Well it’s been one of those weeks. I was only writing a few days ago about how pleased we were with the extensive repairs to the extension and how good the house was now looking. Then earlier this week I noticed that a crack, albeit slight, had reappeared on both sides of the extension. Groan. It may be just settlement but we’ll see. Knowing our luck we’ll wake up one morning with the dining room in the pool. Continue reading
Well it looks like the weather’s just changing here; the last couple of days have been very in and out and the temperature’s definitely cooled. Not that I suppose you care if you’re reading this in the UK after the summer (winter?) you’ve had there. But the good weather’s allowed us to catch up on some much-needed work in the garden and the house. Continue reading
I wrote briefly in the recent posting ‘Back’ about the slightly tiring journey back to Italy. We’d been in the UK and at the wedding in Ireland for over 3 weeks and as much as we’d enoyed ourselves we were conscious of over-staying our welcome, particularly at E and S’s place. We’d also left our beautifully (and painstakingly) restored pool replenished with soft, crystal clean and very expensively-metered Italian mountain water in the hands of our good neighbour P. She was a little excited I think at the prospect of looking after it and using it in the August heat but she’d never taken responsibility for one before. I left copious instructions and we were a phone call or e-mail away if necessary, so I was fairly sure that P would be alright just topping it up with chemicals every few days. Even so, when we were invited to extend our stay by 4 more days to attend my nephew Russell and fiancee Rachel’s engagement party back uo north, we sadly declined because we really felt like we had to get back just in case. Pool’s are fickle things but nothing would go wrong, surely. Umm… we just thought let’s be fair to P and get back asap after the wedding. Continue reading
Well that was quite a break from the blogging. I haven’t posted anything for exactly a month, not because I’ve had a writing block but just because we’ve been back to UK seeing family and friends on a kind of wedding occasion cum holiday and have simply been too busy to do any postings. Yeh right, who’s that busy eh? Fair enough – here’s the schedule below. So much to write about – I’m not sure I’ll get all the postings done this side of Xmas. But whilst we’ve been away we’ve gone through the 50K visits mark on the site. What can I say but thank you, thank you, thank you. I remain staggered and delighted that so many have come by to read this self-regarding ranting and raving. You must be mad, sad or unbelievably wonderful. Whatever, I think you’re just great.
Back on 12 June I did a posting about the state of the pool and how we were desperately trying to get it emptied and cleaned so that we could enjoy it again. But we kept hitting problems – the need to cut up the cover to get it out of the pool, the rains that came in mid-June and re-filled the deep end, the lining that came away from the sides, my double-ducking in the gloop etc. So we called on good-looking pool guy Andrea for advice and his guys have been here the last two days getting things sorted for us. Continue reading
Those who’ve been to the house will know that we’ve had a continuing problem with an extension that was added to the house by the previous owners. We use the downstairs space as a dining room as it offers a fantastic view from there out of the double doors down to the pool and out across our valley. The upper part forms a balcony area off our bedroom which has just sensational views in all directions. It sounds idyllic and it would be except that the foundations weren’t made deep enough and the extension has sunk by a fraction but it has created this huge crack all the way down both sides of the house, where it abutts the main part of the structure. And it has been getting slowly worse in the 2 and a half years we’ve owned the house. So much for surveys eh… Continue reading
Well I’ve been told by a couple of women friends that my postings are turning increasingly gentle (they mean girlie) as my distance from mainstream Premiership football lengthens. I thought the Prescott posting was pointedly irreverent, bordering on gleefully malicious but I can’t deny the dawg’s having an effect. I’m turning all LolCats. God, damn it.
Well from my earlier posting you might have imagined from the title (and perhaps secretly hoped, given my gloating over the weather) that this is confirmation that it’s rained today here, scuppering my plans for some garden work. Not a bit of it. The weather looked grim even just across the valley but all day it’s been glorious here. A little cloudy but warm – 20+ degrees – and a nice breeze. No, the title is intended literally; it’s about the four-legged rascals which seem to be be drawn to Casa PP.
Pasta Paulie 