I finally arrived in Moşna on Saturday, 2nd July. Our removal firm had dropped off all our stuff the night before with THO (The Hungry One) while No 3 and I tidied up in Bucharest and waited for the landlord to arrive to take the keys back.
The only problem since then has been that ‘our stuff’ doesn’t happen to include much in the way of furniture unless you count a carpet, a shelved cabinet with doors and a camel saddle - I kid you not! Have you ever tried to unpack boxes to nowhere! Still, with a couple of successful trips to a local second-hand German furniture shop, we are down to boxes of books, towels and sheets, winter clothes and sewing and knitting gear. We even have proper beds to sleep on. We plan to buy another set of furniture from the same shop next month which will almost complete the bedroom. Then we will be looking for the right second hand kitchen table and bookshelves which, of course, are like rocking horse shit!
Just today, I finally sorted the kitchen out and everything has its own place – it really won’t be so much of a squeeze when we finally sort out the utility room but that’s last on the list.
Just today, I finally sorted the kitchen out and everything has its own place – it really won’t be so much of a squeeze when we finally sort out the utility room but that’s last on the list.
Yesterday, we went into town to meet a friend for coffee and she told us that there was a wee festival outside the Primăria (the town/city hall) of artisan crafts from Cluj so we set off down there and found some wonderful stuff including three fabulous hand woven wool rugs for the bedroom – two runners and a large square one. They are in position now around the bed and in among the boxes and are fabulously soft and warm underfoot. When the room is finally finished, it will be wonderful. |
No 3 has been working incessantly in the garden - well, at least when the rather wet spring allowed - and has made an amazing difference. We even have some temporary plants in what will be the kitchen garden – okay, they’re lavender and will be moving in the spring but it’s a start! We also have herbs growing in pots – my experience of a herb garden in Bucharest has taught me that nearly all herbs are invasive so they need to be contained for the most part.
Over the next few weeks, the work we do will seem rather trivial – unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, finally getting into the attic – our ladder disappeared with the builders – but we will also be settling into a routine of sorts and, as time goes on, it won’t be quite so hot in the middle of the day so we can do more outside. But, over time, I will document the evolution of each room during the renovation here. The bedroom is possibly the most spectacular because it was the barn before and is now a massive light, quiet room – it’s so large, I plan to use a section of it for sewing!