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Gail McNeil FiftySister in Algarve

The trials and tribulations of renovating a property in Portugal.

“Some people like to feel settled in one place, but I don’t feel that way. My home is within me.”

@fiftysister

Gail is a self-made social media star, vegan and mum of one growing older gracefully.

Choosing adventure. Time and time again.

Do we stop having adventures because we are old, or do we grow old because we stop having adventures? I’m 55 this year, but I still feel like I’m in my 20s, with so many dreams of adventure for the future – I need several lifetimes, or more, to accomplish it all. Our current adventure is building a minimalist home on the hills in Algarve, but already I can’t stop daydreaming about setting off to a new country to start over again.

We’ve talked about: living in an adventure van, learning to sail and buying a boat, building a log cabin on a mountain, remodelling a Dutch barge, going off grid, life in a tiny home, and so the list goes on. We’ve explored hundreds of ideas, but which one to choose?

I see my friends getting sick and losing their mobility, others are exhausted from taking care of grandchildren, and then there’s me whizzing around Algarve on the scooter, taking a cheeky skinny dip in the Atlantic Ocean, before heading over the border to Spain for a glass or two of Sangria and a few plates of tapas.

Some people like to feel settled in one place, but I don’t feel that way. My home is within me. I don’t need material things to make me happy, I need nature, freedom, fresh fruit and veggies, salty hair and sandy toes.

We sold 99% of our belongings five years ago and it felt good letting go of such a heavy burden. One of the reasons I think I will find it difficult to settle again, is having to fill a home with ‘stuff’ that I truly don’t need. I think the house we are building will only be ours for a short time, before we sell it on to someone who can fill all the rooms and make better use of the space. We don’t own any furniture. All of our life fits into ten boxes.

Most of my friends set off on their worldwide adventures after leaving education, whilst I was busy remodelling my first home. I missed out on adventure in my younger years, but I am certainly making up for it now. The equity we built over 30 years of renovating houses whilst working full time, has given us a lot of freedom, and allowed us to retire in our early 50’s. Of course, I’m working full time on the house construction, but it doesn’t feel like a job because I’m loving every minute.

People ask me if I get anxious moving somewhere new. I don’t. I love everything about visiting and getting to know new places. It’s like the first time you taste something new, it’s different and interesting. Keep tasting it over and over and it loses its appeal.

As long as we feel fit and full of energy, we will keep dreaming up new adventures. Building a home of my own design will be ticked off the list this year. What next? You’ll have to wait and see!

Find out more about Gail’s place and follow her progress on loulehills.com