Giovanni arrived at the weekend but stayed only one night before returning to Rome for the next two weeks. I think we can assume the 3 cats have taken up residence here, which was much easier for them than the performance we had during lockdown to obtain our temporary residence. For them it was a case of arrive, eat, play, sleep, repeat.
Giovanni our lovely neighbour returned to Rome about the same time we arrived here. He’s away for almost 2 weeks. He messaged us to say he’s been feeding a cat and 2 kittens, he’d left them 3 dishes of biscuits and hoped they’d come down to our house and we would feed them. I think it was around midday on Thursday that the kittens pitched up and by early evening the mother, still a kitten herself, arrived.
Luckily we had a few tins of cat food in the cupboard so we were able to feed them.
All 3 cats are in good condition, clean, friendly and very sweet. They soon discovered the delights of the hotel Splendido on the terrace, the comfy pizza oven and the cat apartment, not to mention the sofas and dining chairs. The little ones are playful and the mother almost brave enough to climb onto my knee. There has been a lot of purring.
But what’s going to happen in November when we leave. Mario was enraged when he saw the cats here and told us not to feed them. He’s giving me the message he doesn’t want to feed them while we were away, as he did when we had Vincenzo. When I tackled him last year about this he said of course he’d feed the cat and not for the money we pay him, he does it from his heart. A week after we left he took the cat, the food we’d provided, dishes and our cat carrier to his house, we got none of them back.
It’s a dilemma. Even if the cats go back to Giovanni next week we know he won’t make any provision for them over the winter. I hate this cruel Italian attitude towards animals. I have mentioned before that our Comune sent out a directive banning the feeding of stray animals. Fortunately an animal welfare organisation stepped in and put a stop to it. The Comune should educate people how to care for pets and promote a sterilisation programme that would reduce numbers but almost all the Italian men I know think this is wrong, that’s a surprise not.
We love having cat company again but we are setting ourselves up for more stress and heartbreak.
Just like that we are in Italy. Maybe not that simple with 4 days in the car, 3 overnights, quick toilet stops and a lot of picnic lunches often late in the day. We started Sunday leaving home at 6 am without breakfast for the midday ferry. I grabbed a takeout coffee at our pre ferry toilet stop while MrFF bought the Sunday papers. During boarding he accidentally left our sandwiches in the car which is not accessible during the crossing so first meal of the day was two mini sausage rolls and a banana. Fortunately I am not a person who needs to eat regularly.
Our overnight in the champagne region was brief, next day we drove to Mulhouse. There we decided to walk to the historic centre, arriving 40 minutes later the heavens opened and without coats we were soaked, we took the tram back to our accommodation. On to Bergamo MrFF was determined to drive the Splugen pass, reviews said it was terrifying. If you watch the Tour de France imagine driving Alpe du Huez with large camper vans swinging out round the tight corners and motorbikes speeding past, all without safety barriers. On the Italian side there were 50 hairpin bends. This tortuous detour added a lot time to our journey as we then got caught up in traffic around lake Como. By the time we checked in at our stop at 7.30 neither of us could face going out for dinner, we had super market pasta and went to bed.
The final on day the autostrada was busy, scary in places and tedious in others. We collected a few provisions and arrived at our house at 6, for MrFF to announce he didn’t have the key for the back door, the only access from the road. Apparently when he told me he had keys in response to my usual routine of passport, wallet, house keys, phone before we left it was because he thought he did, not because he knew he did. I suggested he open the big gates into the garden and try unlocking the terrace doors We have so many keys for the house, various doors, french doors, garage, gates we were bound to find a way in. He discovered the terrace doors security locked from the inside but then found the back door key where he always keeps it, on the key ring with the car keys. He said he usually takes it off when we are in the UK but must not have this time
Also a white datura has appeared, I haven’t had one of these plants for years. I grew the original ones from seed, I love their exotic blooms. Incredibly this one is in just the right place. I think it’s my reward for not complaining about that mountain pass, I’ll take that.
This week we had an overnight stay at my brother and sister in law’s house. The bed we slept in was the first we ever owned, I begged it from my parents when we bought our first house around 1973. The bed lived on the farm in a room above the kitchen which had its own separate very steep staircase. When I was a child one of our farm workers slept in there and when he’d left my Gran sometimes used the room as it was slightly warmer than all the other unheated bedrooms.
After a few years we bought a new bed and the old one was relegated to the guest room. It then travelled to several homes with us until we downsized from Scotland 11 years ago when I persuaded my brother to take it for his new bungalow because I couldn't bear to part with it. It’s now painted silver and still going strong. We slept in it this week and mentioned next morning how comfortable it was. My sister in law told me that the grandchildren love a sleepover in the old bed and always remark on it. I think it’s just wonderful, I’ve no idea how old the heavy metal frame is but I know for certain that the great great grandmother of the youngest generation slept in that bed and possible even older ancestors. The continuity is amazing and a fine example of sustainability.
I don’t court blog popularity and while I appreciate my audience reading and leaving comments I mainly write my blog for myself as a kind of journal. At most each post was getting maybe 1000 reads but over the years that gradually dropped to around 200 or less. While a lot of my favourite bloggers turned to YouTube or give up I happily soldiered on.
So it was quite a surprise in the last week to see my views start to rise. My latest not particularly interesting post has had 2,500 views which I think is quite suspicious though comments have only been from the usual sources. I wonder if anyone else has noticed such a large and sudden pattern change. Do we put it down to bots AI or some alien interference and why do the ramblings if a 76 year old who doesn’t get out much attract such attention.
For over 2 weeks now the North York Moors have been burning, a wild fire covering over 2,500 acres keeps spreading sending acrid smoke as far as Whitby, Scarborough and York. Holiday makers have been evacuated and livestock moved to safety, many roads around the moor are closed. Fire services work continuously with help from local game keepers and farmers who have left their jobs to ferry tankers of water to the fire service and dig out fire breaks to hold back the flames. These are the farmers who are constantly persecuted by our government, the same government that has so far provided zero support to the fire fighting effort. Locals are collecting donations of food and water for the workers and money to help pay for the fuel used by the farmers.
The North York Moors is my old training ground, The Cleveland Way, The Lyke Wake Walk, MrFF and I were out there most weekends when we lived in North Yorkshire. I learnt how to pace myself to run uphill at Carlton Bank. The loss is already enormous, grazing for animals, wildlife, flora and fauna habitats and still it goes on. The peat can smoulder for weeks and recovery will take years. It’s heart breaking.
We keep hoping for rain, there was a little yesterday but we need a deluge to dampen the fire. MrFF took this photo of Scar House reservoir in neighbouring Nidderdale on Sunday. Already our water authority is taking water from our rivers as supplies dwindle.
During the various heatwaves we’ve enjoyed lately there hasn’t been much knitting done but now it’s cooler I am back into wearing socks and trousers so work has resumed.
I also used up some 4 ply pure wool to make a lacy Falling Water scarf which does have a wrong side but I made it long so it can be arranged to avoid showing the reverse. This project took some concentration but it’s a really nice scarf in good colour. It took about 120 g of yarn and I am left with at least 50 still to use.
However it’s time for socks, I am making these for a friend who particularly requested a red pair. I cast on last night with my favourite West Yorkshire Spinners Signature and my new appropriately matching Knitpro needles. It’s a joy all round, the needles are smooth and comfortable to use, I am able to knit while paying attention to the tv, it’s all very relaxing.
