Art Decor

14th December 2025

Monday reprised Sunday’s lovely winter weather and set the standard for the rest of the week: cold but very crisp and clear, so clear that Tuesday morning was one of those where, as we drove to Conad to do the shopping, we could see the Sibillini mountains, covered in snow, in sharp relief away in the distance.

Monday was also a holiday, the 8^th being the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and Stephen made the most of his day at home and the fine weather, while I got on with my usual chores (no such thing as a day off when you don’t go out to work), with catching up on the backlog of washing after our Bologna trip and wrapping the lights around the terrazzo railings.

I had my first Christmas gift of the year on Wednesday when I went over to Corridonia to collect my latest set of contact lenses from Giorgiottica, and the optician (who may or may not be called Giorgio, never have been formally introduced in all this time) gave me two complimentary pens (one with the business name on and one, for some reason, without.) “You can think of me when you write,” he laughingly said. He is very nice, and I don’t want to sound ungrateful or cause offence, but given a preference I think I’d rather think of George Clooney.

The weather decided to mess with our heads a bit on Friday, starting the morning with that dense, damp mist that envelops the trees and falls like rain from the branches. It did gradually improve; by the time I took Peggy and Harry for our walk the mist had cleared to about halfway down the lane and had dispersed completely when we returned with the shopping.

I had a busy afternoon and evening, comparatively speaking, with two lessons rescheduled due to other commitments (theirs, not mine), but not as busy as Stephen who didn’t make it home until seven. This seems to have become the usual time in the lead up to Christmas with the pressure to get things sorted before places finish for the holiday. At least he’s been able to take his mind off work over the weekend, especially today in bringing the festive spirit to LCDDB. He started with the tree this morning before branching out in the afternoon to adorning various spots of the house with seasonal arrangements and our bits of festive bric-a-brac.

Working on the basis that in a partnership it’s best for each to play to his strengths, I left him to get on with it while I knocked up a tray of Christmas Pudding Tiffin that had proved such a winner with Rocco last year. This batch will also be given out as presents, to a couple of favoured students, but unlike last year we’re not going to go without ourselves. We’ve made sure to buy enough ingredients for two lots, and next weekend is already slated for the second session – and this time the results will stay on the premises. It may be the season of peace and goodwill to all men, but there are limits, especially where chocolate is concerned.