The buds are beginning to show, the hazel tree is full of catkins, the hydrangea's are covered in big fat buds - add a good dose of bright sunshine to that and you have a good idea of what today has been like.

The family turned up unexpectedly yesterday and stayed for supper... nothing fancy just a nice home made minestrone of sorts - made with oddments of fresh veg to start off with. So instead of the normal soup it consisted of a piece of ham diced small and fried with onions in very little oil, and then a load of carrots, a red and green pepper, coste (cut up very small), borlotti, zucchini and a couple of large 'very' ripe tomatoes plus a good sprinkling of frozen basil for a bit more flavour. This was followed by some local rabbit that I had casseroled with red, yellow and green peppers that I made this earlier in the week, but there was so much I put some by in the freezer. So that solved the problem of supper. We then had some local 'caprino' - fresh goats cheese from the local dairy mixed with EV olive oil and plenty of ground black pepper, and that with some crusty bread went down a treat!

They're coming up again - well two of them - next Friday evening and staying over 'til Sunday. They have to visit the Abbot at Piona Abbey near Colico as they have arranged to renew their marriage vows there at the end of April to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary. It's not going to be a huge affair, and at first the Abbot said 'no'. It seems that the monks discontinued this practice some time ago. But when my niece burst into tears and explained that her parents (neither of whom are with us any longer) held their wedding renewal service in the Abbey some years ago, the Abbot gave in and said yes..... So we're all looking forward to this joyful ceremony which will be followed by a family luch at an agriturismo in the mountains.