tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71237605257193909062024-02-07T19:38:49.242+01:00La Buona VitaLe Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-83872451757893231752011-09-23T12:44:00.001+02:002011-09-23T12:44:39.243+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Hot, hot, hot<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It has been the hottest
Summer here for many, many years. It has only just started to cool down, to a
comfortable 28-29 C in the shade. We have had no rain for something like eight
weeks. The grass is very light brown. The veggies have survived but only because
we have been watering them often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I have probably told you what
we do with the big plants like toms, but I’ll just mention it again. We bury
half litre plastic bottles with their bottom cut out, head first at an angle to
the plants roots. The water that we give them are pretty much guaranteed to
reach just the roots of the plant they have been buried next to. It takes very
little water but the water is efficiently used. It seems to work very well by
the harvest we have been having I must say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">D-i-L<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We have had the dad-in-law
staying with us for a couple of weeks. He went back on Wednesday looking nicely
chilled – mentally, not physically, in fact he looked very tanned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">His trips over and back again
were nice and easy-peasy so we hope he’ll book up again and we will see him
again soon in 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Because of the heat, he took
it very sensibly and managed to completely read our library, twice! No, not
really, but he had an excellent reading session. Just what he needed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We went out for a couple of
great meals with him. The first was a little traumatic as every where we tried
to book wasn’t open, they were on “ferie”, holiday. I don’t blame them as they
were taken advantage of the continuing good weather and having some holiday
themselves. However we managed to get in to Pippo e Gabriella’s, which is one
of his favourites anyway. As usual we were not disappointed. Tremendous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Then last Sunday we went to a
new place we hadn’t been before, L’antico Gusto. Wow. Sunday lunch – pranzo –
was a seven course, yes, seven, set menu, with wine and both fizzy and still
water, as much as you wanted. €25,00 a head. The food was fabulous. Fantastic
value. It lasted about four and a half hours. Brilliant. Mind you we didn’t
bother eating anything substantial until Tuesday!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Animali<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">All present and correct. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Freya, who we thought was
growing up fairly well has reverted to early puppyhood. She is nicking knickers
and chewing them to bits and no, I didn’t teach her to do it, she is
self-taught. Digging holes where holes shouldn’t be dug. Attacking Bertie when
he leasts expects it. Chewing plants and plant pots. We found we had three
Avocado plants growing in the compost bin. We rescued them and La D lovingly
planted them in pots and there were doing incredibly well through her nursing
skills. We gave one to a friend who is real whizz with plants – won prizes for
his garden’s output back in Wandsworth. Freya got one of those. In fact she is
being a general nuisance. But is hard to be cross with a pup, especially when
she wanders up to you and starts to lick you all over. Oh well, she will grow
up quickly enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">A bit of better news<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">My son’s friend has been having
his first interventions with chemo and they have gone very well. He is now able
to eat more or less as usual which is great news<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">One day at a time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-67415923693397730652011-09-01T18:00:00.001+02:002011-09-01T18:00:13.500+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">August<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Weather Report<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Stifling. Pushed pass 40</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">°</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">C in the shade on many days. No rain since 1<sup>st</sup>
August.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The holiday season a la Casa Grotta,aka a change is as
good as a rest<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Because we are as poor as
church mice. La D<span> </span>and myself sat down at
the beginning of the month and asked ourselves how we could have a summer
holiday without spending any money. We thought and we thought, and then we had
one of those “<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Eureka</st1:place></st1:city>”
moments. La D said, “I know it’s not much, but how do you fancy,” wait for it,
“and it wouldn’t cost any extra”, keep waiting, “ we move into the spare bedroom?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Wow, I thought, this is why I
married this woman. Pure genius. It would be like being a different place
altogether, and we have the luxury of having an en suite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Holiday</span></b></st1:place><b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> report<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The spare bedroom is slightly
cooler and it is more difficult to hear some blasted dogs barking in the early
hours of the morning (presumably at cinghiale). Err .. that’s it really. We
tried to behave as though we were on a holiday, but who were we kidding.
Ourselves. Anyway, nothing ventured, nothing gained and it didn’t cost us a
centesimo. But do we feel relaxed and refreshed? Do we buggery!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">If I could meet the smartarse
who coined the phrase “a change is as good as rest” I’d punch him on the nose<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Next year we are
contemplating a fortnight in the office!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Beach versus Pool<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Because most of the Italian
population are mainly on holiday during August, we tend not to venture down to
the coast as it is so crowded. Fortunately, regular readers of the blog will
know that we have a public swimming pool about half a mile from us. As the
month has been the hottest here for many, many years, boy did the pool come in
handy, almost a necessity some days. We took to going down about 12:30 – mad
dogs and Englishmen, I know – just when those who had come for the morning were
packing up. Often we were the only ones there till about 3. It was fab and the
pool’s temperature was about perfect. It was really holiday like. It closed
today, but the people running it told us that next year they would be opening
for July as well. Good stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Animali<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We have had two cats living
around us now for about 18 months producing kittens left, right and centre.
Although here in Le <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Marche</st1:place></st1:state>,
there is a scheme wherby the authorities will pay for sterilisation of
semi-feral cats if you agree to look after them, we made an application quite a
while ago and nothing has happened. We reckon we have housed 14 kittens over
the last couple of years and we couldn’t house any more. So, with a firm grip
on our wallets we took them to the vet and had them done. At about the same
time we had Freya spayed too. Poor Bertie, and Freya too, but at least there
won’t be any “accidents” such as the patter of giant paws<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Freya is still into “chicken
tossing” but, thankfully, it is becoming less frequent. Mind you, she is ony 7
months old, today in fact. The trouble is she is now as tall as Bertie and it
so hard to see her as a pup, or cucci in Italian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The chicks are doing
brilliantly still giving us 3 eggs a day. Occasionally they have to “play” with
Freya – see above – but it doesn’t put them off laying!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Orti<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We have been watering every
other morning, very early before the sun comes up on us. The result has been
well worthwhile with everything growing to abundance. Record onion crop. Tommies
are prolific. Corn is beautiful, etc., etc.. The only problem this years has
been with the spuds. They were very poor. I doubt we got more back in weight
than when we planted. We may not do them next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">A bit of bad news<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">My son Pip was going to come
to Italy -<span> </span>Porto Recanati on the coast,
not far from us - , with a friend for a few days and they were going to stop
with us a for a night and we were going up and see them. Just before they were
coming my son’s friend was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and further tests
now show it has spread to his stomach and liver. Devastating news. So the
holiday was cancelled and Pip is using his holiday time to spend with his
friend. It is too early to say how he is getting on but we think about him
often here at Casa Grotta and are hoping that they will come out next year. All
the very best to him. <span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-21898911811707072312011-07-27T17:25:00.001+02:002011-07-27T17:25:21.871+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Water, water everywhere….what has happened to the sun?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Gosh it’s gone cold. La D and
myself were talking about a fire last night. It’s mad. Boiling temperatures one
week and thinking-thermals the next. Both of us also seem to suffer a bit when
we have these large temperature changes in very quick time. It seems to “knock
us off” a bit. We feel very fatigued for a day or two. La D sometimes puts it
down to too much Vino Rosso, but I remain to be convinced as we don’t have any
changes to our imbibation (is this a word? If not, it certainly should be)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Enjoying ourselves<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We are off for our annual wedding
anniversary trip to the outdoor opera theatre, the Sferisterio in Macerata this
Friday. We are going to see Un Ballo In Maschera (The Masked Ball) by Verdi. We
have listened to the music via Spotify – oh yes, we’re well up with the technobabes.
It’s fabulous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The weather, however, might
not be. It’s looking a little flaky at the mo, but here’s hoping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">However, we won’t be caught
out like last year. We are going to take a tent and a gas stove. This may
present Elf ‘n Safety issues as well as annoying some of the audience behind
us, but we’ll cross that river, or bridge even, when we come to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We booked this back in
January and we are so looking forward to it. It is only on for three nights.
Anyway, I will report back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Animali<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">A couple of years ago we approached
our comune with a request to have some of the community cats here spayed.
Apparently in this region, the comune will pay for this service as long as you
take responsibility for feeding and looking after them. With usual Italian
zeal, we have heard no more. We also think we have exhausted our supply of
potential homes for kittens. so we are arranging to have Tigger and Daisy, who
are our sort of cats “done” at our expense. It isn’t cheap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">On top of that, we have
contacted our vet about Freya and she has said that Freya really should be done
by the time she is 7 months, which is a month away. Gulp. We thought the cats
cost was bad until she told us that Freya was going to cost three times the
cost of one cat!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So, we are going to have a
neutering party. Bring a scalpel. No only joking. Make it anaesthetic. Ha, ha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">August looks like an
expensive month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The kitties go to their new
home next week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Veggies<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Tremendous. Everything
growing very well. The toms are abundant and sweet and juicy. Have made some
great tomato ketchup a la Jamie Oliver with our cherry toms and San Marzano
(long in shape) and some Beef ones that a friend gave us. It is excellent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The freezers are getting fuller.
Fortunately our nearest neighbours don’t grow anything themselves so we are
able to give them extra produce. Of course we also are able to give some to the
chicks who do eat anything and in return provide us with some beautiful eggs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-28201430831341610092011-07-20T12:40:00.002+02:002011-07-20T12:40:27.811+02:00<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Weather<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Yes, we still have it. Lots
of it. Now it’s a bit breezy too. Had to do some emergency repairs this morning
to the stakes holding up the cherry toms. We think they will be OK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Veggies<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Doing well. Starting to harvest
some lovely toms, cucumbers, melanzane (egg plant), French beans, onions,
spring onions, etc., etc..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Of course we are having to
water every two to three days but it looks like we may have some rain over the
week-end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Love amongst the animali – part 1<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I had to go and shut the
chickens in their coop the other night. It was dusk. We try to shut up shop for
them a little earlier than this usually.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">As I made my way down to the
pen, I noticed Freya lying in the garden playing with what looked like an old
piece of black plastic. Tossing it in the air and then catching it again. As I
got nearer, I saw that the bit of plastic had wings and feet and feathers! The
bloody dog was “playing” with Wilma. Aghh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I issued a sharp command and
Freya immediately went running off, tail held high, with a body language that
said, “chase me, chase me.” That dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Anyway, I picked Wilma up
quite gently. She was soaked with slobber. I placed her in the coop where I
could only see one other chicken, Na. I suddenly heard a soft clucking sound
coming from behind one of the olive trees just outside the pen. I went out and
found <st1:place w:st="on">Doris</st1:place>. She too was rather soggy. She ran
into the pen and I picked her up and put her into the coop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I know Freya’s only a pup –
she’s not 6 months yet – but tossing chickens should not be part of her
repertoire, particularly as her breed are protecting dogs. We know she does not
mean any harm but we find it difficult to explain this to Doris, Na and Wilma.
I have tried but they have lousy eye contact and just continue to cluck over me
and peck the ground. There’s no reasoning with chickens,…..or dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The next day the chicks
seemed fine as though nothing had happened, although I did notice that whenever
Freya went too close, they all moved off quite surreptiously. They are still
laying well. Phew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Love amongst the animali – part 2<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The kitties are doing well
and will be going to their new home in about 10 days or so. We have just
started them on proper food yesterday and they seem to have got the hang of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">They are going to be called
Samson and Delilah, so we have started to call them Sammy and <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del.</st1:place></st1:state> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Sammy is a bit of a bruiser,
but woossie. <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state>
is petite but is into exploring everything she can. She has a great crush on
Freya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">When the cats are out on the
porch floor and Freya comes up, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state>
immediately makes her way over to Freya and starts to touch her paws, tail,
nose, any part really. Freya just loves this. She licks <st1:state w:st="on">Del</st1:state>
back and because her tongue is so large compared with <st1:state w:st="on">Del</st1:state>,
<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state> does a
backward summersault. But the little kitten comes straight back for more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So this is a very delightful
scene. Cats loving dogs and vice versa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">As I was getting breakfast
ready yesterday, La D took some implements out to the table and announced,
“Where is <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state>?”
This was a rhetorical question as I was in the kitchen preparing the coffee and
food and, as the saying goes, did not have eyes in the back of my head. None
the less, La D seemed to overlook this fact as she announced again, in a louder
voice, “Where is <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state>?
WHERE IS SHE?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We looked all round the
basket they sleep in, and all over the porch. Both she and Sammy are still too
small to go down the stairs unless they fall. So we went down the stairs. No
sign of her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We went round the back of the
house and saw Freya lying in the garden, playing with something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Yep. It was Del. More
imperious commands were issued at the dog, who again went bounding off. You
could almost sense the chuckling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Poor little <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state> was pretty much unfazed by this. Apart from
being covered with the, now, ubiquitous slobber she seemed fine. There was no
way she could have got there under her own steam, so Freya must have carried
her in her mouth all the way there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">La D picked her up and gave
her a cuddle and bough her back to her brother and mum, where she settled right
back in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Yesterday evening, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Del</st1:place></st1:state> and Freya were
billing and cooing over each other on the porch again. Quite lovely really as you can see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk82Bqhk5g4_8Po3_Yyh8ULHibqDOAWvEVC1yAn14AB-tOoNRcititN5mX3T8Nw9EJ7Y6P2LJBY7V_aEfcY59Y5kd9H7O8-dHYiDl-t_bVuCERdYIgC2X6LeGjyWiwm0hXh9yoDqZpkW0/s1600/Freya+and+Del+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBk82Bqhk5g4_8Po3_Yyh8ULHibqDOAWvEVC1yAn14AB-tOoNRcititN5mX3T8Nw9EJ7Y6P2LJBY7V_aEfcY59Y5kd9H7O8-dHYiDl-t_bVuCERdYIgC2X6LeGjyWiwm0hXh9yoDqZpkW0/s320/Freya+and+Del+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl1JiJ784OOeAj4bfIXKRuBb0_cLw3o_au1JkXN8qRPnZoHC5hY-PMJnVcePKonJ4ici22PirTnnD6VvhKdmkJUJAAK8FcJ0o-bxc7E1oAyT_PPDzUBzoUSDMHqF2Q-NtHIf0ETHddBrn/s1600/Freya+and+Del+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHl1JiJ784OOeAj4bfIXKRuBb0_cLw3o_au1JkXN8qRPnZoHC5hY-PMJnVcePKonJ4ici22PirTnnD6VvhKdmkJUJAAK8FcJ0o-bxc7E1oAyT_PPDzUBzoUSDMHqF2Q-NtHIf0ETHddBrn/s320/Freya+and+Del+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0UwoIPAIfYTf0JT32AsrOaZA4Tv3ofawBfNMck5IsE0sb4EX1jH2QcQQL79GrESQ6aQO2Wiu8qGSBFKyan-k7HTumtf3QsSel_cRW8jFL7XK5Ex77X1mImO2DfuD1bzzZV_qrYAdmQtA/s1600/Freya+and+Del+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0UwoIPAIfYTf0JT32AsrOaZA4Tv3ofawBfNMck5IsE0sb4EX1jH2QcQQL79GrESQ6aQO2Wiu8qGSBFKyan-k7HTumtf3QsSel_cRW8jFL7XK5Ex77X1mImO2DfuD1bzzZV_qrYAdmQtA/s320/Freya+and+Del+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-inyJxpUOdEHgA3IpBBvNTfWuYbcUJ12_1xtf2TMQsEztVDKKvTGRpkbb5EBmSultcJq1TVzK6U-nPjr6Xq3uH8DV1BuDNyuIR5nlvHcVze09E-pJG4wWdg03_sDjQbh3QcTJpfF_1J3/s1600/Freya+and+Del+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-inyJxpUOdEHgA3IpBBvNTfWuYbcUJ12_1xtf2TMQsEztVDKKvTGRpkbb5EBmSultcJq1TVzK6U-nPjr6Xq3uH8DV1BuDNyuIR5nlvHcVze09E-pJG4wWdg03_sDjQbh3QcTJpfF_1J3/s320/Freya+and+Del+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBsmLkBuQSoeeMejp5GRmWY_CVji2fZhCHpD3rpMgWeSTo6U4eo1SQ1qiQjdm2R-_jEOOv19o1XHia_QYmZaFJI7j8gqKGTLTk6bXT32-uJpUZUuf_UrpVlKRdBrZRhCK1BQeBv8zUbMc/s1600/Freya+and+Del+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUBsmLkBuQSoeeMejp5GRmWY_CVji2fZhCHpD3rpMgWeSTo6U4eo1SQ1qiQjdm2R-_jEOOv19o1XHia_QYmZaFJI7j8gqKGTLTk6bXT32-uJpUZUuf_UrpVlKRdBrZRhCK1BQeBv8zUbMc/s320/Freya+and+Del+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">One last thing, this morning,
La D caught Freya with Del in her mouth just about to go down the stairs again,
no doubt for a bit more of cat tossing. We didn’t let them proceed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Here is a link to some kittie
fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a avglsprocessed="1" href="http://youtu.be/BoLn1PE937U" style="color: #0000cc;" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/BoLn1PE937U</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvdZmCFx0rF1yWBnA8E_sQysyBsRgH4iLfNgnQv0eoB34Mg8YFqSrDAjm9zc0XIiKNQhJJey8EktMZrjvInBw6M_lgK-UXsHwdD0kYa-oGpuBbLdMzrZF6fNmO6TMd6Xff_AvxxTZQ_zP/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvdZmCFx0rF1yWBnA8E_sQysyBsRgH4iLfNgnQv0eoB34Mg8YFqSrDAjm9zc0XIiKNQhJJey8EktMZrjvInBw6M_lgK-UXsHwdD0kYa-oGpuBbLdMzrZF6fNmO6TMd6Xff_AvxxTZQ_zP/s320/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-45140289952261862312011-07-13T15:59:00.002+02:002011-07-13T15:59:55.739+02:00<b>Serious Weather</b><br />
<br />
La D, myself and the animali are sweltering at the moment. Under our gazebo at the back of the house, it was 42.7 deg C or if you like, 109 deg F, at 15:00 today. Man it's hot.<br />
<br />
Too hot to do anything more than move your eyes and fingers over a keyboard in case you dissolve. There is a fan on most of the day in the middle room and then all night in the bedroom, when the temp dips to about 26 C inside. 26C at 03:00!!!!! One must assume that there will be a hiatus in births in about nine months time!<br />
<br />
We can't sleep either. The dogs stay outside and occasionally start to bark at something, we are presuming cinghiale. We are up at 05:30 which is the only time when you are able to do anything physical. like having like water the veg - which are doing well right now because of the watering - or pick some apricots.<br />
<br />
We've stopped walking the dogs this week as they were just poddling along with us, not running about. So there seemed no point. They start to play at about 21:30 and chase each other round the garden for a bit. More exercise than they would get when we went on a walk. Most of the day they just stay in the office with La D, which is the coolest, sorry, the least warm room at the moment.<br />
<br />
Ciao, mantenere la fede<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvdZmCFx0rF1yWBnA8E_sQysyBsRgH4iLfNgnQv0eoB34Mg8YFqSrDAjm9zc0XIiKNQhJJey8EktMZrjvInBw6M_lgK-UXsHwdD0kYa-oGpuBbLdMzrZF6fNmO6TMd6Xff_AvxxTZQ_zP/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvdZmCFx0rF1yWBnA8E_sQysyBsRgH4iLfNgnQv0eoB34Mg8YFqSrDAjm9zc0XIiKNQhJJey8EktMZrjvInBw6M_lgK-UXsHwdD0kYa-oGpuBbLdMzrZF6fNmO6TMd6Xff_AvxxTZQ_zP/s320/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-17492625166949169142011-07-06T19:01:00.000+02:002011-07-06T19:01:26.445+02:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A great day out<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last week I told you we were going down to Abruzzo to see one of the writers that is involved with La D’s virtual writers’ group, <a href="http://www.writersabroad.com/">www.writersabroad.com</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The criteria to be a member is that you have to be living in a country other than your birth country and that you write in English. It is very successful with quite a number on the waiting list.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The person we went too see, Paola, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is in fact Italian, but writes in English and lives, at the moment, in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dhaka</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region></st1:place>. She has never lived in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region>. She was born in <st1:place w:st="on">East Africa</st1:place>. Quite a person.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">She and a few others get together for a week near a small town called Abbateggio in the north of the Majella National Park which is in the region of Abruzzo. The group take over a whole B&B place, <a href="http://www.casagiumentina.it/">www.casagiumentina.it</a> They teach each other things. For instance, one of them gives Yoga lessons, another does creative writing, etc.. La D’s contact teaches Italian. This is all mixed in with some personal repose, trip to the beach, maybe a visit to a vineyard, local restaurants. It sounds as though it could be a very relaxing and interesting time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We made good time, despite driving through a torrential downpour for a few minutes and arrived in time for a coffee. Fantastic place. The views are quite spectacular. We were introduced to those that where there, and then a delicious bowl or two of soup that a couple of them had made. It also turned out that Paola’s husband came from Belfast and as I did all my schooling there, I was quizzed about which school I went to Methody (Methodist College Belfast to give it its full title). Her husband went to Methody’s traditional rival school Inst (Royal Belfast Academical Institution). Then we got onto the schools’ cup (rugby) but it turned out that he was two years younger than me so it was unlikely that we tried to knock seven bells out of each other on the pitch, sorry, played rugby against each other. Anyway, Methody leads the cup stats with 32 wins to Inst's 29. Oh yes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards we went into Abbateggio itself. We parked up and then went walking into the centro storico (the historical centre). Paola’s parents moved there from Rome in 1947. Her dad was the appointed GP for the town. The commune helped with his transportation issues by lending him a mule!! If he were late at a baby delivery, he often kipped down in the same bed as the mum and new babe to get some essential ZZZs. We went past the house where they had lived and where Paola’s brother and sister were born. The house looked as though it was once quite grand, but now would require a total restoration. The population has reduced from 2500 pop to 450 pop over the last few decades. Desperate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As were were walking down a street, Paola suddenly opened a door to a building and called out to someone. A few minutes later we were sitting in a tiny front room/kitchen listening to a lady talking about her family. When we asked her age, she replied that she was 98 and 5 months!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After we said our goodbyes and went for a bit more a walkabout, Paola did the same thing to another house and again we were ushered in and offered refreshments. This lady was one of the children that Paola’s father had brought into the world. It was really most interesting. We were treated to the tae of how she and her husband met and all sorts of family history.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We asked Paola how she had come to know people and things about Abbateggio when she only visited the place once a year, and then not until recently. She wasn’t even born there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The town has very interesting mayor (sindaco). He wanted to try and make contact with all living diaspora of the town, and their offspring, because he was trying to reach out to people who knew the town and wanted more interest to be shown in what it, and he, were doing to promote it. He made the effort to trace as many people as he could and wrote to them asking them to make contact. He also gave them a vote they could use the for the town elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even found out that were 200 ex-Abbateggions in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Belgium</st1:place></st1:country-region>. He also wrote to them and invited them to a re-union with some current townsfolk in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Brussels</st1:place></st1:city>. He then flew up to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Belgium</st1:place></st1:country-region> with some of the towns people to meet up with the ex-pats. Just over 100 came to the meeting. I personally think that is a huge success.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway, this was all a few years ago and Paola was so amazed at the effort being made that she came to Abbateggio and started making contacts with people who had known her parents and her siblings. She then started her annual bash. Her parents come often now and stay at the same B&B.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And yes, she did vote at the town elections.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Amazing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Great day. Thank you Paola.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-22089435286416980162011-07-01T11:48:00.001+02:002011-07-06T11:21:06.649+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Happy 1<sup>st</sup> July to everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">How eggasperating is this?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The girls appear to have been having a bit of a break (ha, ha) in their egg laying. We have recently only been getting one or two eggs a day, which is not the norm. The weather has been v hot. A couple of days ago a local thermometer was nudging 45</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">°</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">C. So we have been putting down the lack of eggs due to overheated hens.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">However, the hens have pretty much a free run of the middle and upper gardens and love wandering about. What they don’t like is Freya stalking them and suddenly leaping on them and grabbing their tail feathers. But that’s another tale.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This morning I had to go and do a few chores at one of the local villages and when I got back this is what La D had found in a nesting place in the garden. The little buggers. Why have they stopped laying in their perfectly good nesting box? Doh!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuM23Dmkk7qDkAikbcWwkWs3Aeghyphenhyphen3UJYSWZ2hOKlJVPOBSYyHz39bBOfu0rvNe7g1qRcseAVxkIAm09CMhwVXLSDihmGYMDBZouNFVceki6mWXLzHW1_iY24tD_ujCzvZM_7-DWONCTS/s1600/Wild+eggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuM23Dmkk7qDkAikbcWwkWs3Aeghyphenhyphen3UJYSWZ2hOKlJVPOBSYyHz39bBOfu0rvNe7g1qRcseAVxkIAm09CMhwVXLSDihmGYMDBZouNFVceki6mWXLzHW1_iY24tD_ujCzvZM_7-DWONCTS/s200/Wild+eggs.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Matters of the teeth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Both La D and I have had reason to go to the dentista recently. Both of us hate it and it is expensive, or at least we think it’s expensive. But what can you do? We don’t to be called the “gummies” before our time do we? Having seen some pictures of Russian country people who use stainless steel for replacement teeth, maybe I’ll just go and have a “Jaws” job, a la James Bond character. On second thoughts, maybe not<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I have to go back for a further consultation at the end of the month. Oh joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Social scene</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Went for a great BBQ the other night. Some people we know have a great place with a pool that they rent out but this week there were no guests so they decided to have a do. Absolutely brill. We met up with the people who rescued Bertie and his siblings. Poor bloke, he recently fell off a ladder doing some arboreal work. Broke his back. Fortunately he fell very levelly(?) and the break is quite healable. Apparently if you break a vertebra from the side, that is a completely different matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The library is going well but quite slowly. I am on duty this afternoon. Hopefully there will be a few people through the doors.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Travelling down to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pescara</st1:place></st1:city> next week for lunch with one of the people who belongs to La D’s Writers Abroad web group. She actually lives in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Bangladesh</st1:country-region> – her husband is in the UK FO – having just moved there from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Belgium</st1:place></st1:country-region>. She runs a writing course in <st1:place w:st="on">North Abruzzo</st1:place> once a year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">Bertie and Freya are going to spend the day with their friend Lola. I do hope Lola’s people know what they are taking on! I’m sure they do.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">Talking if dogs, here is a picture taking today during our early morning constitution. The sun is just rising at this time and it creates beautiful dappled light in some areas where we go.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-nZWdPhsaSNEfpLra29GuYL-WYGOMk2Wm7nHELVGFUL41hVEzgYOjgXvLgN_NsU0J8TCuPuuMaOYrbRARBKfuTdeKt1mVz4lJOYOiigt8NxNO4DkAmXn7v540a8bAlXor8u2bMKK-znt/s1600/Early+morning+dogs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-nZWdPhsaSNEfpLra29GuYL-WYGOMk2Wm7nHELVGFUL41hVEzgYOjgXvLgN_NsU0J8TCuPuuMaOYrbRARBKfuTdeKt1mVz4lJOYOiigt8NxNO4DkAmXn7v540a8bAlXor8u2bMKK-znt/s320/Early+morning+dogs.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Had a lovely long ‘phone call with my number three son this week. He and one of his friends are thinking of coming to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region> for a week in August and was sounding me out about some places. Have given him lots of info on places in Le <st1:state w:st="on">Marche</st1:state> but also in the South (<st1:city w:st="on">Sorrento</st1:city> peninsula) and <st1:state w:st="on">North West</st1:state> (Italian Riviera, <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Liguria</st1:place></st1:state>). So we’ll wait and see.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">No more news on baby Annalise. Some photos have appeared on Facebook, but that is all. It’s rather sad really as Facebook as most of you know is a massive personal networking website, with people able to acknowledge others as friends. My son only has two friends on it. Rather defeats the object.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></b></div></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-37385833242118357502011-06-24T12:18:00.000+02:002011-06-24T12:18:40.274+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">New Granddaughter<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s been confirmed that her name is Annalise. They are not sure if she will have middle names at the moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">There is a new book that has just been published about very small children. It is a book for parents and is called “Go the f&*k to sleep”. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate and refreshingly honest, it captures the familiar and unspoken tribulations of putting your child to bed for the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It has got some brilliant reviews. Perhaps my son and his wife should hold off on the official naming thing until they have all got used to living together. You never know, the experience might throw up some fairly apt names.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">How about Enyo, goddess of war or perhaps Anushka, goddess of temper. You just never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Haven’t had any photos through yet but it’s early days.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Freya<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Larger than life. She weighed in at 22 kilos last week. Up from 15 four weeks previously. Gulp. I’m going to weigh her next Friday when she will be 5 months old and see what the brute weighs then. Still gorgeous. Doesn’t appreciate her biting strength. Adores Bert and follows him around a lot of the time. Shedding her coat like billy-o.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still very timid of people, sometimes even us which is a bit odd. But what is really strange is that if we meet up with fiends to go for a walk with the dogs, Freya will not come near them whilst we are getting ready. As soon as we set off, she’s like their new best friend. Running up to them, wagging her tail, trying to lick and jump up at them. It’s like a switch has been thrown, the effect is immediate. Odd.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Weather<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Yes. Lots of it and all roasting. Saw a temperature sign above a pharmacy yesterday reading 45</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">°</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> at about midday. Glad <st1:place w:st="on">Wimbledon</st1:place> is on. Shut the shutters, sit slightly apart from La D – nothing to do with personal hygiene, just tooooo hot – and watch some excellent sports men and women. We saw the matches between Venus Williams and Kimiko Date-Krum and the one between Li Na and Sabine Lisicki. What absolutely riveting tennis.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The forecast looks like more of the same. Oh dear. More out with the pooches just after 6 am.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The only problem with these early morning starts is that we are not alone! We were joined this morning by this lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP4bBPmwZjQH8y7YHKgm9XYQjt2RltjZC_44OuxOegFIsPRCxg9hgDgz2KF8JKLulFAhYKr0gtnO1IIpy4LL5gCbbeLslF8I1tuk60_fK-CMVP8H3eXKU3KIrdKjRwUBm5gy3X25vUUIV/s1600/mummy+pic+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP4bBPmwZjQH8y7YHKgm9XYQjt2RltjZC_44OuxOegFIsPRCxg9hgDgz2KF8JKLulFAhYKr0gtnO1IIpy4LL5gCbbeLslF8I1tuk60_fK-CMVP8H3eXKU3KIrdKjRwUBm5gy3X25vUUIV/s400/mummy+pic+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">This the third time we have seen them in the past couple of weeks<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">What else?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the little kittens passed away yesterday. It wasn’t growing or suckling mum so we are not surprised really. Still the remaining two are doing well. Their new owners are hopefully coming over today or tomorrow to have a look at them They’ll probably go from us about 5 weeks, once they have weaned.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-89008937347395885732011-06-14T17:47:00.001+02:002011-06-24T10:37:15.872+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>A Special 14th June</b><br />
<br />
Fourth granddaughter born this afternoon. Called Annalise or Annalisa. Still to be confirmed. Mum had to be induced yesterday and forceps were required at the end. Both babe and ma doing well by all accounts. Weight unknown, to me, at present. Will revert.<br />
Over and out.<br />
<br />
<b>Ciao, Mantenere la fede</b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-29055324322686732822011-06-10T11:21:00.000+02:002011-06-10T11:21:21.553+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Freshwater Fun and Frolics<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bertie and Freya get down and clean in the Fiume Tenna. Great fun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://youtu.be/6f9YRdwxlyY">http://youtu.be/6f9YRdwxlyY</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We take the dogs out very early these days because of the heat. We have been going down paths mainly because we want to get Freya used to regular exercise and paths are not too onerous for her. We will gradually build her up to some decent lengths of walks. The other day we took her into a field of uncut grass. This is a picture of her after we got back. She seems to shrink by a third when her coat gets wet. It’s more obvious when she is in the river but it is still quite clear even with early morning dew on her coat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajEbLazGUS-62gqCrojJ1bXItEisB46RUeNyVOQ7xoQhHAe1CwM0F1uP4DTvRh9dwYMKlQMCOiKRvZOfD7tP4dhKMrr4ZYCqUdNOFBZjhFYi2bYtfhF4Db7WzM1P4m5SmsP-isibVp7Hi/s1600/P1000545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajEbLazGUS-62gqCrojJ1bXItEisB46RUeNyVOQ7xoQhHAe1CwM0F1uP4DTvRh9dwYMKlQMCOiKRvZOfD7tP4dhKMrr4ZYCqUdNOFBZjhFYi2bYtfhF4Db7WzM1P4m5SmsP-isibVp7Hi/s200/P1000545.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pussy(ies) Galore<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have more kittens as of yesterday morning. Got up to let the dogs out at 05:30 – yes, that’s right, half five in the morning – and instead of two cats on the mat there were five. Tigger had three kittens.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginkPF-rl9H2U6kGSsKt7kQK7Hjtsw2fXoBPrw47dF9uhNOP9pDLAqBR3m_x-XKbcN13TIOhbeWzfNJWhvxTk-38yIBOVFbUwwoBqkT__VY1012UBOD20FCccsE4BrmCJZhueQsUHhjHgH/s1600/P1000546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginkPF-rl9H2U6kGSsKt7kQK7Hjtsw2fXoBPrw47dF9uhNOP9pDLAqBR3m_x-XKbcN13TIOhbeWzfNJWhvxTk-38yIBOVFbUwwoBqkT__VY1012UBOD20FCccsE4BrmCJZhueQsUHhjHgH/s320/P1000546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Lovely colouring especially a little tortoiseshell one. Haven’t sexed them yet as they are very small. Just hoping that the male cats don’t come and take them away when they are a couple of weeks old as they did to Daisy’s a few weeks ago.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We hope we have homes for them all. Will keep you posted.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Orti<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The veggie patches are doing great guns, just like all the other vegetation. We have had lots more rain and with good temperatures the rate of growth is phenomenal. Last pea picking tomorrow then we will take them out and plant some brassicas. I think. La D is the Director of Operations (why am I so surprised?).</div><div class="MsoNormal">Had first of our new potatoes yesterday. Absolutely gorgeous they were too. Having some more tomorrow a la Patate Dauphinoise as it’s our wedding anniversary. I wonder what would happen if I ever forgot our wedding anniversary? I tend not to think about those sort of things, it makes me go all queasy, weak at the knees and funny up the bum!.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Galline<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The chickens are fine. Still getting three eggs a day. Friends and neighbours have been benefitting from our girls’ largesse. Freya seems to have gone off the idea of chicken biting. Not completely, but almost. So hopefully she has grown out of that particular phase.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Lurgi</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have been attacked by the vegetation. Very itchy and pretty disgusting to touch. I have these sores over my left arm, hand and knee. A litle bit on my right arm and knee. It should go soon, hopefully. At least ti keeps the women at bay. Ha, ha says La D!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicToV1fZHmFCvhWqgvE5olGzcOml_iES4rWgKsfzYL8bpvoLRiY4FqLgBk3Uw7qoafGZSWBumweQ3TXn28qMbROhJY1a4zZDelYb7XOrCFVyQuaTcrDQOHIbEmQty6VyEQLpfnVwa72qi7/s1600/P1000528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicToV1fZHmFCvhWqgvE5olGzcOml_iES4rWgKsfzYL8bpvoLRiY4FqLgBk3Uw7qoafGZSWBumweQ3TXn28qMbROhJY1a4zZDelYb7XOrCFVyQuaTcrDQOHIbEmQty6VyEQLpfnVwa72qi7/s320/P1000528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ciao<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGPdMTcFg1mH9_OWz6rHdu2_mqdV2eRqIp5yqbQT9P8-X-SxNtYMrQiHbN6BMQHipodUTWBpf4y0j0k4z58hDrxM3pwkDIE_okd3QHVihnbcvSCXAsftuYCEXJr55OiyAJO_PwgK_aAXF/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGPdMTcFg1mH9_OWz6rHdu2_mqdV2eRqIp5yqbQT9P8-X-SxNtYMrQiHbN6BMQHipodUTWBpf4y0j0k4z58hDrxM3pwkDIE_okd3QHVihnbcvSCXAsftuYCEXJr55OiyAJO_PwgK_aAXF/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
</b></div></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-53834736655205661222011-06-02T14:41:00.001+02:002011-06-02T14:41:48.823+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>It's Freya again!</b><br />
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Here's a video we made last week down at the river. Freya adores the water as you can see. It won't be long before she is chasing after the sticks with Bertie!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://youtu.be/CrBAsmYKt58" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/CrBAsmYKt58</a></span><br />
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Ciao, mantenere la fede<br />
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</div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-13080058205396653262011-05-27T11:01:00.000+02:002011-05-27T11:01:11.992+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Freya Update.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Freya continues to delight and annoy us in equal measure. No, not really. She is a lovely big pup.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The D-i-L came over a couple of weeks ago and little Freya took a few days before she was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>comfortable around him as she is terribly shy of new people she meets. But she was soon won round with D-i-L’s general pleasing demeanour and, it has to be said, his terrible jokes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH7xkh_2eIWcvgO9SbhBL15WIyE7LZsTOmN-czznnFEHP97ybxLqlLtyngnHwBLwVtw_QFX-pDh906FYXNMRA0Eeyz53Mxd82nZcwW1h8o5c6-DB9P849eZJ61oS6uE6ekSWL1E1GJaKY/s1600/DiL+and+Freya.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH7xkh_2eIWcvgO9SbhBL15WIyE7LZsTOmN-czznnFEHP97ybxLqlLtyngnHwBLwVtw_QFX-pDh906FYXNMRA0Eeyz53Mxd82nZcwW1h8o5c6-DB9P849eZJ61oS6uE6ekSWL1E1GJaKY/s200/DiL+and+Freya.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">She has already been swimming, although not intentionally. She was trying to follow Bertie whilst he was chasing sticks and got quickly out of her depth and had to doggy paddle to get back to the shallows. She absolutely loves the river. We have been three times now and every time she is a little more adventurous.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykaKgz7pFnERClIZEBpJkfPICmNWvTSL9p7N2attsHkjjhfRnKuREJtMJxFjQMesRTPyZuRKJDrzEAjSCnAOCAeAAxONNKO5S9DKsg8RrGP8bArtZX2EH-WJgyhp6wUtrBlUyeoGQq8pH/s1600/B%2526F+river+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykaKgz7pFnERClIZEBpJkfPICmNWvTSL9p7N2attsHkjjhfRnKuREJtMJxFjQMesRTPyZuRKJDrzEAjSCnAOCAeAAxONNKO5S9DKsg8RrGP8bArtZX2EH-WJgyhp6wUtrBlUyeoGQq8pH/s200/B%2526F+river+2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iJ36tRU81SNhMSZoxJOBnneht-aLMuGSADyr6S3N7DRhbEiIEYmX18sJeYQwbi-OqeeqJDvfPYZCRPbZfQtbIkzyPs1hagt6PiBNEAGrrQrPmhwpVraRcZNV8Fg3_uVVHNkBaZ1klHzA/s1600/B%2526F+river+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iJ36tRU81SNhMSZoxJOBnneht-aLMuGSADyr6S3N7DRhbEiIEYmX18sJeYQwbi-OqeeqJDvfPYZCRPbZfQtbIkzyPs1hagt6PiBNEAGrrQrPmhwpVraRcZNV8Fg3_uVVHNkBaZ1klHzA/s200/B%2526F+river+3.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZdGcPoY7PuZ96Cq8L-XCACZCU7jIgd9qYUWnNvW1h-EyQnVDGAvcihzF6PkzQJ_dcSQ0KHUsxt1uIjqsdx7V43p64rijVHh7DFVTzziUAJBaVQzQL_L50h4ZvHry6gfSYxIMfsuZErUT/s1600/B%2526F+river.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZdGcPoY7PuZ96Cq8L-XCACZCU7jIgd9qYUWnNvW1h-EyQnVDGAvcihzF6PkzQJ_dcSQ0KHUsxt1uIjqsdx7V43p64rijVHh7DFVTzziUAJBaVQzQL_L50h4ZvHry6gfSYxIMfsuZErUT/s200/B%2526F+river.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We went to Lago san Ruffino early this week with our friends who have Lola. Freya absolutely loved the walk and the water. We let her off the lead and she was very good. A lot of chasing after the other dogs, then back to the humans to check we were all there. Looking for a quick pat. The off again. An immensely happy dog. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Bertie, we think, is loving having a pal. La D was right, of course. (“Of course I was right!” La D speaking, sorry, writing.) A friend for Bertie would be a good thing, and so it is proving. They play a lot together. Tumbling all over the place. Bertie is often on his back with Freya trying to bit his neck and other bits, the unmentionables. It says a lot for his confidence with her that he lies like that. Of course there is still the occasional snap and corresponding whimper when Bertie has had enough. But these are few and far between and Freya seems to bring him round to more play or else goes and has a kip in the shade of the hazelnut tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">She also loves the chickens. So much so that one of her favourite games is to sneak up behind and grab them by the tail feathers. It’s an odd sight to see a chicken with a large white dog attached to its rear end. We tend to discourage this sort of behaviour as it may affect egg laying, but so far it hasn’t as we still getting out tre uova per day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">As I have already mentioned, it really is a good time of year to have a pup as they are outside all the time and of course there is plenty of space for them. The weather also helps. It’s has been pretty lovely the last few weeks. The odd shower but then back to mid 30s and glorious sunshine. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Garden Update<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Those of you with a keen eye will have seen that La D now does a gardening blog associated with this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We were out at 6 this morning planting some more tomatoes (pomodori), cucumbers (citrioli), beans (fagioli) and courgettes (zucchini). La D has also planted quite a few flowers around the place so we should have wonderful colours over the Summer. Somebody we knew who lived briefly over here left us a Bottle Brush plant rather than take it back to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Lovely isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg7RAqcZaLighrn9xHHuD8vg_W_lLH6TROq_UAYz1ijMQBTZtDzRhHx4BBB2mZx2PTLeraZKHjA6p85j2rK5Al9U2ru3yPLBbAPb67ksqu_zdmbP-WuPvzZI4vIrvAcCH5mOlpPZ2ieko/s1600/Bottle+brush+resized.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJg7RAqcZaLighrn9xHHuD8vg_W_lLH6TROq_UAYz1ijMQBTZtDzRhHx4BBB2mZx2PTLeraZKHjA6p85j2rK5Al9U2ru3yPLBbAPb67ksqu_zdmbP-WuPvzZI4vIrvAcCH5mOlpPZ2ieko/s200/Bottle+brush+resized.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">English Library<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Together with a few other “Inglesi” we have opened a library in a town near us, Servigliano.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">There must be well over a 1000 books now with more coming in. There is a tremendous breadth to the books as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We are open twice a week at the moment and take it in turns to play Librarian – not the way of Peter Sellers in ”Only Two Can Play” mind you!. We have been given a room by a charity in a fabulous old “palazzo” in the middle of the town. The architecture is quite stunning.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Activity is slow but we are hoping that will slowly increase as the library becomes more known.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It will definitely save on Amazon orders!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Spring has Sprung<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">As usual at this time of year the local felines have had kittens or are pregnant. One of the ones that hang around our place, Daisy, had three a little while ago, but they mysteriously disappeared when they were about 16/17 days old. We understand that the male cats come along and take the kittens off somewhere, so that the queens will again come into season then the toms can get their end away again. All seems rather brutal to me, but there you go. C’è la vita<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-67434241807392442652011-04-26T17:05:00.001+02:002011-05-27T11:04:19.455+02:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Once again I apologise<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">For the tardiness I have shown recently on blog updating. I’ve been that busy. Heard that one before have you? I expect so.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Anyway a quick fill in before the big, and I mean BIG news.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D had a good time with her siblings and pa but it was rather lovely to pick her up from the airport.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">With the lumberjacking done, I had been in charge of the slash and burn of the ground to liberate it from the weeds and general overgrowth. It was great. When La D got back it was time to move the timber up to the house. It was hard going but we managed it over several days and now have a good wood stack which I am hoping will last perhaps two years.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">With the advent of some warmer and dryer weather we have also done a bit of decorating in the kitchen and sitting/dining room. We had the doors and windows open all the time so the smell of the paint didn’t get to us too much. Looks very good.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The lovely Spring weather has also meant we have been eating breakfast and lunch outdoors for about three weeks now. Lovely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Veggie gardening is about to go ballistic as we head into the major sowing season although our fava (broadbeans) are ready now. Lovely with sheep’s’ cheese. So there will be lots of weeding and putting up of support canes. Good fun. In fact one of things that La D have been thinking about is perhaps going into a sort of partnership with some friends and working out what we all grow best and set up a small cooperative venture. If we grow toms best then we grow all the toms, if somebody else grows onions best then they grow all the onions, etc.. Or something like that. We’ll see. We haven’t talked to anybody about it yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">BIG NEWS TIME!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D has been banging on about something for quite a while now and I have been resisting – not that hard mind you, just a bit to give her something to push against!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">When we heard that what we have just got was likely to be “at risk” quite soon, we took the plunge.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We now have a friend for Bertie!! She (another dog might prove problematical in the future, temperament-wise) is just about 12 weeks old and scrummy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Her name is Freya and she is one of six pups from a farm not too far from here. The shepherd’s dogs had 5 bitches and 1 dog. Whilst the shepherd has no problem with a dog, they don’t need bitches as they tend to breed. Surprising that. So he wants rid of them. Mind you she was expensive compared to Bertie. We had to give the shepherd a packet of cigarettes, when Bertie cost us nothing! The shepherd was more than pleased someone took on one of the pups and he was thrilled by the ciggies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Some friends have seen the pups since they were born. They do in fact have a sister of Freya’s from the previous litter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Freya’s great. Very pretty, clumsy, fluffy, bitey but licky too, and almost house-trained already. When you think she spent the first nine weeks of her life living in a field, she has taken to domestic living very quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Bertie has come round rapidly. He was a little distant at first but I expect couldn’t resist the way Freya just threw herself at him, literally, to get him to play. Bertie is just coming to the end of his moulting and we often see Freya with a mouthful of white fur from where she has charged into him, mouth agape, nipping him. He tells her off sometimes. Not often.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The time of year is of course brilliant. The dogs are outside all the time. Of course a lot of puppy-watching is essential to her correct upbringing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Here are some photographs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTkEk7sWBRFuwqvHQVUodODdo7lwrjP3KJ-3bYPGDDvoWbHpEV0w2vJeyk16gdJFsjKwmLLlrl9LMPaf2_8AIrGTsj_v587KMEuRRF0igRTfN0pUeP-2eXAwNVcA2QZe9aWX51r059lSF/s1600/Freya+pic+26th+April.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTkEk7sWBRFuwqvHQVUodODdo7lwrjP3KJ-3bYPGDDvoWbHpEV0w2vJeyk16gdJFsjKwmLLlrl9LMPaf2_8AIrGTsj_v587KMEuRRF0igRTfN0pUeP-2eXAwNVcA2QZe9aWX51r059lSF/s200/Freya+pic+26th+April.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmCt_aDcNaTztrFU8y3nJD9fdj4uLRBGFmVm7KsC2DgDhJBIzjxrxxqcwTFzgw2cS7f6_4WxWYFEed6VhK26wVOdbSb-bJUwZFPU_NsnSylYThPe1eX__Hwkb2KY76qq2HKi56yBTk1jX/s1600/Look+at+them+paws.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmCt_aDcNaTztrFU8y3nJD9fdj4uLRBGFmVm7KsC2DgDhJBIzjxrxxqcwTFzgw2cS7f6_4WxWYFEed6VhK26wVOdbSb-bJUwZFPU_NsnSylYThPe1eX__Hwkb2KY76qq2HKi56yBTk1jX/s200/Look+at+them+paws.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So you share in our delight you can have a look at a couple of short videos we have put on Youtube. Here are the links:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBpCRACQprg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBpCRACQprg</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHKg54OV_A8&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHKg54OV_A8&feature=related</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Happy viewing!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I will keep you informed of progress and probably put some more videos up on Youtube too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpnpon6V_HJKjHskQ3LW-xhKc_McHGwpVWBjMy0OQwCZuvGtuH-WUgaxM1JAV2IiDmeT2TXk7iJAxcAm0GxgEBxMurNWlMQGml1FwLgfpfOw1s0ncVla-GL06kygfERSlyo3wgykXrTn/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></b></div></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-90108354877533406222011-03-21T17:17:00.000+01:002011-03-21T17:17:46.018+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb6GHhyoCVMmV8uzbAAAHEA0K5MZ7nEq8EvJrSXFqMdT3CxR3IIN8TdnMzmaiinyNLZEO79id8yycuIlLQNwzLnVRlTenlcCJjrSbyCymdLzK_YsxrsN06W_o95HJXtXNfqIKxUjfKRm8/s1600/lumberjack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb6GHhyoCVMmV8uzbAAAHEA0K5MZ7nEq8EvJrSXFqMdT3CxR3IIN8TdnMzmaiinyNLZEO79id8yycuIlLQNwzLnVRlTenlcCJjrSbyCymdLzK_YsxrsN06W_o95HJXtXNfqIKxUjfKRm8/s1600/lumberjack.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Last week we had to take the Golf for its first Revisione (MOT). As usual I had been fretting about whether she would pass and how much it was going to cost to put things right. I don’t know why she wouldn’t pass as she is well looked after, but then, that’s me. Anyway it was fine and she is now OK until March 2013. Great.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So, with no expense associated with the Revision and after much cogitation and deliberation I finally went and got a chainsaw (petrol) to start on next Winter’s firewood. It was a difficult decision. I find – much to La D’s annoyance – that I have to cover all aspects of a major purchase from north to south, east to west, back to front, etc., and then spend a bit (OK, a lot) of time on the web researching the myriad options. My view is that we buy very little these days and so when we do, I need to feel comfortable with the decision, in other words, fluffy. Now La D is much more practical.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">She’ll ask, “Do we need it/one?” If the answer is yes, then it’s JFBI.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Actually this is pretty good, because we complement each other<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So in the end I plumped for a Jonsered. For those not in the know they are one of the top brands, made by Husqvarna in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Consequently they are not cheap but it should be a reliable investment and give us a few good years of service. I would much prefer to spend €150 on a pair of shoes that will last for 15 years r more rather than pay €60 for some that might last three. But there you go.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The reason I went for them rather than another brand was because the other good ones are all about the same price but the Jonsered dealer is the nearest. I felt it better to buy from a dealer because of spares (these machines do need a few consumables) and also if anything should go wrong they will be able to deal with it. So there we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">First thing did when I got it home was to get out the manual. It was printed only in Italiano. Oops. Onto the net. Downloaded the manula in English, printed it out a d set to work understanding how it works and what to do. This “homework” continued on Sunday. La D kept throwing glances in my direction as I was obviously not giving her 100% of my attention as I should have done. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“Isn’t it just a question of click and go?” she said, rather abruptly. Oh dear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“No darling, not quite as simple as that I’m afraid.” I’m not sure she believed me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We went down to the bottom of the estate this morning and got stuck in. La D had a go but decided to let me “lumberjack” whilst she cleared up and piled the logs into graded piles. Oh yes, very organised.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We nearly had the tree sawn up by lunchtime! The only thing we haven’t been able to finish is the last bit of the trunk as it is lying awkwardly, so I need to give this some thought as to how we can finish the job. The trunk will provide us with some great logs.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We also felled the tree next door to it as it was leaning pretty precariously. We hope to make inroads on that tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Of course there is just one problemette. We have to move the timber from the bottom to the top where the house is. It’s a stiff old climb just getting yourself up, never mind pushing a barrow of logs in front of you .I did one trip this afternoon. That’s why I decided to come in and write this blog entry!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Well you know the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I hope that’s right.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I’m expecting I’ll look like a body builder by the time La D returns from her trip to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> for her dad’s birthday and to see her mum and family. Well, even more body builder-like than I do now. Ahem.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZsF1ScjJe0GJtW0MQtQG98Ut6dRr4LpFvgdao2tBLybuWxTnpXBFoP61GuzFNqKCBnV4WAB79GinP3oeisEmWPTpZ-W74z9N0MCXpvFP06yraEKPx-xAqkeWX3v51ormBuU2DQFMF1yu/s1600/Liz%2527s+painting+of+CG+resized+BLOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZsF1ScjJe0GJtW0MQtQG98Ut6dRr4LpFvgdao2tBLybuWxTnpXBFoP61GuzFNqKCBnV4WAB79GinP3oeisEmWPTpZ-W74z9N0MCXpvFP06yraEKPx-xAqkeWX3v51ormBuU2DQFMF1yu/s200/Liz%2527s+painting+of+CG+resized+BLOG.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-24965818589832002672011-03-05T15:53:00.002+01:002011-03-05T15:56:39.293+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Wow!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Well, where do I begin.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The weather has been atrocious all week. First we had torrential rain – 12 inches in 12 hours at one point! – then we had loads of snow, then more rain and then even more rain. This has been accompanied with 48 hours without electricity due to the very heavy snowfall. 5 towns near us were all blacked out. The regional government has called for a regional state of emergency to be declared. It’s been raining since and still raining now.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">3 people killed. Rivers bursting banks. Road sides collapsed. Earth and trees pushed onto the roads. It’s really terrible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Just down from us a huge amount of earth and trees had slid into the road, turning it into a one lane road. This morning as I went past it, more slippage had a occurred because of the continuous rain. Fortunately there were a load of workman there with several great lorries waiting to take away all the debris and a big digger that was pulling down more earth down - to make it stable I guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dZztLrwRqC0tQud9jLq5wJC8aLOp87w-t8Xj4RtWsdPpMN1R1KgY-x2lVd3HzKvX-wKEm6YvmfG30jFM_Mqw7MZSQV_fCMC2MGFTWWErFoZW2VVl5sGwoeLWvaFkbiaU7FptT59a1HTI/s1600/Road+collapse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dZztLrwRqC0tQud9jLq5wJC8aLOp87w-t8Xj4RtWsdPpMN1R1KgY-x2lVd3HzKvX-wKEm6YvmfG30jFM_Mqw7MZSQV_fCMC2MGFTWWErFoZW2VVl5sGwoeLWvaFkbiaU7FptT59a1HTI/s200/Road+collapse.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We hear that the coast has had it the worst, but goodness knows what it’s like over there, Must be desperate. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On Thursday we braved the weather and took Bertie out down to the river just to have a look. We’ve never seen it in full spate. My goodness what a sight. The walk down to little “Torrente Saline” – this is effectively a stream just dribbles along usually but comes into its own when the snow starts to melt on the mountains – was littered with earth and rock falls that we had to climb over. At the end of the path there is a water testing plant, pretty small. From there, there are some steps down to the stream. These steps had completely disappeared!!!. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZVs-wihJWMKWpd0UnaQYPdKPdkqZUhHRbeG9g3dL5iePJnSTTK7tufz5RgOTDCw1O-fSnhdzXKUvCd71Pgara9lSRZDNWbvPp0qhkMZcEQ0jki7DufxYGwiGEQfz4FncZu8D47wIxmUI/s1600/Acqua+Saline+path.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZVs-wihJWMKWpd0UnaQYPdKPdkqZUhHRbeG9g3dL5iePJnSTTK7tufz5RgOTDCw1O-fSnhdzXKUvCd71Pgara9lSRZDNWbvPp0qhkMZcEQ0jki7DufxYGwiGEQfz4FncZu8D47wIxmUI/s200/Acqua+Saline+path.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8u2IsK_1ZJ94JGR2WMVPCHZfwVeX220D7bUi-htGr3759uWHxyQ5cTJlWJvBXKVa14s5jWqnwUwGsOdNkCVlrbC-J7F6Oe8488gpLP0MKxYBGGZSYMcUZ-ttFDeBJfcazZUXW9nrmh2yq/s1600/Stairs+missing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8u2IsK_1ZJ94JGR2WMVPCHZfwVeX220D7bUi-htGr3759uWHxyQ5cTJlWJvBXKVa14s5jWqnwUwGsOdNkCVlrbC-J7F6Oe8488gpLP0MKxYBGGZSYMcUZ-ttFDeBJfcazZUXW9nrmh2yq/s200/Stairs+missing.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We went down a different way to the river. Devastation. There was a path by the side of the river that we usually walked down once we had joined the proper river from the stream. A good 50 metre length of it was gone. This path was about 2 metres high and at least 2 metres wide. Just nothing there at all. The whole vista had changed. Bertie took it into his head to swim across, or rather down, but we had trouble getting him back as the poor lad was just treading water trying to reach us. Eventually we were able to get hold of him and were together again. Phew.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEaqRZJ38lgz_gxkM6M6n77CW4RGWUsZfGx8o8UiFV1jZmv6_BqHwipT9sVIRgP2j6W2HLJfffXs87Qb245LEs5buQK65W_47rYlfOHLKvg4P1_mJuBcrxjwYckD3gXO_PPoVTOpHkDNM/s1600/Missing+river+bank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEaqRZJ38lgz_gxkM6M6n77CW4RGWUsZfGx8o8UiFV1jZmv6_BqHwipT9sVIRgP2j6W2HLJfffXs87Qb245LEs5buQK65W_47rYlfOHLKvg4P1_mJuBcrxjwYckD3gXO_PPoVTOpHkDNM/s200/Missing+river+bank.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">From the right hand side of the log in the river to the side, there was a path 3 days ago. It ran from where the stream enters the river on the right, down as far as you can see. The river has almost doubled in width at this juncture.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">The bottom of our garden is criss- crossed with little streams. The path that La D and I have carved out during our daily walks with Bertie is now a stream. Never seen anything like it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqx6c4RntvSVattjz9bwEFPpucKIfdKGqtnHTUWjKOf1tAI4eytmQa3DT84lsExMM3u07g1vbD9SLmDOJeld3jDXHrcw7htQhru9Kv2R5Y8n8B-ULluS2m9nT5APFOrtLeOINB_kn-xeZi/s1600/Path+as+stream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqx6c4RntvSVattjz9bwEFPpucKIfdKGqtnHTUWjKOf1tAI4eytmQa3DT84lsExMM3u07g1vbD9SLmDOJeld3jDXHrcw7htQhru9Kv2R5Y8n8B-ULluS2m9nT5APFOrtLeOINB_kn-xeZi/s200/Path+as+stream.JPG" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCTS3keLFwjWo_nC_USjyrnX4bAmJ586a-DXeXwxhTJP4d33e_7qPsbuN4-mB-WQ-peow2hK-W2-wQMcVGhvxhre930OXk0kX78DLiv5KPN7njrVA9wQ-Gh63Q8wHbmm-eVXQ67-tRkfW/s1600/Pat+as+stream+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCTS3keLFwjWo_nC_USjyrnX4bAmJ586a-DXeXwxhTJP4d33e_7qPsbuN4-mB-WQ-peow2hK-W2-wQMcVGhvxhre930OXk0kX78DLiv5KPN7njrVA9wQ-Gh63Q8wHbmm-eVXQ67-tRkfW/s200/Pat+as+stream+2.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Apparently the worst weather to hit this region for 40 years. Let’s hope there is nothing like this for another 40 years. We have heard lots of stories about how people have fared. We get this info through Facebook and the Italian Community website.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We have a big tree down at the end of garden, which in some way may be propitious as it could provide next Winter’s (or the one after definitely) fire wood supply. I just need to get a petrol-driven chainsaw – we have an electric one but it is far to far away. Such a shame. Ha, ha, ha. More gadgets. Can we afford it? Probably not. But, I should be able to get a saw for about €150.00 and the value of the wood I would think is at least that. So, cost neutral. It also means that I can venture into our woods and cut up quite a bit of old timber that is there that I haven’t been able to do before.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The poor chickens don’t seem to know what to do. They have been constantly wet. Don’t think Doris and Wilma – the new ones – have been dry since they have been here. But we are getting one to two eggs a day so that is good.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A sort of spin off from all this meteorological rubbish is that La D and I have cancelled our birthday break to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Venice</st1:place></st1:city>. We were going to go next Thursday for three nights, but we are looking after Bertie’s sister – and Rustic – again as their owners have gone to Venice this week-end. Whilst it is looking dry (but very cold) for the next few days, the time we were going is looking decidedly wet. There was going to be hardly anytime for the change over of dog-looking after roles and the forecasr is for more crap weather coming our way. La D decided we really didn’t fancy leaving rain here just to holiday in more rain. So we bit the bullet and cancelled the little pensione that we had booked. We have lost the train fare, but it was a good deal so it’s not too bad. We are going to re-group and have a break maybe in the fairer weather. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-17870439338606781412011-02-24T17:26:00.000+01:002011-02-24T17:26:10.424+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Dog for sale. One owner. Free to good home. Reason for sale? He’s absolutely useless.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Well, it’s happened again. Mr Bloody fox visited us last week and took two of our girls, Tir and Nog. We couldn’t believe it. The weather was as it had been before when the fox came, very grey and p***ing with rain. However, big difference this time, Bertie was outside and we were in the house. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It happened in the afternoon. The girls had been out all morning and lunchtime. The heavens opened about </span><st1:time hour="12" minute="0"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">midday</span></st1:time><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">. It had finally stopped raining. I went out about 3 to check if there were any eggs. I saw Na in the pen, scratching around, but couldn’t see the others. Then I came across what was left of Nog, our beautiful French Black <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Copper Marans, and quite a few brown feathers from Tir, but nothing else.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">La D and myself cursed ourselves for not remembering the conditions that Foxy likes to come hunting. Oh, dear, dear, dear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Again we had become very attached to them all and they would usually come running if they heard us. They would never be any bother picking them up. Our lovely garden friends when we were out there in the garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The next day I was despatched down to the chicken farm and picked up a couple of replacements, Doris (another Marans) and Wilma (a red one). They have settled in pretty well. We have even had a couple of eggs from one. We think it is the red as the black last time took months before she was laying. Na is a bit fed up because we haven’t let her out of the pen yet because we need to get the others acclimatised to their immediate surroundings first. We also don’t want them laying eggs anywhere apart from the nesting box.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So what happened with Bertie? We don’t know. His breed’s whole raison d’etre is to guard anything that “belongs” in a recognised boundary, in this case, our house and garden-at least that bit that is fenced in. Well that’s proved to be a load of bunkum. Perhaps Bertie is the exception that proves the rule as far as a Maremma’s qualities are concerned.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">If you want him, we’ll also throw in some dog food and possibly a couple of cats, free, gratis and for nothing. Now that’s a good deal. He’s also fully vaccinated for another year against rabies and the usual dog diseases.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">La D has just informed me that Bertie is not for sale at any price. I did say I know that and that is why I am offering him for free. I am unable to print her response as most likely the paper will combust!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Looks like this is what we need, a bit of self defence:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS2s8v8qi3Yy6z0ITRwoZ4LKo8tmZYomNrkTg93jyM8q-wUAtyngzZ3Qo16TbQnXVZnUuAi_6WC-U10UfMcZLURywkY1FHcfVsMIn5tnL33wZ3zfQy-NRWsjYJ2OjYSUBzqsmrk37nxDk/s1600/this+is+what+we+need.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxS2s8v8qi3Yy6z0ITRwoZ4LKo8tmZYomNrkTg93jyM8q-wUAtyngzZ3Qo16TbQnXVZnUuAi_6WC-U10UfMcZLURywkY1FHcfVsMIn5tnL33wZ3zfQy-NRWsjYJ2OjYSUBzqsmrk37nxDk/s1600/this+is+what+we+need.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Turned cold and wintry again over the last couple of days. Had quite a bit of snow yesterday morning but it didn’t hang around. More snow and cold winds forecast for the next few days. Brrrrr. Have to make sure we’ve got some firewood ready.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Other things<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Shame about the Bahrain GP, but totally understandable.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Shame about the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ireland</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> – </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">France</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> result. It just makes me think that 3 points for a penalty for minor infringements is too much. For a vicious foul/dirty play, fair enough. I think they should reduce the points to 2 or even 1 so that tries really do count for much more of a side’s points. I will be sending my three centissimi’s worth to the RFU and IRB. Come on </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">England</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> and </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Italy</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> this Saturday and </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ireland</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> on Sunday.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nffwxK6zPLXP07wnUpNHhvVBqCHATCjRdihAp3ojNfnpnrw5ZzHmXlNJCxoArqxkcLWRCBBvaMnU33wVRxjtF321t0KuqIJmduYBv-VTw5BxO_LCYE60T9xAeB-PUXIFZ_WcO4Z4iHZF/s1600/Liz%2527s+painting+of+CG+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nffwxK6zPLXP07wnUpNHhvVBqCHATCjRdihAp3ojNfnpnrw5ZzHmXlNJCxoArqxkcLWRCBBvaMnU33wVRxjtF321t0KuqIJmduYBv-VTw5BxO_LCYE60T9xAeB-PUXIFZ_WcO4Z4iHZF/s200/Liz%2527s+painting+of+CG+resized.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-42536933055467688132011-02-14T17:27:00.001+01:002011-02-14T17:32:11.896+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Happy Valentine’s day!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocghuHq9QmE2dal8uPaoN6fZf_u3_oW6MzJGs9SD_lXWga-YKmxt8HWqiIR0JoBGnC-XelBD5qf7MaWG8i5lZLEwlrMalXrBUm_a4hU4ZXkyj_vB_fZTapLLYQLNGvHBal49bB_DY9hrS/s1600/Valentine+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocghuHq9QmE2dal8uPaoN6fZf_u3_oW6MzJGs9SD_lXWga-YKmxt8HWqiIR0JoBGnC-XelBD5qf7MaWG8i5lZLEwlrMalXrBUm_a4hU4ZXkyj_vB_fZTapLLYQLNGvHBal49bB_DY9hrS/s200/Valentine+heart.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hope you all remembered. I did. I’m in need of a few brownie points. Always am. Better to have a few banked instead of always chasing for them I think.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So, what have we been up to.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Not a lot really.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We’ve booked to go to </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Venice</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> as our birthday presents to us both. Got a couple of really cheap rail tickets and have booked a lovely little “pensione” not far from St Mark’s square. We’re going up just after Carnivale finishes. The prices at least double at Carnivale time. It’s a bit ridiculous if you ask me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The tickets for the opera season at Sferisterio in Macerata came on sale about a week ago and we have booked there for our wedding anniversary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We don’t seem to go out anywhere apart to celebrate our birthdays and anniversary. Still, it makes it all the more special. If we were going out every week, it would begin to pall a bit, we think. Anyway, it suits us.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Although having said that we are going out for meal this Thursday with some friends who are celebrating having lived in Italy for 5 years. That should be fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Oh yes and I nearly forgot, we are going out to Saturday lunch to some friends, they are the one’s who have Lola, a Bertie-type dog. She is lovely. We think Bertie is deeply in love with her as when our friends first bought her round with them, Bertie’s nose was virtually inserted where the sun doesn’t shine for whole time of their visit. V embarrassing! Never work with children and animals.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Orti and other things<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">All the vegetable patches are now ready to be planted. We have turned them, fertilised them and are now just waiting for the appropriate time to sow. It should start pretty soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We have our potatoes “chitting” in the potting shed. La D has ordered some new seeds that we are going to try this year. We’ve got some scallions (spring onions), beetroot, swede and asparagus, that we going to try. So, a bit more experimentation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">All the animals are fit. Bertie has had his annual Rabies jab and his other vaccination booster. He does not like going to the vet, at all. It takes both La D and myself to hold him whilst he has having his jabs. I’m sure they don’t hurt him, he just doesn’t like being there. Poor la D got nearly knocked out as he whipped his head up at one point as he was struggling.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We have some new neighbours moving in soon. Another Albanian family, who, if I understood someone properly, are going to try and make a go at growing tomatoes commercially. This of course may be a load of bollocks and I have completely mis-heard/mis-translated what I was told. Only time will tell. I’ll keep you informed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The other thing is that there will be more people for Bertie to bark at. Doh! He is a bit noisy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In her own words<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We were watching something on television the other day about some people being stuck in an impossible position in a foreign jail.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D tut-tutted and said, “Those poor people. They must have felt they were in perjury ”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Do you know, I’m still smiling at one.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-62649100622650164982011-01-24T17:27:00.001+01:002011-01-24T17:28:04.055+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Fresh Lemons<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D’s mum and dad bought us a lemon tree about two years ago. We’d given up hope of ever having lemons from it. The flowers would come and the fruit would follow. The thing was the fruit was ever only small and green. It would never get large and yellow. Well, we now have some lemons. They aren’t very big but boy oh boy are they lemony! The wonderful aroma that comes from them when you cut into the fruit. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D is terribly fond of a G&T and now that we can make one with our own lemons she is even more stirred up to become a professional G&T tippler! Mind you, it won’t be a big move. Ha, ha.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The odd thing is the timing of the fruit. Very strange, but very welcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Big Egg!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The girls are doing very well, even in this bitterly cold weather. They are still cranking out three a day. That is apart from the other day when only two eggs were in the nest.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Oh well, we thought, it is cold so it’s not surprising that one of them hasn’t laid an egg.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">However the next day there were three eggs again, but one of them was a whopper as this picture shows.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">And it turned out to be a double-yoker. It was as delicious as all the others the chicks are laying for us. We really can’t get through all the eggs they produce for us but our friends and neighbours are very grateful!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6EASLddTqE769LAxEh6OmsNLVpPN_lOQYED_9Vy6rlv8Pfk4Wn8a8htAmgYg8NGzfHh30Bwdxy2JuiwyNEroqaQsbpcRnyf3T0_4FIQ213lyR1xOCIpS0GjxyvWnshsasxy0z-gFSDVI/s1600/DSCF3909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6EASLddTqE769LAxEh6OmsNLVpPN_lOQYED_9Vy6rlv8Pfk4Wn8a8htAmgYg8NGzfHh30Bwdxy2JuiwyNEroqaQsbpcRnyf3T0_4FIQ213lyR1xOCIpS0GjxyvWnshsasxy0z-gFSDVI/s200/DSCF3909.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D is still at it<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">These are two classic La D verbal faux pas (what is the plural of faux pas? I don’t know either, so just make up your own!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You may remember that I was given a great little gadget that measured the temperatures inside and outside and also gives pressure readings. Of late we have been looking at the temp outside – I don’t really know why as we can see it’s cold and also if you were to put your nose just outside the door, it would probably be frozen in a few seconds<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">However, the pressure monitor displays an upwards arrow and a sun when the pressure is on the rise and a downward arrow along with clouds when the pressure is on the way down. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is also a humidity indicator. It displays a number corresponding to the percentage of humidity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Well, the other day La D was looking at this little weather station and she looked at the humidity figure and announced, “Do you know L’uomochifa, the humidity today is 56 miles per hour.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">As often in these cases of La D’s misunderstanding, I was quite mystified for a few microseconds and then painfully trying not to show the humour that was bubbling up inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Hmmm.” I managed in quite a high pitched way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A side long glance by La D was enough for me to grab my inner desire with an iron fist and hold it, tight.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The other one was a beaut of a malapropism<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Can you spot the difference?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpF8KQ0ZQ8d3mg_3VzNyJXP-dJMxGm-nCqn5sWmkrl143tD0Y2SpylZ-0vkBUp82u92OscEfkqV3W6KUCzwYlcEKGi9KUC8y068Gn_J7mkmDiwZhvZt6xzIak8l68MFNze2DqFMjge5KJ/s1600/Theodolite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk_LT_WAWp3C_MefvWc5xhrNwcl_mohLurKowwudFmb6DqEpJREd_L1DGRYQkaTkPNSbKxjSfWGjTQRpNsicL-LbARZbzjJ7YkEei8mmYiVqfsQrwclvSrkuGg-MWyBrDVCxHQMmz5P1E/s1600/troglodyte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk_LT_WAWp3C_MefvWc5xhrNwcl_mohLurKowwudFmb6DqEpJREd_L1DGRYQkaTkPNSbKxjSfWGjTQRpNsicL-LbARZbzjJ7YkEei8mmYiVqfsQrwclvSrkuGg-MWyBrDVCxHQMmz5P1E/s200/troglodyte.jpg" width="154" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpF8KQ0ZQ8d3mg_3VzNyJXP-dJMxGm-nCqn5sWmkrl143tD0Y2SpylZ-0vkBUp82u92OscEfkqV3W6KUCzwYlcEKGi9KUC8y068Gn_J7mkmDiwZhvZt6xzIak8l68MFNze2DqFMjge5KJ/s200/Theodolite.jpg" width="133" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;">We were walking with Bert and saw a couple of engineers on the roads taking measurements for something or other.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“I wonder what those men do with those troglodytes L’uomochifa?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Non lo so (I don’t know) my darling,” I said “But I think you mean theodolites.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Do I? Alright, what are those theodolites doing with those troglodytes?” She grinned. She’s playing me, I thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Doh. I give up. Well, not altogether. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A posto.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-6900392924676261482011-01-13T18:19:00.000+01:002011-01-13T18:19:50.648+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Felice Nuovo Anno Tutti!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">This means Happy New Year all, in Italian, as if you couldn’t guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Well, what have we been up to? Not a lot really. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We have had Bert’s sister with us again for a week whilst her owners, M&S, went to </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Austria</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> with M’s parents. They went to look into some family history as it has only come to light quite recently that M’s father’s father was not his real father, but somebody else altogether who died in WW2.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">They had a revelatory few days and have discovered a whole chunk of family they did know existed and of course vice versa. Fascinating.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Some news on the family front. My eldest boy and his wife are going to have a baby. This will be their first (and last?). They have waited quite a while but both are getting on, in terms of having babies that is, and also his wife is almost 40 so I suppose they didn’t want to leave it any later if they were going to start a family. Also he has been so busy whizzing up and down motorways and things for his job and she has been running stables and been very involved with horse jumping things, that we are quite surprised. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Anyway, many congrats to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So, we will be grandparents again. The child is due at the end of June.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Also we have just been informed that my nephew is getting married in the Autumn. We have met his fiancé when they both came over and stayed with us in 2009. She was part of the crew of a boat in a Trans- Atlantic yacht race a couple of years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So many congrats to them too!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">My nephew’s dad, my brother, has just moved. He was living up a mountain about 250 miles from </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Seattle</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> on the west coast of the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">USA</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> and he now lives 3000 miles east in </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Maine</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> on the Eastern Seaboard. Apparently, whilst loving the area, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he and his wife got fed up being so far from any services and suffering from the extreme winters and the extreme summers. Although they did know this when they moved there seven years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took them ten days to make the journey and the trip was not without interest. At one stage they had to drive through a proper blizzard!!.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">My brother now knows a sure fire way of putting on weight. Drive across </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">! The only eateries he ever came across were those that sold burgers and fries. Very comforting but not too good for the waistline and scales.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Foraging<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">In an effort to eke out our wood supply for the fire in the kitchen, I have been doing some foraging in our woods at the bottom of the garden. It’s brilliant. There is quite a lot of dead wood, big branches, that have fallen from the trees whether in a bit of wind or just through age. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I go down there with my wheel barrow, bow saw – La D doesn’t like me to use my chopper too much - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and a length of old TV aerial cable and cut up loads of this wood. The reason for the cable is that the timber is very light and I can stack the barrow really full of it without making it too heavy to push up the hill. The problem is then one of stability. This is where the cable comes in. I just keep going under the barrow and over the load with the cable, tie it down tightly and I can then easily transport my spoils up to the wood shed by the house. Free fuel. Excellent. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It makes very good fire starting material as well as being useful to get the fire going again if I have forgotten to keep it fed. I have to admit I do do this occasionally and then I incur the wrath of “she who must be obeyed” and I’d rather not invite her displeasure. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ion6XWNoEVqp97Wj04rpwRFWAqapVTh1KENmqSgC4IrEw-_vFT_ooCW5RvfDP9DFIRzaDVYrxNA-8i5QOSVLdv7xtgMo77xoI0hMUXGjFWWBXPf1JaMVb4DPXAGsnU0eVeQRk7mg5RVp/s1600/woodcutter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ion6XWNoEVqp97Wj04rpwRFWAqapVTh1KENmqSgC4IrEw-_vFT_ooCW5RvfDP9DFIRzaDVYrxNA-8i5QOSVLdv7xtgMo77xoI0hMUXGjFWWBXPf1JaMVb4DPXAGsnU0eVeQRk7mg5RVp/s200/woodcutter.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-19397297630973074032010-12-23T17:00:00.002+01:002010-12-23T17:03:08.225+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVzSm61vmNmdz_tYi5G34H98eT2nd7pIdgwg9Ll2Txn7-1nQhbcn_JoyKnyg3XuTN5nPdR4OASzpDlhHX2sfVf5A9WoGROFTYpjlNrANcnhyAVgpOTYajMFMvFvExBX6X97KHm9s3wTQy/s1600/fat+santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVzSm61vmNmdz_tYi5G34H98eT2nd7pIdgwg9Ll2Txn7-1nQhbcn_JoyKnyg3XuTN5nPdR4OASzpDlhHX2sfVf5A9WoGROFTYpjlNrANcnhyAVgpOTYajMFMvFvExBX6X97KHm9s3wTQy/s200/fat+santa.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVzSm61vmNmdz_tYi5G34H98eT2nd7pIdgwg9Ll2Txn7-1nQhbcn_JoyKnyg3XuTN5nPdR4OASzpDlhHX2sfVf5A9WoGROFTYpjlNrANcnhyAVgpOTYajMFMvFvExBX6X97KHm9s3wTQy/s1600/fat+santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<b>BUON NATALE E SERENO ANNO NUOVO A TUTTI</b><br />
<b> Merry Christmas and have a peaceful New Year to all</b><br />
<br />
Do ensure you have an ample supply of wine to toast all your absent friends and family. Let's just hope there aren't too many absent or you might end up on the floor!!<br />
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Whoever you are, wherever you are are, have a cracking Christmas and New Year.<br />
<br />
L'uomo chi fa and La D<br />
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<b>Ciao, mantenere la fede</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSv9FLjCoB1BCPw4P0yLd4Ir_N9nifU2HZke29pK13LDFgtR4WPnMQbUB60BKU29sQFYfpJ0SnorzhMf-TeyChAWwfT5IIIdBfFNF_uncrFRoV600wBMUSJ8Hga1_XXjYDbHNbPwhEaJQ/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSv9FLjCoB1BCPw4P0yLd4Ir_N9nifU2HZke29pK13LDFgtR4WPnMQbUB60BKU29sQFYfpJ0SnorzhMf-TeyChAWwfT5IIIdBfFNF_uncrFRoV600wBMUSJ8Hga1_XXjYDbHNbPwhEaJQ/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-85976349742202233392010-12-17T15:36:00.000+01:002010-12-17T15:36:13.717+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Chickens do not make good spies ... continuing the spy theme stated last week<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Following the olive picking, the next job was to prune. Now in the past we have always waited till February or March to do the pruning, but this year we have seen many people pruning as they pick, so we thought we would do the same. The other thing that has had an impact on our decision was that we have had loads of what we call “sproutings”. These are new growths on the trunk and limbs of the tress. Often a few together. They grow rapidly and get in the way of picking as well of course as taken away goodness that would otherwise go to the berries. We have had this the last two years and have been wondering whether it has anything to do with our pruning effectively in Spring when the sap is rising. Anyway, we’ll have to wait and see.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">So, there we were chatting away, snipping and sawing and getting our lovely olive trees into better and better “goblet” shapes. We let the chickens out as they are all laying now and love to poddle about the middle garden where most of the olive trees are. They followed us about from tree to tree, which made me think that they would be bloody useless as spies. They are so obvious. Why did that thought come into my mind? I have no idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I said to La D, “Darling. Do you think that chickens would make good spies?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I can’t really describe the look she gave me. She stopped pruning, slowly lowered her pruning arm and had this look of utter disbelief in her face.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“What are you talking about Luomochifa? Of course they wouldn’t make good spies they’re chickens. How could they possibly use all those gadgets that Q comes up with? Let alone drive those super cars and boats and go scuba diving. Can you imagine a chicken with a diving mask on and a little oxygen bottle on their back? No of course you can’t you moron. Get on with the job Luomochifa. Now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Her witty response really threw me. She’s playing me at my own game,…. and winning!! She shouldn’t be having these wild, surrealistic thoughts. Damn.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Just then I looked around for our potential chicken spies only to see that they had disappeared. What did it mean? Could they understand what we were saying and decided to show us that there might be a future section in MI6 just for chickens?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Where were they? Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I caught a flash of brown amongst the bamboo. I looked harder and sure enough there were the three of them clucking and scratching about round the bottoms of the bamboo, looking very nonchalant, I thought. Just a quick glimpse over in our direction every now and then. I think they might be leading us on a bit, making themselves out to be more stupid than they really are. But then again ……..<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ16_a8bI96NYj49nWO7aXqLCVIG0tUGZZjqjqZPY4HSv2siViISNcc5jBJbMm5YJE-NTDFMPFNgZJdiudHlvt9asScPqEUZbxMQ-lhyphenhyphenAZcpwnA5BePRkQtQMq8b_zaCFcx-E9I9SNLyrP/s1600/1647_picture_of_a_chicked_dressed_as_a_spy_with_sunglasses_and_trenchcoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ16_a8bI96NYj49nWO7aXqLCVIG0tUGZZjqjqZPY4HSv2siViISNcc5jBJbMm5YJE-NTDFMPFNgZJdiudHlvt9asScPqEUZbxMQ-lhyphenhyphenAZcpwnA5BePRkQtQMq8b_zaCFcx-E9I9SNLyrP/s200/1647_picture_of_a_chicked_dressed_as_a_spy_with_sunglasses_and_trenchcoat.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">See what I mean? What do you think?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Snow<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We have had some snow and very cold weather like a lot of </span><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Northern Europe</span></st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">. It was quite funny the other morning I went down to let the chickens out and there was about 10cms of snow. I opened the coop hatch and tried to put the steps up so the chicks to get down and as usual they were onto the steps before I had attached them to the coop. The first one rushed down and stopped abruptly at the end as she just noticed that there was all this white stuff where the ground should be. The second one bowled down the steps and bashed into the first one. The third one did the same and crashed into the second. The upshot was they all fell off the steps and onto the snow. They were very taken aback. It was very amusing. It looked like a chicken pile up.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-38786771735344261582010-12-10T16:59:00.000+01:002010-12-10T16:59:31.060+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The third chicken is laying. I repeat, the third chicken is laying<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">No it’s not some sort of code that spies might use when they meet their contact. It is a fact. Our last chicken has started to lay at long last. She is laying consistently since last Saturday. Brilliant. Of course we are now coming to the stage where we have too many eggs for ourselves and we can give some away to neighbours and friends. But that’s good.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Since they are all laying we have now let the chicks come out into the middle garden. They really love it. There is loads to explore and lots of green things, as well as insect, for them to feed on. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It has taken some while. About six months. But there we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Breezy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We went out to do some shopping yesterday and every time we got out of the car the wind would start to gust. Funny because it wasn’t the least bit windy when we left the house. As we drove back and turned into our lane the trees were swaying and the leaves were swirling all around the place. We got back to house to find the little greenhouse had disappeared! We found it eventually. There were broken pots and plants and soil spoils all over the place. The bottom of the stairs was covered in about 4 inches of leaves – at one point Bertie thought they would make a good bed, see picture. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWwtHIZNHnPI27AG9V5ytOxTKNWwfdsjXDK8blkusS3tsBdUgX-G3wde9vd0qlPGeal4G-4z3F_Ryi8Mwk-A2RvQHSk7dYmQqZWIjTKqQolYQ_e4K2JKAz4y8ubHOqQKo3jwfEkY63Jy5/s1600/DSCF3853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBWwtHIZNHnPI27AG9V5ytOxTKNWwfdsjXDK8blkusS3tsBdUgX-G3wde9vd0qlPGeal4G-4z3F_Ryi8Mwk-A2RvQHSk7dYmQqZWIjTKqQolYQ_e4K2JKAz4y8ubHOqQKo3jwfEkY63Jy5/s320/DSCF3853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Bertie on a bed of leaves. Doesn’t sound too appetising thank goodness!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Large pieces of corrugated iron had been blown across the garden. There were also a couple of corrugated iron sheets that we had used in the walls of the chicken pen that had become detached and were flapping about in the wind. It was terrible. It was aright mess. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Of course there was no point in trying to tidy up in those winds as you’d just be, literally, pissing into the wind. And you know what happens then! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Fortunately the gazebo frame was standing nice and rigid and erect. Good, I thought. Because we haven’t got the top on, the frame is so thin, the wind should just blow round it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">A little while later, La D popped her head round the door and said, “Luomochifa. What was that you telling me about the gazebo frame? About how resilient it is in the wind. Well that’s a load of b******s my old mucker (she does love to put on a bit of a mockney accent now and again) because it’s now lying all twisted and torn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I rushed to the window and gazed down on the unedifying spectacle.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“What a mess,” I said<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“Are these things really meant to last more than a season?” La D asked in a bored fashion. “We do seem to get through them Luomochifa.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“We do, my darling. We do.” I replied. However, there is a little bit of an upside in this and that is that the cover was very thin and didn’t provide much protection from the sunlight, whereas the previous one did. So next year we will have to get one with a little more protection. Besides I was bored with this one anyway. So there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Weather<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">V strange. Yesterday in the massive breeze, our little outside temperature guage registered, wait for it. Are you ready? 25.5</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">°</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">C. 9th December. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>25</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">°</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> plus? Can hardly believe it. It felt so warm. Tomorrow’s forecast is about 3</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">°</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Weird<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Christmas<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Still nicely understated here compared to the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">UK</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">. Just about to see the Christmas “thing” get really underway now. Very lovely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-6428119406157378402010-12-04T16:31:00.000+01:002010-12-04T16:31:02.160+01:00<b>The olive oil is in!</b><br />
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We managed to get all our olives picked by Thursday lunchtime. Dodging the showers and morning dews was a bit precarious. Mustn't pick them when wet. Nipped up to the olificio and was greeted with no activity whatsoever. Oops, we thought. Are we too late for pressing?<br />
Wasn't really a problem. At the end of the picking and pressing season, it is normal for them to group customers pickings as it costs quite a bit of money to run the presses, so they don't want to have to gear things up just for one customer a few hundred kilos of olives. So we arranged to go back yesterday afternoon about 3:30 to tie in with some other customers he had already arranged.<br />
When we arrived there again yesterday, we met one of our neighbours along with one of his grandsons who has some learning difficulties. He had been picking since the beginning of November and he told us that this last lot brought his total up to 3500 kilos!!! That's about 650-700 litres. That's a lot of oil. We expect they must either give some away or sell it.<br />
He was the customer ahead of us. When it was his turn, they poured all his olives into the hopper and the process was started. After a while the miller asked us to bring ours in and put in onto the scales. 212 kilos, minus the weight of the boxes, 14 kilos, gave us a grand total of 198 kilos, about 30 kilos more than the last time. Excellent.<br />
I was busy looking at all the fantastic machinery at the mill when La D tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Should he be doing that?" and pointed at our neighbour's grandson who had just tipped one of our boxes of olives - about 20 kilos worth - into the hopper on top of his grandfather's berries.<br />
Fortunately one of the mill workers also saw this and stopped the lad from putting any more of our berries into the hopper. The man looked at us and shrugged his shoulders. He then spoke with the capo and together they took our empty box and disappeared outside for a few minutes and returned with a full box! No idea where he kept his secret stash of olives but thank goodness he had one. So we were back to full weight.<br />
The grandfather apologised for the boy who looked very embarrassed. We said not to worry. What else could we have said? The poor lad didn't know he wasn't helping.<br />
Soon it was our turn to empty all our olives into the beast. They get taken up a conveyor from the hopper. They are then vibrated as they pass through a blower which gets rid of any stray leaves. From there they go into a great macerator and get mulched up. The mill has two of these so each customer gets only the oil from their own berries. Whilst this is going on the previous customer is getting his oil at the end of the production.<br />
The colour of freshly pressed olives is a fantastic sight. It's almost fluorescent green. It's is quite beautiful, at least to our eyes.<br />
We brought our containers over. We had brought a 20 litre jerry can and two 5 litre glass wine flagons. I had bought the second flagon just in case, as I did not expect to get any more than 23-25 litres. The jerry can got filled way past the 20 litre mark, then we went onto the fist glass flagon. That got brimmed. Then onto the second flagon. It was filling up quickly. La D and I couldn't believe it. The capo asked us for another flagon, but we hadn't got one. He rushed off and brought another glass flagon from somewhere in the mill.<br />
"You'll have to replace this, OK?" he said to me. "Si, si. Grazie mille." I replied. The oil just finished pouring when this third flagon was pretty much up to the brim. We had 37 litres of beautiful greeny-yellow freshly milled olive oil from our own berries.Fan-bloody-tastic! It cost us €40.00. that's €1.10 per litre of "real" Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Wow, were we chuffed to bits.<br />
Now I've just got to get on with the pruning.<br />
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<b>Ciao. mantenere la fede. A posto</b><br />
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</b>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-64602025488836016382010-12-01T10:17:00.001+01:002010-12-01T10:18:59.607+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I can’t believe a month has gone by<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Last month has pretty much been all about La D’s mum. La D had to go over again and sort out her mum’s situation. We bought her a one way ticket as she wasn’t going to leave until she had sorted it out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The long and short of it is that her mum is unable to live at home any more. La D, together with her dad and, with the support of her siblings, have managed to get her out of hospital and into a very lovely nursing home close by.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The processes and protocols that La D had to go through have, to be honest, quite daunting, especially as for more than half the time, all the parties involved seemed to be working on the same objective but with different scripts! Not helpful when you are trying to deal with something like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The hospital’s nursing care was not good. La D’s mum was passed around from pillar to post, with no-one really knowing what to do with her. Of course all this time her physical and mental health was deteriorating as there was little interaction by the various staff. It was a very poor nine weeks for her and for the family.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The nursing home staff are a very different bunch. OK you may say, they only have to deal with people like La D’s mother, but there was nothing stopping the hospital staff to give a little more thought and time to her when she was in their care. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Anyway there is no more to be done. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I flew out a few days ago and we did a bit of family visiting, which was fun. We got back on Sunday leaving a very chilly </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11pt;">UK</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> (no snow encountered thank goodness) to return to a cold and very rainy Le </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Marche</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="font-size: 11pt;">. Brrrrrrrrr.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We collected the chickens on the way home from some good friends who looked after them and who gave us a welcoming bowl of soup bread and cheese. Wonderful.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We got unpacked, put the heating on, put the chicks in their pen and then went to collect the Bert.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He was ecstatic to see us, especially La D as he hadn’t seen her for three weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">More refreshments were offered to us and gratefully accepted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Got back home, had a lovely hot meal and glass of wine and then collapsed into bed, pretty pooped. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Olives<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrVh4NhzAelxHYAgkzc-aJFc9EL24gls-FiKdbyTWWn9VobdSijesWyk9idRdQ-olmn4_vtLKU2PF2dXu6HNqAghfBlnLp3JLKdstBv2kaQZun-ntvacpwTHXe7uP1HmVebk_kCGy2iMB/s1600/olive+oyl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrVh4NhzAelxHYAgkzc-aJFc9EL24gls-FiKdbyTWWn9VobdSijesWyk9idRdQ-olmn4_vtLKU2PF2dXu6HNqAghfBlnLp3JLKdstBv2kaQZun-ntvacpwTHXe7uP1HmVebk_kCGy2iMB/s200/olive+oyl.jpg" width="146" /></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Because of all the goings on in the </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="font-size: 11pt;">UK</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> we still have to pick our olives. November is the picking season around here so we are at the end of the picking time. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Well we were out at first light and apart from a quick coffee and some soup and bread for lunch we worked until we couldn’t see the olives dropping onto the net. We had bagged about 140 kilos and reckon there is probably about another 50-60 kilos on the remaining trees. The weather was great. Windy and sunny.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Since Monday evening it has been p***ing down and no more have been picked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We are hoping that by this afternoon the rain will have cleared off and we can pick the remainder. We really want to get the olives pressed by the end of the week. Here’s hoping…….<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s1600/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s200/J%2526SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123760525719390906.post-86851292962528713462010-11-05T12:23:00.001+01:002010-11-06T15:59:25.085+01:00<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hunters<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The hunters are out again. Lots of bangs and barking dogs. Although the bangs and the barks seem to be less that last year. We commented on this with some friends and they confirmed that this was their thoughts too. They have had some near misses with Italian cacciatore (hunters) in the past and are therefore quite conscious of the apparent lessening of hunting activity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What was it Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying about those who hunted foxes:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Bit different here though with local wild boar being a sought after meat. It is very nice I must say.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZPNtQCjqO6x7JKNvP6-6K_iegN2A9bzi-GyQQ6jyG8VP2mCbJpcvyBUraJS6b7qZfQAQ91ED4LoIbpWkANEYqGbZfvFvz4qp-BunaWDfK8_ccVo5rb8UwwdIGpQ8ECjLq1yRbmVIm4xk/s1600/Boar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZPNtQCjqO6x7JKNvP6-6K_iegN2A9bzi-GyQQ6jyG8VP2mCbJpcvyBUraJS6b7qZfQAQ91ED4LoIbpWkANEYqGbZfvFvz4qp-BunaWDfK8_ccVo5rb8UwwdIGpQ8ECjLq1yRbmVIm4xk/s200/Boar.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Plans, plans, plans <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We arranged for a geometra (sort of a house-engineer come designer, come pretty much-everything-else-to-do-with-houses-apart-from-building-them chappie or chappess) to come round and have a look and a chat about what we would ideally like to end up doing to Casa Grotta.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Very nice bloke. Suffered from a stroke last year, but he can’t be more than mid-forties. Speaks fluent English which of course is fantastic for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">So we are having some plans drawn up. The next step would be seek planning permission from the comune with the following step being actually to do something. Gulp. The permissions cover things like extending the size of the property (which we aren’t) and change of use of rooms (which we are as we have a very long earth floored room that was used to keep livestock on the ground floor. As we do not intend to continue that tradition we want to have the room as living space. We have to get permission to do that. Odd I know, but that is what you have to do)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">You might well ask, “How are you going to pay for all this?” A very good question. Our thinking runs along the lines that if we have a proper, drawn-up plan (which won’t be very expensive at all and is essential to doing anything), and we have the correct permissions from the comune (again which we believe won’t be very expensive), then we will be in a position to start just as soon as we are able to fund some work.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I hasten to add that there is no time limit being put to this. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I am working on a couple of income-generating schemes, such as forging grand masters (unfortunately I am a lousy painter, especially in oils) nobbling race horses (I know nothing about horses) and last but not least, major frored and embesselement (difficult to have success with spelling this bad).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Should any of you know of anything that I might turn my hand too with a modicum of success, please do let me know. The more legal the better.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Good Blooper.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Using the word embezzlement just now reminds me a great La D blooper.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We were talking about someone who had really told a very exaggerated tale about his goings on and La D remarked that he had really embezzled his story! I did say to her that I thought the word she meant was embroidered, but she convinced me that embroidered was only a form of needle therapy. I have the puncture marks to prove it!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">La D’s mum<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Some change. Still in hospital. Will report later<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ciao, mantenere la fede<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s1600/J&SCartoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojoAt7rO5NemLF8hq6xIZU1kq8bo9kUQKNk5kLdVJI5adnM1iCtLCRKJ_xgtZV1r7MMQ619hsWf_Qg_vu-XI1wUcIvlpdHGEcfPosq5Fqk5-uLEzC2Px0V8u4raOJM5vFP4IwC-eqNYn9/s200/J&SCartoon.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></b></div>Le Marche Winkers aka La Duchessa e L'uomo chi fahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03703636245987058039noreply@blogger.com0