Welcome and Benvenuti to all my lovely Loyal and New Followers
Before I launch into the subjects in the above title, I do want to let you know that I have not forgotten to mention the Olive Harvest. Yes it is in full swing, however, I will talk about it next week when I have some more fotos!
The smoking inglenook fireplace. Foto P Finnigan
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or should I say at our former monastery/farmhouse here in Chianti, it was time to try out our inglenook fireplace for the first time. Now we do have a vast experience of open fireplaces, in fact my man actually built one many years ago in Somerset, England, so we knew there was only a 50/50 chance of it not smoking the sitting room out. So, on Friday we got it lit and yes, as you can see in the foto we had to open the french windows to let the billowing smoke out. But for just a few minutes it looked beautiful and when it was roaring the smoke went up the chimney, but as soon as it died down a bit, out came the smoke again! So we will get an expert in to decide how to deal with it. Watch this space….
Sting at 65. La Repubblica magazine.
Back in Fiano, where we mostly go for our coffee these days, I see in the Sunday magazine that very popular British musician Sting, or Gordon Sumner, is looking pretty good at sixty-five. The Italians love Sting, and as he has a villa a few valleys away from us, he is also considered a local celebrity; a bit like me in fact, although I’m only famous in Fiano!
Look no hands or feet! Foto La Nazione
The other thing that the Italian’s love is Calcio or football to you and I. You may remember that AC Milan was purchased by a Chinese buyer a short while ago. Now I don’t know what to think of this, but in the paper I see the Chinese Premier Xi Jinping showing off his skills by playing football without his hands or feet! Methinks it’s a clever conjuring trick. What was that you said? Well, really…..
October fruit and veg in Certaldo. Foto J Finnigan
OK, where was I. Oh yes, back to yesterday morning and the fruit and veg market. Whilst, most of the peaches have finished I did find some plums and I bought some lovely fresh broccoli too. I decided to take a foto of one of my favourite home-grown stands and I think this picture says it all.
Then of course, it’s that time of year for Chestnuts or Castagne as they are called here. The Italians really go to town making wonderful deserts for this versatile nut, I’ll try to get some fotos for you next time.
My Pasta vegetariana. Foto J Finnigan
And just for a bit of fun, here is a foto of my pasta vegetariana,which I had for supper last night with our lovely family, at a restaurant called Il Merlo, somewhere between Volterra and San Gimignano! The chef has a sense of humour and obviously so disapproved of my not wanting any sausage with my pasta, he even removed the pumpkin as he thought I might consider it meat, then put this little face in the corner of the plate! Very Ha Ha, I don’t think.
Anyway, gosh is that the time, I must crack on with my soon to be finished novel ‘The Italian Connection’, which some of you are asking about. My deadline for the first draft is the end of October, which I expect to meet, then another month of infill and editing before I can get it published. Sorry to say, I won’t make the Christmas shelves but you can happily look forward to a Spring launch at the very latest.
OK, off you go, have a really good week and do drop me a line, I love to hear from you.
Salute June x
Visit my author site at http://www.amazon.com/author/junefinnigan
‘My Father, The Assassin’. Book one in the series.
‘The Bolivian Connection’ Book two in the series.
Junefinnigan's Weblog 