Don't you have a home to go to?

We had fully expected this past week to be yet another (sorry folks) uneventful one in downtown MSP, but we had reckoned without two surprise visitors who showed up early on Monday morning.

I first became aware of them when Stephen called to me that there were two dogs wandering around near the house. This is not an uncommon event; usually they are at the far side of the field with a couple of hunters and occasionally we get one or two dogs who seem to have decided to go for a stroll in the countryside with their mates. These, however, were different, for when I went out to see what was keeping Stephen, it was to see the two dogs in question hanging around the front of the house, showing little inclination to move along.

They obviously weren’t strays, for apart from being a little soggy, they were well cared for and whilst neither wore a collar (regarded as something of an optional accessory by the average Italian owner) one did sport a natty red strap around its neck. That this had a ragged edge did suggest there was another part to it somewhere or other.

As I said, our two visitors seemed more than happy to spend quality time with us, especially when Stephen, worrying that they might be a trifle peckish after what we assumed were their nocturnal wanderings, used our spare dog bowls to feed and water them. Nor did the appearance of Harry and Bella on the terrazzo, crazily barking at the interlopers, cause them any undue perturbance. We, on the other hand, were wondering what to do to return the dogs to their owners, the only vague lead on who they might be being Stephen’s idea that they could be the sheepdogs that he had seen at a farm over the valley. With nothing else to go on, he posted pictures of them to his Facebook account but then we thought that if anyone knew, it would be Mario and Luigi, working on the basis that they knew everybody and his dog.

While Stephen encouraged the dogs to follow him up the hill, I got on with a few bits and pieces and as all seemed to have settled down I thought that was the end of it as far as LCDDB was concerned. Not so, as I discovered when I glanced down and saw that they had returned, minus Stephen, and were again ambling around the grounds. I was wondering where he was when he hove into sight to fill me in on the previous quarter of an hour. As suspected, Luigi, which was the Mogliani brother he happened upon, knew where the dogs belonged, but his and Stephen’s attempts to persuade them into the back of their transit using Billy as a lure proved fruitless as they were more interested in mooching around before heading back down the hill. Luigi did, though, phone the owner, Sauro, and it was only a few minutes after Stephen returned that he appeared. He turned out to be the Sauro who is part of the Pina dynasty and he and Stephen greeted each other with gusto.

The dogs, meanwhile, were particularly underwhelmed by his arrival, perhaps realising that no way was Sauro going to give them a lift in his shiny silver saloon. They appeared more than content to laze amongst the burgeoning wheat, enjoying the morning sunshine and showed little inclination to head home, even if, as we realised, it was only a short hop across the field to the small holding of Sauro’s sons, the Pina twins, Diego and Luigi. As Sauro’s saloon was not particularly designed for animal transportation, we had to wait while he managed to get in touch with Diego. He appeared after some five minutes in a small white van and filled in some of the dogs’ backstory. They are only eight months old, and had escaped the previous evening by working a hole in the fencing, and their names are Nuvola (Cloud) and Orzo (Barley), a female and a male. At least, that is how I heard their names; Stephen thought the male was called Orso, but I like to think I am right as calling a big soft creamy-coloured shaggy dog Barley seems much cosier than calling it Bear.

As Nuvola and Orzo still showed remarkable little interest in heading home despite Diego’s entreaties, he had no choice but to manhandle them both into the back of the van. He hoisted them up in turn as each did a fabulous impersonation of a bag of the very barley Orzo was named after, hanging like a sagging dead weight across Diego’s arms. At least they stayed true to form and slumped in the back of the van as the door was closed and they headed back home after their little adventure. Stephen too, somewhat belatedly, headed off for his morning’s appointments, only realising when he walked into a meeting that he had forgotten to change out of his walking wellingtons and into his stylist’s shoes. So if, when you see the trends for spring 2020 and muddy black wellies are di rigueur, remember who started the look.

The rest of the week after this was very much an anti-climax so I will give you a quick rundown of events. A sudden cold snap of Tuesday saw us light the last fire of the winter. After this there was a return of brighter, warmer days, and whilst the evenings might be a little fresh, refilling our gas tank on Wednesday means we can have a quick blast of the central heating to take the edge off. I had to deal with the oilman single-handedly, as Stephen was on his travels with bff Manuel again, this time to Naples for another hour of talking before heading back. Again, it seemed to be worthwhile going, though there was no sign of any premium Prosecco on his return.

My Friday was a little quieter, with Massimo still in Japan and Silvia having taken a temporary hiatus as she adjusts to the early part of her pregnancy, as was Saturday with just Alessio in the morning. That left us able to take things at an easier pace over the rest of the weekend, bits and pieces of work allowing. Stephen, though, never one to relax totally when he can find something to do made an early start on the wardrobe changeover by hefting the heavier winter coats from upstairs to down. He has, though, left me with my padded jacket, the close-bosomed friend of all true Italians whenever there is an ‘r’ in the month.