Time to review my Montenegro apartment

Time to review progress on my apartment refurbishment

With restrictions and a lack of any urgency to finish, there has been only sporadic work on the apartment during the pandemic.  Montenegrins spring into action when they can see the whites of your eyes and feel the urgency of your instructions in their face.  A lot has been done already.  The kitchen and bathroom are in, all the walls have been plastered and tiled, the windows replaced, and the doors painted. 

But there still seems to be a long list of what are probably smaller jobs in reality.  The water immersion tank and washing machine need to be installed in the small outhouse. A cupboard needs to be fitted to hide the electric meter in the hall. Under-cupboard lights need to be fixed in the kitchen.  That’s just naming a few of them.   Experience also tells me there will be a host of other little finishing jobs, that all take time. 

I was hopeful to be able to make it to Montenegro in July or August this year.  But the uncertain nature of travel at present has now been complicated by Montenegro not being very far ahead with their vaccination program. As a result I have had to ditch any possible trip there as a family in the school summer holidays. (And to be honest we are all just ready for a proper holiday.  You know, the sort where you leave your jobs list at home). 

So, the tentative plan is to go in the Autumn 2021 – hopefully October – to wrap up the work. In other words, to badger, pester and breathe down workmen’s necks! So we can finally make the last payment to Goran and sign off all the work.

After a big sigh of relief (and a celebratory rakija of course) I will then be free to focus on buying the rest of the furniture and sorting out all the finishing touches in the next trip.  When this will be done hasn’t been planned as yet.  I am tentatively confident it will be possible by spring the following year at the latest (if not before).

The main priority is to get the work completed and wave the workmen goodbye.  Nice as they are, it’s always a massive relief to get that part of a renovation over with.

It’s been a time to review my attitude

I have had a total attitude shift during the pandemic.  Naturally a meticulous person with a very strong perfectionist side, I have always had a fierce need to plan and get all the details completed until I can rest easy as they say.  But over the last year I have learnt to let this go. 

Admitedly this has been forced on me to some extent, but I have also realised that there were more important things going on and I found within me the ability to simply trust that it will all get done in the end.  It will be OK. I can cope with the imperfection of the “plan” and an end result that might take a while to finesse.  Whereas before I felt I couldn’t really relax and enjoy the apartment until it looked like the interior in a magazine.   

Review and moving forward

But now I find myself instead just looking forward to being there again.  One day. In my little Old Town apartment with its fortress-thick walls and old wood panelled doors. Flinging open the windows to the gentle babble of voices from the square below.  Fishing out the old kettle and mugs from the pile of boxes containing the few essentials that were packed away.  Living out of suitcases lying on floors in the absence of any drawers.  Being surrounded by bare walls and half-kitted out rooms. 

But feeling perfectly content.   With the people I love by my side. In a place that I love.

Amid cancelled plans, massive detours and ongoing uncertainty, it is good to be reminded what it’s really all about in the end.