Serious Weather

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.

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!

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.

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.

Ciao, mantenere la fede

A great day out

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, www.writersabroad.com

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.

The person we went too see, Paola,  is in fact Italian, but writes in English and lives, at the moment, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has never lived in Italy. She was born in East Africa. Quite a person.

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, www.casagiumentina.it 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.

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.

 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.  He even found out that were 200 ex-Abbateggions in Belgium. He also wrote to them and invited them to a re-union with some current townsfolk in Brussels. He then flew up to Belgium 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.

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.

And yes, she did vote at the town elections.

Amazing.

Great day. Thank you Paola.

Ciao, mantenere la fede

Happy 1^st July to everyone.

How eggasperating is this?

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°C. So we have been putting down the lack of eggs due to overheated hens.

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.

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!

Matters of the teeth

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

I have to go back for a further consultation at the end of the month. Oh joy.

Social scene

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.

The library is going well but quite slowly. I am on duty this afternoon. Hopefully there will be a few people through the doors.

Travelling down to Pescara next week for lunch with one of the people who belongs to La D’s Writers Abroad web group. She actually lives in Bangladesh – her husband is in the UK FO – having just moved there from Belgium. She runs a writing course in North Abruzzo once a year.

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.

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.

Had a lovely long ‘phone call with my number three son this week. He and one of his friends are thinking of coming to Italy for a week in August and was sounding me out about some places. Have given him lots of info on places in Le Marche but also in the South (Sorrento peninsula) and North West (Italian Riviera, Liguria). So we’ll wait and see.

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.

Ciao, mantenere la fede

New Granddaughter

It’s been confirmed that her name is Annalise. They are not sure if she will have middle names at the moment.

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”.

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.

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.

How about Enyo, goddess of war or perhaps Anushka, goddess of temper. You just never know.

Haven’t had any photos through yet but it’s early days.

Freya

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.  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.

Weather

Yes. Lots of it and all roasting. Saw a temperature sign above a pharmacy yesterday reading 45° at about midday. Glad Wimbledon 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.

The forecast looks like more of the same. Oh dear. More out with the pooches just after 6 am.

The only problem with these early morning starts is that we are not alone! We were joined this morning by this lot.

This the third time we have seen them in the past couple of weeks

 What else?

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.

Ciao, mantenere la fede

A Special 14th June

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.
Over and out.

Ciao, Mantenere la fede

Freshwater Fun and Frolics

Bertie and Freya get down and clean in the Fiume Tenna. Great fun.

http://youtu.be/6f9YRdwxlyY

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. 

Pussy(ies) Galore

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.

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.

We hope we have homes for them all. Will keep you posted.

Orti

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?).

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!.

Galline

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.

Lurgi

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!!

Ciao

Mantenere la fede

It's Freya again!

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!

http://youtu.be/CrBAsmYKt58

Ciao, mantenere la fede