A soggy start, new shoes and explorations

Despite it being the weekend, Reggie decided to wake up earlier this morning than he has done all week, and he beat the cats to it with his whining and singing from downstairs. On hearing the heavy patter of rain drumming on the skylight outside our bedroom door, I realised there was little point in putting exercise gear on this morning and instead pulled on jeans and a jumper before running downstairs for my waterproof coat and wellies then fetching Reggie from his crate for his first toilet trip of the day.

The pair of us went out into the garden in the rain, then Reggie waited, huddling himself up as close to the wall of the house as he could while I went to see the geese and open up their house.

After giving Reggie his breakfast (he seemed to appreciate the leftover gnocchi with artichoke, tropea onion and cheese almost as much as we had done last night - oh the joys of having a pro chef as a friend!), he and I went to play a round of damp football out in the garden, Reggie skidding around in the mud and the wet grass.

By the time we came back in, Stuart was up. I was due to go and pick up Sue and her shopping bags from Lidl at 9.45am as she was still having issues with her car keys (despite having ordered a new set, it turned out that the part that was ordered didn't work... so they are back to square one again until next week). Stuart suggested that, since it was so wet and grim outside, I might offer to take her to the shop as well. It seemed like a good idea, so I called her, the offer was accepted, and 15 minutes later I had brushed my teeth, pulled on some more respectable clothes and was driving down the road to Pescia.

I collected Sue, delivered her to Lidl, accompanied her around the shop and then took her home. Oh and we stopped off for a coffee and a really good catch-up in a cafe on the way back. A lovely start to the weekend!

By the time I was trundling down the drive home (heart still aflutter after having had a near head-on collision on the way back as I turned a corner to find another car overtaking on a corner and heading straight for me!), the rain had eased off and Stuart, Reggie and all three Wattses were heading towards me up the drive, all togged up in coats, hats and wellies. They were headed for the donkey track and asked if I wanted to accompany them. I suggested they set off without me, as I hadn't yet had any breakfast, so as they headed out exploring, I headed in for a bowl of cereal.

By the time I'd finished my breakfast and changed into wellies, I walked up the drive but could neither see nor hear any sign of them. Reluctant to climb the whole of the donkey track only to find they might have gone off in a different direction already, I chose to stick around the house, had a lovely cuddle with Florence on the wood pile then filled a wheelbarrow full of wood for the fire.

The intrepid explorers eventually reappeared having had a great adventure, having spent over an hour tramping around through the undergrowth - a great time was had by all!

Spot the toddler and the chef.

Can you see them yet?

Now?
 

There they are!

Ollie rides the pylon.

It was then time for a quick yoghurt and snack break for Ollie to tide him over before we all piled into the car for a trip to Montecatini and Decathlon.

Ollie starts a football club back at home shortly after they get back, and was in need of a pair of trainers, so we suggested that Decathlon would be a great place to get some. We had a very successful trip to Decathlon with not only trainers for Ollie but also a football, a coat for Sarah and a top for me amongst the purchases! By the time we'd done that, it really was getting on for lunchtime, so we got back in the car and headed home.

We had a long leisurely lunch with a bottle of wine, cured meats, cheese, olives and bread and followed that up with a mug of hot cocoa with a shot of home made chestnut rum - most satisfying! Needless to say though, after all of that, all the grown-ups felt decidedly sleepy and Ollie was also in need of an afternoon nap after his explorations in the morning, so the Wattses headed down to the apartment for some down time, while Stuart, Reggie and I settled down in front of the TV for an hour before tending to the fire, the washing up, the geese and the recycling.

This evening promises a meal based on baccallá (salt cod) - a speciality of the area. It really is an absolute treat having Dave flex his cheffy muscles in our kitchen, and a great learning experience too - I am reliably informed that Stuart now knows how to prepare a globe artichoke after assisting the chef in the kitchen last night. We have promised Dave some meals out as well though, possibly starting tomorrow with lunch at the pizzeria with the beautiful view in Montecarlo - if the weather forecast is to be believed, tomorrow and Monday will be the best weather of the week, ideal for visiting Montecarlo and appreciating its panoramic views. If the old farmers'/sailors' saying 'pink sky at night...' holds true, then we should be in for a lovely day tomorrow:

Pink sky at night.