Log on

16th May 2021

Stefano’s sterling work and Stephen’s sterling scrutiny last Sunday had two significant consequences for life at LCDDB. The first was the vast amount of ligneous detritus (don’t you just love a Latinate ending – or even better, two) lying around at various spots. Something was going to have to be done about this, but more of that later while we turn our attention to the other consequence.

This was, with the absence of all those leaves and branches, the amount of extra light that could now find its way around the property. While a good thing as far as the kitchen and back room were concerned, especially as it also opened up the view across the valley, I was made aware of the downside when I was coming back from our morning walk and realised that there was no welcoming shade around the driveway. This had also occurred to Nazareno, for when Stephen returned at lunchtime it was after he had stopped off at the ferramenta to buy a swathe of netting to erect over the tomatoes and courgettes. This, said our go-to gardening guru, would not only give the plants protection from the full force of the sun but would also cut down on the amount of water needed as it would reduce evaporation.

In the afternoon, Stephen set about shifting the branches into some sort of order, especially clearing the lane in case Mario and Luigi head that way in the tractor, but it was obvious that it was going to be a protracted job. It was just as well, then, that again Nazareno was one step ahead for when Stephen went to the factory on Tuesday morning it was to be told that he had been in touch with a man over in Torre San Patrizio who would come and see to the bigger branches, and not only that but he had also beaten the man down on his hourly rate. The man arrived in the afternoon to survey the job, reckoned that it would be a couple of days’ work for him and his mate and said he would be back later in the week with his oppo.

Meanwhile, Tuesday saw two other arrivals at LCDDB. The first was the return of Alessio for lessons after the Covid break and the second was a bit of a surprise to Stephen in the shape of another belated birthday present (belated in arrival though it had been posted in good time). He had to go and collect it from the delivery man at the top of the road, and not expecting any parcel he was in two minds about whether to pay the required duty or not. It’s just as well he did, for when he got home and opened the box it was to find things that every right-minded gardener should possess, namely natural twine threading out of a cork topped container, a finely honed wooden dibber and a pair of leather and tweed gardening gloves that Mr Toad might easily have mistaken for use when driving; altogether a splendid haul and thank you again, Douglas and Susan.

I found myself eating alone for the fourth time in eight days when after a last minute decision by Nazareno, Stephen was asked to accompany him and Mirco to Rome for a meeting with a couple of clients. Don’t, however, feel sorry for me in missing out on a sophisticated business lunch in one of the world’s most glamorous capitals for the whole affair seemed to smack more of The French Connection than The Devil Wears Prada. After a visit to a few shops and a quick sandwich in a commercial centre it was on to an underground car park where the clients had parked their 4x4 with its blacked out windows to hand over the samples and have a discussion. Fortunately, no undercover cop in a pork pie hat was staking out the place so the handing over of an unmarked package went without hitch.

As he was on the autostrada going, Stephen had messaged me to say that the men would probably be coming to start on the various piles of wood, and to make sure to keep an eye on Bella and Harry as they would have to leave the gate open. The warning turned out not to be necessary as there was no sign of the men that day nor the next, the reason being that they were having problems with their chain saw. Whatever the problem was, it was obviously sorted by Friday as when we returned from shopping/haircuts they were busy at work manhandling branches, gathering leaves into piles and, in the afternoon, sawing up logs.

Having a proprietorial interest in proceedings, and with Stephen having told the factory that the men had turned up, Nazareno appeared after lunch with Mirco in tow to make sure that all was in order. Not only that, he encouraged Stephen to join him in lending a hand as, he said, it would be finished quicker and cost us less money, an interesting slant, because if we were bothered about paying for someone to do the job, we (meaning, of course, Stephen) would have done it ourselves in the first place. Still, when I returned from my lesson with Diego and Marzia it was to find a happy little group of garden elves beavering away chopping logs and stacking them in the garage. I would have lent a hand but Harry and Bella were waiting for their walk.

And that wasn’t the only exciting thing to happen on Friday as with vaccinations opening up to the over-60s (in Marche, that is, which seems to be a bit behind the urban conurbations) Stephen went online to book our appointments, starting with me as the senior and therefore more vulnerable member of the family. This should have been a very simple process but I was called partway through when he entered my details and the site said that I didn’t exist – which was not surprising as he had entered my codice fiscale and his health card number. Once that was sorted, he booked my appointment for next Wednesday morning but in one of those Murphy’s Law moments, when he returned to book his own time the Wednesday availability had all disappeared and he will have to wait until the following Sunday for his first dose.

His first dose, that is, if he is in a fit state to have it. The weekend, being another quietly uneventful one, left time for other things, so while I did some lesson preparation this afternoon Stephen did some more snipping up of branches – though I’m not sure persisting in doing it in drizzly rain was the best of ideas. “My jumpers really wet and taking ages to dry,” he said later; I wonder why.