Housey-housey
4th January 2026 The final Monday of 2025 didn’t let us down, being another crisp and sunny day as we mostly pottered about at home doing just enough to make it look like we weren’t idling the whole day away, and Stephen even went as far as popping out in the afternoon to see his bff. Manuel had called in the morning, suggesting he go for coffee. It was a bit close to our lunchtime so Stephen took a rain check and went in the afternoon instead when coffee also involved, as
A cornucopia
28th January 2025 Christmas week and as previously foreshadowed (though I guess it would be a bit hard to foreshadow retrospectively) Monday evening we were at Marco and Maddalena’s to exchange presents and break bread together. “Don’t do a lot,” Stephen had said. “No, just tortellini in brodo,” Maddalena replied. We are, by now, well versed in just what “just” means to Maddalena, though to be fair, she did show some restraint when there were just a few olive all’ascolana t
Dough!
21st December 2025 It was just as well that Stephen decided there wasn’t enough to keep him tethered to his desk while the boss was occupied elsewhere, seeing as getting home for five on Monday was a blip on an otherwise demanding week. At least he made it home by 7.30 on Tuesday so we were only a few minutes late for meeting up with Ben and Alessandra for pizza at Bar Corradini. We are a little behind the curve on this one, Vittorio having served up pizze for quite some ti
Art Decor
14th December 2025 Monday reprised Sunday’s lovely winter weather and set the standard for the rest of the week: cold but very crisp and clear, so clear that Tuesday morning was one of those where, as we drove to Conad to do the shopping, we could see the Sibillini mountains, covered in snow, in sharp relief away in the distance. Monday was also a holiday, the 8 th being the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and Stephen made the most of his day at home and the fine weath
Tinsel and lights
7 th December 2025 Our train home not leaving till just before ten on Monday meant we didn’t have to rush unduly, pacing ourselves to pack, enjoy breakfast in the Eden room and pay our bill (which, at €26, was just the city charge, Booking.com having been settled beforehand and the minibar being untouched by human hands during out stay) before heading to the station. We allowed plenty of time in case of unforeseen circumstances (none) and to get a sandwich for lunch on th
Ragù alla Bolognese
30th November 2025 After a couple of slow news weeks, thank goodness for Bologna and our two days there this weekend bringing a spark of life to our otherwise quotidian existence. Mind you, Monday was vaguely exciting. There was my morning visit to the dentist for a clean and polish and a check-up. The hygienist sorted the former before leaving the later to Claudia, who gave me the-all clear and lots of praise for being handy with the toothbrush and floss. In the afternoon
Busy doing nothing
23rd November 2025 If you thought the last couple of weeks offered slim pickings, you ain’t, as they say, seen nothing yet – or at least for the next couple of minutes. Stephen was otherwise occupied on Monday and missed coming home for lunch, but he didn’t go hungry, eating instead downstairs in Pina as the fashion professor from Florence was back for a visit to check up on how things were going and to ask lots of questions. It was a drained Stephen who arrived home in tim
It's a fair cop
16th November 2025 It was my turn to come eye to eye with our friend the fox on Monday when Peggy started up the twilight barking. Having a good idea why, I dashed out with the torch, Harry hot on my heels, but was disappointed not to see it snaffling the cachi. That was probably because there wasn’t any fresh windfall to be had, even for ready money, but all was not lost. Playing the torch around the lane, a pair of eyes shining in the beam marked where the fox was standing,
Make mine a cachi
9th November 2025 There was a bit of a surprise on Monday when we woke to rain. After a prolonged stretch of warm (for the time of year) and fine weather, it seemed that things might be changing. They were, but not dramatically. The short-lived showery interlude had more or less passed by when I went out with Peggy and Harry, giving way once more to blue skies but with a fresher feel in the air and a drop of several degrees in temperature. This was enough to convince us tha
Just a quickie
2nd November 2025 With the past week being one of the most uneventful on record, this blog will take up as much of your time as the average Italian takes when dropping into a bar for a caffè (or espresso for those of you who aren’t sophisticated international travellers like what I am). So what can I tell you? The road was more or less unaffected by last Sunday’s rain, and the weather has been warm and sunny - unseasonably so, maybe, but appreciated by Harry and Peggy. Most
