Time flies when you're having fun!!!

Well it doesn't seem possible, but Paddy's (aka 'friend Pat') visit has already come and gone. I picked her up at Orio al Serio Airport (Bergamo) on the 23rd for her (what has now become) 'autumn break' here with me.


We hadn't made any specific plans about what to do - just as long as we went over the Spluga Pass to the village of Splugen to visit the 'Piz Tambo' for our favourite Swiss rosti.

Once we were home on Sunday the first job was for the 'mutt' to go bananas 'cos Paddy had come back.... he does his kangaroo impression every time someone he knows returns! Then Paddy unpacked her case which (as per usual - bless her) contained such treats as 1lb Lincolnshire sausages, Brussels pate, 250g English County salted butter, packs of Coleman's Chili con Carne mix and Coleman's English Mustard (the new squeezy bottle)! All very welcome indeed - a little bit of dreamed of satisfaction for my taste buds!

The weather on Monday was 'fairish' (see the photo above) - a bit overcast, but not cold. We went out and did a bit of shopping. That's Paddy's pastime- show her a shop and she's like the proverbial pig in ****! She's a self confessed 'shop-a-holic'!!! While we were shopping I actually went into a jewellers - much to Paddy's delight - as I am still looking for a suitable gift for No.1 Son for the 'Big 40'! He has since told me that he will be able to get over for a long weekend on 1st November - not quite on his birthday - but hey....it's just nice to have him here. I bought his card some (long) time ago back in the UK and wrote it this week. Paddy is going to post it for me from the UK to be on the safe side.... when I had written it I read what I had said and we both ended up like a sobbing mess for quite a few minutes! Sentimental - that's too often my problem...

So Tuesday arrived and so did the rain. It actually started late on Monday evening and was heralded in by one enormous clap of thunder about midnight. Then this is what we woke up to on Tuesday morning - snow above the 1400m line.....

In fact there was a decided 'nip' in the air and as the day went on, the rain continued and it just got colder and colder. So there was nothing for it but to turn the heating on - in SEPTEMBER - in ITALY!


But on the Wednesday morning we woke up to this wonderful sunrise - I couldn't resist taking a picture













Well the week, weather wise, didn't change at all, but I managed to shift her thoughts of 'shopping' to a new interest.....GENEALOGY! She had read my 'Naughty Nina Saga' and we chatted about what was entailed in following leads to find ancestors. She asked if that could be done for her family too? Of course it can be done for any one's family and as I am a paid up member of 'Ancestry.com' that is a good place to start. So we did! Within minutes we discovered that her great grandfather had joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914. We found his signing on papers and there were a few tears as Paddy saw his actual signature for the first time. Result? Yes you've guessed - she was well and truly 'HOOKED'. From then on, apart from our meals and one or two visits to a restaurant or a shop, plus of course the evening dose of 'Eastenders' - we were searching away to find details of many of her 'long lost' family. I must say we were pretty successful and Paddy is now going to continue searching now she's back home.

But we both agreed (her family is the same as mine) that our forebears created a real minefield with their habit of giving the same name to at least one person in each generation..... AND it is surprising just how many people have exactly same name, at the same period, but in different towns and even countries! That really does cause confusion to novices like Paddy and I.

So now I'm here on my own again - not that this is a problem - back to talking to everyone via Skype and following various translations and family researches - my own included - with Nuccia (aka Amie) my friend and partner in Toronto.

Debra tells me that she is almost back to normal (but I don't really believe her...) but now has an album of about 400 photos to remind her and Joe of their Italian experience. So it seems it's now all systems 'GO' for their planned future retirement to (maybe) Bellano. Now that would be nice!!!

Another nice surprise came too from Heather and John this week - a lovely photo of the house from the 'mountain stream end'.... Don't usually take photo's from there. John took this one and it does make it look nice now it's painted.



So the time for my 'visitors' is over for another 'season'. Just Sergio and Lynsey now for their 'quick dash' in and out of Italy and then I'll settle back and wait for next spring and see who that brings to my door....

"Cant wait!"