May 2011 (From Western Telegraph)

May 2011

1:55pm Saturday 28th May 2011

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Plagues & Friends May the first is a national holiday but this year it fell on a Sunday. In the UK if this happens the Monday is given as a break but not so here, its seen as the luck of the draw, some you win.…It sparked huge debates as to if the shops should open, as in a white/snow day or to respect the Sunday as a day of rest. Many shops wanted to open to have a spring one day sale, premier openings of new shops (a Uni Piu opened in Chiusi) and free access to museums and galleries was declared. This May day the pope beatified the previous pope, John Paul the second, making him an official saint with recorded and measured miracles achieved his name. The previous night most of Rome’s churches were open for the devout 200,000 to pray.

The warm damp nights and bright days brought an explosion of blossom cascading, waterfall like, from the trees, wild orchids, broom and roses. The acacias, wisteria and clover all flowered suddenly filling the air with honeyed scents and the hum of bees. Unfortunately the weather also brought a plague of tent caterpillars making some trees and bushes totally denuded of foliage and smothered in grey thick webbing. The roadside hedging took on a science-fictional looking landscape and we took to spraying our infected trees twice weekly. These little creatures can cause severe reactions if they touch bare skin, from blisters and welts to huge water filled swellings and for the most sensitive anaphylactic shock and hospitalisation. We were extremely careful having encountered some a few years ago and ending up in A&E for an injection to reduce the resulting swelling, not funny at all. One type favours umbrella pines forming he football sized webs filled with caterpillars that suddenly burst showering those below so the Comune hire huntsmen to shoot them out of the trees before they fall.

Our friends, whom we have mentioned in the last blog, were packing furiously as their deadline to move loomed ever closer. They had just 3 weeks from the signing of the “atto” (deeds) to move out and that was with an extension on the time. They had started to plan what they would take and dump the usual “useful” rubbish that had never been used after the initial deposit was paid, but some things had to be sold as the new owner wasn’t interested in purchasing them with the property, the car, terracotta pots and so on. Due to the type of contract the sale was not “exchanged” until the final payment and deeds were signed with the deposit being non-refundable if the buyer backed out but if the seller backed out double the deposit was refundable, serious stuff. We selected several garden items, complete with plants, and discovered small scorpions hiding beneath a pot. We’d never seen any since our arrival and were intrigued, but cautious now we’d found some. They were about the size of a modern penny and jet shiny black. A friend who was also moving a planter found one as big as her hand and dropped the pot on it. We decided not to investigate the larger version. Why we don’t have any at our house, we’ve no idea why not, but the wildlife we do have is enough. The planters have made quite a difference, not only have they added colour but focal points of interest to our house and garden. Maybe buying second hand garden items sounds odd but they have proven that they are frost proof and so much more affordable as the hand made pots are hugely expensive, even here where they are crafted. As they’d passed on their car and the movers had packed almost everything including their bed, they came to stay the night with us before returning to close up their old house and passing on the keys the next day. All too soon they were on their way back to the UK.

We went with a friend to the annual wild asparagus, which is thinner than the commercial plant, event in Pietrafitta near Piegaro. The area is renowned for the vegetable and the community put on a sagra to celebrate it. This year they extended the event to a second week as the original dates were a wash out. A huge marquee in the town centre with 22 long benched tables was the venue, with people showing us where to park and then how to enter. Like most “sagre” (food events) it was well organised. We presented ourselves at the entrance and a man asked how many to seat. We were shown to a communal table and given a menu. There were three choices of starter, bruscetta with asparagus, mixed bruscetta or a platter with meats, cheeses, salad and bread, priced from 3.00. Then there were the pasta dishes, tagliatini with asparagus and fish, gnocci with asparagus, or risotto, these were 6 euros a bowl. The meat courses included pork steak, veal and beef and then there were the vegetable options in addition. The house wine was 4.50 a bottle (expensive by some places as it is possible to get a litre for the same amount in a pizzeria or 5 litres in a shop). We selected what we wanted and our order was taken. Shortly a man appeared and put disposable table-mats down, and handed us sealed packs with a plastic cup, knife and fork with a serviette. The our wine arrived and our neighbours starters, we just ordered the primi piatti and so our order arrived swiftly and was piping hot and very flavoursome. The place was packed to bursting at 8 when we got there and by nine the queue was 200 metres long with families, friends, young and old. The staff provided an apperitivo for those who had to wait. These events are always well attended, fun and very noisy and just starting to get under way, by June they will be in full swing and we intend making the most of them this year.

Our British friends called on their way home from the southern Mediterranean saying that Wales had better weather than they’d experienced for the early part of the month and while they were with us it hit over 38 degrees c (100f) just to make up for it. Sadly we had to wave them off just days after we had said farewell to our repatriating friends. Happily next month we’ve family arriving, so lots to look forward to.

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