April 2013

Imploding saucepans. Ok this is BIT OF A SURPRISE......I was making soup, just bro8ght it up to boil, fitted the lid down and turned off the gas so it would cook in its own heat. Two hours later there was a heck of a bang and we went searching for the cause and eventually saw the lid of the stainless steel saucepan had collapsed in on itself. It took a lot of hammering and a chisel to release it again, obviously we couldn't drill it as that would have put steel shavings into the soup.

Annie, our friend who's property has been “sold” subject to mortgage got a date for closure and she swiftly organized the purchase of a property that had caught her eye across the valley from us in Tuscany. She started to pack and panic as she signed to be out of her house by the 15th of the next month.

Spring arrived at the gallop to make up for lost time, in the second week, everything bloomed and shot up out of the ground as the long sunny days turned into summer temperatures and we got burnt mowing the grass when it hit 28c without warning. We had 2 days of gales in the third week, a splash of rain and then back into summer again. The trees went from bare to fully leafed in a week amd the grass bolted and by the end of the month we'd cut it 4 times.

Sold lots of towels and sheets to a couple from Umberterdi, they organise weddings in Gubbio and rent out an apartment. They gave us a huge selection of fabric, as she used to be an interior designer, so cushion covers etc on the list, might even finish the star quilt top I began but it looks like May before I get done as the garden takes president.

Sunday we sold 2 of the single beds to an amazing ex-usa couple who live near Arezzo. They gave us information on where to eat Chinese in Prato, a B&B near Serento to visit Pompeii (the money from the bed sale), where to buy fabric in Arezzo and a book swap in the 1st week in May on the other side of Orvieto. While at Santa Maria getting a new head for our strimmer we ran into Derek (Jane back in UK with 2 Italian neighbours) he had his dad with him to collect his rotavator blade, he'd bent one on a stone. Comparing notes on our terraces he had a total collapse of the central section of his 5 olive terraces and lost 15 trees. The road drain got blocked and the deluge in November, 11” in 48 hours, cascaded over their land and it just went. We thought we had problems!

Mike decided to treat our friends, whom we owed so many lunches, to a pizza on his birthday, Wednesday. The B'day, was a great success, spent more than we planned at the pizza place in upper Chiusi (it was half way for everyone) but it was a very good night and well worth it. He's still fiddling with the camera a present recived for his radio controlled planes and downloading lots of examples to test it out for the “warthog” I got him.

Thursday spent even more than planned at the Cetona flower festival, went for a plumbago, got it plus lots of other stuff, 3 types of basil (red, lemon - Greek- and Genovase) as ours hasn't sprouted yet, you can't have too much basil in my book. I also got other plants so cuttings and seeds will need to be harvested as Mike says not going to go back for a few years and I was trying to be very spendthriftly.(is that a word?) Many of the plants had several in the pots so re-potted and split those that could be and potted them on. Watering is going to be on the to do list from now on as I got sun burnt not noticing in the breeze it had hit 29c.

Went to get our hotel booking, train tickets & to order a filter basket for the pool pump (get it early before the panic sets in) the lady was very friendly and said it would be in by the 2nd week in May and then emailed us to tell us it would be 12 euros and not to worry pay when we collect it.

Got the power bill and they've not reduced the kw's after they said they'd done it on the 24th Jan. We're livid and demanding 1) apology 2) explanation 3) 85 euro refund which is what the excess charges are for 2 months. Not holding our breath as yesterday, 25th, was a national holiday, as is the 1st, so getting anything done.....pass the wine.

Mike had a LONG chat with Mr S, our neighbour, who asked (after the fact again) if we'd mind him making the access into his place a down slope rather than the hump back bridge effect it is now, he's putting in drainage etc. What can you say? Anyway he's hoping to get 10 people ( in 6 apartments, so there's more to come, must be the bungalows he muttered about some time past) so the cost of maintaining the road will be very small and his friend will do it.....a nice way to say he'll pay as long as he's getting lots of big stuff up and down while doing the building works but then........

Saturday we' went to lunch (curry) with Mike & Sheila and the rest of the gang, before most of them dash back to the UK to cut grass there, then on to try the new GMB at their inaugural opening via Mike testing his new radio controlled jet. It was wall to wall bodies and lots of eats, drinks and cakes. We nibbled on a selection, all very nice, watched them struggle to pop a Balthazar bottle of champagne and made it to the car just as it began to chuck it down.

How do we cope? Pass another glass.......

The soup diet starts Monday until we go to Venice in the 1st week of May.

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