Balsamic vinegar

Some time ago, we managed to purchase a couple of bottles of wine that were completely unpalatable. These particular bottles were purchased from a local supermarket so our bad experience should not reflect on the quality of cantinas in our area. Before throwing it out, we asked our friends to give us their thoughts. Pursed lips and screwed up faces told us everything we needed to know. We were poised to pour both bottles down the sink when one of our friends suggested we use it to make balsamic vinegar. Under his guidance, we topped up the bottles with white vinegar and sealed them with cheesecloth and rubber bands. They are now breathing and ageing in our cellar...to be tasted in 12 to 18 months!

 

 

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Our fox hole

You might recall a posting a few weeks go that introduced our fox hole? Well, here is the sequel... It was on a lovely warm 17 degree day that we took our friends for a walk down our driveway to show them our fox hole. We were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the hole when a local Italian who regularly walks up our valley approached us. He asked us what we were looking at so we told him about our fox hole. We knew something was up when his expression changed from slightly amused to hilariously entertained. He then explained that this hole had been there for many years but "comes and goes". We were confused. He then walked around in circles looking at the ground like an aboriginal tracker. Suddenly he pointed at a disturbed area and declared it to be the work of cinghiale trotters! We were more confused: a cinghiale would never fit into our little fox hole. It turns out that our "fox" hole belongs to a colony of giant snails. These fat juicy snails (le lumache) are apparently a delicacy to the Piemontese much like escargot is to the French. When food supplies in the valley are low over winter, they are also appreciated by cinghiale, whose hungry snouts dig holes in search of them...

 

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Letterbox

We have been challenged by the postal service. It seems that some of our mail is being delivered direct to the house rather than to our p o box. This is creating some trauma for the current postie. Three years ago, we had a letterbox but our old postie suggested that we should get a p o box because she would be unable to deliver to the house when it snowed in winter. So we did the right thing, rented a p o box, issued "change of address" notifications to all and sundry and took the letterbox off the tree near the entrance barrier to our property. For the 3 years we were away, we continued to rent the p o box and only recently renewed the rental for 2014. However, since our return to Italy, some utility/communication companies have required a physical address for initial billing rather than a p o box. These are the letters that have recently been delivered to our house. In the absence of a letterbox, our current postie slots our mail behind the "proprieta privata" sign on the barrier. When the barrier is closed, she also has to do what must be a "10 point turn" on our one-lane driveway to get back out of the valley. Twice over the past week, she has left handwritten notes. The first told us to get a letterbox; the last told us that our correspondence had been returned to the post office because there was no letterbox and because the road was barred. Ominously, the last contained exclamation marks. So Stu spent yesterday morning finding the old letterbox, which he then reattached to the tree before I painted a big "24" on it. We will now have to advise the post office that we have a letterbox...again...as well as continue to pay for our p o box...

The notice from the postie

 

Our newly installed old letterbox, with number hand-painted by me

 

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What is one to say or do!?

What exactly does one do or say when one is woken suddenly in the middle of the night...by a partner in deep distress because his hands have turned into pig trotters!?

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Nooks

A major feature of our house is its nooks. Because the house has developed organically over 200 to 300 years, these nooks are examples of the changes in design and lifestyle of its many owners. Some of these spaces used to be doors or windows while others were once chimneys. They provide perfect opportunities for interior decoration. Here are a few of our nooks...

The nook in the lounge room, framed by my collection of boxes

 

The nook in the dining room, which is used to hang our glasses

The nook in the dining room, where a painting hangs

The nook in our bathroom, where photos of Australian bark hang, and a basket of towels and soap sits

 

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Building and growing

With the sun shining, we wasted no time getting outside yesterday. Stu started the construction of a stone wall which will create a second terrace in the front garden. He will plant lawn on this terrace and we will place a statue or bird bath on it. I planted more box plants between the current hedge to ensure that it all joins up together nicely. Then I planted 2 more box plants along the driveway which will be subjected at some later date to my first awkward attempts at topiary. After that, I moved a lilac and planted 20 lavender and 10 rosemary cuttings in pots and put them in our greenhouse to take root. I will plant these herbs in the top paddock behind the house. We stopped for a late lunch in the sun, our first under the pergola since returning to Italy. At 10 degrees we took off our layers and life was close to perfect.

The new terrace rock wall

 

The lilacs all in a row

The greenhouse with cuttings

 

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Childhood treasures

I had a wonderful childhood. Thankfully, I am able to re-live it just a little bit when I peer into my "glory" box, which now doubles as a "treasure and family heirloom" box. Yesterday I peered into my box, where I found Pinky, a limp pink teddybear that had kept me company from the age of two. A little further down I found a golliwog, knitted for me by my nana, along with a doll that I had sewn together with my nana. Also amongst the treasures were several books, bought for me and my sisters by our parents, grandparents and aunties. I also found three holy pictures that had hung on our beds and kept us safe at night. All of these treasures made me think of something I read recently: "Sometimes my memories squeeze out of my eyes and down my cheeks"...

Pinky and holy pictures

 

A selection of 40 year old books from my childhood

 

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In the darkened church

This morning, I had organised to visit the Asti markets with a friend. The friend was going to pick me up at 9.30am at a local shopping centre car park. I arrived a few minutes early so walked across the road to visit a church. The main doors are not normally open so I went around the side. When I opened the door I was greeted with empty darkness. The lights had not yet been turned on. As I squinted through the blackness I saw a figure with lots of hair and a thick beard scramble at a donation box then quickly light a candle. I decided that it may not be a good idea to loiter in the church with this person. So I turned on my heels. As I hauled the heavy wooden door open, I fully expected to be dragged back into the dungeon by two strong hands on my shoulders. However, a few minutes later, I was again waiting at the car park. I stood there in the cold, bathing in my sensible decision and close escape, when the church bells rang. A short time later, my undesirable stranger walked out of the church and along the street. Had I really been thinking such evil thoughts about the trusted bell ringer?

 

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After snow and rain, there is water

On our walk into town yesterday, we noticed small footprints in the snow leading into and out of the fox hole! Our animal must be alive and well and may even be preparing to reproduce in Spring! The snow has been melting at a very fast rate because of rain and above zero temperatures. The melt has raised the level of our little creek quite a bit and noisy muddy floodwaters are now tumbling down our valley! But even though our temperatures are warmer, the rain makes us FEEL colder due to dampness. So it is a special thing to be snuggled beside our lounge room fire in the evening.

Our creek in flow

Our lounge room fire with sparks

 

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The burial

We ventured down our driveway on foot again today to go into town for a coffee and some groceries. Fairly quickly we realised that the snow on the driveway had melted with last night's rain but we continued anyway as there were a few thin branches across the road that we wanted to cut before we next took the car out. So I carried our umbrellas and grocery bags while Stu carried the branch cutters and hedge trimmers. Once he had trimmed the overhanging areas, Stu buried the tools in the remaining snow for safekeeping while we continued into town. As I looked at Stu on his hands and knees burying the tools I wondered how I might explain this strange activity to our neighbours were we to be seen...

Stu digging up the tools

 

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Making decisions in the right state of mind

We were at a wine tasting recently when, after a few rather large glasses, I told a friend that I would like a puppy! She immediately organised a visit to meet our potential new pet the next day. Now for those of you who know me, I am far from a dog lover. What was I thinking!? Luckily, in a more sober state the following morning, I was able to explain that a puppy probably isn't the highest priority for us right now...

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Our fox

We have been watching a hole lately. The hole, which we suspect is a burrow, is about 20cm in diameter, is neatly maintained and runs under our driveway about 60 metres from the house. Recently, I decided to investigate what sort of animal might be calling this hole home. Instead of reaching into the hole and having a poke around, I conducted an internet search. I found that our hole most likely belongs to a badger or a fox. We suspect a fox because we have seen foxes in the valley before. Foxes are great predators for rodents (which is a good thing given the discovery in the shed this week) but we will need to be careful with the chickens that we plan to get in Spring...

 

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Organising

I love to organise. I have always needed to feel organised. It was a key skill during my "paid employment" life and continues to be useful here. Today I spent the day unpacking the last of the removal boxes and putting everything in a logical place. I now have my dinner sets exposed on a bench in the rustico instead of hidden in paper and cardboard. I also have a rustic candlestick on our dining room table and a 1970s lamp on our bedroom drawers. I took the opportunity to make a few hard decisions on items that I could live without and placed these items in boxes to donate to a second hand stall at the market. Now why did I choose today to go on an organisation binge? Well, it is slippery outside. When I ventured out this morning, I ended up on my backside in the snow twice, and sheepishly returned to the safety of the house with a wet bum and a twisted wrist. So, I then loitered in the library, selecting a few books about living in Italy, decorating old houses in Italy and entertaining. Over a macchiato from our wonderful Nespresso machine, I perused these books and discovered new inspiration. Then I crept into the cold and damp rustico to rediscover what delights were hidden therein...

 

 

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The spring before the snow?

Before the snow came, we had a few exquisite blue sky days. So much so that we spent the afternoons outdoors. Stu moved firewood from inside the shed to an extended woodpile, taking the opportunity to split some of the larger pieces with his new wood splitter. At one point, I heard a yelp and looked up to see him jumping and spinning backwards out through the shed door. When I enquired about this strange behaviour, he said a rat had just run past his hand. We crept back into the shed together to find several nests made of ripped plastic, rope, bubble wrap and old gloves! Stu used a rake to move the wood from then on...

Above: Stu with his new toy...a wood splitter...and his extended woodpile

Above: the materials used by the rats for their nests

 

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Snow shovelling again...and again...

Day 3 of shovelling...and we made it down to the barrier...only to find that the rest of the drive was the same. So we walked and kicked the snow the rest of the way, Stu in one car track and I in the other. This will help to crush the snow and expedite the big melt! Later that afternoon we set off to town on foot and will again walk out today...

 

 

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Snow shovelling again!

Yesterday I was enraptured with the snow. Today, I am slightly less enraptured, having spent the last two hours throwing snow around with a snow shovel.

Before we ventured out of the house, we had dreams of clearing right down the driveway...but there was so much of it that after two hours we were still doing around the house, just enough to create two tracks for the car to turn around in. Then, when Stu tried moving the car, the bottom of the car scraped on the snow and the whole car slid sideways anyway!

So, despite our best efforts, we appear to be quite snowed in...

 

 

 

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Snow again!

A few days ago, the weather forecast threatened half a metre of snow! Anticipating that we might be snowed in for a few days, we spent the morning buying up at the market and grocery store. With the fridge and cupboard well stocked, we waited. When the snow started, it continued all day but stopped overnight. The next morning, it started again and continued all day again. Watching snow fall is something that this Australian will never tire of...although looking out of the window during all of one's daylight hours does tend to waste a day...

 

 

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Trying not to panic in the centre of a mountain

There is nothing quite like being in a train that comes to a stop somewhere deep under the alps. That is where we found ourselves yesterday. We had made a quick trip to Switzerland and were on our way back through the Gotthard tunnel when there was a sudden flash of bright light outside my window. There followed a loud boom before the train slowed to a halt and the lights dimmed. After a minute or so, the driver announced that "we have technical problems". A few minutes later "we are waiting for an electrician". I found myself having unwelcome thoughts. The first focused on the likelihood that one of my fellow passengers was an opportunistic murderer. It wasn't long before I progressed to the probability that the tonnes of rock above us would crumble. Thus I spent a good 30 minutes of my life before the train moved off again. While the delay had given me precious time in which to contemplate life, it also meant that we missed 2 other train connections and the trip home (which normally involves 3 trains and 5 hours) involved 6 trains and 10 hours!

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Snowfall

Many apologies for being decidedly "absent" over the last month. I have spent a very busy and joyful time with my older sister and her family who came to stay! While there were many highlights, the single most memorable one for my two nephews simply must be the heavy snowfall they experienced a few days before they left.

The white vineyards near our place

The white roofs in Canelli

 

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Anchovies

Mmm...Marinated anchovies at Savona....The taste of the Mediterranean...

 

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