This is the "Warts 'n All" story of Finca Tres Hermanos; this beautiful place we call home; this place that inspires "Mowing Over Oranges".
If I am to be accused of previously showing our home in its best light, and of hiding the lumps, bumps and imperfections that lie beneath then I stand guilty as charged. Perhaps I can't be blamed for that. In my eyes, the imperfections blend seamlessly into the perfect. I'm not ashamed of this house, quite the opposite. Since moving in three and a half years' ago it has slowly burrowed its way slowly yet determinedly into my heart. It was lucky, there was still space for it after I'd given up a huge chunk for its owner. In the short time that has passed since, together Scott and I have poured much into it and now it is the place where the word "Home" means so much more than a dictionary definition and where we share the hard work that it constantly demands of us to keep it looking shipshape. But, we hardly started from scratch. So much had already been done to make this place a home, just as many others do, or even perhaps aspire to do, to 'live the dream' in their own piece of idyllic Andalucia. So here is a brief story of our place, of how it came to be, and of how it continues to grow.
In the Spring of 2002, Scott's search for a family home ended when he came across a little house on an isolated plateau surrounded by farmland. Neither anything sat within nor without its boundary fences to puncture the view of the landscape that surrounded it. Many people, myself included, would not have given this place a second glance. It left so much to the imagination that even the most creative of minds would have thrown their arms up in defeat and left without looking back. To call these walls a "house" would have been to stretch the imagination beyond reality; it bore more resemblance to a warehouse fit for storing oranges (which is rather apt considering the title of this blog). Only some scattered furniture, a few well placed windows, and the pretence of a kitchen and bathroom inside gave a suggestion that it was quite serviceable as a home. I always imagine falling instantly in love with a house that you might then prospect to buy, like most people. Falling in love with this little house must have taken some doing.
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| A montage documenting how "Tres Hermanos" started life |
Despite its shortcomings the deal was done, the papers were signed, the family moved in and the four walls became a home. It then secured its rightful place when it was appropriately renamed "Finca Tres Hermanos" in honour of Scott's three boys. Not long afterwards a new extension was added to provide much needed extra space, a pool was dug out, and the outside bar was built; the latter creating a perfect place to entertain.
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| The meadow: top left, in its early days and now |
Fast forward to today and as you look around you can plainly see what it has become and why it is worthy of being loved. We blush when visitors profuse their admiration but when I think about it I think it's pretty damn worthy of the praise, as is Scott for his vision for creating the perfect place to raise his boys.
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| The land when first purchased and now |
One of the first things to change when I moved in, in July 2017, was the remodeling of the kitchen. Now I distinctly remember only refusing to cook with the old oven that sat somewhat neglectfully, of a good clean, in the little galley kitchen, despite it having done a pretty decent job over the years servicing a family and hoards of visiting friends. For reasons best left to him (should anyone care to ask), Scott chose to give up a bedroom to make way for a whole new kitchen more fitting for my new incumbency status. Perhaps I should have explained first that my culinary skills had never risen above the level of satisfactory before he made such an undertaking but I still appreciated the sentiment of course. Luckily, my cooking skills have improved quite a bit since!
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| The kitchen is put to good use! |
From thereon in Scott never once batted an eyelid as my influence was exacted elsewhere (cue over-enthusiastic makeover show!) not even when another bedroom was lost to the study that I insisted was absolutely necessary! And the shabby but beautiful old covered terrace is now transformed to a sunny music-come-reading room; an addition that once would have given this little pre-00's 'orange store' delusions of grandeur.
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| A woman's touch or, as a friend put it: "I can see the effects of the New Broom"! |
It's unlikely we'll ever stop working on this place, that is simply unrealistic given its size and age. I guess that's how it should be: one could no more easily cease from nurturing the child that has flown the nest than cease from nurturing the love and attention that went into making that nest beautiful.
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| OK, we didn't grow the bananas! |
And this is why love the warts too and like so many old Andalucian houses this house has quite a few. Despite every best effort to build a home on solid foundations, this part of Spain makes it a constant battle and visible signs of movement are evident in just about every house you come across (and I've seen a fair few in my time here!)
Our home is no exception, it moves, sometimes a little and sometimes a little bit more. Cracks appear when the ground dries up in the summer, and then they close again after the winter rains soften the ground. We diligently follow round with some filler and a paintbrush with almost subconscious routine. I'm still trying my hardest not to point paranoically while exclaiming loudly: "Is this another bloody crack?!" or "Has this one got bloody wider?!" As some of the cracks have become wider these last few months owing to an exceptionally hot, dry summer my paranoia has been increasingly harder to control.
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| A few notable 'warts' being repaired or soon to be addressed |
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| The wood store: from "wart" to, well, tidier "wart"! |
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| Top Left: The pool from its good side and its bad. Pictured below: the rapid deterioration that's occurred this year |
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| Not everything in the garden is rosy: well, I am married to a plumber and you never know when those spares might come in handy! |
And then there's the garden, beautiful in all its splendor. Scott can take the credit for this of course (as well as for the random piles of junk!). My job is simply to be Gardener's Apprentice since I still might be prone to pulling up a valuable crop instead of an invading weed! That said, I'm pretty handy with a lawnmower and have a certain flair for finishing touches.
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| Images of quiet solitude around the garden |
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| The bee terraces and a place to sit and watch Mother Nature work her magic |
So the work (and improvements) continue. In fact, as I type, I can hear our Spanish builder friend (Antonio) chipping away at another crack to repair with his trusty tools of the trade and that's where we are today, to bring us bang up-to-date. An old crumbling terrace has been taken up and relaid, cracks are being repaired (hopefully once and for all) and after nearly 20 years the house now boasts an electric gate (with freshly rendered walls either side to follow suit in the New Year). The aging swimming pool is next as that too is in dire need of attention. The contract has been awarded and the work also starts early in the New Year.
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| The crumbling bedroom terrace gets a makeover |
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| At last, Finca Tres Hermanos gets a proper gate and the surrounding wall is nearing completion |
Finally, the last major job will be to remodel our ensuite bathroom; definitely the last remaining wart, and one of the most problematic!
With the majority of transformations complete, we can sit back and be happy with what we've created so far: a place where tasty fruit and vegetables grow in rich soil, where bees hum and make their honey, where butterflies and insects flitter amongst the wildflowers, where the aroma of baking fills the air, and where Christmases and social gatherings are joyous occasions.
Everyone would claim to have an Eden, their little "corner of paradise" and that would be true because there are many but this is is ours. We are grateful for it and we love it. The warts pale into insignificance and satisfaction is oozed in abundance.
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