May Bank Holiday

This week's outing was more to exercise the brain than the legs. It gave us an excuse to try out the new car, being a non-driver I was more impressed by the handy compartment obviously made for stopping my wool rolling about all over the place, than anything else.

Weather was glorious as we set off for the River Po, Italy's longest river, set in the middle of the Padana plain, just 30 mins. from our house. All the spring rains had apparently caused it to rise drastically.

Although there have been higher floods, it was still pretty impressive, to give an idea this is the bridge at Viadana...

And this is the same bridge during the 2005 drought.

The Padana Plain has an atmosphere all of its own, as if transported back 50 years in time.

Further along the river we found San Benedetto church and abbey. I had wanted to visit it for some time because it belonged to the Countess Matilda - the same queen who had her homebase in the castle in our village around 1050 AD.

Victor usually avoids old stones but this time, seeing that it was free, he joined me on a guided tour of the complex and we both ended up feeling all the wiser for it.

And for those interested this is the finished project begun in the car above. As my Rav. pal Ambra had told me I managed to make it using just two half, leftover balls of Noro sock wool. Fascinating to see both the colours unwind and the stitches dropping down to form a bias pattern. In tune with the ethnic look I've added beads to the ends.