Chain reaction

9th July 2023

The good thing about the past week is that it has, apart from some rain on Wednesday afternoon, mainly been sunshine all the way. It is due to continue with temperatures in the low to mid-30s all week, which of course means the threat of thunderstorms on some days – hopefully just short bursts that clear the air if they materialise.

The bad thing about the past week, as far as the world of letters goes, is that it has been a very quiet one with nothing of note happening until Friday when we went out for dinner with Marco and Maddalena. There was quite a bit of dithering and exchanges of messages between her and Stephen as they tried to settle on a place to eat, and it was eventually decided sometime in the afternoon, (a few hours’ notice in Italy being equivalent to a month in the UK) that we would once more grace Officina del Sole with our presence, it being a year since we were last there - for, that’s right, Maddalena’s birthday.

We had to eat inside as they were setting up for a wedding, they said, but how that worked is a bit of a puzzle seeing as a couple, who we presumed were staying at the hotel, were being served at one of the long tables under the gazebo at the front of the hotel. Maybe that area isn’t classed as part of the restaurant, as we could see tables with white napery in a sort of conservatory off to one side. Anyway, we could have had our choice of tables in the main section, as we were the only people dining on Friday night – one tends to think this is not how the business derives its main income - so it seemed to us a little odd that we were shown to a round table with six chairs but only four place settings. Configured with three next to each other and one opposite, it looked like someone was up for an interview rather than a convivial get-together.

We took matters into our own hands and moved two to either end of a nearby rectangular table which was big enough for six, as we thought it easier than having to explain. Maddalena did, however, ask if they could change her napkin, which was a bit on the damp side, for one that wasn’t; at least it’s good to know that the linen is fresh. As for the food, that was good, but maybe not quite as good or as interesting in flavour combinations, as last time, so we are thinking that there might have been a regime change in the kitchen.

With the temperatures hotting up, Stephen brought the sun umbrella into play yesterday, using it to shade the front of the house from the intense midday sun. Not that the weekend heat has discouraged all activity around LCDDB, as I found out when I noticed something unusual when walking Bella and Harry past the trees by the corner of our drive. There was a small, odd-looking pile, shaped, from my limited knowledge of things that side of life, like a bedpan. When I looked closer, it turned out to be made from grass seeds, and swarming with ants as they clambered all over it and scurried back and forth from the side of the field with more building material. I’m not sure how high it will actually get, but as it is at the moment Stephen has said it can remain undisturbed, being far enough away from the house not to cause a problem.

And Stephen himself has been beavering away like an ant today, if that is even a thing. He had a quick jaunt to the factory yesterday to put some holes in some leather straps, with which he returned within the hour along with a metal chain measuring six metres. This afternoon, he spent several happy (?) hours cutting the chain into short lengths and attaching them to the pieces of leather, which are to be used as a design detail on boots the factory are currently making. Why him and not someone in the family? Because, I would suspect I am correct in assuming, he is the only one who understands the design and who can be trusted to do it correctly. He had to call it quits, however, as the clock was nearing six due to having run out of bits of chain, there not being enough for all the pieces of leather. At least he has the prospect of another fun-filled few hours in store, because, as the ants showed us, there is nothing quite so satisfying as a repetitive manual activity.