Gastblog Mr & Mrs Outhwaite January 2025
We had the lovely pleasure of meeting Mr & Mrs Outhwait from England here. As far as we could see they had a wonderfull time here on Madeira.
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These are the small pieces of basalt that most people know in mosaic-like patterns in the towns and small villages in Portugal and Madeira. Never thought at the time that we ourselves would ever have a pavement design of this quality on our own piece of Madeira. Let alone live here on Madeira.
In the meantime, the last stones are being hammered in at the bottom of the driveway while this blog post is being typed overlooking a windless azure Atlantic ocean from the dining table. Unfortunately we aren’t yet able to show the final photos. But that will come another time, or you will see it with your own eyes later. Because it will finally be ready by the end of this month.
Around the houses and our own house, we have opted for the small basalt variant with the traditional white band along the walls and outside boundary. It looks fantastic and really adds a finishing touch. In front of the entrance to the houses that will be rented out, the logo of our company has been created with white stones. Particularly proud of the result and it’s also nice that this image is one of a kind. It is an image of a chameleon that we have incorporated into the design. You might be thinking, why the chameleon? We’ll be happy to explain this here on that spot later in the year.
When the gate opens, you immediately see a piece of pavement mosaic that really stands out in its quality. We would like to be able to make the first impression right from the entrance and, as it looks now, it’s definitely going to do the trick. We both still have goose bumps as we walk across the paved terrain and see what has been achieved in almost 9 months. It’s very special for us, especially because we have made so much use of the local craft. Compliments from locals here on Madeira make us feel so proud.
Abraço,
Anne Rienstra & Dave Huizinga
We had the lovely pleasure of meeting Mr & Mrs Outhwait from England here. As far as we could see they had a wonderfull time here on Madeira.
Lees meerOf course, when you're on vacation, it's usually more enjoyable when it doesn't rain. But Madeira has more to offer during those rare rainy moments than most people might think. For us, it was quite a surprise to see how much there is to do on the island, which may not always be immediately apparent to visitors. Here's a nice collection of things to visit or do on a rainy day during your vacation here.
Lees meerAbout six months after we finished our project here on Madeira in 2019, suddenly everything came to a standstill again. We were just getting used to receiving guests in our little paradise. On 14 March 2020, not knowing then, we waved goodbye to our last guests, the airport pretty much went on lockdown and here on Madeira we went into a fairly severe lockdown.
Lees meerThree years ago, Anne and I came to Madeira to settle down. By now, most of our project has been completed. With some small fun things left to do, we wanted to go for the next step. A new pet seemed like something really nice to have again.
Lees meerIt is 6.30 a.m. on 31 December 2020. The alarm clock rings and we both get up from bed. It is the last day of this year that has begun.
Lees meerAnyone who has not yet been to Madeira is mainly familiar with the name "Madeira flower island", but less obvious is the name "banana island". And that while the annual export is more than 600,000 kg to the mainland.
Lees meerMaintaining a monthly blog in a period when the impulses from outside have disappeared does not seem to be easy at first. After all, we don't really experience much outside of our gate to write about. Provided you can count a weekly trip to the local supermarket. Let's not get into the details about that too much. Or is it?
Lees meerIn Madeira, you will find many roadside bars making Poncha. Often, this is already indicated outside with a sign with a picture of the traditional glass and a caralhinho (more on this later) next to it.
Lees meerMadeira is onlangs alweer voor de vijfde keer verkozen tot ‘Best Island Destination Of The World’, iets waar we met z’n allen trots op mogen zijn. Jaarrond kun je hier genieten van de mooie en vaak ruwe natuur, het zachte klimaat en lekker eten en drinken, Madeira heeft voor ieder wat wils! Zo ook in December, mocht je nog een leuke bestemming zoeken voor bijvoorbeeld de kerstvakantie.
Lees meerOn January 11, 2018 we came to Madeira together to start our new life. A new challenge, a different work pace, better weather and, above all, more time for each other.
Lees meerFrom the first time we came to Portugal and Madeira, we were both in love with the type of Portuguese pavement stones called Calçada Portuguesa.
Lees meerSince we have been living in Madeira, a number of things have changed for us compared to our lives on Texel. There are great things that really make a difference, such as the climate.
Lees meerAfter living in Madeira for almost 15 months, we moved in to our own newly renovated house 2 weeks ago. A reward for the long and intensive 6 months of renovation while living in the middle of the 'construction pit'.
Lees meerSix months in rubble and dust ... We regularly scroll through our (mega) digital archive of renovation photos. So much debris, time and again we are surprised to look at the 'before photos'.
Lees meerSix days a week 'our' workmen are busy preparing everything, so our week is always completely filled. Every morning from 8:00 we are ready for all questions and we try to have everything arranged as much as possible.
Lees meerAbout a year ago we boarded the plane together to start our new life in Arco da Calheta in Madeira. After running a catering company on Texel for almost 16 years, we were ready to start a new life.
Lees meerHotel-restaurant De Smulpot in Den Burg will change hands after almost sixty-five years. Owner Dave Huizinga is moving with partner Anne Rienstra to Madeira early next year, where they have bought an estate.
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