Officially spring - but who ate the sun?

This morning started with great anticipation. Like most of northern Europe, we were due a partial solar eclipse, and unlike many places in Europe we had the perfect weather for it - a clear blue sky and bright sunshine.

By the time I brought my exercise kit back indoors, Stuart was already cutting holes in pieces of cardboard and assembling a state-of-the-art eclipse viewing system involving part of a cardboard box, his binoculars, a tripod, a roll of Christmas wrapping paper and an old window frame. Blue Peter eat your heart out!

Once he was satisfied he'd got everything set up, he headed out to Frateschi's (at 8.30am!) to go and buy some metal fence posts for our electric fence. It turns out that, rather than selling actual posts, Paolo just had enormous long lengths of steel, so Stuart spent a good half-hour or so in the builders' merchant cutting the steel into the required post lengths - and returned with rather grimy hands for his efforts.

Before long, Zach, Holly and Stuart headed outside while I started work in the office. I was soon called outside to have a look at what the sun/moon was doing. The Blue Peter-style eclipse viewing apparatus worked a treat, although Reggie and Winry did their utmost to try and sabotage our viewing efforts by chasing each other around the base of the tripod and behind the makeshift screen (honestly, it was almost as if they weren't even interested in this once-in-a-lifetime (for them at least) astronomical event!).

The light dimmed a little, if not a great deal, but the temperature was noticeably chillier than we would normally expect from a bright, sunny day - but I guess that's to be expected when 70% of the sun is blocked by a very large object!



When all the excitement was over, we went back to our respective work - Holly and Zach spent the day doing a great job of constructing some more cold frames, Stuart started setting up the electric fence, and of course I was tied to the office for most of the day as usual.

The cold frames have replicated! Great job Zach & Holly.

When I finally emerged from the office, Stuart was about to go back to the agraria to get some more fence post attachments, so I decided to go with him. The chill that we had felt while the sun was being eclipsed had long since gone and we were sweltering in our long trousers and long-sleeved tops (me, that is - Stuart wears a t-shirt through most of the winter). In fact, the temperature display on the factory we drive past on the way into Pescia read 24C. Not bad for March!

 

Our first stop was at San Lorenzo to take Reggie for a walk. We sweltered in the warmth of the sun as we climbed the road up the hill, but thoroughly enjoyed the delicious feeling of warmth on our faces.

 

After our short walk, we went to the agraria, picked up another couple of bags of fence post attachments (the plastic attachments that are fixed to the metal posts and subsequently have the electric cord threaded through them), and headed home.

 

Once home, we headed down onto the terraces to finish threading cord around the posts and creating our rather smart looking electric fence.

 

 

Today was the first day this year that we have still felt warmth in the air after the sun had dipped beneath the hill opposite. So much so, in fact, that we treated ourselves to an end-of-the-week glass of beer on the patio - I managed to get through a whole beer before I started to feel too cold to stay outside, which must mean that spring is officially here!!

 

Wild strawberries in flower - fingers crossed for some fruit!

 

Tonight is Zach, Holly and Winry's last night with us here before they head off to continue their European adventure elsewhere. We have decided to introduce them to Mimmo and his porchetta truck for a mouth-watering meaty feast - we can't wait!