Well we’re finally back from holiday. Loads done, loads doing and loads to do.
We had approximately half of the time away under serene blaring hot blue skies, half under some of the worst storms Northern Italy has seen for years. Maltempo indeed. So, erm mixed.
We drove up and down many ace passes and managed to do the two big hikes we couldn’t do last year because of the snow (yes, we had snow last year in the Dolomites in July. Guess what, we had it this year too.) I now have Catinaccio and the Tre Cime hikes done. We even did some bouldering. I ate canederli (dumplings), deer, rabbit, speck, lard, bream, bass and sole. M even ate some meat, get in.
But the mother of all passes, the pass that ‘Top Gear’ made even more famous, the biggie: Stelvio. It was bloody shut. Yes, shut for a whole week to “protect workmen”. We drove to the other side of the region, up to a vertical weeny no horse village in the rain (to a hotel that didn’t have Italian TV despite being in Italy, only German and Austrian) only to find out it was shut. Was a teensy bit pissed off? Yes.
Oh well, there is always another year… We decamped from no horse village and scarpered back to the Lakes and booked in at one of my favourite hotels in Torri and indulged. Cocktails and lounging by the water while lotharios in speedboats tried to pull women half their age. It was good.
I took about 300 pictures and have looked at none of them. Busy y’see.
My laptop died. That was a nice surprise when I got back from Italy. My macbook isn’t even a year old and it was kaput. I got it back today (thank you warranty) and it was the hard drive. So they popped a new one in. Unfortunately I lost all my data. Fortunately clever clogs M backed it up before we went away so I’ve only lost the newest stuff. Bah. Thanks heavens really as I have two lots of wedding photographs to process (again). It could be worse. Apologies for not replying to emails, fakebook etc etc. I know I have heaps to do.
I have also been buying lighting and entertaining workmen. After looking at a hundred seemingly identical modern acrylic chandeliers I’d given up hope of finding something nice. So we bit the bullet and bought antiques ones at ouchy prices but by god they are lovely. They are being rewired at the moment so we should have them next week.
We are totally sticking to the mantra “if we don’t love it it doesn’t cross the threshold” with this flat. We have to absolutely love it to buy it. We’d rather save up or sacrifice on other things than buy something twice. We also are trying to buy all ‘old’. Reuse, reduce, repair and recycle at its finest. The Independent only had an article on it last Thursday. Next on the list is a Georgian-a-like ladies battered writing desk for the macs.
I discovered today a brand new shop near me on Blatchington Road in Hove (near ‘Ethels Kitchen’) that I have totally fallen for. It’s a little shop that sells beautifully girlie secondhand china, unusual stationery and handprinted bags and homewears called ‘Bird & Rose’. It’s run by a lovely lady called Sophie. I came a cropper in there today… some of my haul below:
I can now make a very posh afternoon tea in a Jane Austen stylee if anyone pops down from London.
We’ve had plumbers, electricians and carpenters ’round nearly every day to quote for the grand project. The local plumbers are ace and we’ve already been entertained by Jeremy the project manager and Richard the chap who installed the washing machine and dishwasher (thus bringing us into the 21st century.) If the guy who comes tomorrow to install the boiler is called James I shall laugh my head off. They managed to fit us in at short notice for the boiler refit due to a cancellation. I am very happy as it means from Friday I can have a shower without it being hot-tepid-cold-hot-tepid-cold all the sodding time.
We’re also looking at wallpaper and old school chunky style radiators to replace the hideous 70s ones we have currently. For the vaguely interested here is the wallpaper we’ve chosen:
I never thought I’d have wallpaper in any house I lived in. Just goes to show how you change.
