Sunny gardening

It's been lovely returning from Italy to glorious hot weather here in Scotland, lots of eating outdoors and plenty of gardening as the place has run riot while we've been away. There may have been some mumbling about spending a lot of time getting one garden up to scratch while the other is neglected but I do feel I'm going to get this one looking decent fairly quickly if the weather holds as it is forecast. 
During our first visit to Italy in April I'd put in some sunflower seeds, fairly randomly, so I wasn't expecting great results, wasn't even sure if they would survive. When we got back in June I was delighted to see at least 20 large and sturdy plants in various parts of the garden. 

Even better, while we were there they started flowering so I did get some benefit, unlike the broad beans here in Scotland that are bound to crop while we are away.  

My nasturtium seeds had also done well happily flowering in the heat. my tomatoes had all survived and were just about to ripen when we left and the geraniums are so happy, I never get these results back in the UK.

Mr FF did some more work on the garden where we took out some trees last year, he managed to remove more of the root and put down new soil and lawn seed to cover the patch. 

However, the ants had other ideas and by the next day they'd collected all the seed and were busy taking it into their nest.

We couldn't be too cross as it was fascinating to watch their organised system, some rushing round each bringing one seed to the heap while others dragged the treasure into the nest in the ground, teamwork indeed.

I don't have many more Italian photos to show you as my camera is not working, I may have to use the iPad to take snaps for a while but I'll do my best and hopefully get sorted before we fly back to Italy.  Have a sunny week.

Immersed

I'm really into my Italian stride now, fully settled into life here just when we'll be leaving in Wednesday. I feel relaxed, despite Mr FF spending the morning driving down to the builders yard and depositing about a dozen sacks of sand and gravel and cement at the back door for later use. I'm sleeping really well, at least 8 hours plus sometimes a little post luncheon nap. We had a great week, friends round to us for an al fresco lunch on Wednesday. Thursday we had lunch in Ostia Antica in a beautiful little restaurant right in the centre of the old part, gorgeous traffic free cobbled streets full of flowers and lounging cats, complete with a fairy tale castle, if only I'd take my camera. Prior to lunch we had a swim in the large pool at our friend's condominium, it's an amazing facility for the residents and their guests though we practically had the water to ourselves. Just a couple of adults ploughing up and down and some tiny tots who swam like dolphins and put us to shame. If I lived there I'd be at the pool most of the day, take my lunch, my book and my knitting I'd camp out under an umbrella, one of which the lifeguard offered to put up for us. So nice. Lunch was delicious, pasta with ricotta and peppers, a portion of herby chicken with crispy potatoes and tiramisu for me, served by a handsome young waiter who I felt compelled to flirt with. My seat at the window looked into the narrow street bedecked with geraniums and a strategically placed pink bicycle while the inside of the restaurant was equally beautiful with a brick vaulted roof and frescos. The scene was finished off by a table of three elegant older ladies who obviously knew how to lunch, dress and chat. Afterwards we went back to our friends apartment, he had a lie down and Mr FF took a snooze on a lounger on the balcony. I'd tell you more but there's a festa down in the village tonight, pasta and wine to celebrate the election of our new mayor and apparently we are invited. This is the second such celebration, intended for those who couldn't attend the first, but Mario our neighbour and his family are going again. Have a good weekend, we hear the UK weather is not bad at all so let's hope it lasts, a bit of sunshine might help me cope with the next change of country and culture. Post party note - not just pasta and wine, we also enjoyed sausages with fagioli and many delicious cakes. There was dancing and once again it was my duty to demonstrate the correct actions to YMCA. This new mayor certainly understands what's important, he gets my vote.

Adjusted

We usually settle straight back into our Italian life as soon as we arrive here but this time has been different.   We were only back in Scotland about five weeks since our last visit, its not as if we've been away for months.  Perhaps we didn't rest properly after our long drive, maybe we started to socialise too quickly or the change from chilly Scotland to temperatures in the 30s was too much, maybe we are just getting old.  We return to our own house, our own things and lots of friends nothing new at all but somehow we seemed to need a period of settling in before we properly relaxed.  I know this sounds incredibly spoilt, it's hard to put a finger in what was wrong, whatever it was is fixed now.  And its a bit cooler, mid 20s, so we are cracking on as usual with house maintenance and gardening, a trip to the beach, long lunches with friends and lots of time outdoors.  And of course we are watching the Tour de France, how beautiful was Corsica.
However we are flying back to Scotland next week for a while, for goodness sake lets hope I don't get all restless again, I hardly know whether I'm coming or going but at least there isn't time to get homesick for either place.

I've been mostly in the back of the car

I haven't posted for ages I know, it's difficult to do so hurtling across Europe in the back of the car.  Yes we've completed our annual road trip to Italy, this time in the company of my brother and sister in law.

We drove down to Yorkshire for Esme's christening, which was beautiful, a wonderful service in the village church followed by a family prepared lunch for 80 guests at the local cricket club, children romping on the pitch and adults playing football or lounging on blankets in the sun.  Next morning we left at 6 am for the noon tunnel crossing and on into France.  We had some great stops, a gorgeous B&B in the champagne region, a dash through Switzerland which is far too expensive for overnights, a night on lake Como in a perfect small hotel with pool, a night on lake Garda, many many miles of tarmac and impressive scenery.

We arrived exhausted and spent a couple of days lazing at our house before Chris and Val flew back to Yorkshire and their farm yesterday.  Mr FF and I plan to relax today but no doubt I shall be in the garden which has run riot in 5 weeks and he will find light DIY duties to perform.  The weather is gorgeous, hasn't been below 15 ever since we arrived and a maximum of almost 30 up on the mountain, even hotter in the village and much hotter in Rome where we had lunch yesterday with friends after the airport drop.  So we are switching to our other life, the one with blue skies and afternoon naps, we will soon be recovered and have no plans at all to get back in the car for a while.

Knitting now - in a colourless way

I don't seem to be knitting so much at present, strange as generally the weather is awful and we have been settling down in front of the stove in the evenings.  Here's what I have done

I finished off a cardigan for a friend, there wasn't so much to do just a sleeve and a half.  Fortunately the boring front band had been finished and the stitching up didn't take too long, hurray for chunky wool.

I made this little bolero for Esme from the Rowan Studio book 30 using just 100 g of pure cotton dk from my stock.  The sleeves were supposed to have the same pretty band as the body but I didn't have enough yarn, don't tell Esme, they looked just fine plain.

A plain pair of socks for me using up a ball and a half of Sunbeam St Ives 4 ply.  I've made Mr FF several pairs of socks with this 80% wool 20% nylon yarn, it washes and wears beautifully and the subtle colour mix takes a pattern well, such a pity its discontinued.  

Finally this little cardigan for newborn Anna, another granddaughter for my friend Ann.  Its Puss baby cardigan from Patons, an old pattern that I liked because the body and yolk are all knitting together leaving very little stitching up.  The yarn is Freedom Gorgeous 4 ply by Twilleys 75% bamboo. 
All a bit sombre aren't they, just like this bloomin weather and sadly it's not much better in Lazio.  Things had better improve soon as we will be heading that way shortly, I'll keep you informed.  

Scary weekend

Some husbands might plan a weekend away or something special for the bank holiday weekend, not Mr FF he arranged to hire a conservatory ladder and has spent two days working on the ridge above the glass roof. The ladder goes up the side of the structure and then lies along the glass, the husband sort of leans along the ladder to reach the top of the roof.

 

Mr FF is a qualified structural engineer, he knows about health and safety, loadings and stress (except mine), he even hired props to put inside the conservatory as extra support to the roof while he was working, but I really didn't like it.   He had to drill and rivet and silicone, I spent my weekend holding the ladder and passing up various pieces of equipment in a plastic bag that he hooked up using a long piece of wood with a nail on the end.   Basically I had to hang around being available, I couldn't even hide away in darkened room and pretend it wasn't happening.

Anyway its all done now, repairs have been made and the equipment is going back on Tuesday, huge sigh of relief, I hope I never have to see it again.  Meantime the Scottish garden is looking lovely in a springlike way, lets concentrate on that and be glad my anxiety is diminishing.

Italian gardening

Our Italian garden was looking gorgeous when we arrived in Lazio as was the surrounding countryside with lots of trees in full blossom and wild flowers everywhere.  For the first time I discovered that our two wisteria plants are different colours, a pink and a blue. I must have only seen one in blossom before and I'd never realised that they have such a wonderful perfume.  Italian friends will tell you they give you a headache, I'll take the risk.

Out came the cement mixer as Mr F pressed on with the external landscaping, before we left he moved these two large and heavy troughs into position and I sowed a selection of annuals that I hope to enjoy when we return. 

It's a pleasure to garden in Italy especially after such a miserable winter in Scotland, you can practically see things growing in the wonderful climate,  it all happens so quickly.  I moved the 12 tomato plants that we bought for 2 euro into larger pots and left them already flowering outside.  Mr FF rigged up some support and an irrigation system for them and the other pot plants that we left on the lower shelf, we've crossed our fingers they'll be OK and the pipe won't blow off or some other disaster occur.

He also finished crazy paving the area outside out back door, a big improvement.  He hated doing it but our friendly village tiler/plasterer wasn't available and we wanted to leave the place reasonably tidy. 
It was a shock to come back to Scotland and find our trees still without leaves and a generally brown and bare garden after so much colour, but at least I didn't miss the daffodils and if it stays as cold as it is now they are going to last well.  You have to look at the positives.