A window of opportunity

Another couple of days have passed and there has been some progress, albeit mostly virtual, with the house.

Alessandro and Giuseppe finished installing the kitchen lights on Wednesday (which I saw aglow yesterday and very pleased we are with them too) and everything is set fair for the installation of the bathroom down lighters, while Stephen had a somewhat mad meeting with Corrado, the painter, and his partner and also with Maddalena’s father, who has with feigned reluctance agreed to do our guttering.

The painters had a wander around, checked all the cracks, hummed and hawed and said that they really didn’t want to do the job till the bathroom was sorted. As this would significantly delay moving into the house Stephen said they could start on the other rooms and before working round to that side of the house. Reluctantly they agreed - but we’ll see when they do actually turn up to start.

As for Maddalena’s father, he listened to Stephen’s proposal for the guttering with sceptical good humour, tutting frequently and looking at him as one would an idiot son. Our difficulty is that not only are the terrazzo and walkway very uneven but they slope to an elongated v about two thirds of the way along. Stephen has a cunning plan, which is classified information at the moment but which should, at least, prove a quirky talking point. Maddalena’s father obviously thought that Stephen was a drainpipe short of a drainage system but, like the painters, has agreed to the scheme.

In the afternoon we went with Maddalena herself and Marco to Tolentino to where they bought their doors and windows when they refurbished their house in the village. It’s a bit of a trek up the autostrada but well worth the time taken to get there. The company, Folusci, does indeed have a striking range and we were dealt with by a very knowledgeable, charming and incredibly patient lady called Sabina who spent over two hours with us as we looked at various options and combinations. We finished by ordering four new double glazed windows with shutters both inside and outside for the left hand side of the house (the right side is already double glazed), a door for the intended dressing room to access the terrazzo, copious zanzare screens and three internal doors – not a small order.

On the way back we stopped off at Fiastre, the old monastery and national park where we took the dogs for a walk several weeks ago with Computer Luca, and sat in the late evening sunshine with aperitivi and a fine selection of cheeses and salami as an appetiser before heading home. Shopping and food: a perfect afternoon.

Yesterday we were treated to Leaping Luca’s company for lunch and dinner as his wife and twin sons have gone to Milan to visit Expo. Meals with Luca are an interesting experience, as I discovered when he ate at the house during July when his wife was at the beach. This is partly because he has to use his phone at least three times during a meal, either making or receiving calls, which necessitates him pacing the kitchen, lounging against various cupboards and shouting loudly.

Shouting is something he likes to do, especially at Flavia when the opportunity arises. As you may have worked out by now, Flavia, in my opinion, can do no wrong and should be fast tracked on the path to beatification, but her son obviously thinks otherwise. At various mealtimes he has shouted at her for: saying she thought Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister, was all right; being late dishing up the pasta; serving the pasta too hot; buying mozzarella that had gone off (it tasted all right to me) and buying the cheap cheese from the supermarket instead of proper Italian ones. I can only aspire to such high standards.

I do have to say, though, that when he dines with us he always brings a contribution. Yesterday evening he arrived with a selection of pasticcini alla crema (or cream pastries to you and me). Now, I won’t say that I was counting but I know that I didn’t have any and going by what the others seemed to eat, I would say with some certainty that he and his uncle, Remo ate fourteen of the delicacies between them – and when he popped his final one into his mouth as he was exiting, I swear it didn’t touch the sides.

Which brings us to today, notable only for a visit to the house by the head man from Folusci Infissi who measured up officially for all the doors and windows we decided on the other day – as well as a new door and window for what will be my office and workroom downstairs. Allora, as they say: in for a penny, in for a sackful of Euro.