Well they arrived!

Yep - they've arrived - Hooray! But so has the rain. Or to be more precise THAT has been here for a couple of days. I was so sad that the cloud cover meant no view of the continent as they flew over and landed in Italy.... I bet they would have had a wonderful view of 'wall to wall' ocean though.

But I managed to park really near to one of the two Exits that they would have to use and suddenly "there they were!" And there was Deb coming towards me at a fair rate of knots - she just grabbed me and hugged me - wouldn't let go... and she kept saying "Are you real? Can I pinch you?" - yes it was great, but of course I was just dying for the chance to 'hug the hunk' . Now don't get me wrong - hugging Deb was GREAT - nothing better... but 'oh boy' is Joe a hunk!








Their first request was for some breakfast (in Italy? Yeah, right - as if!) so we stopped at a 'services' with an Autogrill where I knew they could at least get a 'toast' or one of the other 'toasted delights' usually on offer in such places.



Then it was on to the hotel which they really like. I left them for a while so they could have a quick 'wash and brush up' and we agreed that I'd pick them up and we would go for lunch together in a 'non tourist' trattoria. Now that was an experience for them...and a treat for me as I could eat a couple of things that I really 'shouldn't have' (ssh!). Deb and I started with tagliatelle with wild mushrooms an followed with cotoletta alla Milanese - mine with mixed salad and Debs' with french fries. Joe started with ravioli al magro (cheese and spinach filling) with melted butter and followed with roast veal and a mixed salad. Neither could finish it all - understandable I guess after the toasted sandwich. But I did - and then just had fruit for supper.... I'm not sure what they had (if anything) for supper.
Following lunch they wanted to come back to meet the mutt and see the house - but the rain (and their tiredness) seemed to put a damper on it a bit. I really hope they had a good rest and a nice leisurely breakfast this morning. We'll see - later!

posted by Carole B @ 10:03 AM 4 comments links to this post

Nearly, almost!

Yes it's nearly time for 'friend' Debra and her dishy, tall (to me anyone over 5'3" is tall, and he's 5'11") red headed husband Joe are due to fly out of Newark N.J. airport later today for their holiday up here with me... YIPPEE!!! (and before you ask - NO Bijoux is not coming with them....)

I'll be picking them up from Malpensa airport (just north of Milan) tomorrow morning. They are due to land at 7.50am so it will be a fairly early start for me. It's not that far though (140km) so I'll probably leave at about 6am but I'll check that their flight left on time before setting out.

We've been in contact on numerous occasions over recent weeks - for obvious reasons. And right up 'til last night there were one or two points that Joe wanted to check on. But perhaps the most important call, from my point of view was mine last Wednesday. I had a favour to ask... I have heard about the things that I wanted them to get for me over the years, in films and from other people - but I had never (even during my times over there) ever bought or tried one. So what better opportunity that this to satisfy my curiosity once and for all. On Wednesday I did just that and asked Debs if she could possible bring me not one but TWO Hershey Bars!!!! Well whatever did you think I meant - pastrami on rye - a bagel???? No...CHOCOLATE is what I crave - and two bars will last me for ages. I'm very good with things I shouldn't eat, especially chocolate. No.1 son bought me a 1/2lb bar of Cadbury's Milk at Christmas and I made that last me 'til the end of March! But 'Good Grief' it is soooo difficult to resist temptation.

It is going to be a wonderful 10 days for Debbie and Joe, as in addition to meeting me for the first time (though we do talk regularly on Skype), they have another English couple who have just moved fro the UK to near Geneva but in France. They are driving over for two days to meet Deb and Joe for the first time too. It's going to be great - I just know it!

They will be seeing a lot of the lake and the surrounding mountains and several days out are planned. Maybe a boat trip from Bellano to Belaggio then down to Como and up to Brunate too. Deb said she wouldn't mind 'dropping in' to George's place (Cloony that is) for a cup of tea or whatever he might have on offer! Fat chance of that I reckon - and if it 'was on offer' I rather feel she would find herself at the back of a queue long enough to stretch back to New Jersey (LOL).

So all that remains now is for their arrival in the morning. Can hardly wait to meet two lovely people who already feel like old friends!

posted by Carole B @ 11:18 AM 3 comments links to this post

Is Blogging A Hobby!

Well is it, or should it be, no more than a hobby?
I'm asking 'cos I don't know anymore. When I started this 'blog' in early January 2006 it was - initially - pretty scary. But as time went on I began to really enjoy recounting the odds and ends of my life as an Alpine Settler. Ciccio (aka 'the mutt') arrived on the scene just days before I started the blog. Plus, at that time we in the Valtellina were in the grips of a pretty long, hard and very cold winter. This was the snow outside my front door at the time.



















But as time went on I managed to find various things to write about. Not easy when you lead a pretty mundane life and are happy to do so. Not for me the dreams of shooting off here or visiting there - not any more....I've been there and done all that and I'm quite happy now to lead a quiet uneventful, and for many what must seem a totally boring existence. Gone are my days of shopping for those 'days in the sun' or those long touring holidays. Yes I do - to some extent - miss the ability to do so nowadays....finances are what they are when you're a pensioner - with the 'average to low income' that all governments declare is more than enough for anyone to live on (so long as it's NOT THEM!). But that doesn't bother me - I am free of debt (for the first time ever I might add.....) and while I'm not, and never have been, extravagant - I lead a pretty good life.

I have friends who visit regularly and who are always a constant source of joy - be it during a visit or just chatting on Skype with them. I have my son (and his girl) who, while not able to visit frequently due to his own music management business and his globe trotting, does keep in touch. At least it is years now that I don't get anymore of those calls that 'Hyacinth Bucket' used to get regularly from 'her Sheridan'! I'm sure many of you know just what I mean (LOL). He's more likely these days to ask me if I need anything - bless him!

But I'm now finding it increasingly difficult on various fronts to continue 'blogging'

• My involvement with my new partnership on the http://www.gentedimaregenealogy.com site.
• My ongoing search for 'Naughty Nina' - who - it now seems was born in Egypt!
  
• My translation work with 'my' AST (Alpine Settler Translations).
• A total lack of ideas and interesting daily events to 'blog' about.

So though I know I get quite a few visitors to the blog - it's nothing mind boggling, and most while they do spend time here, don't comment. But why should they? How can anyone comment on a mundane and totally uninspiring life style? It's nice though to see from my 'stats' that there are still some regular visitors. That is comforting, but more than I expect - or deserve. You see I'm warm in my shell - I don't like sticking my neck out and taking risks anymore - so I shall continue like this 'til no one visits any more....THEN, and only then, will I put my 'cyber pen' down and shut up shop!

posted by Carole B @ 10:57 PM 10 comments links to this post

Just 'peachy'!

Last Wednesday when getting some fruit I noticed some particularly delicious looking peaches. Now I'm not a lover of peaches - preferring nectarines because of thier smooth skin. If I do buy 'furry' peaches it means I have to peel 'em. I can't bear biting into that furry skin - eugggggh!

Well - back to these peaches on Wednesday - HTG they were the largest I have EVER seen! They are called 'pesche percocche' and it seems they are the ideal ones for bottling due to their fragrance and their flavour. Well - having eaten them (I shared two of the three I bought) over the weekend I can tell you that the word about the flavour is just sooooo true.
Here's how big they were

This is next to a normal sized nectarine.




Here below on a plate with the nectarine, some medium sized 'toms' and a couple of plums.....


This one weighed in at 338gr. That's just on 12oz! Quite incredible.
















The three I bought - as you can see - weighed in at a total of 1kg 150gr and that's almost
2lb 9oz!!!

posted by Carole B @ 9:28 AM 0 comments links to this post

Deb's gift has arrived!

At last, after waiting on tenterhooks for several weeks, the beautiful gift that Debra from New Jersey made for me has finally arrived.

Deb had spent weeks of her precious time making this very personal gift for me - all the while asking me things like "What are your favourite colours?" and "What time of year do you like best?"...It got to the stage that I was actually threatening her (in the nicest POSSIBLE sense) that if she didn't tell me what 'it' was, then she'd be s.o.o.o.o.ry...and I would never, never speak to her again (LOL). Well she didn't tell me and I just had to wait....but that's where the problems arose.

Good old Deb posted it on the 16th July and sent it Air Mail - yeah, right! It must have been sent from Kitty Hawk on the 17th December 1903 and the plane had to be piloted by Orville Wright 'cos the parcel didn't get here 'til Tuesday 7th August August - 22 DAYS LATER ! Let's face it - that is scandalous... It hadn't been checked by Customs or tampered with - it was just as Deb sent it. So how come that 'man' can fly the 375000 miles to the moon like the Apollo spacecraft did and that only took about 3 days?

The postal services of today really do 'beggar belief' - but it DID arrive - and 'boy' was it worth waiting for....

Deb had put SO much thought into making it a really personal gift - one that would mean little of nothing to anyone else. A really lovely thought which I apreciate so much.... and so you can all share it - here it is:

It has many things applied to it as a 'collage' so it is a very tactile picture. There are little strips of brown lacy ribbon covered in little flowers made from beads. Copies of Italian stamps and an antique Italian 1 lira bank note. A map of part of Italy , some Italian 'mock' leaves, a supposed antique letter complete with postage date stamp and finally down in the bottom left had corner mi initial, a key (to my home) and what appears to be an ols stencil with my village post code. Much more personal than that.....

It is so beautiful and the time and thought that Deb put into creating it for ME is so appreciated!

posted by Carole B @ 4:55 PM 1 comments links to this post

Not lazy - just busy!

I was soundly 'ticked off' by friend Judith (in Umbria as was...) because I had not posted here for almost a month - and very little for the previous weeks either. Judith commented " Hey, Carole! It's time to get off your rear end and post something, so I am tagging you". So that put me firmly in my place.

But these last couple of months have been (to use an old fashioned word) fraught with pitfalls and problems. Nothing mind boggling or World stopping - things of that genre started passing me by some years ago (thank goodness).

No, I have been busy with visitors (Heather and John) who were over for two weeks - which was really nice. Apart from the fact they chose to come for the last two weeks in July. Yeah OK - I understand that most Brits lately have been convinced that they were heading for Mount Arrarat, but here we were resembling (or I was anyway) a piece of well done roast beef! The day I went to pick them up a Linate was one of those days - blo*dy hot! Their flight had been delayed so while I tried to find a parking place near to the exit the temperature soared in the shade to a mind shattering 40°C (104°F).... there was nothing to do but await their call from the baggage hall to say they had landed OK. So instead of leaving Linate about 4.45pm we didn't get away 'til nearly 6pm. Straight into the Milan rush hour around Sesto and Monza. To be (generally) avoided at all costs! We finally got home at 8pm, resembling three bits of rag that needed to go through the spin dryer. Then there was (almost) a fight on which two of us would get the showers first....

But long story short - their two weeks flew by - holidays have a habit of doing that and they departed on the 30Th. But not before John showed me how to cook an authentic curry, using the wonderful set of Indian spices they bought me back from their holiday in India last November. I had mango chutney and had found poppadoms - add the basmati rice from Lidl and I was (literally) like the proverbial 'pig in sh*t'.... Oh the utter delight in savouring a real Indian curry for the first time since November 2004!

While they were here we also went to eat at 'Il Capretto' where Heather (tentatively) tasted goat for the first time. John had tasted it years ago in India where he grew up. He is Anglo/Portuguese. While there I noticed that they had some new benches in their garden. The owners brother-in-law makes them. I enquired if he made them for sale - he didn't - but he offered to make one for me (at a price). Well I jumped at the chance and he delivered it this week and it now has pride of place on my terrace....















But also during this last few weeks I have been working with a new partner (old friend) and we have set up a 're-vamped' website. She had started a free website in April (I was an administrator with her) and it had caused so many problems and had continued to 'crash' so often that we decided to get a web design company to provide a customised version of one of their designs. That was done and when it was downloaded something went wrong and the new site was not complete and in addition it crashed my partners PC too. Well the designer stepped in VERY quickly and solved all the problems and on Saturday we (finally) launched the brand new version of our new genealogy site:
"Gente di Mare Genealogy.com"
http://www.gentedimaregenealogy.com

So if searching for your ancestors interests you, we do have a small - but increasing - team of research experts who are willing to either help, or guide anyone who is researching their roots/background. Be it for citizenship or just to build a family tree - here you will find help. They are building up a large surname database and Italian State Archive data base which is growing by the day.

Do come on over and have a look. You never know - we may even tempt you to delve into your family's past too!

So as you can see - I've not been lazing on a sunny beach somewhere with a dry martini in my mitt...but I have been rather busy!

Now for the next 'summer milestone' - in just 14 days Debra (aka Pia), and her husband Joe (who I met via 'Expats in Italy'), will be here with me for 10 days holiday....I don't know who's more excited - them or me!

posted by Carole B @ 3:02 PM 3 comments links to this post