A monumental day!

Those of you that know me well will also know that I have a passionate dislike for disused pylons strewn across beautiful landscapes. I still find it incredulous that local and regional governments don't class this as industrial pollution or destruction of a natural landscape. I'm also amazed that electricity companies are not compelled to invest in removing the structures that they have abandoned throughout the world. So, one Saturday (a few weeks ago) a monumental moment arrived. With a nudge, ahem, from a neighbour's tractor and a tug with an old climbing rope the pylon that irritated me the most - the one nearest to our house - found it's way to the ground!

What to do with it now is the next issue to tackle...we have so far come up with pillars for a car port or pergola, planters, irrigation tubes, hardcore for filling in an unused drainage ditch... oh what to do - decisions, decisions. In the meantime, I think I will just enjoy the fact that it is no longer standing up!

 

A bit of creativity...

I can't believe it is nearly three years since we moved here, give or take a couple of weeks. Wow, where has that time gone?

Today the boys have started their 3 month summer holidays and I have finally finished my pin board project inspired by a lilyjean blog post that I spied a couple of years ago. Just a couple of hours work if you have all the materials to hand...or, like me, you can drag it out for several months and have all the bits lying around your kitchen if you need another piece of polystyrene and never quite make it to the D.I.Y. shop!!

Anyway, I can finally say it is finished...hoorah. Bringing a bit of colour into an otherwise rather white kitchen it is already serving its purpose...

 
To make the pin board I used PVA glue to glue the polystyrene to a piece of plywood to make a sturdy backing. I then cut out the fabric, pulled it tight around the polystyrene and, using a staple gun, stapled the fabric into place. Then I put two small screws into the back of the board and stretched a piece of wire between them. Then all that is left is to hang it in place on a picture hook or screw. Voila!

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!