Day out for Anna

After a bit of hinting Victor finally got the message and we took Anna out for her birthday on Sunday.

Mum and son

Destination: Garda on Lake Garda set in the centre stretch of the Riviera degli Olivi. They'd convieniently set up a little Christmas market and as the sun set the lights were very pretty, reflected in Mermaid Bay.

And two of her three granddaughters: Linda and Alessia

As we left the first drops of something hit our cheeks...Is snow finally on the way?

Grey days

Unlike the UK, lashed by wind and rain in this period, it has been very foggy around these parts, much worse than London, although Italians raised on Dickens and Sherlock holmes might disagree.

Fortunately Mother Nature manages to cheer us up a bit. As other trees are stripped bare of leaves the persimmon comes into its full glory.

There are plenty of these rustic trees in local gardens.

The bright orange globes appear to glow like fairy lights on an otherwise dismal evening.

I'm not too keen on the fruit, all jelly inside but I bet Ambra can come up with a recipe for them !

It's raining again

It's raining again........who sang that song?

With Saint Martin's day falling on 9th November, it nearly always rains on our local Saint's day.

After a half -hearted attempt to visit the local market I retreated to the warmth of the wool shop and spent the afternoon working on this year's decorations

Theme: gingerbread.

Burn the Guy

This year I was overcome with nostalgia. I wanted to return to The Uk on Bonfire Night.
V came with me
We went to Newick where I spent my first ten years. I hadn't been back for forty years but Guy was the same

Pity I couldn't say the same about the costumes. The amazing Zulu warriors, Mexicans complete with hats and Indian cheifs were replaced by rather unmemorable sailors dressed in what looked like rugby shirts.
These Romans were an exception and easily walked off with the fancy dress prize


At the end of the parade were the barrel men picking up the dropped burning torches.

The bonfire was glorious but the fireworks?

There were plenty of them but whether due to cloud, smoke or simply standing in the wrong place we saw very little of them.

But some of the happy old memories were compensated by new additions. The beer, (definitly didn't drink that when young). The roast pork, crackling and apple sauce roll, (beats fish and chips anyday).

And the weather was clement, I remember one particularly freezing night dressed up as a Fry's Turkish delight belly dancer..

So the conclusion? I'll be back one day

Back again!

Even though I met up with Sylv for the first time last Thursday, I can't say that she is a new friend, after chatting away every evening for over a year on the computer we already knew everything about each other, that we'd be drinking coffee not tea for example, so time was not wasted on getting to know each other but straight down to buisness like shopping for wool in CH and chocolate in Tescos.
Naturally I can't wait to meet up again but until then I still have someone to moan, groan and laught with every evening!
For those in the know, Lessie on the left, Bettyboo on the right.










EASTBOUNE. I have always liked this town on the south coast, even in the rain, with the pier,

and promenade stretching round to the white chalk cliffs and Beachy Head

But now I have reason to like it more than ever. A new wool shop, Yarn Forward, Mum and I were in ectasy although V needed a coffee to get over the stress, but as I pointed out to him, now is the time to buy with the exchange rate in favour of Euros for once.