August temperatures started in the high 30's and peaked at over 50c in reflected sunlight. So what did we do to celebrate the finish of the woodpile stacking? We went to Arezzo antiques market, held on the 1st weekend of the month, on the train. The trip up was uneventful and the carriage air-conditioned. The city at 10 am, when we arrived, was pleasantly warm and we made a quick foray into the Himalayan shop for spices around 1.5 a pkt but Marmite is 8.60 a small jar and Typhoo 250 tea bags is about the same! Then we headed for the old center browsing as we wandered. A varied collection of things from 12 century majolica tiles and jewels to bakerlite telephones and a steam engine that Mike was particularly intrigued with. We met a chap, Kelvin who with his Italian wife and 2 girls gave up running a bar in Rome and purchased a massive property in the historic center in Todi which he's converting into 2 apartments, 2 shops, 2 self contained flats and a camp site, eventually. He told us of another market, about the same distance from us at Pissingnano but we'd have to drive, where prices are less about your accent and clothes but its like a garage sale and market combined. We snacked and caught the 2pm train homewards but there were massive delays as there's been an incident, some thing or one fell off, and the system was running at a maximum speed of 30kmph.

The sunflowers are astonishing this year and it seems every farm has planted them so the area is surrounded by fields of gold.

Much to our dismay small pipestrell bats took to roosting in the window casements on the west side of the house becoming entangled in the mosquito rollers in the windows. In one instance Mike unrolled the screen and 3 bats fell into the room. Lots of fun and games persuading them to leave via the open window.

The 15th is “Ferragusta” and Italy shuts down but the day after lots of events happen, sagra's and music do's. We opted out of the theatre and went instead to Monteleone d'orvieteo where they held the “giostra del giglio” based on the 1300-1400's where 2 families held sway over the town. Today it has 4 quarters that vie on horseback to gather flags and win the tournament after 300-400 people have paraded through the town in costume behind their drummers and flag throwers. A lady played what looked and sounded like bagpipes accompanied by tambourines and there was a stilt walker and fire eaters. Knights in full plate or leather with chain mail carrying, broad swords, morning starts, and other items of armory, pike men and 4 poor chaps had a tough time lugging a battering ram up and down the town center and 6 big fellows pushed and pulled a large wooden catapult through the streets. Racj quarter has its own colours, red, blue, green and yellow with red so it made for a very colourful procession even tiny tots were decked out and brought along. We were in short sleeves and light weight clothing so those dressed in velvets, woolens and cloaks must have been on meltdown. What was nice is that it was extremely well attended by entire families not just an event put on for tourists. There was a tent for people to eat the local specialty pasta, a 3” long thin twist, and drink local wine for a modest fee.

As the month came to an end we made damson and blackberry jams and welcomed our friends who had come to stay for a fortnight taking them to the Ponticelli music and eating week that began on the 28th and ran on till the 8th Sept every night a different band and meal on offer. He 28th for instance had a dance group accompanied by cubes of pork casseroled in a spicy tomato sauce or pizza the 29th gnocci and tripe (we missed this one) but the 30th was a rock band with baked shin of pork. Diet what diet?