Summer Round Up

So, this summer has been an exciting one for our family and the photos show some of the moments we have enjoyed in our new home. The delivering of the hay bale for the chickens, our first egg, making English muffins (because you can't buy them here and there is no better way to eat home made jam than on a toasted muffin with a cup of tea even if it   is 38 degrees!),  delivery of one of Dougie's new toys...yes men, that is an instruction manual he's reading!!, prettying up the home made jam and baking bread to name but a few. The autumn months are creeping up and so is the grape harvest, so I'm sure there will be many more exciting moments to come.

The Waiting Game Pays Off

Today is a good day! We have received a router and we have received a quote for the solar panels. Just the builder to come and finish the arch properly now will make our week!

Arco!

Hmmm, the arch! The coloseum it might not be, but we want our Italian pad to be as authentic as poss, so we decided to turn the gaping hole into an authentic cantina. This is where the wine will now be kept when we harvest ... making room for the double en suite in the original cantina for friends and family to make use of! Grazie Marcello per il lavoro!

The gals

The poor, scared birds have gone from strength to strength. To such an extent that they complain to us every time we go past if they are not let out in the garden! Free range? Yeah baby...

Quick catch up

So, tonight is a round up of all the things that we have been doing over the summer. No. 1 is making plum jam, from the plums (or green gages...we're not sure) at the end of the garden. It is really nice to be able to give something back(albeit small!) to our Italian neighbours that have looked after us so well for the last 6 years as we have been to-ing and fro-ing,...and they seem to like the jam!

Lesson of the week!

So, this week's lesson is: when in Italy learn to wait! This week we are waiting for: the solar panel quote (due in last Thursday), Marcello to finish the arch (due last Friday), the internet router (due Saturday). Funny thing is, none of it is essential to life...we still carry on regardless!!

Two Months In!

So...I thought it was about time I started this blog I have been talking about for so long. We have been here two months today and what a whirlwind it has been so far. Guests coming and going at the apartment, bread making, jam making, buying chickens, tending vines setting up our veg patch, loads of gardening and trying to set up the day to day - phones, internet, residency, job. All under the blazing sun (hottest summer on record). We are well on our way although we have some way to go yet. The next big event will be the boys starting school, me starting my new job and the grape harvest for the wine. Watch this space...there will be photos to come!!