Saturday
Saturday morning started out unexpectedly dry - we knew that the forecast was for rain this weekend, so we decided to take the opportunity to go and walk Reggie before the rains arrived. After a bowl of porridge each therefore, we put Reggie in the car and headed out.Our first stop was of course for a coffee at our local bar in the village. While drinking coffee we were surprised to see a fire engine and another fire brigade vehicle turn up in the car park opposite. The owner of the bar (Sig. Nerone himself) explained that they had probably come to sort out the small landslide, or frana, that had happened on the hillside just behind the restaurant, and sure enough that is where the firemen were heading.
Over the last few days, the amount of water in the rivers and streams around here has increased significantly - the stream that borders our land, which dried up completely during the long heatwave of the summer, can now be heard crashing along down the hill to join the larger river in the valley bottom. The drop in the river in the village is usually all but a trickle rather than a fall, but at the moment it's almost enough to rival some of the falls we're used to seeing in parts of England - while it's not a spectacular drop, it would definitely qualify as a small waterfall.
It's little wonder, with the amount of rainfall we've had, that small landslides have also been occurring in various places around the valley - thankfully, nothing to have caused us any interruption in going about our business (so far at least)!
Anyway, with caffeine onboard, we went back to the car, where Reggie seemed to be getting worried that we might have forgotten the reason for coming out in the first place, and we headed up the hill towards Vellano.
We were disappointed to see a collection of 4x4 vehicles containing tell-tale high vis jackets on their seats at the start of the Obaca track that we sometimes use. This was clear indication that a hunt was either in progress or about to start. Until very recently, the wild boar hunting season in Tuscany lasted from September until the end of January. A couple of weeks ago, however, a law was passed that allows hunting in the region on 365 days of the year - for the next three years. For us, this is disappointing because the hunters can cause significant disruption. We've lost count of the number of times we've headed off to a nice woodland track to walk Reggie and had to re-route because we've come across a hunt - while the hunters themselves wear high vis jackets for safety, hapless dog walkers are not so well prepared, and of course we can't run the risk of Reggie tearing off into the woods and coming across the hunt.
The Obaca track runs just beneath the cava track that we often use, and which was where we were heading. We thought that we might be OK on the cava track though, if the hunt was only just starting we might have finished our walk before they made it up as far as that. We parked up at the quarry therefore, and started out. We were soon turning back, however, but this time not because of hunters but because, just beyond the water fountain near the start of the track the path was blocked with fallen/felled trees! There was quite a lot of chain saw noise, so whether they were trees that had fallen and were being cut up to clear the track or whether they had been purposely felled we weren't sure, but it was clear that we weren't going to get past the obstacle, so we did an about-turn.
We headed up the road with Reggie on the lead for a while until we came across the footpath that leads (eventually) to the village of Macchino. We hadn't tried this path before, although my Mum and Dad walked it when they visited in October, and our friends David and Sarah have often walked it, so we decided to give it a go. It was a lovely path and it was nice to try a different route for a change. Reggie had a great time crashing through the undergrowth and spent a fair while terrorising the little stream that crossed the path.
After a nice walk, we drove back home, left Reggie to doze on the sofa and headed into Pescia. We had some business in town - I wanted to see if I could change the doctor with whom I am registered to one who I have been told speaks very good English. This feels like a bit of a failure - I have to admit that, before we moved out here, I was sure that by the time I'd been here for nearly two years I'd be pretty fluent in the language (ha! dream on!) - but while we continue to plug away at trying to crack the language, and are making good progress, it is clear that we have an enormous way to go yet and where things like medical and veterinary matters are concerned, it's important to have clear communication, hence my decision to switch to an English-speaking doctor. Of course, the process of doing the switching itself involved going into the health service offices and speaking in Italian, but I'm pleased to say that I managed that part fine and we were both a little shocked to be walking out of the offices within a couple of minutes, having accomplished what we set out to do, without any confusion or obstacles. This has to be progress!
Since we'd parked our car near to Chris and Sue's, and had managed to complete our business in town in record time, we decided to pop in and say hello. We therefore spent the next hour or so sipping tea/coffee and Lemsip (did I mention I brought a stinking cold back from England with me?) and catching up with the Phillipses. Of course, Stuart had only seen them a couple of days previously, but it had been a while since I'd had the pleasure, and as always it was lovely to see them.
We left the Phillipses just before 2pm and headed back home for a late lunch just as the rain came down in earnest.
After lunch, with the weather clearly not being conducive to any form of constructive outdoor work (nor my sense of well-being if I'm honest, as I sniffed and sneezed my way through the day), we decided to take a trip to Montecatini to try and pick up a few bits and pieces. Our first stop was the garden centre to try and buy some compost so that we could do some planting in our poly tunnel. Unfortunately this particular garden centre was more about the plant than the substrate, and we left empty handed. Next stop was the pet shop Arcaplanet, where we picked up 6 ham bones for Reggie (which should last him a few weeks!) as well as some chews and a packet of treats for Florence. Then it was on to Stuart's favourite, Obi. I managed to feign interest while in the shop, and we picked up a new curtain pole but failed to find a tin of natural wood oil for the beehive and failed to find a suitable new light for the bathroom. Finally, we called in at Decathlon, where Stuart managed to pick up two new pairs of work trousers (which in fact are hunting trousers). While I'd rather he wasn't mistaken for a hunter, I am relieved that he will no longer have to walk around in his old work trousers that have holes in all sorts of inappropriate places!
By the time we got home after our shopping trip it was time to light the fire and settle down for an evening indoors listening to the rain hammering down outside.
Sunday
We woke on Sunday morning to the sound of rain still drumming on the skylight/roof window, and the familiar sound of drips dropping through the window and into the three tupperware boxes that are strategically placed on the landing to collect them. It was the sort of weather that makes you want to stay huddled under the duvet in bed, but with Florence pacing up and down across us on the bed and Reggie starting to 'sing' from his crate downstairs, it was clear it wasn't going to be a duvet day for us!After sorting out the animals, we had a quick bowl of porridge before agreeing that we would brave the weather and take Reggie for a walk in town - at least we knew it would be quiet! We all put on our waterproofs (Reggie included) and set off.
After a stop for a quick cappuccino in Nerone's bar, we continued on down the road into town, parked in the car park next to the old flower market, and headed off along the river bank. By the time we'd reached town the rain had eased up a fair bit - which was just as well, seeing as Reggie had managed to wriggle out of his rain coat while in the car. He'd somehow managed to end up with it tied around his waist, making it look as if he was wearing a skirt, so to save his embarrassment I took it off him before he jumped out of the car.
The river was fast and furious again today, having been swelled by the rain of recent days, and I watched Reggie like a hawk lest he decide to try another swim! Thankfully, he stuck to the riverbank for the most part, and only ventured to the water's edge to have a quick sip of water. The rain came down again while we were out, but by this time Reggie couldn't have cared less, and he ran around happily.
With our walk done, we headed back up the valley, making our regular Sunday stop at Amanda's for our lunch and to collect our homework. Samantha was intrigued to learn that bread is Reggie's favourite treat: we had walked into the shop carrying a loaf of bread we'd just bought from the bakery in town. As this wasn't something we would normally do, we explained that we'd had to bring the bread into the shop with us, because if we'd left it in the car there would have been none left by the time we got back, such is Reggie's penchant for a fresh (or even not so fresh) crusty loaf. After checking with Amanda if she could take a slice of bread, Samantha headed out to the car to try and cement her friendship with Reggie via a tasty slice of Tuscan loaf. Reggie was a little uncertain at first, but the bread won him over, and he even let Samantha pet him. The last time she'd seen him had been when we were just about to rush to the vet with him after his strange episode during the week, so she was pleased to see him feeling more like his usual self.
With our lunch and homework procured, we said goodbye to Amanda and Samantha and headed back towards home. As we were approaching the house, a familiar GB-plated car was just pulling away - it was our friend Paul, who had dropped by to drop off some spare chilli seeds but had found us out. We invited him back in for a coffee, so he turned the car around and followed us in.
We had a good chat and catch-up with Paul, exchanging news, stories and experiences and promising to go up and see him again soon - we have yet to see his and Kathy's house in the daylight! After saying goodbye to Paul we put our lunch in the oven to heat through, lit the fire (which we promptly took our eyes off - meaning that no sooner had it caught than it had gone out again), washed up the dirty dishes, and settled down for lunch - stuffed squid, a salt cod and leek stew, rosemary roast potatoes (of course) and some chard.
After lunch, we re-kindled the fire and I sat down in front of my computer... to order a dishwasher.
A dishwasher seems like a big luxury (and indeed it is), and I know that many, many people manage without one. It's also true that part of our reason for being here in Italy is to streamline, get away from unnecessary gadgets and lead a more simple, traditional lifestyle... but the dishwasher is something that we missed when we first moved out here, and something that we continue to miss, almost two years later. Part of the reason for this is that our kitchen here is small, and there is nowhere to pile the dirty plates other than on the cooker top. It's true that we could wash things up as we go (and we try to do that when we can), but without any hot water in our kitchen taps, the process of washing up involves filling a kettle, waiting for it to boil, before finally filling the sink and doing the washing - making it more economical in terms of both time and electricity to wait until there are enough dishes to wash to make it worthwhile (which means the dishes pile up on the cooker)... I've lost count of the number of times we've had visitors pop in unexpectedly and we feel our toes curling in embarrassment at the stack of dirty plates on display by the sink. So, after 21 months of living here, we finally took the plunge and ordered a dishwasher today and we look forward to a life of relative luxury with slightly less cluttered kitchen surfaces (at least a dirty-crockery-free cooker top). What's more, having a dishwasher will also make the sterilising of preserving jars all the more easy, so we should also be onto a winner when it comes to making chutneys, jams and preserves. Now we just have to wait and hope that the courier will be brave enough to make it down the drive to deliver it!
With the exciting prospect of a dishwasher to look forward to, and with the weather improved, but still grey and damp, we decided to spend the rest of Sunday afternoon by the fire, hopefully charging our batteries for the week ahead.
I leave you with the latest round up of photographs from our wildlife camera, which is currently fixed to the pole of our rotary washing line a short distance from the house.
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| Definitely a cat, but it's not Florence. |
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| Fantastic Mr Fox? |
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| Again, not Florence. |
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