I'm going to make a concerted effort to drag myself away from politics and back to musings on moving to the Val d'Orcia. My friend, Stephy, has been over there this week and she and Gary tell me that my day lilies are all in bloom. The weather is, however, shockingly hot. I don't think it's as bad as last summer - yet. I don't think anyone has died - yet. I am pleased to hear via the grapevine that my Brit friend in Umbria has put in his pool and it is rumored to be lovely. Hope he's still speaking to me in the summers to come.

Of course, one of the reasons for going to live in Europe is the opportunity it will afford me to radically change my environment every once in awhile. For example, it's going to be 28 to 32 degrees Celsius in the Val d'Orcia all this week. That's about 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. But I could spend the coming five days in, let's say, Amsterdam, where 18 to 21 (65 to 69) is forecast. Take the train from Chiusi or fly from Firenze or drive (maybe not -it's a fourteen hour drive not including rest stops and who needs a car in Amsterdam?). Or if there's another one of those rare winters with a few brief snowstorms and I'm not up to skiing Monte Amiata which is right up the road, I might find myself visiting my friend Ester in Sicily if she'll have me. I do love Sicily!

Of course the more practical thing to do with a week away from the house will be to drive the two and a half hours to Orbetello on the Mediterranean coast and sign up for some serious intensive Italian language courses. There's a small school down there that's got a great reputation among Europeans. I can get my scuba certification down there, too. I really don't want to stray too far from my new home for the first few years.

posted by Joanna @ 7/06/2004 01:58:00 AM