Out of sorts

For the last 10 days or so I haven’t been well.  Nothing serious, at first I thought just an upset stomach but after extensive Dr Google consultation I think I’ve had for the first time irritable bowel syndrome.  The abdominal cramps have been horrible, worst during the night and keeping me awake for hours.  I’ve felt exhausted and had no appetite so I’ve taken a probiotic, bifidus yoghurt and a sports drink to keep me topped up.  I’d already stopped drinking alcohol a while before and I only have one coffee a day and one cup of tea so those weren’t the triggers.

I tried to speak to my Ilkley doctor, requested a call back and explained that we are in Italy.  The receptionist called back asking me to go into the surgery for a consultation.  I explained again we are away, what I thought I had and asked if the doctor might recommend some over the counter remedy, no was the simple answer.  I know I could go to our doctor here but after MrFF’s experience when he had a urinary tract infection for which he was prescribed anti biotics that made no difference, inhalers, a chest x ray and two other unrelated items which I cannot now remember, I preferred not to.

I’m feeling much better now, physically and mentally as things were starting to get me down.   Yesterday I went to bed in the afternoon, slept for a few hours then last night slept like a log with no pain at all.  I’ve done light dorissing today and a little gardening.

This IBS seems a strange illness, there are no tests for it and no cure.  There are various dietary recommendations to alleviate the symptoms as well as avoiding stress and anxiety, I’ve no idea how that’s possible in Italy.  I think my experience has been a result of many things, diet, months of extreme heat, another year living with major building work, huge disappointment with the garden, constant battles with bureaucracy, our water supply fiasco.

We are both 74 soon, certainly we don’t have the same enthusiasm or energy we had 20 years ago when we bought the house.  We’ve decided for various reasons to give up our residency which we took out during lockdown so we could stay indefinitely. As non residents we can be here 90 days in every 180 which we happily accept feeling that our usual 7 or more months per year here is too long. 

We submitted the required forms to the Comune and subsequently have asked 3 times by secure email if we need to do anything else.  We’ve heard nothing, not even an acknowledgement, we still have our permission to stay and health cards. We assume that after our residency ends we can stay 90 days but since we have no end date we cannot calculate when we need to leave.  As I said I need to avoid stress and anxiety so I’ll stop now.  Be interesting to see if my symptoms recur when I’m back in Ilkley, whenever that may be.

Grey and wet - I like it

At last we are getting rain, yesterday afternoon we had spectacular lightning and a few hours of steady downpour that at least dampened the surface of the garden

Today we had heavier rain and some hail, now plants are perking up, the cats are more active, we are all refreshed.

Early this afternoon we were able to open the doors and windows to let in cool air, usually we cannot do this until after 7 in the evening when it becomes hotter inside then out but still hot everywhere.  

And don’t worry about the hail bashing our tomatoes, we don’t have any.  The orchard is now being invaded by a large porcupine, I have him on film.  He’s eaten the fruits, smashed down the tomato plants and my lovely sunflowers, stripped the leaves off just about every plant edible or ornamental in the orchard and not even left me a few quills. The only deterrent seems to be fencing but too late for that now, another disappointment to add to our list this year.  

Let’s hope now we’ve had rain all these animals will find what they need up on mountainside and leave us alone.  Speaking of which Mario told us he was outside early one morning last week and counted 22 young wild boar in his garden.  If they grow to be adults they really will be a problem and less than 10 minutes walk from here.

Garden update

Well something is working, we haven’t had a garden invasion for almost a week apart from minor digging in one back door pot and the new kiwi uprooted again.  What a difference it makes waking up to find everything in its place and not spending ages cleaning and replanting.  Well done MrFF, sterling work, a few barriers and a lot of urine save the day.

The garden is burnt to a frazzle, I’m not convinced the lawn will come back from this, I’ve lost a lot of bedding plants and a few insignificant shrubs.  The ground is so dry now any water just rolls over the surface, I loosen and turn the soil around important plants in the hope that will get some moisture to their roots.  My greatest fear is if we ever get a downpour it will just wash the light dry soil away down the hillside.

There are as always some good surprises of course, little gems that are surviving unaided like this lavatera that is flowering under an apple tree.  

Or the self seeded sunflowers amongst the tomatoes, MrFF wasn’t happy when they first appeared, now they make him smile.  Sweet peas are my all time favourite flowers but they don’t thrive in the Italian heat.  Sunflowers are such happy blooms on high summer days that they have to be my flowers of choice here.

The upside of this stifling weather is that I haven’t had to weed for months because nothing is growing, even if it was necessary it would be impossible.  Dead heading is all I can manage so I’m living with the departed hebe, the dying conifer and the crispy bergenia leaves in the front garden. We all have to adapt.  

Signing off

I’ve noticed a trend recently for customer services personnel to end their messages with ridiculous and inappropriate valedictions.  I sent about 10 emails recently when an online order went horribly wrong. Despite failing to understand my frustration or resolve the problem, the customer service people, a different one each time of course which meant I had to keep explaining what was wrong, felt it necessary to finish their message so annoyingly.   Here are some examples

Please do stay safe and have a wonderful day

Stay safe in these trying times

Stay safe and have a lovely day further

Stay safe stay amazing 

I found the inane familiarity irritating particularly when the operators never bothered to resolve the problem and were in fact responsible for me becoming cross, unstable and therefore completely unsafe.  And stay amazing, what’s that about, how dare they assume that I am amazing when I’m actually fuming.

MrFF recently had a debacle with our uk power supplier, the man signed off each time Love and Power, Steve.  Did he mean by power the gas and electricity we were being overcharged for or was he just wishing MrFF the strength to deal with the situation.

Whichever PR twit came up with this idea needs to know that customers would be happier with better service and the ability to deal with one people who is accountable when a problem arises, who sees it through till the customer is happy, sends emails that can be replied to and doesn’t just provide an inappropriate reply from the script or sign off in such an insincere way.  

Don’t let the badgers get you down

Actually it seems to be just one reeking havoc.  Last night I was woken at 3 am by the newly installed security light at the back door shining into our bedroom.  I had the shutters open in time to see a badger scurrying down the road.  Not before he’d upturned all the troughs down the side of our steps, first time they’d been attacked.  I went outside to check around, for the third night the pots on the lower terrace were emptied and overturned.  There were also some big holes in the lawn but the vegetables were ok.

However this time I’d set the camera in just the right place, I got footage of the horrible creature climbing into pots and throwing out the contents, often until the pot fell over.  

Another big clean up this morning, we are trying to think of ways to protect the pots but realistically it’s impossible to keep wildlife out.  I think MrFF needs a bigger bladder. 

A slightly happier morning

MrFF rigged up more motion sensor lighting last night and I put out my wildlife camera at the scene of yesterdays destruction.  This morning only 3 pots, all out of camera sight, had been emptied and I have a video of the culprit, which unfortunately I don’t have the equipment here to transfer onto the iPad.  It seems one single badger is causing all the mayhem, travelling all round the garden, last night it arrived on the lower terrace via the balcony. 

So not so much repotting and cleaning up this morning but more lighting to install.  

As well as bright lights being a deterrent to garden invaders, I read that male urine will keep badgers away.  I’ve been telling MrFF he drinks too much, not water we can never get enough of that.   Perhaps I was wrong and should encourage him to continue with the beer and wine he enjoys every evening then pee outside,  definitely worth a try in the pots though maybe not on the tomatoes.

Not a happy morning

It gets worse,  not only the big pots at the back door half empty this morning, there was total devastation on the lower terrace.  

We thought we’d fixed the tomatoes when we installed a motion activated light that seems to keep the invaders away.  In fact it’s just directed them elsewhere.

I’ve been out in my nightwear restoring order with extra compost, a little slow release feed and a good watering in the hope the plants will recover.  Nothing to say the beasts won’t be back of course.

Giovanni said he sets his alarm for 3 am and gets up to check his vegetables are safe.  He added that really this is the animals territory and we are the invaders.  He is a better person than me I’m just cross and very hot after this mornings work.