Bin there, done that

I’m sorry to disappoint both my devoted readers but this has been another rather uneventful week, with the most exciting thing being collecting our new bins (yes, two, not the solitary one we’d been expecting). Still, as I said to my students Erica and Mara, who also hadn’t done anything very exciting, it is November after all, nothing much happens in November. At least the weather is continuing to be kind to us, though, with temperatures returning to the upper teens and some lovely blue skies – and a good extra seventy minutes of daylight compared to the UK. There is a lot to be said for not having to get up in the dark.

Tuesday was the day we took the relevant documentation and hit the bin depositary, going in the early evening as Maddalena wanted to come with us. Usually we are the ones seeking her company so she can joust with the authorities on our behalf, but roles were reversed on this occasion as she didn’t want to go on her own. I’m not sure what she feared, having slayed various dragons for us in the past, including TIM; maybe the difference was in dealing with local people instead of anonymous ones. Anyway, we turned up at the Ex Chiesa San Giovanni, the small, deconsecrated church in the town square, former practice room for the town band and now general storage for the Comune. While this might be seen as a fall in status, the building does have an annual return to glory as the site for MSP’s contribution to the Italian’s love of presepi (nativity scenes). This must surely be just around the corner, given the rapid approach of Advent and the fact that Hotel Pina has changed its window to display an enticing array of new pieces for one’s own domestic presepe.

In my foolishness, I had thought that collecting the new bins would be a simple matter of showing our documents and exiting stage left. Not so, as it turned out that each of the bins (one for glass and metal, the other for things that we don’t need talk about this side of life) has a bar code on its lid and a corresponding peel off sticker which was attached to the document I had to sign before being given the aforementioned bins. This answers the question from last week as to how the Comune would know how much waste you’re putting out as, presumably, they will be able to scan your bin to check against their records. We also received a leaflet stating very clearly what can and cannot be placed out for each of the different collections, so no longer will we be able to wing it. It seems that Big Brother really is watching us, or at least our rubbish - so much for my old man and his dustman days.

Besides getting to grips with the new refuse collection (which, given that Friday night saw a meeting in the town hall to explain its finer points to the local populace, we can’t be the only ones a little bemused) we are again faced with the question of what to do with all the cachi festooning our persimmon tree. After last season’s failed attempt to turn them into jam, which would have been all right if your idea of a good preserve is one that instantly dissolves all your fillings, we are in sore need of inspiration. I’m not sure if you have ever tried a persimmon, but they’re so sweet that one is enough to satisfy you until the next year, and this sweetness may account for the distinct dearth of recipes to be found on the Internet. Whilst part of us feels that we should make good use of this free bounty, another part thinks that perhaps we should just enjoy them aesthetically. Now that the leaves have all fallen from the branches, the burnt orange globes of the remaining fruit hang like Christmas baubles and maybe the pleasure they give visually pre-empts the obligation to make any other use of them.

Any lingering worries about how to turn LCDDB into a centre of artisan cachi production vanished yesterday morning when Alessandro the electrician came back into our lives. In what may be a record, even for Italy, three months have passed since the outside light withdrew its labour, while I was on my visit to my parents, and Stephen called Alessandro to ask him to come to fix it. Living where we do, where there isn’t a proper road never mind any street lighting, things have been a bit dark of an evening and seeing our way around outside has been something of a challenge. But what has been even more frustrating is that whatever made the outside light stop working also did something to our fuse box. This has been happily tripping off several times a day, sometimes when we have switched something on and sometimes just because it feels like it. Now, though, thanks to Alessandro, we again have light flooding the driveway and a stable electricity supply.

Not that we can become complacent, however, as Alessandro did warn us that while he had fixed the light, it would only be temporary as the casing was rotten and we needed to get a new one. It could go again at any time, especially if it rains. Consequently, on his firm promise that he would be back next Saturday, we took a quick jaunt to Smal, the lighting shop, in the afternoon to source a new light for the front as well as two motion sensitive floodlights for the back so that, should either Harry or Bella, or indeed both, try to make off in the dark, we will be able to spot them. There was a slight hiccup to plans as we (by which I mean Stephen) failed to measure the length of the existing light fitting so a return visit is required next week once we know how far we want it protruding. (Ooo, matron.)

The trip to Smal wasn’t the only abortive shopping expedition of the weekend as this morning we went in the opposite direction to Corridomnia in search of new trousers for Stephen. We drew a complete blank on that front, but it wasn’t a complete failure as we did take a look at the new organic supermarket that’s recently opened across from the shopping park and even bought a packet of chickpea flour. If that wasn’t random enough we also popped into the discount home ware store for a couple of broom handles and an extendable brush for getting rid of cobwebs. And there was me saying the week had been uneventful…