Form Aggio with love

Two days for the price of one, which shows that things are slowing down a bit - or maybe we're just getting into a bit of a routine.

Yesterday was notable for the aphrodisiac cheese and the possibility of some more work, neither of which are connected. Today: doodley-squat.

Elsa had taken a copy of my TEFL certificate to the nursery where her daughter Marcia goes, the idea being that I talk to the children in English and maybe read stories and such like. There is a growing need in schools here for native speakers so the pupils have live experience of English rather than listening to tapes all the time. This is all very well, but I fear that if I develop this area there will be cohorts of Italians speaking with flat vowels, only to be mocked mercilessly when they move to London to work in The City.

We met with the nursery owner, an exuberant woman called Valentina, and she discussed the work with Elsa and Stephen while I sat there trying to smile without looking simple. The outcome was that during June, we will try a few hours here and there to see how it goes and then in July I will do some afternoons at the summer school that they run at a local agriturismo. Stephen thinks it a hoot that I will be working outside in the summer sun and has decided I need a large floppy hat to make sure I don't get burnt. If he has his way I will end up looking like Katherine Hepburn in 'The African Queen'.

And the cheese? Flavia added a new cheese to the existing selection at lunchtime, saying that it was an aphrodisiac. I'm not sure how true this is, as I didn't want to risk eating great chunks and causing a scandal, but it did taste very good - something like a Manchego but with more bite.

As for today, it has been something of a washout, it all senses. It has rained and rained and with some force. We had been due to see Stephen's beloved green house this afternoon but the appointment was cancelled due, according to the seller, to the state of the road. Let's hope that is what it was and not the fact that rainwater was cascading through the house.

And so it's fish for tea and then Marco and Maddalena's for coffee and cake. Seems good to me.