"Alpine Settler": January 2006

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Disappointing Day!

Do you ever get the feeling that it's going to be 'one of those days'?

Well that is how I feel this morning. Already it has started out on the 'wrong foot'... Today I was supposed to have a 'quick' breakfast with #1 son in a hotel near Milano, then he and his DJ were leaving from Linate.... Well due to the snow, the night club in Bergamo cancelled their club night, so the guys took a flight back to London yesterday evening.
Then, in addition, it is my niece's youngest sons 18th birthday today.... there was to have been a small party, but that has been cancelled too. In a way not too sorry that it has been 'put back'. I've had his present for sometime - a nice watch. But it had to have a battery fitted before wrapping. Well I had 'thought' (silly me) that I'd get that done at the jewellers here a couple of days before giving it to him...Ha Ha - well that's a laugh! All this bl**dy snow arrived and that was goodbye to the battery.... Now I could get out, it's Sunday and the shops are shut. So as I said, that has saved my bacon. I'll get it done in the week and take it down to Milan. Be a nice excuse for a day out......

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Kind Gestures by Nice People!

This is a message I posted today on Expats in Italy.
I wanted to share with you the kindness that abounds here where I am lucky enough to be an Alpine Settler!

This afternoon I sat down with a cup of tea, the dog asleep at my feet and the new gas fire alight on 'low'. Happy because the snow (slowly, very slowly) is beginning to melt,and I've got SKY back on the 'box', so I'm OK for Casualty tonight and Eastenders tomorrow!

Well, you know how it is - I dozed off. The 'mutt' was already snoring. I heard the snow plough in what seemed the 'dim distance' - when it is clearing the road behind the house it is so loud (the big one is anyway), that it seems to be in the kitchen. I half roused and went back to sleep. Ciccio didn't bat an eyelid.

Now I woke up when he let me know he clearly 'needed to go', put his lead on, opened the front door.....and what did I find? That the snow plough driver has cleared my entrance way AND my drive - right up to the car!

I suppose it does help being in a small community, but kindness like that without my having to ask is a real delight to find. I had come to terms with the fact that I was 'blocked in 'til at least the middle of the week. But now I'm not!!!!
Honestly, this has made my day!

10.30pm
The temperature has finally risen just above freezing point and 'the melt' seems to have really started. There will now be the problem of huge amounts of snow falling from the rooftops. Of course everyone has the 'snow breakers built in to their roof tiles, but even so falling chunks of heavy wet snow can still be dangerous - especially for daft little dogs!!!

Friday, January 27, 2006

It's a what???

Bird table? Never... so where are the penguins??

Go where???

You gotta be joking....Tried that this morning and nearly 'drowned' in that white stuff. Forget it

Driveway - What driveway???

Never going to get the car out of there - not 'til at least Easter!!!

Snow at 4pm

Well it's just not going to stop... it's getting deeper and deeper

Snow at 9am...

Well this is the state of the snow right now....

OK - Look Outside!

Yes, like (it seems) most of Italy, we too are once again under a 'second' blanket of the white stuff.....
It's been snowing here since 10am yesterday. And for us here on 'the dark side' that means 'snow on snow'! The dinky little snow plough has been working it's butt off all night - I know because it passes just 12 inches from the back wall of the house - and makes enough noise to wake the dead...The trouble is it wakes Ciccio - he starts to bark like a 'demented dog' - wakes me up with a start (daren't take the BP at times like this)- his barking can be heard by some neighbours dogs (who, believe it or not, are still outside even in all this..), who in turn I'm sure, mangeto wake up every dog in the Province of Sondrio!
Thank goodness I heeded the snow warnings yesterday and went out and stocked up on supplies - my local forecast said that it will be like this (snowing) 'til Sunday. The snow plough has managed 'once again' to block my driveway entrance with snow...So until I can get someone on the 'phone at the Comune I'm blocked in.... (Should have kept my mouth shut about the bl**dy manhole cover - it's Sig. Natale - the friendly Poliziotto Locale who will need to ask them to clear the entrance (help!!!!), so it seems sensible to wait at least until it has stopped snowing.

Now that in itself is a 'bummer' 'cos Sergio is in Roma tonight and then at some dance/night club or other in Milano tomorrow night. We had arranged to meet up in his Milano hotel on Sunday morning for breakfast - and so he could 'meet' Ciccio.... So with this weather I guess it's 'Goodbye' to that idea....

When the light improves I'll take a photo of the snow on the terrace, and you'll see just how much we have - with just another 3 days to go......EEK!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Trials and Tribulations

Last October - the 3rd to be precise, I visited my local comune and asked the 'Technical Officer' if it would be possible to have a little bit of rubber under the manhole and the 'flood grill' in the road at the back of the house. The resulting THUMP every time a vehicle passed over them was, to put it mildly, bl**dy annoying - not to say 'dream shattering' in the middle of the night. (they're right behind where my bedroom is).....
While I was there I also asked if it would be possible (at MY expense) for them to erect a 'road viewing mirror' opposite my driveway entrance. There is a blind spot as anyone approaches my entrance from one direction over the slight brow of a hill. They can't see me until the last minute - nor I them. But I usually reverse into the driveway, so am looking elsewhere!!!
Well to return to the 'trials and tribulations'.... 'The' Poliziotto Locale - there's only one, (Sig. Natale) spoke to me in the village Bar, on the 16th October and assured me that 'the workman' (probably only one of 'them' too), would do the noisy grills shortly. HA - well that's a laugh!
I see Sig. Natale frequently, and the Mayor, and the Technical officer, it is after all only a small village.... The odd 'hint' from me over the last 3 months seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. So on 4th January I sent them an E-Mail....Oh why did I ever try that? Sent it and it was turned back - twice.... Telephoned to ask why they had an official e-mail address and the public couldn't use it because of their 'spam guard'? Denied at first, but after two more attempts and another phone call - admitted! But they still didn't/wouldn't turn it off!
Well I wanted my complaint to be recorded in writing, so I printed it out, along with copies with 'time lines', of all the 'failed to deliver' notices from Yahoo....popped them in an envelope and delivered them to their post box. It was 3.00pm so they were already closed.....
Then I waited - and waited - another 10 days, and so this morning it was off to the Comune....

It went somehing like this with Sig. Natale - his first name, not surname...

"Did you get my printed E-Mail"?
"Oh yes, I think the Mayor showed me that."
"So what about the 'noisy' manhole and grill at the back of the house"?
"Well you only asked just before Christmas...These things do take time."
"So 3 month's is normal to wait for someone to lift the edge of the manhole/grill 5cm and pop a bit of rubber under the edge"?
"Well they are very busy..."

At this point I am trying very hard to maintain a 'good' relationship with my local policeman.....

"OK - so they're very busy - so when do you think they 'may' have time to do this job"?

A slight 'whistle' from his lips - a small shake of the head and...
"Probably they'll get round to it in spring".

At that point 'good relations' got buried pretty damn quick...
"Could you be more precise and tell me 'which' spring -2006, 2007? When"?

A sheepish grin ensued, and he just shrugged!
To which I responded -
"Well tell the Mayor, that when he asks me for my taxes, I'll deal with them in the same manner that his officials have dealt with my request"
I reckon I've really burned my bridges now... But 'Oh Boy'! , did that make me feel good!!!!

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Another Aspect from the house...

This one is from the same place, but looking out across the village due north... fy">
The valley straight ahead is the 'Val Chiavenna' and the mountain in the distance is just on the Swiss border... That's the way to St. Moritz, super hot chocolate and 'cheap' petrol.

If you'd like to see more of the Valtellina and the surrounding area - click on 'See the Valtellina' in my 'Links' at the side here... Choose which area, and then see the photos. You can enlarge them 'on screen' too!

The same view today...

Well you saw the 'lack of view' in the last post.... Now here is the same view (well almost) this afternoon... The snow doesn't alter over here, but the sun today is 'shining it's socks off' and as you can see - it's a different world. What's not to love about views like this?
The temperature here today has gone all the way up to 0°c - wow!

Saturday, January 21, 2006

"Alpine Settler"

LOOKING BACK ON HOW IT BEGAN
EPISODE TWO
Written 15th August 2005

Yes it’s me! Back again like the proverbial ‘bad penny’ (though I suppose that it should be ‘bad cent’ nowadays)
Well I’ve finally moved into my own house, so no more ‘care of’ addresses. I actually got my Residency in my new village granted in May. But having moved in and falling over boxes that I hadn’t allowed the removal people to unpack, I have still had to live with the builders, carpenter, electrician, plumber, tilers and painters as they gradually completed their work.

None of them have any compunction here in taking on all the work they can get their hands on - and then juggling their teams around to do a bit at a time for everyone. I got used to (and fed up with) them disappearing for 10 days or so at a time. But found the way to get them back was by ‘locking my knees’ and jumping up and down while cursing at them in the Milanese dialect – it worked every time! Didn’t stop ‘em disappearing again mind you, but it did get ‘em back for a while.

Well the house is just about complete inside. The outside walls will be painted next spring/summer when I can put a few pennies back in the coffers. Two of my oldest friends, and their 'grown-up' nephew came over from England to help out when I moved in. They stayed for three weeks. That was a great help as you can imagine. My niece and her husband both helped too, but of course they still had to go to work in Milano, so came up at the weekends. There are still countless boxes to be emptied, and that in itself is exciting…. it’s like Christmas every time I open a box. I‘m finding things I'd forgotten I had. And talking about forgetting…. I’m getting ever so good at that - I’m not much good any more at remembering things, but the ‘forgettery’ is absolutely great, I could win prizes for my 'forgettery'!

The removal company, when they packed up, followed Sergio’s instructions to the letter. He had asked me what to pack? (as if I cared when I’d only just got out of hospital) - I told him ‘everything’. Well, this’ll make you laugh, one smallish box felt very light, and no wonder, it was full of used plastic shopping bags – and they weren't even 'crammed in'....I ask you! I have had to leave some of the unpacking work for the time being as I have to be careful not to overdo it. It has been so very hot here (even in the mountains) just recently. It touched 39°C for nearly a week (one day it was 42°C down in Milano), with upwards of 60% humidity with approx 29°C at 6 am (not funny). I spoke to my cardiologist about the heat and he warned me that I should do nothing when it is that hot.

Talking about the cardiologist, I had my 6 monthly check up at the end of June and fully expected to be ‘taken in’ again. My last check up in early December 2004 should have been a stay for about 3 days – but turned into 3 weeks of tests – so I was expecting the same again. But no…. they were very pleased with me so ‘no stay’ and I don’t have to have another check up until January. I still ‘phone the doctor and discuss any concerns I have, so that makes me feel an awful lot safer. I have a new GP up here in the Valtellina too. She is in her late 40’s and learned English at school, and now insists that we speak it during part of my visits. She is really nice, not like one or two of the doctors that I had during my travels in the UK.

I rented my nieces little holiday home (in the next village - above Colico) from January until I moved into my place. That saved me the trouble of driving up and down from Milan (60miles each way) two or three times every week to check on the house progress. Thank goodness I did, as the weather here was very cold and the roads were like skating rinks. A couple of times with the snow and ice the temperature dropped to 27°C BELOW freezing. The contrast with the weather this year has even surprised the locals….all they talk about is the ‘greenhouse effect’. What can one say – Perhaps they’re right. But I’m not a scientist so I don’t get involved in the local discussions on the matter!

And 'no matter what' - I still LOVE LIVING HERE!!!!

To be continued……

Thursday, January 19, 2006

The Way We Were - Well Some Of Us!!!!

This little gem was sent to me by a very close friend in America..... some of you know her as 'Pia' from Expats in Italy. She has my kind of sense of humour, and we get on really well. I found this particular 'thought pack' particularly poignant. So much of it describes my own childhood, and if you are of the same generation 'as sure as God made little gooseberries' I bet it describes you too!

So sit back, read, enjoy, have a chuckle and let your face break into a wry smile!

ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.We shared one soft drink with four friends,from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts outof scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned tosolve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes. No video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no
personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms....... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and
new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And if YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?

There's nothing one can add to that - it's great!

Is this 'The Melt'?

Well as planned, yesterday afternoon Ciccio and I set out for Switzerland....sounds very romantic doesn't it - until you realise it's a bit like going to the Hypermarket/Mall/Centro Commerciale for people up here. It's so near...

We drove up the Val Chiavenna which leads ultimately to Madesimo, the Spluga Pass and Bellinzona if you turn left at Chiavenna , or if you turn right, to Castasegna (Swiss border) into the Engadina and the Maloja Pass and then to St. Moritz and the Bernina Pass (didn't go there though yesterday) .

The weather was glorious. Bright sun and the car guage showed the outside temperature had risen all the way up to 1°c. There were clear signs that 'the melt' was starting (at least 'this one'). I could see little rivulets of water coming from the mounds of snow that snow ploughs had pushed to the side. But the torrents (the chutes) that channel the melt water down from the mountains were still frozen solid....I must get into the habit of taking the camera with me.... Once this melt gets under way those channels will be roaring torrents, capable of carrying huge boulders off the mountains. It is a really impressive sight. I am lucky in that just acrosss the road behind my house there is a small (very small) waterfall. It's just a 'dribble' at the moment, but once in full flow it is channelled under the lane and then flows right down the side of my property at the side of the hay store. The water, icy cold and so clear, just like liquid diamonds, will continue to flow 'til maybe July. This keeps the garden refreshingly cool in the summer - and sleeping to the sound of a nearby 'babbling brook' is really beyond description. So calming!

Well once over the Swiss border, the first stop was a little bar I know where they still make the 'thick' hot chocolate (strictly not on my diet), but 'chi se ne frega' - 'who cares'. I'm not going to tell the dietologist - and if anyone else does I'll 'kill 'em'..... Ciccio decided he rather liked the little wafer you get with the chocolate, and to that end he 'crawled' on his stomach (I kid you not) into the heart of the waitress and managed to 'put away' about ten of these.... Greedy little s*d!!!! Then it was off to the service station to fill up with petrol at only €0.98c per litre. Once done we wended our way back to Italy with 'his lordship' fast asleep and snoring on the back seat. Not surprised after all those wafers!

All in all it was a good relaxing day...and the bonus? Well that was the temperature here last night. The first time since the last week in November that it has not dropped below freezing. It was up to +0.5°c this morning at 6am. But the cold doesn't bother me - it's the heat I don't like.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Meet the family!

Well this is Sergio - aka '#1 Son' - or 'Serge' to his friends. With him is Lynsey, his partner.
This photo was taken from a friend's speed boat in the Bay of Naples where Serge was staying for a couple of days to work.
It's fair to say that I often miss having him around, but he does keep in touch regularly via AIM, E-Mail, phone and manages to visit occaisionally. (I don't miss doing his washing and ironing though - or trying to explain how 'coat hangers' work - hahaha). Their last visit was for 5 days just before Christmas.... that was really nice - until they had to go home. That is hard - try as I might - I always have one or two tears! Living away from your loved ones does sometimes 'gnaw at your heart'.....
But with the super flight deals they get from Ryan Air into Bergamo, at least visits (when possible) aren't finacially difficult. The average fare - for them both - return is about £50..... but when they came over in July it cost £23 'outward' and £0.02p for the return! God Bless Ryan Air I say.....

On his last visit, he set up my desk PC, so I don't have to squint at the small screen on the 'laptop' any more. I bought a 19" lcd flat screen (tax free) from Livigno in September. It's great. Serge set it all up for me and transferred all my files from the laptop to a friend in London - who was then 'supposed to transfer them back to this PC once ADSL was installed....That's when the three Trojan Horse's virus' attacked. So that transfer was left for a couple of weeks. Then they did it - and now? Well now I cant find the blxxdy pictures. I've got all the files, but a load of photo's have gone! Heaven knows where... I s'pose I'll find 'em one day when I'm not looking!!!!

I'll introduce 'Ciccio' (the mutt) another time - he's really not up to an interview at the moment - he's too busy snoring! Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

That's all for now...If it doesn't snow (tentatively forecast) I may take a run up to Castasegna - just over the Swiss border - and fill up with petrol. Only €0.98c there at the moment!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

The House in early summer 2005

This is my first attempt to add a photo to the new Blog. I think it worked!

I'll now have to hunt for one of when I bought the 'wreck'. It's not finished outside yet, it still needs the 'colour wash'. But on the left you can see the 'hay store, and half hidden behind are the small farm buildings (not mine) where a couple of locals keep their stores, and one has his goats in there in the winter, the other just has 'chooks'! The Narrow lane runs between my place and the trees immediately behind.

The fence in the middle is the bottom of my garden, and the majority of my fruit trees are on the right. Monte Legnone, as you can see, starts right behind the house, and you can 'just' see it's peak in the mist!
I'll find the ones that the 'geometra' took during the work. They are quite surprising - not to say 'scary'.

But that's a start I guess. So I'll sign off for now......
Carole B.

"Alpine Settler"

LOOKING BACK ON HOW IT ALL BEGAN !

Written in August 2004.......

Well here I am in Italy..... I always said I would move back here when I retired, and that is just what I’ve done! It really started in October 2003 when I was here for my ‘annual’ autumn holiday. I started looking at houses and flats and their prices. At that time the housing market in England was really on the up and it seemed to be a good time (if there was ever going to be one) to make a move.

I was quite surprised at the prices for the type of property that I wanted (could afford) here in Italy. I didn’t want some soul-less flat or ‘new build’, but rather something with a bit of background and with any luck not a total ruin. So I decided to return to the Lake Como area (for about a month) and start a real search early in the New Year. I booked the ferry and spoke to a local Dover estate agent, deciding to put my house on the market before I left for Italy. That would, I thought, give me a chance to ‘test the waters’ on house sales while I was away..... I signed the agreement with the estate agents on Thursday, left for Italy on Friday, arrived in Milan on Saturday...on Monday the agents called – they had received an offer on Saturday. I turned that down, and on Tuesday they phoned with a higher offer, which I accepted. So the house had ‘sold’ in six days…and there was I in Italy, on the verge of being ‘homeless’ and I hadn’t even started looking for somewhere else. Well I looked at loads of places, all around the northern end of Lake Como. It became very clear from day one that the kind of property I would have liked would be far too expensive if it had a ‘lake view’. Mountains –yes- but lake – no..... So I finally found a house in a small village, right at the top end of Lake Como and just into the ‘Valtellina’ (famous for its apples, cheeses, pizzocheri (a kind of pasta) and most of all, seasoned beef called Bresaula). My house is a farmhouse (approx. 120 years old) that has been uninhabited for four or five years. It had been extended at some point and boasts two balconies, both different, but next to each other, and neither particularly safe! The roof is on the verge of collapsing and there is no gas or central heating. The stove in the kitchen is a real antique and is wood burning – ‘the family’ have suggested that I keep it and use it in the garden for barbeques and pizzas – that might be a good idea. The house comes with 700 square meters of land which includes a small ‘mountain hay store’ with an open sided tiled roof, a small trout pool/store (handy to keep the goldfish in – if I had any…) which gets it’s water, when in use, from a mountain stream which runs down the side of the property and is fed from a little (very little), waterfall on the side of the mountain (Monte Legnone) that the house backs on to.

But the village road (one lane only) runs past the back of the house so the stream passes under the road through a little tunnel. The neighbour’s chickens seem to like to run up and down the road looking for goodies to eat and exploring people’s gardens - if they can get in! My garden has several (eight) mature - not to say positively ancient - fruit trees. They tell me that there are apples, plum– and maybe one apricot (no-one seems too sure). I’ll just have to wait and see. There are also two real ‘Christmas trees’ (about25ft high) and loads of mature shrubs. As for the house itself, it has three bedrooms (two are large doubles), a large lounge and large kitchen.

The cellar is indoors and is about 5ft deep below the floor and full of broken bottles, it will soon become a down stairs bathroom. There is an ‘under roof’ space which, when the new roof is on, will give me a large closed storage room and room for at least another three or four single beds – as long as at least half of the people/visitors are midgets they’ll be OK up there! I shan’t be using the roof space for sleeping unless there are a load of people – family/friends up for the weekends, then every one will just have to ‘muck-in’.

It sounds very posh, but I now have a ‘geometra’ (a bit like a poor man’s architect) who has prepared plans on how I want the house to look. These are for the village council to see and agree (or ask for modifications) before any work can start. But unlike the UK, I’ll get an answer within a couple of weeks after they have had their council meeting. The land attached to the house has planning permission already so I could, if I wanted, build another house there and sell it.....(I don’t think so though). The whole of the inside will have to be re-plastered and some walls knocked down, and then two new bathrooms put in (one upstairs and one down) and there will have to be a new kitchen too. The geometra, and my nieces husband (a builder) helped me find a local builder to do the work, and he started the work towards the end of August, with the hope that the entire job all will be finished by Christmas… but I have my doubts. I think it is more likely to be some time into the New Year.

All this has happened in the last two to three months, as after I found the house in March and put down a ‘holding deposit’, I returned to Milan for a couple of days planning on setting out for home on the second of April to start wrapping everything up there for my move to Italy. I wasn’t feeling too good at all that first night back in Milan, so I woke my niece and asked her to call a Doctor. She took one look at me and called an ambulance with paramedics and I was rushed to hospital – once there I was put into intensive care. Sergio – ‘number-one son’ was called in England and told to get to Milan ASAP as I had had a heart attack and I had pneumonia too! I was in ‘reanimazione’ (resuscitation) and then the ICU for seven days then moved to the Cardiac Ward for anther twelve. Then they decided to send me to a specialist cardiac unit near Milan to help get me back on my feet. I stayed there for another five and a half weeks – ‘getting back on my feet’. I’m now staying with my niece as I can’t travel yet, I’m still seeing my cardiologist on a regular basis. I couldn’t drive the car for quite some time either, so I had to just look at it and dream. I’ve lost just on three stone (40lbs) and am on a really strict diet, and….I haven’t smoked a cigarette since 30th March, so I suppose that means I’ve given up! It’s really hard (but my own fault I guess), but I can’t smoke, can’t drink, couldn’t drive and I’m living in the country with perhaps the best food in the world and I can’t blxxxy eat it........ Just how lucky can I get?

But joking apart – the writing has been on the wall for long enough, I just didn’t bother to do anything about it - now I’ve got to!!! It was hard too having to leave all the arrangements for the house sale in Dover and the removal details to poor old Serge, all that on top of his own business and dashing back and forth with Ryan Air between the UK and Italy has been a trial for him too – quite apart from the fact that he thought his mum was about to ‘pop her clogs’... But I told him (and the doctors), that nothing and no-one was going to stop me seeing my ‘new’ house blossom into what I knew it could be with a bit of imagination and ‘TLC’. That dream (with the support of son, family and nursing staff) really got me through those dark days in April. Well the house is now officially mine, and all I can say is that I should never have complained about ‘red tape’ in England.....until you’ve gone through a house purchase in Italy, believe me, you just ain’t lived!. It’s like Kate Karney’s Circus..... you’ve only got to sneeze and you owe some official or other a couple of hundred (or even thousand) Euros. I asked (foolishly) about house and contents insurance – ‘they’ including the Notary (solicitor/lawyer) - almost fell about laughing and asked why I would want to waste my money on such foolishness! Can you believe it?

The work now starts with the local ‘village council’. Like France you have to keep on the right side of the mayor if you want planning permission to do things – and boy, do I need planning permission..... I met him (the Mayor) a few weeks ago and it turns out the he’s a distant relative of the family who sold me the house! But I think that by the time it is all finished it should be really nice.

I will be living in an area that is only a matter of 20 miles from the Swiss border near Chiavenna, and that road leads to San Moritz. It’s also near to Bormio and Livigno. There is, of course, the beauty of Lake Como and the surrounding mountains. Where my house is situated is near the river plain leading into the lake and is only 645ft above sea level... The mountain behind the house is 2650m (8200ft approx).
End of Episode One....

Monday, January 16, 2006

Finally the courage!

After some long and careful thought and some really great encouragement from people like Deborah Dee, Yael , Pia and Annika I've managed to pluck up the courage to give this 'blogging lark' a try.

This is the first attempt at posting something on a site that is 'mine'. Actually it feels quite nice. Certainly without the friendship and camaraderie of the Expats in Italy site, I don't think I would have ever been brave enough to write something as different (for me) as a Blog....

There's a long story to tell about my becoming an 'Alpine Settler'. But that story will no doubt evolve over the next 'little while'. I have, since first coming over in February 2004, maintained contact with all my old friends and colleagues back in the UK. I've sent them what I called my 'BLURB'. It was as good a way as any not to have to write the same news countless times. I just added the personal bits up front each time. But now? Well I can tell them about the Alpine Settler Blog and they can check me out whenever they want. So I'll only have to write the personal bits and send 'em by 'snail mail' or E-Mail.

All I've got to fathom out now is how to get this Blog address onto my posts 'in that other place?????