Timber?

14th March 2021

And so we once more enter the brave second-hand world of the red zone – at least I think we do. From what I can make out from the radio and TV news, Le Marche is definitely red, but the jury was out on when that actually happened. According to some it started at the beginning of the week, others said it was from Wednesday while some (maybe in the Covid deniers camp) were holding out to the weekend. Whichever it was had little effect on us, red being very much like orange only not as exciting.

Whatever the status, Stephen was still out and about on Monday, ready to wave the virtual work card should he and Mirco be stopped on their afternoon jaunt. This ‘work’ related trip involved stopping at the car scrapyard on the road to Loro as Mirco went in search of a set of Mercedes wheel trims while Stephen was looking for a replacement seat belt latch for the Bertone, the current one being a little worrying as it was refusing to engage with the latch plate. I can’t say that the existence of this mecca for spare parts was unknown to me in the purest sense, as you have to pass it on the way to the dentist, and I had often wondered why there was always an interesting array of vehicles of all shapes and sizes lined up on either side of the road by an unprepossessing house set slightly back, and why any car in front turned into the driveway rather than continue on.

The reason is that the house is just a front, and behind it stretches a paradise for anyone looking out for a spare automobile part. So far does it stretch that when you arrive at the gate you give your requirements to the man in charge who then commands a minion on a scooter to head off to retrieve it from the depths of the metal forest. How this man knows where to locate a replacement seat belt latch for a Freeclimber is a mystery, presumably by referring to the map of the yard he carries permanently in his head, but know he did – though retrieving it required a trip in a van to the relevant spot. When Stephen returned home he stopped short of holding his trophy aloft like a returning prehistoric hunter, but he did ooze an aura of self-satisfaction. Let’s hope that continues when it comes to actually replacing the defunct one.

Stephen was out again on Tuesday morning, this time at the factory, but made a quick trip back home with the tree man as mentioned last week. This gentleman had a good look round, both front and rear, before shaking his head ruefully. The trees we wanted lopping were not, he said, straightforward ones – and why would they be, when has anything we have tried to do ever been straightforward? According to him, the way they split makes the actual cutting back an issue, but also the unevenness of the land, especially at the back where it falls away to Mario and Luigi’s field, means that it would not be possible for him to use his machinery. What we needed, he said, was someone who could scale them on a rope, and he very helpfully gave Stephen a number to contact before he was taken back to the Carellis – where, no doubt, the job was a lot more straightforward.

As for the rhythm of my week, that was subject to a bit of variety, firstly with a couple of lessons going on hold due to the red zone, but also, against the current trend, with a trip out of the town on Thursday morning. This was allowed as it was for medical reasons, being a check up with the oculist, this time at his practice in Civitanova. When the receptionist called the afternoon before to confirm the appointment, she said that I had to go in alone, but waived this to include Stephen when I said that my husband spoke and understood Italian better than me so he was allowed as my translator. Presumably it was my use of the word marito/husband rather then moglie/wife that swung it, as she must have thought that anyone who can’t distinguish between masculine and feminine forms can’t be trusted to understand the doctor.

With the appointment being for 8.40 we made the most of the opportunity to have breakfast out. By which I mean we stopped at the garage on the way to the autostrada where Stephen waited while I popped in to get cappuccini and pasti to take away and enjoy sitting in the car. Not quite Pina but a treat of sorts in these constrained times. As for the oculist, his assistant and then he gave my eyes a thorough examination, the result of which was that yes, the cataracts had deteriorated since last time but only by 0.5%, and it would be better to leave them for the time being and to have them checked again in a year’s time. He didn’t seem to think that changing lenses was a particularly good idea either, but it was for me to decide if the little improvement to my vision was worth the expense. Probably not, and as for delaying the intervention for a while I’m also fine with that – the prospect of a stay in hospital in this present situation not being an altogether attractive proposition.

After that it was back to hunker down at LCDDB, where it seemed that the only break in the normal routine was my first lesson yesterday afternoon with my new student, Leonardo. Seemed, that is, until just after five this afternoon when Stephen, on glancing out of the window, wondered what Mirco was doing walking tentatively down the road with another man, the latter clad in overalls. The answer: another possible tree cutter come to eye up the lay of the land. This time it was much more successful, for when Stephen returned after another tour of the estate it was to say that arrangements had been made.

This new lumberjack, who seemed ok, said he would give the ground time to firm up and he would be back with his team, his truck and his machinery (presumably of a different breed to the first man’s, which couldn’t cope with the terrain, allegedly) to sort everything out, which should take a couple of days’ work. They will also, he said, need to remove part of the fencing to access the trees at the back, so Harry and Bella will have to be confined to barracks for the duration – which means they’ll know how it feels for the rest of us.