My super duper Italwin Cruiser electric bike!

Last summer I had rather a big birthday! For my present my lovely husband bought me an Italwin Cruiser electric bike so that I could get to work in style! I just want to say I LOVE IT!!

It was a bit of a lifestyle choice: dragging my bum up the steep hill at Arabona (just outside Sulmona) every night on the way home from work didn't seem to be getting any easier despite the number of times I had done it and some days when I really didn't feel like I could face the hill, I sometimes found myself taking the easy option of taking the car instead, even though it went against my ideals of sustainable travel...funny how quickly ideals can get replaced by comfort.

So, the cruiser arrived and my mother in law bought me the ultimate girlie accessory in the Basil Purple Blossom bike panniers, so I no longer have to squash all my teaching material into a rucksack.

No petrol and no tax, this is our family's eco friendly, cost effective alternative to a second car. I absolutely love getting on it and whizzing to work - so much so I'm sure I look like a grinning maniac as I pass people in town. They always looked petrified as I zoom up behind them and they haven't heard me which gives me an extra chuckle! Now I just have to get my PV solar panels in place to recharge the battery and this will be the ultimate stylish eco commuting-machine. And here it is at the comune...

Windmills in the Sun

For eight years we sat at the bottom of our mountains looking up at the wind turbines and promising every summer to go up and have a closer look. Well, it may have taken 8 years, but we finally made it up there last autumn and what a pile of fun we had! At the top of the mountains, by the pine forest we had a great time climbing, exploring and playing hide and seek.

Some people love 'em, some people hate 'em but whatever you're opinion, up close they are huge imposing feats of super, sleek engineering and I suppose, I just like the way they look. Plus they are creating sustainable energy...what more does a green girl need?! ...Well, the restaurant lunch and glass of wine on the way down didn't go amiss I suppose...hope you like the phots!

White wine progress report!

For those of you that read my Wine Time post a few months ago will know that we have dabbled in white wine for the first time this year.

Progress report: Official verdict is 'Not bad at all!!'

Little things from home

You know what, we British do make good biscuits! In fact, I'd go so far as to say some of the best in the world. There I said it!! And last week I found myself missing the choice you can find on the UK supermarket shelves and for some bizarre reason ginger nuts in particular...so I decided to make my own (well, why wouldn't you!). Thank you, thank you Paul Hollywood for this fantastic Ginger Nut recipe...they tasted like the real thing and it was just what the biscuit doctor ordered!!

Wine time!

Cantina plastered and tiled

The Press after pressing!

It is that time of year again. I can't quite believe it, our third wine harvest since we've been living in Italy...where has that time gone! And this year, we are doing things a little differently.

For the first time we are experimenting with white, as well as red, wine. Already pressed earlier this week and starting to ferment nicely in our stainless steel barrel, we have just under 100 litres of organic white wine sitting, waiting and with any luck it will be as tasty as the red!

And this year the Montepulciano sat for four days in its skins instead of two with the hope of producing a deeper, heavier red. Let's see what happens.

Dougie has spent the summer reading about natural wine and every year we are learning more and more about the wine making process, as well as how to manage the vines during the growing season with the aim of producing good quality organic grapes. Susceptible to lots of diseases if the weather conditions are not spot on though, Montepulciano is not the easiest grape to manage!

Adverse weather early on in the growing season this year has led to reports that for the first time since 1950 France will exceed Italy in volume of wine production this year. No problem here though, luckily a couple of hundred litres should be enough for us!!!!!







The 2012 vintage!

Another Abruzzo autumn approaches

At the end of spring I didn't really feel I had anything to say on the blog, so I've taken a break for and a while. Now as autumn approaches, with a few things to write about  I have decided to reignite my blogging mojo! We have been living here now for over two years - where has that time gone! - and are happier than ever with that very big step we made back in June 2012.

We still have plenty of plans and projects for the house and garden: We are still making lovely fresh food with our organic veg grown in our garden, despite a relatively poor summer in terms of fruit and veg production, we have our third grape harvest fast approaching and Dougie's knowledge of organic wine making is increasing year on year, we are opening up our rental apartment for the winter season for the first time, we are improving our Italian language skills (although we do now have two personal translators in the form of Jake and Josh!), we are still trying to get to grips with how Italian systems work - but then we are reassured by the majority of our Italian friends that they too are still trying to work it all out after decades!  - and we seem to be slotting in nicely to our local community getting out and doing lots of activities.

 

So, autumn is on its way and we look forward to making the most of another year in this amazing region of Abruzzo.

A day of recycling

Today has been about putting some old bits and bobs to good use. Thank you to Katy for your donation of a pair of cords (which I have already used as Christmas stocking tops for my boys) and the old sink.

Now, the rest of the cords has been added to a couple of fabric scraps and an old mattress protector to make my new and funky sewing machine cover...

And the old sink has become my latest garden feature as a planter...

Happy recycling days!!