On the road again

To be in Italy into November to pick our olives meant we could not return to the Schengen area until 21 September so we decided to make the journey to Kent on the 20th, stay overnight and take an early tunnel crossing next morning to drive to Dijon.  Best laid plans.  

We decided to include in our journey a return visit for me, first for MrFF, to Sissinghurst, my favourite ever garden.  That was wonderful, as lovely as I remembered.  We got to our hotel the Holiday Inn at Ashford late afternoon.  I suggested we fill the car with fuel then rather than wait till next morning but MrFF has sussed there was cheaper fuel en route, ever the Yorkshireman.  

Our evening meal and breakfast were excellent, our room was spacious and comfortable, it was going so well.  We got lost sourcing the cheaper petrol and despite expectations of getting an earlier crossing we ended up missing the one we’d booked.  The crossing we were now on was delayed.  In Calais there were diversions that involved travelling away from the port then back again.  We arrived at our accommodation around 7.30 pm.

We were booked for 2 nights and spent a pleasant day in Dijon using the local bus.  The city has a wonderful food market, interesting buildings and a walking route marked by little brass owls embedded in the pavement.  We went off piste a few times and covered over 5 miles, it was a relaxing day.

We left next morning but hadn’t got very far when we had a call from our accommodation. MrFF had left his computer bag in reception, it contains his wallet, our passports, iPad and house keys. We were so grateful to the receptionist for contacting us so quickly, imagine if we’d got all the way into Italy to discover the loss.  In fact when we pulled up in the car park the receptionist rushed out with our bag, we couldn’t thank her enough.   

We enjoyed our stay in Aosta before the final day on the autostrada.  In fact we had time to drive up to Pila the ski resort above Aosta that was a stage finish on this years Giro d’Italia. 

Our final day wasn’t as bad as we expected, definitely less lorries than usual, we wondered if it was a holiday in the north.  We finally exited the autostrada early evening,  I put our ticket into the toll machine, nothing happened.  I pressed the help button several times while MrFF went to apologise to the several drivers who were waiting behind us. One man came to help me, I explained the situation and he asked me where we had come from.  Aosta I said, Rome Sud he replied, that is just up the road and costs a few euros.  No Aosta I said, in the north, in the mountains, we left this morning. Then the help line came on, my helper took control and told them we’d come from Aosta, the screen showed 82 euros and some cents which I paid and the barrier opened.  

MrFF returned to the car,  my helper turned back to his, Aosta he said to MrFF smiling, I would have preferred Roma Sud said the Yorkshireman who then asked me why I hadn’t agree to Roma Sud and saved a lot of money.   

We picked up milk bread and pizza in the village and were soon at our house to be greeted by Olive our cat.  I was so happy to see her and for the journey to be over, let’s not think about having to do it in reverse in a few weeks time.

We’ve had friends here for a week, time mostly spent in the sun on our terrace, chatting and reading with some gardening.  Now they’ve left we need to think about the olive harvest.  The mills have opened earlier than usual,  people are picking. Our olives are very small but the ones I cut open seemed to have plenty of oil. Friends who started harvest at the weekend said it’s a nightmare with such small olives that are hard to detach from tree, it’s taking an age.  We will hang on a bit longer and hope our crop does too.

Dog Sitting

Our local Danish friend called by to ask a favour.  The family had planned a weekend trip to Germany and booked their two white sheepdogs into the rescue/vets from where they were originally adopted.  A few days before they were leaving they were told the rescue didn’t have room for them after all and as a last resort wondered if we would be able to help out for two days.  Of course we were happy to do so.

The plan was that the dogs would have access to the house and gardens, we’d get the key code for the gates and once each day top up their bowls of food and water, simple. However we were a little apprehensive.  We hadn’t seen the dogs for over a year and worried they might not appreciate strangers entering their territory. Bianca and Ellie are Maremma Abruzzese dogs traditionally used by shepherds to protect the flocks from wolves, quite protective creatures, quite big too.  The larger of the two weighs 45 kilos, about 7 stones, I weigh 9.

So we took full instructions and on the Saturday walked the mile to the house to be greeted by two large barking dogs jumping up at the gates.  Once we were inside they barked a bit more but calmed down when food appeared.  There were also treats for us to give them and a brush so I gave them a quick groom, that helped and pretty soon we were all friends.  

Next day we were looking forward to seeing them again, they didn’t bark at all and we spent time playing with them in the garden.   We really enjoyed being with such beautiful dogs, such a nice distraction that we have offered to do feed them again if it’s not for too long. 

The mostly low points of our journey

We arrived back in the penthouse early Thursday evening.  Whilst it was nice to have 2 nights in the same place twice which reduced the pressure of moving on each morning it was still a long way.  Leaving on Saturday worked well, once we’d turned round at Mario’s and gone back for the adaptor MrFF had forgotten.  I went through the list of phone passport keys iPad before he started the car, affirmative.  Then I asked if he’d got the adaptor for charging, I hope so was the reply.  I explained hope wasn’t enough, I needed to know so he checked at Mario’s then drove a bit further to turn round and go back.

After a couple of hours we stopped at the services for the toilet and I managed to lock myself in.  The lock was a little button in the middle of the round handle.  It wouldn’t turn and the bar on top of the handle did nothing.  I’d reached the stage of getting my phone out to call MrFF, who later admitted he’d left his phone in the car, when a voice asked in Italian if I wanted the door open.  Yes I said I cannot do it.  Within minutes the cleaning lady had got a key and released me.  After that I didn’t lock the toilet doors unless it was a simple bar.

Our 2 nights in Bergamo were not as relaxing as I’d hoped, the weather was good with sun but the town was very quiet. Leaving early morning to driving round Milan was as ever manic, made worse as MrFf hadn’t decided which route to take to get us beyond the Alps.  He wanted to try the Simplon train tunnel but since the service was only every 90 minutes it was time critical but unpredictable with all the traffic but it worked out well.  We drove our car onto an open platform and the train took us into a narrow and very dark tunnel.  We rattled along for 20 minutes, me wondering about what we’d do in an emergency and hoping the driver had a torch.  I was glad when that was over.

We then had to head for Bern, took a wrong road, turned round and seemed to start climbing a mountain pass, at least with a decent if steep road.  I was a bit concerned as I’d seen signs that some passes were closed so I looked on line.  It said the road we were on involved train travel but when I told MrFF he dismissed it saying we’d already done the train bit.   I explained I’d googled the route from after the train tunnel to Bern.  He insisted there was no train until the sign for Bern took us into the station, fortunately the next tunnel train was waiting as there was no more road.  So off we went again into the darkness except this tunnel had two tracks and occasionally we were buffeted about and illuminated by a high speed train wizzing past in the opposite direction.  

Our night in the Alsace was fine and next morning we drive towards Colmar stopping at a nice village on the outskirts where we joined a well attended Remembrance Day service.  There was a band, members of the forces, police and fire service plus local dignitaries who laid wreaths at the war memorial, each accompanied by two small children which I thought was very appropriate.

We spent some time in Colmar which is a beautiful town but also quiet, Armistice Day is a holiday in France and well respected.

Our last 2 nights were in the champagne region, we love the little town of Vitry le Francois, the restaurant we always use, the boulangerie and the big supermarket.  On our final day before the ferry we went again to Lac du Der where we’d walked in the summer.  En route we spotted hundreds of the migrating grey cranes that stop off at the lake on their route south.

We visited a little village museum that explained how the lake was created to ease flooding in Paris.  The local river Marne feeds into the Seine and it was decided to create a lake to store the winter flood water and release it in summer.  3 villages were destroyed but some buildings, including a church, were saved and moved to the museum which also records the agricultural activities lost. It reminded me of my childhood growing up on a farm, my brother has a similar butter churn that my grandmother and my mother both used, it’s now in the garden of his retirement bungalow. 

We spent a couple of hours walking round. It was fascinating, especially hearing recorded interviews with people who had to abandon their homes and livelihoods  but the construction solved a big problem, created a beautiful recreational attraction, fishing, boating, cycling, walking, bird watching with lots of holiday accommodation, all provide jobs.  

We’d never seen the lake after the water has been released, the marina was unusable and the boats elsewhere. I think that was the best day of our whole trip.

Next morning we were up and away just after 7 hoping to catch an earlier ferry than we’d booked.  At check in the girl said we could try for the earlier one but it would depend on border control. Maybe she knew who was operating that morning.  After we left Dover on the way out I noticed our passports had not been stamped. When I checked online it said they might not be stamped but our whereabouts could be checked by our passport details.  The man examined every page of our passports then asked us where we live.  Then he asked if we had dual nationality, at which stage I realised he was looking for the stamps and explained we didn’t get them at Dover. He got a bit shouty then, said since Brexit we had to get a stamp, it was our responsibility to get a stamp and we could be in for an expensive fine.  We showed him our outward journey booking and MrFF started to explain it wasn’t our fault till I told him to shut up and not argue.  The man wrote in our passports, I thought it was the fine, but then he stamped and handed them back saying sternly even if a French policeman says you don’t need a stamp you are to say it’s our right to have a stamp and we want one, I said we’d definitely do that.  At the border control it’s always pressure to get through without holding up others, especially for us when we rush for an earlier ferry, I should have checked at Dover but then we were rushing for an earlier ferry.  So once again we were last on board parked at the back among the the big lorries but on our way over the channel.

The drive from Dover to Ilkley wasn’t bad, we are all unpacked but still tired.  Amazingly my balcony pots are still in flower. Usually I come back in November to bare earth and brown slime.   MrFF is walking tomorrow, I am at the dentist on Monday, it’s grey and wet but it’s home albeit without any oil.

Leaving

Last weekend several of our Danish friends left for winter, this coming weekend friends just down the road also leave and so do we.  However we were taking a relatively leisurely drive back to Yorkshire with 5 overnight stops, the first 2 in Bergamo, 1 in the Alsace and 2 in the champagne region. I am so looking forward to not having the usual confusing 5 different beds in 5 nights scenario, this time it will be 5 in 7 though I still expect to wake up wondering where I am for several days.

The weather continues to be beautiful, clear blue skies and warmth, so MrFF has been repairing the roof for winter and pruning the olives.  You might just spot him beside the chimney but please don’t tell health and safety that he went up to the higher level too. 

We’ve got the cats used to the automatic feeder which works just fine delivering a good portion of biscuits twice a day.  It should only need refilling every two weeks, getting Mario to do that is a greater challenge.  

My garden has really done well this year thanks to more rain and less heat.  The nerines have been a delight and I noticed some paper white narcissi, they don’t generally come again after being forced at Christmas, are in bloom.  Strange but lovely as I usually am not here to see the spring bulbs.

It’s not all been home maintenance. Last week MrFF went with a friend to the Abruzzo where they climbed a 7000 feet mountain. I stayed home as I don’t have my walking gear here and the ascent involved some rock scrambling which I do not enjoy. I had such a relaxing day completely alone with the cats, all loving the solitude and isolation.  

So let the packing begin.

Autumn days

 

MrFF has been installing a new garden gate.  It arrived at the end of last week, 7 days after it was due for delivery. First day they were unable to deliver, which was odd as we were home and saw nothing of a courier.  Then 6 days of it being out for delivery at the local parcel shop but being returned to the depot each evening.  Complaints to the courier and the supplier eventually got a result.

The gate is made of Corten or weathering steel which rusts to a pleasing finish and doesn’t require any maintenance. It’s the same material as used for the Angel of the North, another project on a slightly larger scale MrFF was involved with many years ago.

The new gate is intended to keep animals away from my terrace pots and plants in the border.  It won’t impede the cats as they use a different route to the lower garden that involves climbing and jumping, a route all our cats have preferred for some reason.

On the first photo you can catch a glimpse of blue skies, we’ve just had two chilly days of low cloud and rain so it’s nice to have the warmth back.  Giovanni came out at the weekend but despairing of the rain and lack of any kind of olive harvest he went straight back to Rome next day.  Our thoughts too are turning to home but we’ve a few jobs left, not least making provision for the three amici.

La Pausa

Giovanni arrived at the weekend but stayed only one night before returning to Rome for the next two weeks.  I think we can assume the 3 cats have taken up residence here, which was much easier for them than the performance we had during lockdown to obtain our temporary residence. For them it was a case of arrive, eat, play, sleep, repeat.

They are delightful, becoming braver and stronger every day.  They explore the orchard regularly and like Grigio before them love climbing among the olive trees. They amuse and calm us, we try not to think about their future.

We have so far had a relaxing week without any big project.  It’s a pleasure to sit out and admire the view, the work we’ve done over the years and the way the garden has developed.  Of course we still get cross about the Comune and are disappointed by our olive crop but we have blue skies and a place to be, many people in the world don’t. 

Nature update

Before we left Italy I posted Here about the huge flower stalk on an agave which I hoped would still be open when we return.  MrFF had been checking our security camera and here it is in flower, it looks spectacular.

He also showed me on the camera archive that three pine martens had been playing among my pots at the back door of our house.  Sadly neither of us can get the video to transfer to blogger or capture a still. Last year we saw one pine marten, these three seem quite young so maybe they are the kits.  They were having such a jolly time chasing each other and climbing in and out of pots at 3 am in the morning.  Like the bats they are protected in Italy and not known for causing any damage in the garden.  Here’s a photo taken from the internet, the ones we have are just as adorable and very welcome visitors.

Treasure trove

Before we left Italy we took a trip to the isola ecologica, the refuse recycling centre that is open two days a week.  It’s situated several miles below the village down a steep narrow road and always busy with refuse vehicles but needs must as MrFF had an old and broken wheelbarrow to dispose of and I’d decluttered a few things myself.  Lots of villages have scrap men calling most days. If you leave an item at the side of the road outside your property it disappears almost immediately, we regularly hear them calling for ferro vecchio but they never drive up to us. We have been know, with permission, to leave things outside our friends’ house in the valley if we’ve been visiting.

So off we tootled on Saturday morning, the depot was busy as Friday there had been a one day strike over safety issues so people were getting rid of their general waste as well as objects the collectors won’t take.

The centre seems to be organised by a group of ladies who run it very well, we were  told where to put the barrow and the box of odds and ends was quickly sorted and despatched to the appropriate skips.  I noticed in the large skip of rubble that a few items were strategically placed on top, pottery bowls, plates, cookware.  Of course I had to take a look and spotted a little statue of three discreetly clad young women, it looked like marble.  I suggested to MrFF it would be nice in the garden.  Take it he said, they let us take the cat carrier years ago they’ll let you have that.  Even though it was obvious the items were set out to be claimed I thought we should ask and the lady said of course we could have it, how happy was I.  She then said she knew where we lived and we chatted for a while about the heat and our upcoming journey home.

Back at the house I did some research, it’s the 3 Graces made in Rome by R Leoni from a resin of marble and other material.  One not in such good condition, mine just has a tiny chip on the base, sold for 100 euro.  Now of course I feel it’s too good for the garden, but I’ve no idea where to put it in the house.  Maybe the girls can just spend their summers al fresco after all they are hardly dressed for the cold.

Final flora and fauna post

I won’t overwhelm you with nature posts, this will be the last one from Italy as we leave tomorrow.

I took a walk to the bottom of our road late afternoon and spotted this, why had I not seen it before its easily visible from our terrace.  The giant flower spike of an agave, almost as tall as the telegraph pole.  I am really hoping it will still be there and in bloom when we return and that Pietro whose house it is opposite won’t have had it cut down.  The flowering process takes a few months, after which the stem topples over and pups, new young plants, are produced.  The mother plant which could be 100 years old dies, even if the flower stem is removed now it will not survive. 

Now for some nature

So far this year we haven’t been invaded by porcupine, badgers or wild boar digging up the garden. That may change during the drought of high summer when they search for water and easy digging for grubs and worms.

We’ve noticed during our first year without any cats at all that we have many more little lizards about and they all have their tails intact.  However last week I saw a fairly large snake in the front garden, later MrFF spotted two of them and next day they were both intertwined on the path outside the kitchen door.  I don’t know if they were fighting or mating, it wasn’t very romantic, but we haven't seen them since. I checked because we do have poisonous snakes about, a neighbours dog was bitten and died many years ago, but these seem to be harmless whip snakes. We have been told that having cats around keeps snakes away, let’s hope there isn’t a large family here when we come back in September.

Below is the nest of a solitary black bee, it’s on the terrace outside the lounge door at the junction of the floor tiles and the skirting.  The olives are in flower now so we welcome the pollinators and don’t use any chemicals in the garden for that reason.  The nest is staying.

T

Then MrsB decided to build an extension. I consulted a biologist friend who tells me these are egg chambers and when I checked the first one has been sealed so the first eggs are laid. Now she is on her third property, we could end up with a whole terrace of these little chimneys.

For years we’ve had a few bats swooping over our balcony as it gets dark I love to see them.  On Saturday I was delighted to spot one hanging at front of the house, tucked in between the gutter and the fascia board.  Then I found another near the front door and I am sure I saw several little ones that quickly disappeared under the roof tiles.  This is great news.  We have no loft space or attic, the roof is directly above the bedrooms which makes them very hot in summer.  The bats can only get under the tiles, they do no harm and a lot of good.  I checked at dusk and they had moved, they were back next morning.  And the best news of all is that as in the UK bats in Italy are a protected species, it is illegal to disturb their roost which they return to each year.  So I assume the Comune will not be allowed to demolish our house if we don’t get the planning violation sorted. Maybe I need to let them know it’s a protected property, I might also declare our garden a nature reserve, see how they like that.

Days of dusty feet

We will start our drive back to Yorkshire in a weeks time.  Meanwhile the heat has arrived in Lazio, it’s 27 degrees today fortunately with a slight breeze.  No definite mosquito sightings yet, MrFF thought he was bitten once but I am hoping they will stay away till we go.

We have made much progress inside and out including cutting both sides of our large laurel hedge, that is at least 4 days of hard work.  Of course everything will run riot over the summer and we’ll do all the same jobs again in September.

I am rising early, opening the doors before the sun comes up to get some cool into the house, watering the pots and sweeping the terraces. A camisole, shorts and lashings of SPF50 are my dress of choice.  I am sticky, dusty and generally dishevelled until an outside shower amongst the wisteria and a change into more respectable clothes for our al fresco dinner.   I love these sweltering days when it gets too hot for serious work, we are alone on the mountainside with just the birds for company and the occasional hang glider drifting overhead. Summer has arrived.

Upcycling

 

Most of the furniture that we inherited when we bought the house, ie what was easier to leave for us than dispose of, was old, brown and poor quality.  I am not complaining, it meant we were set up more or less to move in without sourcing everything new and over the years we’ve upgraded and donated many pieces.  

I’ve never liked this dresser in the dining room, although it’s useful storage and shelf space I’d happily chop it up for the wood burner.  Last week I finally painted it with a blue grey chalk paint.  It wasn’t the mammoth task I expected given I am a very slapdash painter who used the excuse I might run out of paint to cover only the visible surfaces.  Two coats of paint and one of finishing wax, don’t look too closely there are drips, but I am delighted with the result.  The paint cost less than 20 euros, I had good advice from a friend back home well experienced in this process and I am so bloomin happy.  As my mentor said ugly to lovely.

Planning, what planning

Jean asked recently how our planning violation was progressing, though progressing  is optimistic. Here’s where we are two years after receiving notification that there is a violation, not saying what the violation is but that we owe more than 3,000 euros in overdue fees and interest for the last 40 years, we’ve owned the house for 20.

It seems that in 1976 a developer was granted a licence to build a semi detached property on what is now our and our neighbours’ plots.  However 2 large separate villas were built and the plot divided into 2, ours is the larger.   A few years later the first owner of our house added a large room with terrace over and in 1985 during a planning amnesty applied for permission for this.  He actually told a few fibs on his application, got so far with the process then stopped and later sold the house to our vendor.  When we bought we were told there were outstanding matters that would be resolved before we bought and we were told they had been before we signed the contract. We were lied to.

Our Comune have been useless mainly swerving our many questions by saying they have passed the matter to another government agency.  This agency has neither responded to nor even acknowledged our many emails which is galling as the interest continues to mount, I guess it’s an easy way for them to make money.  

We have tried to get the local geometra (surveyor) to act for us. He knows the house and our comune well and has been involved in the last 2 sales. He has done nothing except procrastinate, firstly stalling on giving us a price for his work then after a meeting where we said he should proceed anyway saying he cannot get a meeting at the regional office to look at our file.  MrFF checked on line and appointments were available the next day, that was a year ago. 

Towards the end of last year we appointed a firm of Italian solicitors with offices in Rome and Puglia, English speaking staff and property experience, not cheap as you can imagine.  Firstly for 1,220 euros they contacted our village surveyor for a report on the current problems and a plan of action.  For that price they would also write to the geometra we employed when we bought the house who was supposed to check everything was legal and also our vendor who signed the contract stating that it was, they are both in default.  However the solicitor advised us that the local geometra’s report, which he produced surprisingly quickly, was not adequate and we should employ a trusted geometra that they knew for a more comprehensive report, this would cost 2,420 euros.  

So we went ahead with a second report, this geometra looked at the property, possibly visited our Comune and produced a report that didn’t tell us anything more than we already know except to give an estimate of the work to regularise our situation of approximately 30,000 euros plus 22% tax and local authority submission fees not quantified.  This was shocking, a huge amount of money to invest in a property that has now lost much of its appeal. 

We wrote back to the solicitor because geometra 2 had not addressed some points that were listed in our contract with him and had failed to identify other important facts that Mr FF subsequently brought to light. For that reason we only paid half his fee. The default radio silence ensured and we have not had any response for several weeks.

Meantime MrFF did a lot of research himself spending hours online searching and translating.  We were still not convinced our property has any sort of planning approval at all.  However the authorities have up to date plans and we pay Comune charges and taxes on what exists, they have always been aware of what was actually built and taken no action for over 40 years.

Apart from providing plans for the original approved property and for the current house, we need to submit structural, hydrogeological and landscape reports. We also have to apply to have the rural grazing rights removed from our land.  I don’t mind that animals can enter our orchard, we have had horses, cows and sheep in the past, they cannot get into the ornamental areas, do no harm and I enjoy seeing them.   It’s a requirement of the Comune that this is removed, if they are so keen why don’t they do it themselves, oh yes because they can get us to do all the work and pay the submissions fees.

MrFF managed to find Alberto the (so far) nice geologist who was here a couple of weeks ago. His report including penetration and seismic tests is almost done and he will submit this on our behalf.  He also recommended a geometra he works with who we have now appointed to prepare and submit two further reports. 

This seems slightly more positive though we have no idea if we will receive approval. We are both 77 this year, we don’t know how much longer we will want or be able to keep maintaining such a large house and garden, we cannot sell it without putting things in order though we probably cannot sell it anyway in a village that has so many empty houses. 

We definitely feel we have been singled out because we are not Italian.  MrFF spoke to several local people, most of whom have had similar if more minor problems, many not that clear exactly what their problems were. No one else was passed to the agency that never responds and locals have been able to negotiate with the Comune to get sorted, I am not saying deals were done but I am thinking that. It’s a horrible mess not of our making..   Of course the Comune have the right to demolish our property and charge us for doing so if things don’t get regularised but given the speed they work at we won’t be around to see that.  We might just change our wills to pass this headache to someone who really deserves it.

Our daily bread

There was I worrying about getting a set that would keep my marmalade on my toast.  As ever I was foiled by Italy, above is a slice of our latest loaf.  MrFF was so cross I had to bake a couple of whole (as opposed to hole) meal loaves to calm him.   I may be available to run a series of masterclasses in Lazio. 

The earth moves

Last Wednesday we had a very nice young geologist Alberto at the house to carry out testing which will enable him to prepare the hydrogeological report that is required as part of our planning violation.  Our whole area is seismic, there must be plenty of available information about this but of course our Comune requires a special report for each property.   Alberto said that in the years since our house was built there had been 4 notable earthquakes, apart from a little shaking of pots in the kitchen they did not affect us at all. The house has stood steady for almost 50 years.

He arrived with a wonderful little machine that gave MrFF boys’ toys envy.  This hammered a steel rod into the ground and he took various readings about the strata.  Afterwards he took a coffee and a couple UK ginger biscuits on the terrace.  Mr FF had selected Alberto because he likes walking, cycling and cats, so far he has been very helpful.   We chatted about the Giro due to start on Saturday and our favourite cyclists, his the late great Marco Pantani. I sent him off with a jar of marmalade.

Next morning I read on our local news that there had been a minor overnight earthquake down in the valley, the epicentre about 20 miles from our house. It was felt in locations we frequent where it woke people in the night.  Seems to me this is more than a coincidence.

A light magnitude 2.9 earthquake hit 27 km (17 mi) away from Rome, Lazio,  Italy, in the early morning of Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 3.42 am local time (GMT +2). The quake had a very shallow depth of 10.4 km (6 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter.

Meanwhile in the kitchen

Shortly after we arrived I was given a large bucket of bitter oranges to make marmalade.  I had been promised these before we left so I came prepared with 12 matching jars and 12 printed labels.  I did think about bringing my trusted jam pan but that seemed a step too far particularly as last year I bought locally an inferior pan for the job.

The Italian oranges, like most things here, are a challenge and getting a set is tricky.  I used the oranges in three batches over 3 days, the first lot required a second boiling, the second batch worked perfectly, by the third I was quite nonchalant using much more fruit than the recipe required.  In total I produced 27 jars, or the equivalent because I ran out of glass jars and resorted to a plastic fridge storage box until a jar becomes available.  So I have plenty to give to my donor and to friends here and back in the UK.  I have already given one to the nice geologist who was here this morning carrying out a hydrological survey as part of our planning violation. 

Yesterday at the end of the process I had a major clean up in my sticky kitchen whilst pondering where I am going to keep all these jars.  And yes the marmalade tastes delicious, fresh and fruity with a set sufficient to keep it on the toast.

Good news, bad news and really sad news

Our olive harvest was our most successful so far.  We hand picked 398 kilos of olives over 5 days which gave us 49 litres of oil.  For an Italian that’s a years supply,  for us it’s way beyond our needs but we are grateful to have so much.

Last Friday one of my front crowns became loose.  Next day I managed to get an appointment with a local dentist, he opened specially and wouldn’t take any payment for the examination and x rays.  It seems the post inside the crown, my original tooth, has a partial crack and I’ll need root canal work or an implant, which obviously I will get done when we return to Ilkley in about 10 days time.  I asked the dentist if he could add some cement to keep the tooth stable I hate it wobbling, but he said that could risk infection.  However I hope I can find one of this dental repair kits just in case the crown comes off, I dread having a gappy smile.  I am cutting my food very small and posting it into the opposite side of my mouth, brushing my teeth is tricky.

Grigio has had good and bad days.  As instructed I reduced her medication by half but after a few days she started going backwards so I upped it again.  She recovered, is eating well and seems happy, sitting out in the sun, scratching fence posts and the sofa, climbing onto my knee or snoozing in front of the stove. I promise she isn’t suffering at all but we have no one to care for her when we leave, she cannot continue on this level of steroids permanently and even if she was well her condition could recur at anytime.  The vets have tried to find someone to take her while we were away, I have approached a shelter, there is no one.  So before we leave next week we will have to take her to be put to sleep, it’s the kindest thing to do but I cannot bear it. 

Wild life

Yesterday I discovered in our orchard a dead porcupine.  It looked as if there had been a fight as some distance from the body were many quills, I collected the best ones.  The large body had been partially eaten and was very smelly, I did wash the quills.

This morning I went again to check and it had completely disappeared,  not a scrap of fur or a single bone remained. I wonder what creature could have carried away such a heavy carcass given the difficulty of negotiating fences and steps on our land.  I know wolves have been heard above us which is a worry particularly if they have young.

Last week we took Grigio to the vet as she wasn’t eating and seemed generally miserable.  They gave her a thorough check under anaesthetic, removed some damaged teeth and cleaned the rest, tested her for HIV and leukemia, both negative, and sent blood for analysis.  She is on anti biotics as she has some mouth ulcers and a vitamin supplement, she has made great progress. 

At the time we had friends from the uk staying with us, one if whom is a retired medical professional, and a cat lover. She was so helpful advising us what questions to ask, helping administer the medication and taking away some of the stress.  I am not sure it was the relaxing week they expected but we were grateful they were here.

Unfortunately Grigio was called back to the vet earlier this week when her blood test showed a high white cell count caused either because she is fighting an infection or by a lymphoma.  She is much improved after the anti biotics, she seems well and happy so we hope for the best but this afternoon we have to take her back for an ultrasound, keep your fingers crossed for her.

First days in italy

We arrived at our house on Friday evening after a fairly stress free journey. Even the dreaded day on the autostrada was calmer than normal as we had a whole stretch before Genoa that was cars only so very quiet.  MrFF found it necessary once again to drive over the St Bernard pass, if it’s open he’s on it.  At the top it was minus 1.5 degrees with snow drifting around in the air.

We avoided a 10k queue on the last few miles by diverting towards Tivoli. It cost us an extra half hour but we heard afterwards traffic was stopped for 3 hours.

We hadn’t been in the house 5 minutes when Giovanni phoned, he must have heard us calling the cats.   He said Grigio and Vincenzo were at his house and we’d be reunited the next morning which was a little disappointing but what’s another 12 hours when we hadn’t seen Grigio for 10 months.  The cats however had other ideas and within an hour they were at the terrace door.  Grigio was quite thin, I could feel her spine, and her fur was knotty and dull but she’s been eating well and been brushed regularly, the shine is coming back and we are so happy she is here. Vincenzo has grown a lot and looks really well, maybe he’s got into the habit of head butting Grigio out of the way to get to food, he’s currently under training to stop that.

The garden has been devastated by porcupine and badger, I have lost a lot of plants that had tuberous roots, dahlias, agapanthus, gladioli, even a large phormium I grew from seed had been uprooted and left to die.  I have at least 6 large empty pots and nothing is flowering in the ones that survived.  However, all the shrubs and trees seem ok, the olives look well  nd we are told the harvest will be good this year, time will tell.

The weather is good, usually warm sunny mornings and maybe some rain in the afternoon.  We’ve worked hard mostly outside, the front hedge is cut and I’ve done basic dusting and mopping inside.  I will get round to cleaning windows and the finer details soon as we have friends staying with us in about 10 days time after which I fear MrFF might start another project, watch this space.