Winter drawers on

There is a phrase that we are hearing increasingly from friends, acquaintances and workmen as making La Casa dei Due Baffi habitable shuffles forward and that phrase is: “Piano, piano”. No, they aren’t encouraging us to take up a musical instrument to while away the hours while we wait patiently as it actually means: “Slowly, slowly”, and indeed progress does continue at a Mediterranean pace.

This was evidenced last Saturday when Mirko, the plumber, joined Stephen at the house to finish off the bathroom and to erect the shower screen, all of which he accomplished in a morning. This meant we were free in the afternoon to go and visit yet another second hand shop, this time in Tolentino, and run by an agreeable one-handed man called Andrea. Yes I know there must be a witticism there but I am not the person to make it, I will only say that the shop was spruce and well kept but there was nothing quite what we needed and yet again we left empty-handed.

Sunday was back to the house for the usual routine of clearing and cleaning. While Stephen got on with various tasks, I was given the job of sanding down a door ready for painting, and considering my love of anything DIY you can imagine the joy with which I took to the undertaking. Why I had to tackle it with a hand block and sandpaper when yesterday on our expedition Stephen had bought an electric sander I lacked the courage to ask. (Note: why when men buy things in DIY stores do they have to spend an inordinate amount of time picking up different items, inspecting them, shaking their heads with sharp intakes of breath and then heading off with the first one they looked at?) However, I must have looked sufficiently hangdog about the whole thing as I was excused duties in the afternoon.

Our world became a whole lot brighter on Tuesday when the man, with the highly original name of Luca, came to clean and polish the floors arrived. Luca was a man of phlegmatic temperament who took to his mission with copious amounts of water and a radio for company.

Unfortunately, the floor cleaning put a damper on Alessandro the electrician, who also materialised on Tuesday but was unable to carry out a lot of work due to the floors being wet. I guess water, ladders and electricity are not a great combination but if all our Italian tradesmen actually phoned up in advance rather than giving a date and then appearing anytime within the following two weeks they might not have wasted journeys. He did though manage to connect the bathroom mirror before his hasty departure.

Tuesday turned out to be a bit of a hectic day all round for Stephen. He’d taken Bella and Harry with him so they could have a run around in the garden, but what he had not banked on was leaving the door open so Harry could scarper across the fields to where Luigi was tilling the soil with his tractor accompanied by their eminently sensible labrador, Billy. Of course, Harry being eminently unsensible, bounced with unbounded glee all round the field, tractor and Billy wanting to play while Billy stood patiently still, a look of tolerant resignation on his face. Stephen eventually managed to get Harry under control with cajoling and dog biscuits but Harry obviously reckons he has found a new playmate as his excitement at the merest hint of his bff presence shows.

In the afternoon we went hunting for lights. Firstly we revisited Smal and collected the fittings for the snug that had been made at long last – the delay being due to the absence through illness of their key lighting technician. We then, to Stephen’s glee, headed back to Stefano and Smile to have another look at the two lights we’d seen on our previous visit. A second look confirmed Stephen’s view that they were right for us and his assurance that he would make them look good convinced me to part with our money.

Another sign that we are, despite the current spate of warm weather, moving into winter emerged on Wednesday when Flavia produced a panettone at the end of dinner. Now, I know panettoni have become de rigueur (if I can mix my vernaculars) in the cultural conglomeration that is the modern British Christmas but this was fresh and soft with moist fruit and peel, unlike the more desiccated offerings UK supermarkets – and at a bargain price of €2.85 considerably cheaper. As well as panettoni, Pocket Coffee and Mon Cheri have also hit the shelves. Made the Ferrero, these small blocks of dark chocolate with espresso or cherry and liqueur are far superior to the ubiquitous Ferrero Rocher that somehow has managed to fool the British public into thinking it’s the pinnacle of chocolate chic. I heartily recommend that you get your hands on the former by whatever means possible.

Apart from this, there are precious few other signs that it is November and only weeks away from Christmas. Thank goodness the Italians don’t seem to go in for the marketing frenzy that wears the British public down. So far I have not seen one Christmas ad on the TV, not even for M&S, and the supermarket shelves are still stocked with everyday items that you want and need to buy. Long may it continue.