Only 10 days to the "SUNSHINE"

I just can't wait until the 10th February when those beautiful rays of sunshine will finally arrive on the roof of my house.

These last few beautiful, almost spring like days have seen me watching the sun slowly creep across the valley floor in front of the house. Getting near to those of us really 'tucked in' at the very base of Monte Legnone. As the days pass the sun's zenith gets higher and it clears the peak of the mountain by a little more each day.

I've amazed myself since I've been living here - I've never been a sun lover, and I'm still not - but it is really nice to know that even though it disappears from falling on the village around the end of November, it WILL return to MY back yard on the 10th February. I really have to admit though that I did miss the snow this year. I suppose that sounds strange - but here in the Alps the snow and all it brings is a way of life - people comment on it, but it doesn't seem to phase them at all. Unlike my memories of snow back in Kent - and the whole of the UK for that matter - where half a day of 'slushy' snow fall managed to create (every time) utter transport chaos!
Yet here, the only thought I had with the snow last winter was to watch the forecasts for the possible arrival of new snow and ensure that my 'stores' were topped up. I've done the same this year too - but all promised falls have come to practically nothing - and I've missed it!

Friends are now turning their thoughts to visiting me again this year. I just love it when they ask if it's OK to visit again.... Let's hope that there are plenty of them. It's nice too now that I have subscribed to 'Teleconomy Internazionale' with the Italian phone service (like BT) and for €10 per month I can call ANY land line phone in Europe or America and Canada 24/7 and talk for as long as I like FREE! This is ideal for friends who do not have computers, or if they do - they are not on 'broadband'. For those who do have computers and broadband I now have a SKYPE account. This is incredible - easy to download even easier to use and great fun. The other evening we tried a 'group call' between four of us - me in Italy, one in Scotland, one in Toronto and the fourth in New Jersey....wow was that fun! And best of all FREE!!!!!

God Bless modern technology - and goodbye huge phone bills!

posted by Carole B @ 11:05 PM 2 comments links to this post

A Day Late!

Well due to a 'technical hitch' - this post which was written yesterday - would not publish. But fortunately, as it is 'hosted' by Expats in Italy, their 'boss' Cristina quickly came to the rescue....thank you Cristina!

So this is, as news goes, a day late and I s'pose if it was a newspaper it would be wrapped around the fish and chips by now! (English humour..hahaha - forgive me).But never mind - as my old Mum used to say "Worse things happen at sea" and I suppose they do!

So here we go again with a bit of - by now - stale news!

Yesterday the long awaited snow arrived down at our level. Well if you could call it snow. As you can see it was a bit of a hit and miss affair and was little more than a white "Slush Puppy"


The 'snow level', seen below, is now much lower - the lower part of my village is at about 290m and where I am is, as you can see, a bit higher...


But just look at these clouds. Yesterday morning when this was taken, we were convinced that it was 'in (as forecast) for the day'. Even the 'mutt' - on his extending lead - didn't really want to go down into the garden for a quick 'uncrossing of legs'. I - sensible person that I am - stayed in the dry under the portico. Why should I get wet? Daft I might be - stupid I'm not! (well not YET anyway...)

posted by Carole B @ 9:33 AM 2 comments links to this post

The Thud Machine!!!

Well this is IT...yes this is the cause of my countless (almost) sleepless nights. As you can see the manhole is pretty deep, but I still maintain that a piece of rubber tucked under one side will teporarily solve the problem. Well at least until 'Mister Mayor' gets his finger out and gets things moving!












Here is another take on the blo*dy thing. This was taken from my upstairs bathroom window. You can just see a bit of the back wall of the house on the left of the photo. My bedroom is almost next to this bathroom... but nearer to that manhole!



BTW - the small place opposite, with the hay stored under wraps and the wood store, is my neighbours stall where he keeps his goats in the winter. He was the one I wanted to 'First Foot' for me at new year. 

posted by Carole B @ 11:45 PM 3 comments links to this post

Hello Mr. Mayor!

My village Coat of Arms.



Well yesterday I had to go to my local Comune (Council Offices) the main reason being the need of some help to fill out a form from the Gas company for the Tax Office...the same form was sent to me in October last year by the Electric company. Believe it or not, they are both branches of the same company - ENEL spa. But they want all the details from the land registry of my property (and everyone else's for that matter) so the tax man can ensure that everyone is paying what they should!!!! Ha ha ha - well if that happens it'll almost be a first in Italy.....

But I (unlike a large number of Italians) don't have any problems with paying my taxes, despite my threats (locally) not to pay if the council don't get their finger out and stop the racket from that blo*dy manhole cover behind my bedroom wall at the back of the house. You may remember the 'run-ins' I've had with our local Poliziotto whose first name is Natale (Christmas).... and the story of the snotty letter I sent to the Mayor a YEAR AGO!

Well back to yesterday - I'm slowly climbing the wide circular staircase to get to the main offices in the Comune, and who should be coming down the stairs but 'Il Signor Sindaco' (Mr. Mayor). Our meeting went something like this:

MM: Hello signora - Happy New Year!
Me: Happy New Year to you too.
MM: How are things these days? Are you still enjoying living here in our village?
(Bet he'll never ask me that again....)
Me: Well - actually (trying not to laugh) I'm so pleased I saw you as I'm not at all happy!
MM: Oh dear - whatever is the matter?
Me: That blo*dy manhole cover - that's what's the matter.
(It was clear at this point that he wanted the earth to open up beneath him - hahaha)
MM: With a false (?) look of surprise) Why - haven't they done it yet?
Me: Listen Mr. Mayor - I first reported this on 3rd October 2004 - and following 'no action' I wrote to you in January last year too!!! It's still making an enormous thud everytime a car passes the house. The lane is so narrow that cars have to go over it! The resulting thud wakes me up everytime- a 'lay in' in the morning is out of the question too....it's like sitting in the timpani section of the national orchestra - and I'm FED UP WITH IT! Now they're telling me that the whole manhole cover needs raising and resetting in new asphalt and that's why it hasn't been done!
(By now Mr. Mayor - MM - is so red in the face it's hard not to laugh)
MM: Oh dear! I'll see to getting it done this week for you - I'm SO sorry!
(I'll give him 'Oh dear' - HE'S supposed to be 'in charge' - the silly s*d)
Me:Yeah - right! I'll believe that when I see it!

Well that was a bit of excitement I s'pose to lift the boredom - but just how much more excitement at this level do you suppose I can cope with???

Oh the beurocracy here in Italy is so difficult to understand unless you live here (or are trying to).

posted by Carole B @ 6:05 PM 2 comments links to this post

Geez - bored or what?

I'm trying (very hard) not to be bored out of my tiny mind today. Oh I know it's nice to be able to do, within reason, just what I want.... but my life has been so organised, for so long, that if almost every hour of the day isn't 'pencilled in' I tend to go nuts. Does anyone else who's retired know what I mean?

But I do have some jobs to finish today - the completion of some certificates that I'm translating for a friend for their 'citizenship application', another translation of a brochure for a local company.

Then there's one of my dining room chairs which has decided that it will collapse (no - don't even ask)!!!


The special glue (?) that the makers use has finally decided that it won't hold the cross struts anymore, the corner 'triangular tensioners' got a bit loose - I tried to tighten them and they broke. RESULT? Chair fell apart! I can no longer hold a screwdriver or a drill properly and use tools to put these things right. Once upon a time I wouldn't have thought twice - but now - no way Josè! So here I am with a useless blo*dy chair laying on it's side on my table - just waiting for some kind soul to pick up the tube of wood glue and the drill and screwdriver , and to be ever so kind and put it right for me..... Yesterday, Nicoletta and I tried to do it - well that was a bit like a sketch from Comic Relief.... honest to God it's true, I could no longer organise a proverbial in a brewery! After about five minutes of suffering tears of laughter - we decided that Chippendale had absolutely nothing to fear from these two useless female furniture restorers. But thinking about it, I suppose if I was 'that way inclined' I could try just putting the chair back down on the deck and inviting any unwelcome guest to 'take a seat' (ha ha ha ha). Nah - can't really do that can I? Then again.....

But back to the 'boredom' - well just writing this has cheered me up (a bit). The 'mutt' has just appeared to remind me that despite his adaptability he is NOT yet able to open the fridge or cupboards in order to feed himself! So as it's just gone 12noon I s'pose I'll have to 'save' this to finish later and go an feed him..... While I'm downstairs I think I'll take a photo of that chair - just to prove that I'm not joking.

It's now 4.30pm - lunch is a distant memory, the washing and some more translating have been done and I'm now back to a state of boredom... well for a little while anyway. Only a bit more translating today then it will be time to play with my new Skype 'toy'.... Oh goody!!!



Tomorrow - all being well I'm off 'up the valley' to collect my new 'made to measure' mountain jacket. A RED one - I've never had a red jacket before, but the colour was soooo gorgeous I couldnt resist. If it's ready tomorrow I'll tell you about the small firm that makes these mountain clothes and show you what it's like! They are a small family firm
called LIOD - which (they tell me) means 'Ice' in Russian!

posted by Carole B @ 11:42 AM 5 comments links to this post

My 'mate' Ciccio!

It’s now a year and one week since Ciccio (aka ‘The Mutt’ and ‘Lunatic Dog’) came to live with me. These last thirteen months have been a constant joy for me and at the risk of boring you all to death I’ll tell you why!

Ciccio really shouldn’t even be alive – he was found by the Carabinieri in deep snow in a field and was so near to death he couldn’t even stand up. After a month at the local ‘canile’ (dogs home) when I got him, he was still so pitifully thin with his ribs sticking out of his poor little body….. He stuck to me like glue to a blanket for the first couple of months….

AS HE WAS!


It has taken me almost a year to get him to allow me to touch his legs and under his tummy – brushing him was a nightmare, he just cowered with fear. He still doesn’t know how to play with the usual ‘doggy toys’ despite having a collection that has come from as far afield as New Jersey and the UK….Even now he won’t chase a ball, or shake/squeeze the usual squeaky toys. He does like to play with your hands though, and a favourite pastime now (after a lot of patience) is sitting on the arm of my chair and pulling my hand until I hold his paw!!! At Christmas he was given a toy mouse which – when you pull its tail – runs across the floor. The first time we showed him he jumped up onto Sergio’s lap in fear and just shivered….can you believe that? He will now (after a couple of weeks) face up to this mouse – but he’s still very wary about actually touching it!

But for me the most wonderful result of him being here is his unfailing loyalty. I think that even if I was to beat him (and the nearest he’s come to that fate has been a smack with a plastic fly swat…..) I don’t doubt that he would accept it and still come back with his tail wagging. Unlike human beings, the average dog holds no grudges. Smack or chastise him and when you next open your arms and offer him the ‘olive branch’ he will be there….instinct tells him, I’m sure, that if he’s been ticked off or told ‘where it’s at’ it’s because his owner/friend cares! If they didn’t then they wouldn’t have bothered with him in the first place.

But all-in-all as a dog, and more importantly for me as a companion, he has come on in leaps and bounds. He has learned where he can (and can’t) go in the house….but he does still creep into my bedroom if he thinks I am asleep and try and reach me with his wet nose (bit difficult that – he’s too small). He doesn’t chew things that he shouldn’t – with the exception of one thin dining chair seat cushion (a ‘cheapie’ from the supermarket). This was on the chair he prefers to use to sleep on ‘through night’ – much safer it seems than his two proper dog beds (one on the upstairs landing and the other in the kitchen). He did leave me a few ‘little gifts’ around the house in the early days, but that is now a thing of the past (thank heavens).

AND NOW!!!



All in all I feel so pleased to have him with me. I’m sorry if it is boring when I speak of him, but he is my constant companion after all. I can’t (and don’t want to) pretend that he doesn’t exist - can I?

posted by Carole B @ 11:18 AM 9 comments links to this post

My "First Footer - 2007"!

OK - who said "What's a First Footer"? No it's got nothing whatsoever to do with football (Italian or any other kind....).

First Footing is the tradition of allowing a MAN to be the first to set foot/cross the threshold in your home after midnight at the new year! There are many traditions attached to this so called 'bringer of good fortune', but where I come from it involved the man bearing a gift of a lump of coal (or a small log of wood) to ensure warmth in the hearth for the coming year, and in addition a small piece of bread and a 'twist' of salt - these to ensure that there would be sufficient sustenance in the home too.

So how did it go in my house?
Don't even ask!

I spent the early part of the evening with the family and friends, but as I was driving and the roads were very icy, I (and others) decided to leave before the stroke of midnight to be able to toast the 'New Year In' in a suitable fashion. So that's what I did.... and I watched all the fireworks in all the villages on the mountains all around me. That in itself was worth being at home for. Then on the 'First' - like half of Italy I think - it was a really lazy day. Yes I got up late (for me) and decided to just lounge around . I didn't have to cook as I'd prepared the 'traditional' lentils with a hot, cooked Italian speciality sausage called 'zampone', which is the skin of a pigs foot stuffed with this very spicy sausage meat (OK - who said "YUK"?). Of course I didn't have a whole zampone - they're quite large - but I bought three slices from my local butcher. So all was ready for my lazy day. I wasn't expecting any visitors - and didn't get any - thank heavens.

But then I though about my 'First Footer'! If no one came on the 1st - then I was likely to have Nicoletta (the lady who 'does for me' once a week) crossing my threshold first!

Horror of horrors - what to do?

Well I thought, maybe I could convince Gianpiero (the 80 year old goatherd) who keeps his goats in his small barn on the opposite side of the lane behind me, to do the honours. His place is the little bit of roof you can see to the left of the large arrow over my roof! (the little arrow is over my 'hay store'....

He is ALWAYS up here just after 7am to feed and water his goats (all 29 of 'em). So I'll chance my arm and ask him.... Yeah - right! So the one morning I really needed him where was he? Well he wasn't feeding his blo*dy goats that's for sure.... so my best laid plans had to be chucked out with the baby and the bathwater - my 'First Footer' was Nicoletta after all. That means, I suppose, that 2007 is NOT going to be too lucky for me after all! I'll just have to break some of my habits of a life time for the next 12 months I guess. What habits? - you may well ask! Well I'll have to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business - for twelve whole months - if I don't want to invoke all this (supposed) bad luck!

But between you and me (ssh) - I've decided this morning that I don't believe in all these daft traditions, so 'bad luck' can go elsewhere...SO THERE!
Ha ha ha!!!

posted by Carole B @ 10:49 AM 1 comments links to this post