Simon and friends June 2011
Photo P Finnigan
Just a short, but important post, to say addio to our good friend Simon Moodie who died yesterday at the age of nearly sixty-seven.
We will miss your ‘drop in anytime visits’ and your playing percussion in the band.
Salute to Simon x
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Benvenuto to all my Loyal and New followers
Now there is one thing I will say for the Italian Polizia, they take their work very seriously and no way will they let you get away with anything, because they will find you! More than three years ago, we were in Montecatini Terme and we stopped to ask a policeman for directions. He pointed to the turning we should take, and gave us precise directions to the address we wanted. We foolishly did as we were instructed. Then last week a letter arrived telling us that we had driven down and parked in a residents only street, had not paid our fine (which we never received) and with accrued interest we now had to pay 160 Euros or else! My man and I were disgusted and recalled the time when we were in Venice on the water ferry. At the last-minute, a Chinese couple jumped onto the ferry without tickets, and took the seats in front of us. They were actually from London and it was the last day of their Italian holiday. They tried to buy tickets from the ticket collector, but were angrily told to pay a 40 euro fine! It was obvious that they had made a mistake, however, they only had ten Euros Left. The collector called his colleague to witness his writing out a double fine for 80 Euros, which had to be paid that day at the local police station. And he said “If you do not pay this today we will find you, even in England or in China.” The poor things were terrified! Reluctantly, I decided to pay our fine, but only after I had visited the local police station and talked to a very unsympathetic officer there. It does not pay to get on the wrong side of these guys!
Don’t mess with the Carabinieri!
Photo Il Tabloid
Back in our local village of Fiano, there was a visit from the carabinieri, and some smashed glass is still lying around in the piazza waiting to be cleared up. We are trying to get the scuttlebutt on this, but everyone is strangely avoiding the subject. Sig Rotund arrived at the Laura’s cafe bar in the morning, with one arm of his glasses missing and promptly sent one of his ‘lady friends’ outside to our local Moroccan street seller, for a new pair of reading glasses. He then sat reading his paper with a paper price sticker over the lens, until I pointed it out. Fiano’s Piazza changes from a quiet village backwater to a night club atmosphere in the evenings, so this broken glass incident probably happened after dark.
Farty Barty exhausted on his kitchen chair.
Photo P Finnigan
And now for even more news. The ‘Poison Dwarf’, a local lady who is about four feet six and equally wide, actually smiled at me the other day, which knocked me sideways! She is usually very loudly putting the world to rights and glares at us a very time she passes….Then the national computer system at the Post Office broke down on Pension day and the oldie queue in Fiano went right down the main road…. Meanwhile, as the temperature was dropping, we had a delivery of gas and were informed that the price had gone down, yes down….while all this is going on, Farty Barty the cat calls in occasionally for food and a sleep, as he is too preoccupied with the girlies to be bothered with conversation…. And finally, the rain seems to have stopped. So some good, some bad news. But we don’t care about the bad news. Life eez good, Life eez now!
Enough of that. I have mentioned before that I am not a creative cook, however, I do try to keep my man happy. A couple of days ago he said, “Lunch was really nice.” “Well, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so the saying goes”, I replied. “Mmm, it’s also the way to his intestines…..” He responded. The moral to this is, if you are complimented on your cooking, just smile and say something like, “Well I’m glad you enjoyed it.” On the other hand, the last time I said that he replied, “That doesn’t mean I want to eat the same thing every day for the next two weeks!” You have to feel sorry for him though, living with an eccentric writer who is also a rubbish cook! Thank god for amore and good Italian restaurants!
Me at the microphone.
Photo P Finnigan
Finally, I’m sure you will be very excited to know that official invites are shortly going out for my Garden Rock Concert to be held on 28th June. If you will be in Tuscany and would like an invite, send your email address to june.finnigan@virgin.net as I am very keen to attract more groupies!
Well, I must crack on with ‘The Bolivian Connection’, which is getting very scary, and will update you on the gorgeous Silvio next weekend.
Have a great week.
Amore June x
Posted in Life | Tagged Bolivia, book, Carabinieri, Famous, Farty Barty, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Polizia, Rock Concert, Silvio Berlusconi, The Bolivian Connection, Tuscany, writer | Leave a Comment »
Ciao all my Lovely Followers and Readers
If you have not already done so, you can now download my novel ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan, to your Kindle at less than half price! There is an awful lot of competition out there, and it seems that E-books are being sold at considerable discounts, so for the forseeable future, my book is available at the following prices on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk – £2.50
http://www.amazon.com – $4.11
http://www.amazon.eu – 3.05 Euros
More than anything else, I want you to enjoy the book and it is important for you to read it before the follow-up ‘The Bolivian Connection’, which will be published later this year.
Molto Amore June x
PS do not forget to post your review on Amazon – Thanks again.
Posted in Books | Tagged Bolivia, book, Famous, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Romantic thriller, Tuscany, writer | Leave a Comment »
Benvenuto to all my Loyal and New Followers
Long Winter shadows & Amore
Photo P Finnigan
When you have been lucky enough to have spent a lot of years living with the one you love, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the loss of that person would be catastrophic. So as my man prepared to head for London a week ago I asked him, “If you go before me, and you may not, how can I capture the whole being that is you?” My man looked very thoughtful and said “Feel free to lop off whatever you want!” Now he is normally a very romantic guy, but can you imagine? I was thinking that I would like to have my own ashes sprinkled across the Chianti Hills, this would then put back into the vineyards a little bit of what they have given me over the years. Why am I thinking about morbidity? Well, one of Fiano’s sweet old ladies, Iolanda, died on Friday. She loved to do embroidery and I bought two pretty tray clothes from her a couple of years ago. Her hands were already shaking with Parkinsons, but she persevered. Addio Iolanda x
The Rock Chick Band
Personally, I hope to fade away disgracefully singing loud rock songs with the Rock Chick Band, whilst holding a nicely warmed glass of Chianti.
But enough of that. Wednesdays, in our little bit of Chianti, is the day for making an executive decision. Where to get a really good cup of coffee, fresh pastry (if one is not still on a diet) and a relaxing environment? You see, Laura’s bar and alimentary is closed on that day, so we must go elsewhere. The other bar in Fiano serves reasonable coffee, however, the ambiance has a lot to be desired. So more often than not, we will head for Tavernelle, where there is a nice pasticeria (baker of pastries and cakes), and the locals are friendly. However, last week we drove over and found that they had closed for a two-week holiday. February is quite popular with the Tuscans, for disappearing off to the Far East for a warm break. So we decided to drop down to Certaldo, which almost completed a full circle. When we finally got home again, my man, who is the analyst, worked out that we had travelled thirty kilometres in our search for coffee!
Things have been very busy over the last two weeks. I have booked flights to London for the end of February, as I will be attending an Authors Fair and also for the end of May as my mother will be celebrating her 90th! Flights are pretty easy between London and Pisa and likewise to Bristol, but prices are on the up.
Silvio addresses new young recruits to his party Forza Italia.
Photo AP/Mauro Scrobogna, Lapresse.
And what about the other main character in our lives? Please put your hands together for the one and only, Signore Silvio Berlusconi! There is a standing ovation and it takes five minutes for the devoted followers of SB to calm down. He smiles, flashing his perfectly white straight teeth and starts to speak. More cheers and clapping and he raises his hands in thanks, then waves the devotees back into their seats. It is a fact that millions of Italians still believe him to be the most dynamic leader ever, in Italian politics. They accept his version of events, not the courts, and believe that he only has the people’s well-being at heart. He now has the advantage of being in the opposition during a period of austerity and, whilst he will not be able to stand for election, he will certainly choose someone who will! He may have been caught with his trousers down on more than one occasion, but he still has a good pair of legs!
I am now well into writing ‘The Bolivian Connection’ where Joanna Wilde is nervously watching the arrival of the worldwide assassins’ ring, who are being dropped off at ‘The Castle’ by various helicopters, for the reading of her evil dead father’s will. Watch this space!
Meanwhile, have a really great week and please do leave a review on Amazon if you have read ‘My Father, the Assassin’ by J W Finnigan. I’ll be eternally grateful!
Grazie Mille June xx
Posted in Life | Tagged Berlusconi, Bolivia, book, Certaldo, Chianti, coffee, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, The Bolivian Connection, The Rock Chick Band, Tuscany, writer | 2 Comments »
Ciao Ragazzi
I urgently need your help in raising the status of my novel ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan on Amazon. I know that loads of you lovely people have bought the book and have told me how much you enjoyed it. However, I need at least five more, four or five-star reviews on the site to be able to uplift its status. You simply need to revisit either http://www.amazon.co.uk or http://www.amazon.eu or http://www.amazon.com, whichever one you purchased it from, paperback book or E-book, and write something!
Cracking on now with my weekend blog and will post it shortly.
thank you again, I will be forever in your debt!
Amore June x
Posted in Books | Tagged book, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Romantic thriller, Tuscany, writer | Leave a Comment »
Welcome all you lovely readers,
I am hugely relieved to finally have a functioning internet connection, after five days of virtually nothing from our wireless Tim service. So now you will understand why I failed to send you a weekend post!
I am currently up to my ears in work, this is good news in some respects, and so assuming the problem is over I’ll send you two weeks exciting and entertaining stuff next weekend.
Ciao June xx
Posted in Life | Tagged Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, Tuscany | 4 Comments »
This is a brilliant re-blog composed by ‘Girl in Florence’. I could not have written it better myself and is all so true.
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Welcome Ragazzi and thank you for following,
The real Mick Hucknell
Photo Slawek
The countryside in our little bit of Chianti, is fairly quiet at present. The sound of vines being snipped and the relentless muted conversation of the contadini (farm workers) drift up from the steep vineyards below us and some distant woodland maintenance has started, opening up new vistas that we regulars can enjoy on the way to coffee in Fiano. Most of the land around us, other than the olive grove immediately below our home, belongs to the Fattoria Villa Bacio. It is quite a vast area and every season offers up new jobs to be done on the land and in the gardens. For sometime we have seen a youngish man, whom we think is the son of Villa Bacio, in charge of the workers and I have been struggling to think who he reminds me of. Then it hit me, he is the spitting image of Mick Hucknell, former lead singer of Simply Red!
Beautiful January rose in our garden.
Photo P Finnigan
In our garden we currently have a most beautiful January rose and here is a picture. We inherited lots of English roses that are easily identifiable by their strong perfume. This one is only slightly perfumed, so if anyone can identify it, do let me know.
I am completely in love with my new Kindle, which my man bought me for Christmas. I would never have believed that I could be persuaded away from my beloved books to reading an electronic gadget. However, when I tell you that I have just downloaded the complete works of Charles Dickens (60 volumes) for just £1.27p, there is no way I can argue against it. Reading is very important if you are a novelist, not just for the pleasure, but also for plot ideas and creative writing. I am also teaching myself chess and have beaten the Kindle several times. Mind you I am currently on the first level, so time will tell.
My man is now on a serious diet which also means no alcohol, apart from the weekend when he enjoys a couple of nice Chiantis with his lunch and a light aperitivo before supper. I am doing my very best to do the same, but I cannot cook lunch without a couple of glasses of wine and loud rock music to keep my spirits up. You may have noticed, that I rarely mention food, other than when visiting a ristorante; this is because I am not a great lover of cooking. I know, most of you will throw your hands up in horror, as my own daughter does. However, I do cook and only because my man does not. This is not a complaint, he does just about every other job around the house and garden, including his own ironing! In Fiano, where we usually take our morning coffee, he is currently forgoing his sweet pastries, so his face is a little on the long side. The poor thing has also had to contend with a sore throat, which I’m sure is due to the lack of a soothing glass of vino. On Saturday mornings, the locals we do not see in the week, arrive at Laura’s bar/alimentari in their customary smart tracksuits and quilted jackets. This last Saturday was also black woolly hat day, no newspaper delivery and everyone talking about the previous day’s disasters. (Friday 17th, which is considered very unlucky in Italy) When the man is a little grumpy he comes out with his best gems and this time, in referring to a gossiping black hatted, grey track-suited lady in high heels he commented, ‘I bet she’s been storing up her conversation all night!’ Don’t we just love him.
Inside Bar/Pasticeria Fiorentina in Montespertoli
On Sunday morning we headed off to Montespertoli for an aperitivo, despite the rain, and tucked into the corner of the tiny Bar and Pasticeria Fiorentina, where everyone was looking forward to Florence winning their latest football match. The atmosphere in the town is always affected by the local football (calcio) results!
I will bring you an update on our idol, Silvio Berlusconi next weekend as I must crack on with ‘The Bolivian Connection’, where my heroine Joanna Wilde, is about to check out of her hotel in La Paz and head for her evil father’s former mountain home, known as ‘The Castle’, for the formal reading of his will…..
Have a great week and don’t forget to check out Joanna’s previous story in my book ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan on http://www.amazon.uk or .eu or .com. Or for a big discount on a download, go to http://www.firstchapters.net
Ciao June x
Posted in Life | Tagged Bolivia, book, Calcio, Charles Dickins, Chianti, coffee, Famous, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, Mick Hucknell, My Father The Assassin, Silvio Berlusconi, The Bolivian Connection, writer | 6 Comments »
Buon Anno and welcome to all my Loyal and New Followers
I love the start of a New Year. I know, many will say that starting a New Year is purely a calendar thing, but I disagree. I always feel that I am bouncing into an exciting new era, with good things just waiting to happen.
Father Christmas unconscious on New Years Day
Photo P Finnigan
Now, before we leave the Festive season completely behind us, I must tell you about the amazing spectacle that greeted us in Montespertoli on New Years day. No one seemed to have noticed that on the roof of the Bar in the main piazza, Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) was lying on his back seemingly unconscious, having stayed on for the New Years Eve festivities! This was very disturbing and we felt it necessary to call for help as he looked horribly lifeless. Finally he was helped down, and despite being embarrassed and deflated, he was pointed north and his stopper pulled out!
In our family we have celebrated three birthdays. Our genero (son-in-law) on 31st December, our granddaughter on 5th January and my man on 10th January. My man arrived back after a few working days in London on his birthday. I had laid a log fire, put some nice wrapped presents on the coffee table and some Prosecco in the fridge. Gradually that handsome smile returned to his face despite the fact that A. He was not happy to have reached such a great age. B. He was annoyed with the weight he had put on over Christmas and C. He had had a pretty frustrating journey on the train!
Farty Barty Enjoys the New year Sunshine
Photo J Finnigan
Today is Sunday and the weather is lovely. Warm sun and blossom on the cherry trees. We are half way through January and are now cautiously optimistic about escaping a hard cold winter. Farty Barty the cat is very happy, and obviously has a girlie on the go. Our grandson is just a week away from going to Blundells School in Somerset, England for a two-day sports scholarship exam and I have completed chapter five of my novel ‘The Bolivian Connection.’
Florentine Iris in the garden
Photo P Finnigan
My man is now grinning up from the garden as I gaze down from the studio window, and he tells me he has taken some nice photos. Would you believe it, a beautiful Florentine Iris is in flower and so I have attached a picture. The sun is now dipping towards the west and is hidden by woodland, however, the long shadows are creating the most beautiful three-dimensional vistas. Ah, life is good…..
The idol Silvio Berlusconi
Photo Doug Porter, San Diego Free Press
And finally, a quick mention about our idol, Silvio Berlusconi. I see that Wikipedia has updated SB’s page and now reads ‘SB is an Italian politician (really?), entrepreneur (yes), media tycoon (yes), frequent criminal defendant ( not in his view), and convicted tax evader (wrongly he says) who has served three times as Prime Minister (yes sort of). it is important to remember that he is considered a hero by many, and idolized by your right-winger as a man to look up to. If one ignores that he is virtually challenged, possibly. Opposite is a picture of how some people see him through rose-coloured spectacles!
Have a wonderful week, do drop me a line and see you next weekend.
Amore June x
PS Check out my book ‘My Father, The Assassin’ on http://www.firstchapters.net, listed under thrillers, and download immediately at a big discounted price! Buy the paperback on http://www.Amazon.co.uk or .eu or .com. If you would like a personal message and autograph on a pretty sticker to go in your book, send your postal address to june.finnigan@virgin.net Enjoy!
Posted in Life | Tagged Berlusconi, Bolivia, book, Chianti, Farty Barty, Fiano, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, New year, Romantic thriller, Silvio Berlusconi, Tuscany, writer | 2 Comments »
Ciao Regazzi
Me at a book signing
Photo P Finnigan
Yes, the much-needed discipline has kicked in and I am cracking on with my novel ‘The Bolivian Connection’. Joanna Wilde, my heroine, has already arrived in La Paz for the reading of her late father’s will and is anticipating a dangerous and nerve-racking few days. If you have read ‘My Father, The Assassin’ you will know that her father George Worme, was a pretty evil character and made his money by assassination and other dastardly means. From my point of view, it is good to be back into the world of fiction because I am a lot safer there. In the real world, I buy presents that are mostly unsuitable, drop things and smash them, drink too much wine, eat too much cheese & chocolate and suffer from short-term memory loss.
Tomorrow is our granddaughter’s ninth birthday and we have just met with her and our daughter for the handover of more gifts. I have been careful not to buy anything for her to wear, or get ripped off by local shopkeepers who wrap presents up for me and then tell me I misunderstood, and that the price was double that which I’m sure I heard correctly! My man says that I have been going through a ‘definitive challenging period’ and it would be better if I get all the fiction out of my head and into type! My daughter has since telephoned to say that she has changed the lovely glittery clothes I purchased for our granddaughter’s Christmas present in Bennetons, for some jeans and a sweatshirt. So all is well there at least! They are off ice skating tomorrow in Siena.
Now I hope you will forgive me, but I really must concentrate on the novel this weekend, as I have an end of March deadline for the first completed draft. I will be sending out blogs each week, however, they may or may not include updates on Silvio B as this requires research.
So, with your permission I must rescue Joanna, who has just sat down in a cafe bar in La Paz and is about to receive a secret message via the waiter.
Salute June xx
Happy New Year!
Posted in Life | Tagged book, Famous, Italy, J W Finnigan, June Finnigan, My Father The Assassin, The Bolivian Connection, Tuscany, writer | 2 Comments »
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