The move to Tuscany : Feeling... Connected!

Whoop whoop! We're back online...!Thanks to our new internet supplier. To cut a long story short, fed up of being without internet for nearly 3 weeks and having virtually zero communication from the company we were using, we had started to smell a very large rat. The story about a malware infection having severed connectivity for the entire network supplied by this firm just didn't add up (as was confirmed by my contacts at VB), and the various different messages we did get back when we pestered for information were random and never the slightest bit helpful, humble or apologetic (they must have missed the customer service lesson when setting up their business).

We had never been 100% comfortable with the guy who dealt with us from the start, but in the main, the internet worked (until it didn't) so we stuck with it. Over the last couple of weeks, however, we really began to start putting all the pieces together and started to worry that we would never have our internet back again (at least not with this supplier). Despite the fact that the contract we had with this firm (which we are pretty sure is actually just a one-man-band) tied us in for two years, we had started to look around at different options - being without internet here is just not workable, I rely on it for work and we both rely on it hugely for communication, research, information, entertainment and support. We knew that ADSL was not a viable option, as we'd tried that when we first moved in and it was painfully slow. Another option was to swap the satellite dish for a radio antenna and get our internet that way - we knew of a few people in the valley who used such a service, although still had concerns about how much it would be affected by inclement weather (not just thunder storms but rain, snow, cloud...). In the end, I suggested to Stuart that before we started erecting radio antennas on our roof we should look around and see if there were other suppliers of satellite internet - we already had the dish and equipment after all.

Stuart found an alternative supplier (based in the UK) and tentatively asked whether they thought they would be able to get us back online. They said it would be no problem, and 10 MINUTES LATER we had been given a new set of activation codes and were back up and running. It was that quick and simple. When we told them the sorry tale of the last few weeks, they didn't seem at all surprised and indicated that they knew something of our (now)previous supplier. It seems that our suspicions had been right - and we kicked ourselves for not acting on our gut feeling sooner. Whether or not we will be chased for the remainder of the contract with the previous supplier remains to be seen, but we will certainly put up a fierce battle against paying a penny more.

So that was the short version of the story. Be thankful I didn't go into the long version!

Back to the day-to-day stuff here: Yesterday (Monday) morning saw lashings of rain, so after Stuart and Chris ran me into Pescia in the car and helped me to set up my computer in my new office: the Phillips's kitchen. After getting me plugged in and online, they headed off with Reggie for a short walk. They soon came back soaking wet, having abandoned the walk. While they went off home to change and dry out, I carried on working.

I enjoyed my new office - it was a novelty to have uninterrupted internet again and it was quiet and peaceful, with just the odd cock-a-doodle-doo every now and then from the cockerel down on the terraces.

Stuart and Chris entertained themselves by going to buy a new axe handle from Frateshi's, having lunch at Da Carla and a glass of wine at Bistrot in Vellano. By the time they came to collect me from work, at around 4pm, the sun had come out and you'd barely believe it had rained at all for days.

We went from the Phillipses straight to the river to give Reggie another short walk, before making our way home.

Feeling a little fragile after the excesses of the previous evening and a large lunch, Stuart took himself off to bed, so while Chris had an hour's siesta, I entertained myself by getting the chop saw out again and chopping up some more firewood. Chris then came up and spent the evening cooking up a delicious meal for me. We had a quiet but very pleasant evening while Stuart snored from upstairs.

Today, instead of waiting for Chris and Stuart to get up and ready, I gathered my things in a rucksack and set off down the hill to my 'office' on my bike. I haven't cycled to work for well over a year, so it almost felt like old times! I set myself up again and got stuck into my work.

Stuart and Chris popped in just after 11am so that I could say goodbye to Chris - he was heading for the airport this afternoon and they were on their way to a restaurant for lunch (yes, again!). Chris has been a great guest, and it's been nice to spend some time with him at a slower pace than when we've seen him for work purposes.

I'm told that Stuart and Chris had a very good meal at Toti (the restaurant on the Lucca road that we went to a couple of weeks back for a vegan evening), then headed for the airport, while I continued working until Stuart was on his way back from Pisa and took the opportunity to grab a lift back up the hill.

It was when we got home that Stuart started looking into internet suppliers, and the rest is already written above!

We were so thrilled and excited (not to mention relieved) to have working internet again, that we decided to drive back to the Phillipses so that I could collect my things and move my office back home again. It was great having an office at the Phillipses while it lasted, but the convenience of being in my own house, with everything I need to hand, outweighed the novelty.

We decided to combine collections of computers and bikes with taking Reggie for a walk. Over the last few nights, Reggie - who up until now has never bothered us at night time unless he's had urgent need of relieving himself - has started to be a little more difficult to settle at night. Last night he took this to extremes, whining and whimpering and making hyaena-like noises for well over an hour. When he first started up (and didn't stop after a while), I let him out, he did his business and came back in, so I knew he wasn't in need of a toilet break. It almost seemed as if he and the cats were ganging up on us as each time there was a lull in Reggie's whining, the cats would leap across the furniture in the bedroom or bounce on the bed, and then Reggie would start up again - it was like a game of tag. Anyhow, there was no way we were going to let today pass without making sure he had a good walk, so after parking at Chris and Sue's bins we took him up a road that we haven't walked along before. It was good for all three of us to have a change of scenery on our walk and the road was very quiet - only two cars passed us, one of which happened to contain Michelle and Mimmo! They stopped and we had a quick chat before they went on their way and we on ours.

So, after finishing our walk and collecting my office things and bike from the Phillipses, we headed back home, full of excitement and anticipation as to all the things we will be able to do again now we are connected! The next problem to resolve will be the issue of the car ownership documents with the cowboys at the car dealership, we feel like we're on a roll now, and Donatella has very kindly sought out some very helpful details for us, so tomorrow we will be ready for battle!

Finally, because it's been a while, and just because I can, here are a handful more gratuitous shots from the last few weeks: