Driving along the strada bianca this morning, the sun was a russet gold and the light fantastic. So much so, that my man stopped the car and took some lovely photos of the of the foggy valley and inland cliffs below our villa. I have mentioned before that we live in an area which is constantly on the move and the crumbling cliffs provide a reminder that within staggering beauty is a landslip always waiting to happen. The cliffs are full of fossils and ancient seashells, reminding us that these Dolce Colline (sweet hills) were under water during the ice-age. The steepest parts are largely covered in mixed woodland, so the area is teaming with wildlife. A young roe deer crossed the track this morning at some considerable speed, so we braked and as anticipated a second one was not far behind.
A couple of weeks ago our daughter was driving across country and a big old male cinghiale (wild boar) broke cover and dashed across the road. She expected several more to follow or perhaps hunters’ dogs, but no, the frightened animal was being chased by a cock pheasant! Don’t you just wish you had a camera at a time like this?
Back in Laura’s bar/alimentari in Fiano, the ever popular Sig Rotund enjoys a shoulder and neck massage provided by a number of passing local ladies, whilst reading his paper. My man has recently been acting very stiff shouldered to see if he can get the same attention, but no luck so far! Sig Rotund has provided the Christmas Raffle this year which, unfortunately, consists of some rather gaudy silver plate things. The thing is, do we buy a ticket and ask to have the prize put back if we win, not buy a ticket or buy a ticket and try to lose the prize somewhere? What do you think? Oh, dio…. Here in Tuscany the festive season is taken very seriously and Christmas Markets are everywhere. Germany is said to have the best European Christmas Markets and, would you believe it, Florence is actually hosting a ‘German’ Christmas Market right now!
And now something completely different. If you live in Italy, well certainly in Tuscany, finding an idraulica (plumber) who a) actually arrives, b) can do any plumbing job and is not restricted to one specialist area, and c) does not take all day to do a few little jobs, is almost impossible. Well, we popped into Bar Italia in Certaldo the other day and discovered that Fabiola, who works behind the bar, is married to just the man we have been searching for! The amazing Salvatore arrived the next day and did everything in less than three hours, then rushed off and said he would leave his bill in the bar at sometime in the future! We now have flushing loos and taps that no longer drip, so we are all ready for the festive visitors!
Back at the villa, despite the freezing air temperature, we have been able to sit outside in hot sunshine at around 1pm on most days this last week. The magic thing about southern Europe is the fact that the sun, when it comes out, is still hot in winter. So if you take your folding chair, even on a frosty day, get out of the wind and have direct sunlight on your face, you can soak up that much-needed vitamin D and enjoy a pre-lunch aperitivo at the same time!
And so to the Peter Pan of politics. How is the gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi doing? The New York Times provided a very amusing article last week. Quote, “SB cares about his friends as long as they do what he says. He talks fondly about his late Mama and adores his kids, in fact he loves family so much, he has had three already! Hang in there SB, the girlies still love you!
Well, as it’s a lovely sunny day, we are off to Montespertoli for an aperitivo in the main piazza, then a bit of lunch.
Have a great week and don’t forget to check out ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan on http://www.Amazon.co.uk (.com or .eu) or http://www.firstchapters.net for your Christmas reading and/or presents. If you would like my autograph, I can send you a very nice sticky label to go in your book. Email June.finnigan@virgin.net with your details.
Amore June xx
PS We have just bought a nice bunch of mistletoe, so may be a little preoccupied for a while….
Your photos are beautiful!! Great news about the plumber, I know a few people here who need him!
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He may travel to Firenze, I can only ask in the bar!
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Really lovely photos and all that… but wait, you found a plumber who can actually fix stuff and isn’t limited to just one, rather specialised area of plumbing? This is big news. Is he able to work in Piemonte too!?
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The idraulica is based in Certaldo, so doubtful if he will travel all the way up to you guys. See if you can find a lovely lady behind a bar who can also recommend her husband!
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That view is incredible, I love fog filled valleys!
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Yes, so do I. We have a lot of fog this time of year, however, we are quite high up so are often just out of it!
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