefully be available to purchase at Ro & Vee… cois farraige in Barna, Co. Galway by the end of the month.
Lastly, if anyone is looking to buy a car, I’ll be selling mine in the next couple of weeks. It’s a 2012 VW Golf with automatic transmission. If you’re interested and would like some more information, please message me through Facebook or Instagram.
Thanks for reading! It’s so nice sharing good news and writing up a happy post!
Best wishes,
Isabella
