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Posts Tagged ‘Silvio Berlusconi’

Grapes, Rugby and a Special Birthday in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 23, 2013| 2 Comments »

Ripening grapes on our lower terrace. Photo P Finnigan

Ripening grapes on our lower terrace.
Photo P Finnigan

Welcome to all my Loyal and New Followers.

Well, this last week we have been surrounded by grape harvesters, driving their squeaky tractors and clattering trailers loaded with huge juicy purple grapes past our villa, and taking them for crushing just down the road at the Villa Bacio.  The Villa is also an agriturismo, so paying guests are darting around with their cameras trying to get the best shots of the picking and crushing.  Yesterday, Sunday, we bumped into our very good friend Claudio who produces one of the best Chianti wines in the region.  We can see his property across the valley and he used to be our next door neighbour.  Claudio was just starting his harvest and, like many other farmers,  always imports workers during the season.  Last year he had Orientals and Africans, this year he has Pakistanis!  Why, we asked, have you chosen Pakistanis.  They are reliable and legal he laughed, the price is agreed at outset and the boss speaks Italian which helps!  My man commented on how good the weather was now and that  he hated cold weather.  Claudio said it was perfect for the harvest (vendemia), not too hot and not too cold.  He then laughed and called my man a ToscanoDoc.  This was quite a compliment as he was saying that the man was one of ‘them’, that is a true Tuscan!  As all you wine connoisseurs will know, a DOCG Chianti wine has been formally approved as a true Chianti and Claudio’s wine is in this exclusive club.  My man was beaming all the way home, bless him.

Yummy birthday cake photo J Finnigan

Yummy birthday cake
photo J Finnigan

Last Wednesday, was our grandson’s thirteenth birthday (compleanno) so we drove over to his house near Siena for the festa.  He is now the proud owner of a Yamaha acoustic guitar which fills my heart with joy and excitement.  Hopefully, he will be able to play with my band in the future!  Our teenager is also a brilliant rugby player and today he is being assessed for moving on to greater opportunities.  Over the weekend, whilst we dog sat, the family went off to watch Rovigo play their opening match of the season.  They were guests of Rovigo’s New Zealander player Billy Ngawini, who was busy signing autographs, and as a birthday surprise they all had dinner with top rugby star Mirco Bergamasco who is the gorgeous blond guy all we girlies adore!

This morning at the alimentari/bar, it was busy with locals collecting their bread, groceries, drinking coffee and generally catching up, because Laura (the owner) and family had closed over the weekend, to go to Milan.  The break seems to have given Laura a lift and with Benedetta back behind the counter and the newspapers being delivered every day, all is very relaxed again.

Seasonal figs and local Tuscan Cheeses Photo J Finnigan

Seasonal figs and local Tuscan Cheeses
Photo J Finnigan

The evenings are closing in fast and last night, as we were enjoying our aperitivo after handing back the dogs, my man let out a groan, ‘Oh no, the automatic garden light has just come on and it’s only seven twenty-five!  Yesterday it was seven thirty…’  His face grew long and his shoulders slumped.  I have a cunning plan to keep a small torch in my pocket and to shine it in his face every time he complains about the sun going down too early!  Also, I remind him how beautiful autumn is with all the fruit and veg and particularly figs still in season.

Farty Barty in indecisive mood. Photo J Finnigan

Farty Barty in indecisive mood.
Photo J Finnigan

Farty Barty the cat, also seems to be effected by the changing season and has been sitting on my lap a lot.  He is acting in a very indecisive manner which is probably due to the girlie cats being off-season!

So what is happening in the Italian news, and is Silvio still getting the coverage he deserves?  Well, yes and no.  Vladimir Putin my not have helped Silvio’s case by quoting ‘SB’s personal life would never have become a scandal and ended up in the courts if he had been gay!’  However, back in November 2010 Silvio actually said in public  ‘it’s better to like beautiful girls than to be gay!’.  Mmmm, there could be a considerable loss of vote in a certain section of the population if this carrys on.  However, in a sixteen minute recorded speech last week Silvio insisted he will remain in Italian politics even if his fellow senators strip him of his senate seat.  Phew, that’s a relief  for all the make up artists, hairdressers and plastic surgeons that see him as a walking advertisement…..What do you think?

Well, it’s Monday morning again and I am a little late posting this blog, I hope you don’t mind too much and that you have enjoyed reading it.

Have a great week and see you at the weekend.

salute June x

PS Don’t forget to start building your Christmas book list and visit http://www.firstchapters.net where you can read the first three chapters of any books listed free of charge!  First check out the romantic thriller ‘My Father, the Assassin’ by J W Finnigan.

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Early September Light in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 16, 2013| 4 Comments »

Well, September is here and it is a little cooler.  However the light is really fantastic and I recommend all you artists to grab your easels and head for these hills.  The sun is now lower in the sky revealing valleys and cliffs that you don’t see at the height of summer.  We were reminded just how beautiful this area is when we had two English friends to a five-hour lunch on Saturday.  This was their first visit to the Chianti countryside and they were awe-struck.  What with the view, the light, the Chianti, the Vin Santo, my cooking (it was OK for once) the background rock music and the laughter, it was a perfect day!

Our first Pomegranate or Melagrana Photo P Finnigan

Our first Pomegranate or Melagrana
Photo P Finnigan

The garden remains a huge source of pleasure and I’m delighted to tell you that we have pomegranates!  I know, I hear you say, what’s so exciting about that?  Well, my man rescued this little tree that was stuck inside a big laurel bush last year and we had no idea what it was.  Then a week ago, the first fruits started to appear!  Well, we think it’s exciting.  We also have other flowering plants to brighten the late summer garden,

Flowering Hibiscus photo P Finnigan

Flowering Hibiscus
photo P Finnigan

including Hibiscus and Plumbago.    The darker mornings mean that my man is not up so early to water the garden, now in some ways he’s disappointed, however, we must move with the seasons, don’t you think.  ” There’s no point in getting up at seven-thirty (first light) because there’s no time to garden before we go out for coffee, ”  he moaned.  So he’s been forced to stay in bed and play with his smartphone instead.   He’s really looking forward to pruning the fruit trees which will happen after the olive harvest in October.  In the meantime, every other conversation includes “can you think of anything that needs doing in the garden?”  The fact is he’s done such a good job of readying things for Autumn, that it’s hard to find things to do!

Cascading Blue Plumbago Photo J Finnigan

Cascading Blue Plumbago
Photo J Finnigan

Meanwhile, back in Fiano our local village, everything is hunky dory again.  Smiling readers hog the newspapers and chat about the start of the shooting season.  I won’t deny that I am very anti-hunting, especially when the shooters park on the edge of our olive grove and set off a volley of shots at seven-thirty on Sunday morning!  The hunters still have the right to roam here and fencing one’s property is very restricted.  So fencing is done surreptitiously and not concreted in (temporary so to speak), in case the vigilante police tell you to take them down.  But I have a secret cunning plan…..!

In the coffee bar/alimentari Signore Rotund is blissfully happy, he has his sporting pages and the local ladies are queuing up to give his broad back a scratch and massage.  This morning at coffee, he is sitting in his regular chair getting his shoulders massaged by one lady whilst chatting up another one, eating his pastry and drinking coffee at the same time!  It’s a funny thing, it all seems quite normal in Fiano.

The man shivering in hat and fleece

The man shivering in hat and fleece
photo J Finnigan

I am loving the slightly cooler evenings, however, my man has donned his Australian bush hat and fleece jacket and sits holding his aperitivo, like it’s a block of ice!  ‘It’s cold, it’s winter!” he moans. “But look at the beautiful sky” I say “and the lights are starting to twinkle across the valley!”

Sunday was our traditional visit to Montespertoli and I may not have told you that  Mr Bean’s twin sister, Miss Bean, is alive and well and runs a certain shop in the main piazza.  The man calls her Miss Hasbean, but then it’s more likely to be Miss Neverhasbean.  This may sound a little mean (ha, rhymes with bean), however, it cannot be denied that she must be related to Rowan Atkinson.  Despite this, she is a very nice lady and so is her mother Mrs Bean.  The father has a close resemblance to Wilfred Bramble!  I’ll stop there….

Silvio gets emotional in Rome. Photo Reuters, Alessandro Bianchi.

Silvio gets emotional in Rome.
Photo Reuters, Alessandro Bianchi.

So what has the gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi been up to?  Well, it’s a relief to know that a certain amount of verbal blackmail has come back into the proceedings.  Senior aides to Silvio say he may pull his ministers out of government if he is ousted.  Now, in case you are not aware, SB’s supporters prop up Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s Democratic party in a coalition.   On the 9th September, the Italian Senate Committee began discussions on whether SB should go or be allowed to stay.  Silvio’s aides say that the law to suspend anyone from parliament when convicted for tax fraud, came in last January, which was after SB ‘committed’ the crime!  Don’t you just love it?  An Australian friend, he knows who he is, says they would love to have a character like Silvio in Australian Government as it would make things much less boring.

Well, enough of that and as it is now Monday morning I must get this blog off to you and do some work!  On the other hand, the sun is now shining……..

Amore June x

PS Don’t forget to share this with your friends and visit http://www.firstchapters.net for your Autumn reading.  I am still recommending ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan.

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Back Home with My Man in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2013| 3 Comments »

The Upper Terrace at home. Photo P Finnigan

The Tuscan Office
Photo P Finnigan

As I write this blog, I am listening to a CD by a local Italian band called ‘Neuro’.  I bought it because I know two of the band members who live in Montespertoli and it is heavy metal/punk.  Now punk was not my thing in the past and still gives me the eebie jeebies, however, I will persevere through to the end!  I’ll let you know my verdict next week.

Well it was back to work last Monday and four days in the UK for me, whilst my man and Farty Barty the cat manned the Tuscan office.  I can honestly say that I find it quite impossible to come up with fun things to say about England, anyway you have logged in to read about life in Tuscany!  Traveling back on an early flight I was delighted to be sitting with two lovely ladies, Sarah from Exmoor and Shirley from Cardiff, both off to meet their men who are currently working in Tuscany.  We got on so well that we shared two small bottles of prosecco between us.  A sort of champagne breakfast!  Girls, I hope you are reading this, keep in touch….

The Rock Chick Band

Me and the Rock Chick Band

It was a great weekend back with my man and we enjoyed our traditional visit to Montespertoli on Sunday.  Glorious weather, icecream and prosecco in the Piazza; nothing like it.  We are both heavy metal fans and listened to some great rock music in the car and later at home.  I have since decided to add Gary Moore & Phil Lynott’s ‘Parisienne Walkways’ to my repertoire for next year’s garden rock concert party here in Tuscany.  The date for your diary is June 28th 2014, send me your email if you would like an invite.  june.finnigan@virgin.net

Meanwhile, back in our local village of Fiano, the newspapers were still not being delivered and we have discovered that the delivery agent has gone out of business.  Whilst the tourist industry is still surviving quite well, others are struggling and many businesses could not afford to take the traditional Ferragosto holiday this year.  However, our locals remain cheerful and greet us with the usual smile and ‘Buon Giorno’ or ‘Bondi’ each morning at coffee.

Eeyore, 'In his gloomy place'

Eeyore, ‘In his gloomy place’

Now my man had been home alone for four days and he was very much ‘in his gloomy place’ without a paper to read.  I did pick up a free Telegraph in Waitrose and a Times on the plane, so all was not completely lost!  He has now gone to London and we must hope that the local papers have arrived by the time he returns on Friday!

Benedetta and her lovely mama Laura at the Bar/Alimentari in Fiano

Laura and Benedetta at the Bar/Alimentari in Fiano
Photo J Finnigan

Laura at the Alimentari/Bar continues her struggle as, after a fleeting return by her daughter Benedetta who is recovering from a broken foot, she is manning the shop alone again.  However, her coffee is second to none and she is a lovely lady, so we will keep supporting her.

Things are returning to normal here in Tuscany as the shops, bars and restaurants re-open after the traditional holidays.  September is a really nice month, whilst still warm, it is the time of harvests and the vendemmia (grape harvest) will begin shortly.  The vineyards will be full of imported grape pickers and it’s not unusual to see coolie hats amongst the vines!  The countryside then becomes quite noisy with tractors & trailers lumbering past our villa, loaded high with luscious purple and green grapes.

I have just checked the news for Silvio, then came across another amazing story from the North of Italy.  As you are no doubt aware, the economy here is in a poor state and taxes on businesses pretty horrendous.  Fabrizio Pedroni, a factory owner near Modena, moved his factory and contents to Poland whilst the workers were away on holiday!  Why?  High Italian salaries, crippling taxes and dismal productivity rates.  He has not made a profit since 2008 and it was either get out quick, without the still strong unions getting wind, or ‘shoot himself in the head.’  What a to do!  I caught the end of a BBC interview ‘Hard Talk’ last night when the prime minister Enrico Letta promised to make things easier for Italian employees & employers.  Speriamo di si!  Meanwhile, the lovely Silvio Berlusconi has appealed to the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg over his ban from politics.  The thirty-three page appeal includes ‘It would deny the legitimate expectation of voters that he remain in office for the remainder of the legislative.’  I say, what about all his illegitimate ones?

Tuesday morning – I am finishing with a glassful of  very good news.  I have just come back from my morning coffee and Milko has only two of my books left to sell at the cartolibreria in Fiano, the newspaper delivery is back, so is Benedetta and the sun is shining after heavy rain!  Hurrah!

Sorry for the later than usual blog, however, I hope you enjoyed it and do get in touch!

Amore  June x

ps Check out http://www.firstchapters.com for your Autumn reading.  I have heard lots of people raving about ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan!

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Week Two doing Absolutely Nothing in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 31, 2013| 1 Comment »

“It’s a laugh a minute here!” said my man, trying hard not to smile as our grandson age nearly thirteen and I rolled around in hysterics over the game of ‘Sorry’.  The reason for the hysterical laughter was that we kept saying to grandad, ‘have you been?’ and he was responding ‘yes I’ve been, it’s your turn to go.’  Well, our grandson had joined us for three days and the board game theme continued, as with our granddaughter the previous week.  We did think about playing  Mah Jong , however,  the man complained that reading the instructions was ‘Like losing the will to live’!

Siena under 14's rugby. Photo P Finnigan

Siena under 14’s rugby.
Photo P Finnigan

The conversation with the grandson was very sports orientated, because our boy is a very good rugby player and plays fly half for Siena under fourteens.   The garden was rapidly turned into a cricket net area and a obstacle course that went all the way around the house so that he (the boy not the man) could keep his fitness up and be timed by the man to ever-increasing speeds.

Back at the bar/alimentari in Fiano, there has been no delivery of newspapers since last Tuesday and poor Laura is still running it on her own!  We are trying to determine whether the delivery driver is ill, still on holiday (Ferragosto) or on strike.  Ferragosto should, in theory end today 31st August, however, the Italians will always find reasons for extending it well into the first week of September.  We always look forward to the second week as all the shop blinds are finally rolled up and we have a much greater choice of cafe bar and ristorante.  The ‘grey heads’ (elderly tourists) tend to arrive in September knowing the children will back at school and that it will be a little cooler.  We really like July when everywhere is still open, the children are running around in the piazza making a lot of noise until gone midnight and the Gelaterie (ice-cream parlours) remain open till late!  Meanwhile, everyone is looking very glum in Fiano, particularly Signor Rotund, as there are no sporting pages to read and the football season has already started!

Big Jigsaw in progress

Big Jigsaw in progress
Photo J Finnigan

Earlier in the week, I opened my dressing room window to see the man watering the garden just below me, so I called down “Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou?”  I curled up with laughter again when he replied, “Down here, you silly …, can’t you see me?”  He is in a much more loving mood now having  successfully finished a large jigsaw-puzzle.  I must admit it looked very difficult indeed and he is now inspired to start another one.  We have successfully completed two weeks without turning on the television once, thanks to the board games and the jigsaw.  So doing absolutely nothing has proved to be most relaxing and entertaining!  Back to the office on Monday.  But we don’t care about that, we still have the weekend!

Peperoni Cornetti Photo J Finnigan

Pepperoni Cornetti
Photo J Finnigan

Great things are happening in the garden.  We thought the zucchini (courgette) plants were failing, however there has been a late show of flowers.  The pepperoni cornetti (small red peppers) have done really well and we still have some pomodori (tomatoes) left to pick.  The figs are not very sweet so we have left them to the wildlife and there are now cinghiale (wild boar) hoof prints under the tree.

The Fig Tree Photo J Finnigan

The Fig Tree
Photo J Finnigan

Well, I will be off to England on Tuesday for a few days, so the man will be home alone.  He does not cook as such, however, he is OK with pasta, salads and finding his way to the local ristorante.  He has always claims that he has no idea where the kitchen is in our house, and only stumbles upon it by accident!

I have just checked the news and there is little mention about the gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi.  It looks like the international papers are losing interest, which is bad news for our idol.  Italian judges have defended their conviction rulings and in October a court will decide whether he should serve his one-year sentence as community service or under house arrest.  In my view he should hope for community service, so he can be out there waving his sweeping brush and drawing the press interest back into his court!  He’ll certainly be a tourist attraction and any publicity is good publicity!

Well, time to think about lunch.  A nice capresse (buffalo mozzarella & and tomato salad) with fresh basil (basilica) from the garden sounds good to me.

Have a great week and I’ll see you next weekend.

Amore June x

PS Don’t forget to go to http://www.firstchapters.net to read the first 3-4 chapters of any good book of your choice.  Start building your Christmas list!  I recommend a romantic thriller ‘My Father, The Assassin’ By J W Finnigan,.

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A Busy Week playing Board Games in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 24, 2013| 4 Comments »

The Game of 'Sorry'

The Game of ‘Sorry’

Well, our first week of doing nothing has been very busy indeed,  but packed with proper holiday things just as it should be.  The TV has not been on once and although our granddaughter, who has stayed with us for three days, selected a DVD, it never got played!  So what has been the magic ingredient to seven days without anything electronic?  Well it’s been the dusty board games that have remained unplayed for years!  Wow, we had forgotten how entertaining, challenging and aggressive board games can be, particularly with an eight year old.  My man actually took the time to read the rules properly on the game of ‘Sorry’ and now it is very much the favourite.  We also played ‘The Game of Life’ which has everyone in hysterics when the little plastic cars are filled with blue and pink pegs representing husbands, wives and children.  The man’s long face as he lands on a square that says he’s just got married and has had twins, is beyond description.  We spent one morning cutting off the damp bits of the boxes that held the games, and replacing them with new bits of card and masses of sellotape.  We subsequently discovered that we had a damp wall that needed attention.

Farty Barty on Holiday

Farty Barty on Holiday

But we don’t care about that, we are still on holiday and so is Farty Barty the cat!

We took our granddaughter to an equestrian center on Wednesday, to see the horses and to see if she fancied a lesson.  She loved the horses, but was critical about the standard of the stables and things in general, so she declined the offer of a ride that evening.  Our girl is already an experienced cleaner of stables and also does circus acrobatics on horseback!  So she knows what she is talking about.  So it was off to Certaldo for a gelato (icecream), which went down really well.

Carlo in his hugely popular Geletaria Fiorentino in Montespertoli

Carlo in his hugely popular Geletaria Fiorentino in Montespertoli

In the meantime, my man had developed a rather bloodshot eye after I had poked it with my finger nail.  I was just trying to take off the bit of sun block he had left on the side of his nose, then he moved his head!  Yes, really, this was not intentional, but it did not help him to rise above the grumpy level.  The doctor advised Pronto Soccorso (the emergency department at the hospital) and the man’s spirits lifted when he was told that a few drops would sort him out and his eye should clear in about ten days.  The other small miracle, was that we got through the emergency system in just thirty-five minutes!  If you ever go to Pronto Soccorso in Italy, you should expect to be there for two to five hours, so we put this speedy visit down to Ferragosto (August holiday when eighty percent of Italians go to the beach or the mountains.)  Anyway, afterwards we went for a gelato in Montespertoli and then lunch at C’era una Volta’ in Lucardo.  So it was a good day.

Earlier in the week we came across a four-foot long snake which was either a Western Whip snake or an Adder, however, the light was not good and we had just driven a few yards down the lane and caught it in our headlights.  Have you ever seen a big snake rise up against a three-foot high wall and then jump?  Well, this one did and after a few failed attempts finally made it and disappeared!

Silvio gets emotional with his girlie in Rome. Photo Reuters, Alessandro Bianchi.

Silvio gets emotional with his girlie in Rome.
Photo Reuters, Alessandro Bianchi.

And so to our poor (if very rich) friend Silvio Berlusconi.  As we all know, president Giorgio Napolitano declined to give Silvio a pardon.   So he is now holed up in his luxury villa with his overage girlfriend, contemplating his navel whilst floating in his huge swimming pool and  hoping his support team can still can come up with some way to keep  him in politics.  On the subject of Silvio’s judicial problems and being allowed to continue to hold office, Enrico Letta (oh, he’s the current Prime Minister) quoted on Wednesday night ‘I will not accept blackmail and neither are ultimatums acceptable.’  Well, I thought this was Italy, was he quoted correctly?  Meanwhile, Silvio will not give up and for now will be getting lots of loving hugs from short, fat, aging girlfriend Francesca Pascale (see picture).

OK, enough of that.  My man is now complaining because I have asked him to download some photos from his smart phone.  He is singing at the top of his voice ‘I’m on Holiday, I’m on Holiday’, which is his way of saying ‘you are making me do things when I am supposed to be doing nothing!

I shall go and cook him a nice lunch, as we girlies know it is the best way to a man’s heart.  He’ll be all smiles again in no time!

Have a great week.

Salute June x

PS  Still not got your holiday reading?  Go to http://www.firstchapters.net.  I recommend ‘My Father, The Assassin by J W Finnigan.

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Yet another Beautiful, if Hectic week, in Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2013| 5 Comments »

Book Signing

Impromptu book signing in Lucca!
Photo P Finnigan

Finally we begin our two-week break from the office!  Effectively, it began yesterday as we drove over to the lovely city of Lucca to meet special friends for lunch.  We met for coffee in the Piazza San Michele and I was delighted to be handed a belated, and unexpected, birthday present all wrapped up in the traditional Italian way.    Whilst in the cafe I found myself doing an impromptu book signing, which was very nice indeed!  For lunch we went to Il Mecenatee at Via Del Fosso 94, very traditional and very nice.  The conversation with our friends, he is Australian and she is Italian, ranged from baking English scones (she is a fantastic cake maker), writing books (he has recently written a science fiction novel), the next three most likely things to invest in, what is there today that we would love to see developed and produced over the next thirty years (we’ll probably be pushing up the daisies by then), my man and our Australian got into a very in-depth discussion about how many things today were influenced by the sixties science fiction films and books, and Australia.

So, what about the next two weeks then?  I could never have guessed how difficult it would be to plan nothing.  Nothing seems to come in many different shapes and sizes.  Well, we have two grandchildren and we don’t get to see them often enough.  Our granddaughter age eight, will be with us for three days next week and she loves horses.  So we’ll be off to visit an equestrian centre.  Our grandson, age twelve, nearly thirteen, will join us for three days the following week and he loves sport, particularly rugby.  So we will have to find something sporty to grab his attention.

I must also crack on with additional research for ‘The Bolivian Connection’ which is my current novel.  If you know of anyone who lived or worked in Bolivia any time between 1970 and 1995, I would love to interview them.  What are you currently reading?  I have just finished ‘Maggie, Her Fatal Legacy’ by the journalist  John Sergeant.  As a result, I have now just started reading Michael Heseltine’s autobiography ‘Life in the Jungle’ as he played such an important part in getting Maggie’s back up.  It’s not that I am political, however, I do enjoy reading about strong personalities and what made them tick!

Back at Laura’s bar/alimentari in Fiano, her daughter Bernadette has broken her foot!  This means that poor Laura is working her own feet off without any help, so we have all been most understanding about her closing every afternoon and all day Sunday.  Thursday was Ferragosta, the traditional August  ‘bank’ holiday and the start of a two-week break for most Tuscans and whilst one newspaper reported that six out of ten shops are remaining open (due to the failing economy) we do not expect to find that many doing so in our area.

Terracotta dogs guarding the steps to the orchard. Phot P Finnigan

Terracotta dogs guarding the steps to the orchard.
Photo P Finnigan

My man continues his early morning watering of the garden and, ignoring the dusty brown  ‘lawn’,  it is looking very beautiful.  Farty Barty the cat is putting on weight, which is a sure sign that the summer, like the days, is starting to get shorter.  Our peppers are just starting to turn red on the plants and we have had a reasonable crop of tomatoes.  My man came in with some big fat oranges from the orchard this morning and we have noticed some new baby lemons on our potted lemon trees.

And so to our favourite Italian personality.  ‘Down but not out’, that has to be the best way to describe our friend Silvio.  Or ‘Here’s a big fat cheque, give me a pardon!’  But really, Silvio is now taking his fight to the beaches because that is where a high percentage of Italians will currently be found.  This week his allies have hired at least nine aircraft to fly over Italian beaches in northern and central Italy, trailing 85 foot long signs with messages like ‘Go Silvio’ and ‘Forza Italia’.  The opposition say it is illegal to campaign outside the ‘campaign season’, however, supporters have retaliated by saying that the banners are in support of Silvio Berlusconi the ‘Private Citizen’!  What can one say except ‘Only in Italy!’

2013-01-26 12.26.41Well enough of that, time to think about our first aperitivo of the holiday.  However, the grumpy man has given up drinking again, except when we go out to a ristorante.  However, he is to be congratulated and I must stop being a bad influence.  But then again, we have a cantina full of Chianti…….!

Have a great week, Salute June x

PS Don’t forget to check out http://www.firstchapters.net for your holiday reading.  I have heard very good reviews about ‘My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan.

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Busy Planning to do Nothing, in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 10, 2013| 2 Comments »

Well, my man and I have agreed that its time to take a break and to organise a lot of nothings and nowheres to go.  Come Friday 16th August we will be closing the offices in the UK and Italy for a two-week summer break and will be doing absolutely nothing.  Of course we may be inspired to write (me) or do one of those big boxes of jigsaw that have been gathering dust (my man).  We might even cook a bit, perhaps not.  Busy is a word that everyone uses when you ask them how they are doing.  Busy, busy they say, you know how it is!  So for all those modern-day people of all ages, who have forgotten how not to be busy,  I am dedicating to you the following song courtesy of Winnie the Pooh.Image

I’m busy doing nothing, nothing the whole day through

Trying to find lot’s of things not to do,

I’m busy going nowhere, isn’t it just a crime,

I’d like to be unhappy but, I never do have the time!

Now, if that doesn’t make you smile and to think about slowing down, there must be something really wrong with you.  When we were children, we spent a lot of time having adventures and most of these were had without leaving one’s bedroom or garden.   Read, read, read.  Yes, you must read a good book.  When is the last time you picked up a real one?  Not the downloaded variety, the paper and cardboard sort which you carry around like a good friend.  If you do not have a library at home, go to your local one or even lazier, visit http://www.firstchapters.net and read the first few chapters of any book and, if you like it, buy it on-line.  In fact order a box full that will take you at least two weeks to read and put all your electronic equipment in a dark drawer somewhere.   Yes, I’m serious.  When not reading, relax with an early evening aperitivo with your loved one or close friends.  Wander around your garden or a nearby bit of countryside or park, and slowly absorb the plants and the insects that are visiting the flowers.  Breath in the fresh air.  You are feeling better already aren’t you? I certainly am and in the run up to the start of our doing nothing break, I’m going to clear my desk of debris, polish it and only put back the essentials.   The rest can go in the bin or a box!

Ripening grapes on our lower terrace. Photo P Finnigan

Ripening grapes on our lower terrace.
Photo P Finnigan

OK, enough of that, I think you may have got the message!  Here in our beautiful Tuscan garden there is always something to marvel about.  We have a small corner that is shaded by a roughly shaped pergola which is currently supporting a couple of large vines and wisteria, all tangled up together!

The grass, or should I say ground cover weeds, are now burnt to a crisp brown, so the vine leaves are a nice green contrast.  These hills, whilst brown from the sun, retain their colour with the vines and the silver green of the olive trees.

We were told to expect heavy rain this last week but nothing happened.  We always know when water is low in the streams and lakes, because the bees are swarming over Farty Barty’s water bowl for a drink.  We have to carefully scoop out the ones that have got too wet, so they can dry out and fly away again!

A shady path under the fruit trees, leading to the Olive Grove.

A shady path under the fruit trees, leading to the Olive Grove.
Photo P Finnigan

We are very fortunate to have many fir and cypress trees in our garden, that provide plenty of shade for both the villa and garden.  Temperatures are around thirty-five degrees at present and tree shade is very important; a brolly alone is insufficient.

August is proving to be busier than expected in our Local village of Fiano.  Saturdays are the changeover days for most of the Agriturismi (Farms with accommodation) and the hotels.  I went for my usual espresso coffee fix and there were quite a few strangers wandering through the village.  Over coffee, at Laura’s cafe/Alimentari, a lovely Italian lady spent five minutes trying to get me to say her name correctly which is Grazianna.  the trouble is, we northern Europeans simply cannot roll our rrrrr’s sufficiently to get the correct sound.  I got my own back by asking her to pronounce June.  Not pronouncing the vowel at the end of a word is the most difficult thing for an Italian.  consequently, I am usually called Juni!

The charismatic Silvio Berlusconi

The charismatic Silvio Berlusconi

And so to the gorgeous Silvio.  Wikipedia has updated its profile for Silvio Berlusconi to ‘Is an Italian Politician, entrepreneur, media tycoon and convicted fraudster, who served three times as Prime Minister of Italy’  It is interesting to note, where they have inserted ‘convicted fraudster’, tucked in above having served three times as Prime Minister.  Talk to any Italian in your local bar and they will always shrug their shoulders and say, that at least Italian politics is openly corrupt, unlike some governments in northern Europe!  I think it’s also time for Silvio to get busy planning to do nothing for a while, the only decision he needs to make is in which swimming pool should he float his time away, whilst under house arrest.   He can happily doze away, counting all the 5.7 billion euros he has admitted to owning, to help him go to sleep!  Poor man.

Well time to get ready to collect my man from the station after a hard week in London.  He’ll be delighted to know about all the nothing things I’ve listed for him to do during our holiday.

Salute & Amore June x

PS Don’t forget to check out http://www.firstpages.net for your holiday reading!  I recommend My Father, The Assassin’ by J W Finnigan.

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Another Sweltering Week, in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I am full of enthusiasm this morning, as I have so much to tell you about the last seven days in our lovely spot on the edge of Chianti.

Farty Barty stays out of reach on Vets day. Photo P Finnigan

Farty Barty stays out of reach on Vets day.
Photo P Finnigan

Yes, it’s true, my man and I, not forgetting Farty Barty the cat, are very lucky to be here and we celebrate this fact every evening with a nice chilled aperitivo on our upper terrace.  Yes, there is a lower terrace, otherwise we would not have an upper one would we?  On the subject of the garden and my man, you may recall that the latter has had an ongoing battle with the pretty dark red furry ones, that love to throw the sharp remains of pine nuts on his head.  Now the little devils  are eating the ripe figs!  We have yet to see the Pine Martens, but we know they get together with the squirrels at night, have midnight fig feasts, and leave us with nothing but small hard green ones.

Remaining hard green figs. Photo June Finnigan

Remaining hard green figs.
Photo June Finnigan

I don’t mind this at all, I like to think that the garden attracts all and sundry from the countryside.  My man thinks the squirrels may be eating the young courgettes too, however, I say that if you can’t see any tooth marks then it’s not them, but a sneaky wild pig (cinghiale) with a straight blade knife.   I have already talked a lot about the very noisy cicada, but with hand over my mouth and trying not to snigger, I must tell you that my man is also being dive bombed by these flying insects every time he walks under a tree!

Well enough of that.  Back in Fiano, our local village, the pensioners were queueing up for their pensions outside La Posta.  This is a first of the month event, and takes all morning to pay everyone out.  There is only room for four people inside, so the poor things have to queue outside in the hot sun.  I know most of these lovely people by sight and we always exchange ‘Buon Giorno’s’.  For some reason I stopped and asked (in Italian of course) a few familiar faces why they don’t have their pensions paid into the bank.  This was a silly thing to do and no sooner had I opened my mouth, I knew the answer.  Cash is king here in Italy.  The minute you bank anything it is taxed and it is up to you to claim it back if you think you are entitled to do so.  A few years ago I made the mistake of opening an account with one hundred euros.  I never got to use the account, then a several months later I received a statement  and  the whole balance  had been swallowed up by tax and bank charges!  Ouch….

It is the start of August, and here in Tuscany everything is winding down.  This is traditional, as all Italians, if they can afford it and many can’t this year, are packing up and leaving for the coast or the mountains where the air is cooler.  If you are reading this and intend coming to Tuscany this month, think again!  Eighty percent of shops, restaurants and bars close for at least two weeks in August and sometimes for the whole month.   We are already seeing  tourists wandering around what to them, must seem to be ghost towns and villages.    Poor Laura and her daughter in the Bar/Alimentare in Fiano, have been working in inside temperatures of forty-two degrees and are quite rightly closing in the afternoons.  We go there every morning for our Espresso coffee fix and yesterday my man had to bury his red face in the newspaper, because he had eaten the last Pasta di Marmellata and a disgruntled local wanted to know why it had not been kept back for him!

Bougainvillea with butterfly top right. photo June Finnigan

Bougainvillea with butterfly top right.
photo June Finnigan

And now to the subject of butterflies.  Yes, I am talking about those beautiful fluttering things that visit the flowers for their nectar.  I have been frantically trying to photograph a really big one, so that I can find out what it is and send you a picture.  But would you believe it, just when I think I have captured the perfect shot it waves good-bye and is off.  However, this has resulted in some lovely pictures of the Bougainvillea, which is winding its way up the bottom of a fir-tree from the lower terrace, so you can at least enjoy one of those.  If you strain your eyes, you might just see a bit of butterfly top right!  If you can identify it, please let me know.

Poor old Silvio Berlusconi has had a hard time this week.  In the empty court a carabiniere (policeman) got so bored after seven hours of waiting for the judges to return with their verdict, that he broke into a spontaneous dance and white-gloved moves apparently inspired by the Village People’s hit song YMCA.  It’s now hugely popular on YouTube!  You can smile at this, however, the final verdict was not even a tiny bit funny from Silvio’s point of view.  This is a very rich man, with many questionable connections and he likes pretty girls.  He has been Prime Minister of Italy three times and has a massive right-wing following.  According to some of the people in our local bar, he is the perfect target for jealous left-wing politicians and judges.  When seeking election some years ago Silvio quoted ”Out of love for Italy, I felt I had to save it from the left.”  So, whatever your point of view, as Silvio declared in May 2010 ‘As prime Minister, I never had the feeling that I was in power…..’  No picture today as he is currently looking too sad.  But watch this space, he’ll be back!

Well it’s time for a relaxing aperitivo and then lunch at ‘C’era Una Volta’ in Lucardo.

Have a good week and do get in touch.

Salute June x

PS To read the first four chapters of my novel ‘My Father, The Assassin’ go to http://www.firstchapters.net

 

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Another Seven Fabulous Days in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Life, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Bentornati and Benvenuti to all my Lovely Followers,

It’s a wonderful thing to be able to write to you all every week, and to tell you about the fun and interesting goings on in my little bit of Tuscany.  I would, however, like to first mention my Man.  He has just returned from five working days in London and he had some very interesting ‘journey’ stories to tell.   Before I go into these, I must say that I am forever grateful for him handing out my author cards and promoting me , his girlie, wherever he goes.  He is currently reading an ancient leather-bound book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and called The Scarlet Letter.  This book is an heirloom and has been in our family since 1850 and always comes up fresh.  It is also small and easy to travel with.  He was on the train reading it and an Italian lady opposite asked if he was reading the Bible!  She turned out to be incredibly interesting, a teacher in New York, with a house on the very ‘tip’ of Italy, had flown into Pisa from London, was staying a few days in Florence and was then going to a Persian Wedding in Rome.  Phew!  Earlier my man was on a flight from Luton to Pisa and before take off, he was settling in to the pleasing fact that he was going to have three seats all to himself.  Then two very large (but lovely) ladies rushed in through the door at the last-minute.  His heart sank, as they headed straight for him.  They were friends but their seats were one each side of him and he is not a small man.   Thankfully, the blonde one offered him her window seat, however, as they strapped themselves in it was obvious he was going to be well and truly wedged up against the window for two hours!  If he had wanted anything out of his pocket, there was no way of getting his hand in and for the whole flight he had nothing to eat or drink.   But bless them, these ladies from the Midlands were so funny and entertaining that the time flew by and he came away armed with some hilarious ‘blond’ jokes!

Meanwhile, back at the Bar/Alimentari in Fiano, Sig Rotund is unhappy with the inconsistent arrival of the newspapers and in particular, the sporting pages.  Today he sent an Algerian runner for one, but he came back empty-handed.  Now Sig Rotund is a very popular customer and poor Laura the owner did not want to disappoint him yet again.  So she walked down to the other bar to get him one.  Two or three of the local ladies give Sig Rotund’s wide back a massage whilst he is reading the ‘giornale’, including Laura, and he takes this all for granted.   He is, by the way, a very likeable man too.

Milko showing my books for sale!

Milko showing my books for sale!

Then some good news.  Milko, at the ‘Cartolibreria’ in the Piazza, was delighted to have sold three of my novels yesterday, to a German lady and her two American friends.  Monica, if you are reading this, I hope you are all thoroughly enjoying the book!  Drop me a line.

Earlier in the week and back in our lovely garden, I saw a flash of yellow in the orchard, dashed for the binoculars and saw my first ever Golden Oriole fly across my view.   Of course it’s a time when you really want to share this experience, however, here is a picture for you all to enjoy anyway.

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Eurasian Golden Oriole

I may have already told you that I always have a book on the go.   I am talking about reading, not writing, although I always have one of those in preparation too, as I find it very relaxing to go and read when a little bit of stress creeps in.   I am currently reading ‘Joyce Grenfell Requests the Pleasure‘ which is an autobiography  by this lovely funny lady who I have been fortunate enough to hear on radio years ago and see on TV.  I can only say that not only was she a great entertainer but a pretty good writer too.   Writers should always read as it can provide unexpected inspiration and education.

Silvio - Still Sexy even when firing on all cylinders! Photo stefanogalla.blogs.com

Silvio – Still Sexy even when firing on all cylinders!
Photo stefanogalla.blogs.com

And so to the man himself.  May he always keep the journalists, hairdressers, make-up artists, dancers, politicians and judges in work.  Without Silvio there would be a massive increase in unemployment.   Talk in the local bar is very much against his opposition as these people have no idea what a great loss he would be to tourism and students studying economics & politics.  Whilst Italy does have a king tucked away somewhere, possibly in jail – I’ll check this out for next time, Silvio has for several decades now been a form of ‘royalty’.  He’s certainly rich enough.  As is often said in the bar, better the ‘Devil you Know’!

Well, must get organised and go out to lunch (pranzo) at ‘C’era una Volta’ in Luccardo near Fiano.    It’s far too hot to cook or to eat outside at present, however, we will look forward to a nice aperitivo in the early evening when it is a little cooler.

Have a great week and see you next weekend.

Amore June x

PS If you would like to read or leave a review for my novel, click the top right of this page ‘My Father, The Assassin’ under blogroll.

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Still Famous in Fiano, in Beautiful Tuscany

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 8, 2013| 2 Comments »

Ciao Ragazzi and welcome to all my lovely new followers,

Today I am talking about Still being Famous in Fiano, Local Book Sales, The Mother Who Got Home for Christmas, An Old Signora & Her Dining Chair, No Newspapers in the Cafe Bar & Sig Rotund,  My Man & The Squirrels, A Visit to Montalcino, Cicadas, Concert Withdrawal symptoms and not to forget the sad, but gorgeous Silvio Berlusconi.

My current Novel

My current Novel

Yes, I am still famous in Fiano.  A lovely lady in the doctor’s waiting room asked me if I was the famous writer (in Italian of course).  She had seen my book in Milko’s cartolibreria in Fiano and asked if I could produce it in Italian.  She then rummaged in her bag and out came a well-thumbed thriller which she was delighted to show me!   Milko, that lovely engaging man, sold another book to an Englishman last week and I met three tourists who have promised to go and buy one!  No I’m not desperate, I just gently cruise up to people in the village and hypnotize them with my writer’s card…..

Amongst all my other writing things and with the help of my very talented niece who is doing the illustrations, I will be publishing  ‘The Mother who got Home for Christmas’ in the next couple of months.  This is a rhyming story for kiddies and I am really looking forward to seeing the proof.  I’ll keep you posted.

In this commune (Commune di Certaldo) a new system of refuge collection started a couple of years ago, which we hate.  So we take our rubbish to an adjacent commune on the way to the supermercato.  Whilst we were unloading last week, an old Signora was placed in the middle of the street on two cushions on her dining chair.  Firstly, we thought she was being put out as rubbish, however, she was actually waiting to be collected by la Misericordia to go for some medical check.  (La Misericordia is a very commendable service, run by medically trained volunteers, which takes the needy to their hospital appointments – and sometimes back home again.)  The ambulance arrived and the commotion of transferring the old dear to a wheelchair was unbelievable.  Her daughter was prizing the cushions out from under her, to put in the wheelchair and the old lady hovered in mid-air for what seemed an agonizing length of time.  Then the dining chair was removed and she was still in a sitting position!  The wheelchair slowly trundled over, pushed by another ancient relic, and got to her just before she ended up sitting in the street!  This may not sound funny to you, but if you had been watching this, you would have been in hysterics……..  Meanwhile the traffic queue was growing and, as always, Italians love to sound their horns!

Back at the Alimentare/Bar there have been no newspapers to read for four days.  Now Sig Rotund has got quite angry about this and he is a very important (and large) figure in Fiano.  There has been some hold up with deliveries and they are blaming poor Milko who should go down to Certaldo and get some.  My man also likes to read Il Tirenno so is equally unhappy, and I like to look at the bit in the back of La Nazione for any visiting rock bands.  If there are no papers today we may have to boycott the bar like Sig Rotund!                                

Leaf suspended by single thread in garden

Leaf suspended by single thread in garden

The weather here is now hot and dry, as it should be, and was a long  time coming.  We seemed to have missed spring and jumped directly from winter into summer.   I am very impressed with my man who has decided that the only way to get the garden up together, is to rise at six and work outside until our morning coffee trip at eight thirty!  This then avoids the hot sun, but unfortunately not the squirrels.  No, he’s not tripping over the pretty little dark red things, they are up in the pine trees eating the pine nuts and throwing the sharp inedible bits directly at the man!  I have actually witnessed this, so he is not exaggerating…..

Montalcino

Montalcino

Last Friday we took a much-needed day off from work (yes we do have a day job) and drove to Montalcino.  It was a lovely day out but the Citta was a mite disappointing.  It has a church at one end and a castle at the other, but no central piazza which to us is so important for a community.  The views are panoramic, we had a nice walk along the city walls and a good lunch.  So we did chill out, which is what it was all about anyway.

The real Cicada

The real Cicada

Isn’t it amazing that you can go for years believing you are right about something and then get proved completely wrong!  Now I am talking about Cicada’s;  those noisy flying insects that you can never see in the summer because their camouflage is so good.  For three years we had what we thought were cicadas wintering in our outside blinds at the old house.  We actually liked these insects that were big brown grasshopper looking things and were careful not to disturb them.  My man and I were enjoying our evening aperitivo last week and a cicada landed right in front of us, on a tree trunk and started chirping.  Gosh that’s very small I said to the man, perhaps it’s a young one.  So he got on his clever phone and found a picture.  Lo and behold, it was normal size and the big brown ones that we had been nurturing, turned out to be locusts!

The Rock Chick Band in rehearsal

The Rock Chick Band in rehearsal

It’s hard to believe that our rock concert was two weeks ago.  To compensate, my man has been playing Led Zeppelin very loudly and I have already started planning the next one!  Yes, it’s a bit of a flat time after singing my little heart out  with the band, however, these Chianti Hills are throbbing with live music most weekends and we can just relax in our garden and enjoy it.

Silvio- feel my muscle!

Silvio- “feel my muscle!”

And finally, has anyone seen or heard from our idol, Silvio Berlusconi?  Well there are whispers in the bar that he may be planning to do a runner with his twenty seven year old girlfriend.  (A mite old don’t you think?)  There have been masses of protests and just after his trial a number of his angry allies descended on a central Piazza in Rome to hold a protest under the banner ‘Siamo tutti puttane’ (We are all whores).  In advance of this demonstration the organiser Giuliano Ferrara, editor of the right-wing newspaper Il Foglio, filmed a video of himself applying lipstick!  So nothing unusual there then.

Well must go and organise cena and may you all have a fantastic week.

Ciao June x

PS  Click top right of this page, just below Blogroll, to view or buy  ‘My Father, The Assassin’.  Enjoy.

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