Gotcha

Happy 6th GOTCHA day ❤️😺to my shadow, my chatterbox, my rascal, my girl. I still remember the day with vivid clarity: grabbing you from beside the mosque tombstone: losing you behind my wardrobe when you tried to wriggle away: taking you to the vet where they said the infected eye would have to go” but don’t worry, they do ok on the streets with one.” I knew at that moment you would never see a street again.
Change is being foisted upon us and I know not where we will be this time next year but I do know we will be together, my beloved little Pirate 🏴‍☠️

Nature's Supermarket

Look at this amazing fresh produce I was given today. I even got to pick it myself. So much more satisfying than trawling down supermarket aisles looking at bland tomatoes and perfectly shaped aubergine.

The farm actually belonged to a friend of one of my students and they were so welcoming and excited to have a foreigner in their midst. I was the truly excited one though. I love moments like this.








Now I am at home listening to the Brexit vote - what a comedown!!

Storm-watching

The other evening there was a spectacular storm out west.; probably rolling in from the Tyrrhenian sea. Pirate watched it on a chair by the door. She divided her eye between watching the wild weather and stopping Dalmazio, the neighbor's cat, from getting inside. She is a model in multi-tasking.

I love it when these storms blanket the sky and it will definitely be something I miss when I move homes. Generally, I am quite at peace with the coming change but I suspect some of this may be because it is still a few months ago. I know I
will never have a home with this view again but I also know it means I won't have to worry about huge gardening bills and this is something to celebrate.

Plumed Italians

Yesterday's dusk was spectacular. The sky and land sort of melted into each other in hues of pink, orange, gold, and green which would look truly ghastly in a painting but nature always has a way of merging colours perfectly. I found it very soothing.

Then when I got up this morning, after a restless night of fret and mosquitoes, the sun was blazing and everywhere looked so verdant and joyful.

I decided I should go for a walk. Do one of my epic country strolls which I have stopped doing of late for a myriad of reasons.

I wonder if you can see Pirate?

But then I heard a tooting in the street  - the Pied Piper perhaps - and was met by a plume of Italian soldiers marching, playing instruments, singing, even running as they sang and tooted. It was magnificent. For a bunch of basically hired-to-kill folk they just seemed so light and carefree. I'm not sure what the occasion was but I think it might have been to do with the new mayor of the town.

The whole thing made me happy, not sad. I have had many changes thrust upon me in recent months and a lot of them almost make me want to choke but this little interlude almost lifted my soles from the pavement - O for a plumed hat of my own.

I didn't do the walk but I think this was as therapeutic and the hills will be there as they have always been...and always will.