adrift

A strange week, 21st August, harvest time.  I feel lost, adrift, unable to stay on a certain path, trying to make plans for work, home, last minute trips is impossible things just have to stay on hold.  We have had some cooler days which have been so welcome, so refreshing but so clearly signs of Autumn ahead.  So we are taking baby steps to plan for winter, the guys have been chopping and stacking wood, I have made 10 x litre bottles of homegrown tomato passata, the man has built our first raised bed in our side garden and the vegetable patch is looking tired.

I am planning autumn crafts and nice homely things mostly with Christmas in mind, I have sorted cupboards and have labelled boxes which are full of cards, ribbons and fabrics etc so I have no excuses for not getting on with things.

But still I am lost, my aunt died at the weekend she was young really 65 but had been slowly killing herself for several years, she was found dead alone most likely drunk.  We are waiting for the coroners report but I have to fly back to the UK to help my Grandma and Uncle (who are both disabled) organise the funeral etc.  So I can't seem to get on with things as I don't know when to fly back, or for how long and I have to fit in work commitments and the last precious weeks of the school holidays so all in all I feel heavy hearted and saddened for what lies ahead in the next few weeks and a life lost.

But, life here in our little spot in Tuscany is still beautiful and we are so lucky.  Today I will work for a few hours then bake and make soup as this will help restore my soul.  The girl is at her Grandparents which is truly wonderful as this is a rare treat for her and the boy is here finishing summer homework, the house is quiet and still which is lovely but very strange.  So now I will leave this page and take small steps into the rest of my day.

We will soon have a teenager in the house and it shows...

Sweet thank you's

Gratitude

Sleeping children in warm safe beds

Playful loving dogs

Hot soothing tea

Warm oversized dressing gown

Seedlings on the windowsill

Wood chopped for the fire

Freshly baked bread (made by tired Husband)

A few days off later in the week

The rain softening the soil

Second chances and fresh starts

Music and laughter

Curry in the freezer for tonight’s supper

A morning hug from the boy

Boxer dog kisses

Giggles from the girl’s room

Giant puppy hugs

A freshly cut lawn

The glasses that help the girl to read

Daffodils and iris blooms

This stunning part of Tuscany in which we live

Knowing we have each other

Siena and its buildings and cafes

Coffee in the piazza

Dreams and hopes

The possibility to change

Old sofas and old films

Parcels from Grandma

Summer review

Well even here in sunny Tuscany the seasons are on the turn, a cool breeze greets us in the morning and the nights are dark early. We are overwhelmed with things we must do to prepare for winter, as last year we were so frozen and gloomy. Today the kids are collecting kindling and weeping up pine needles and cones for fire-lighting, we have logs coming next week, and I am umming and agghing over hedgerow jam as we had few strawberries and cherries nd no peaches this year, so the jam will have to be a mongrel variety. Tempers are high in the house - a long summer this year, everyone tired and grumpy, I think some gentle down time ad nourishing is required. Tonight Shepherds Pie and Waltons I think. I have to buckle down on the work front as several new projects are starting this month - so sad to give up my time in the home but needs must so for the next year I will most likely be in the office (our shed) 4 days a week and will cram in the olives, walnut harvest and veg patch, crafts, cooking etc around my work and trips to the UK for meetings. Oh to just be able to stay at home in Italy..............




Spent yesterday in Firenze visiting the Aussies before they go on their travels, the girls had so much fun and number 1 boy was a star pushing a babe in the buggy all around Florence. I was so delighted to come home though, I just don’t do cities and Florence is so 'money grabbing' and pretentious I love my simple life here in the hills and when I need culture Siena is perfect, tranquil and more real. I am uploading our summer pics bites size chunks so as not to bore the pants of everyone xx

Home and Garden

I have been busy today making a cooked breakfast and a salmon pie for supper for dh as today is his birthday and later we are off iceskating in Siena followed by a concert at a beautiful castle near here.  Despite the ongoing festivities my mind is elsewhere - drifting into spring, warmer days, warm breezes to dry our clothes, sunny mornings full of birdsong and promise.  In reality I need to organise my home so that I feel less stressed and can function more easily.  Drying clothes at the moment is hell with no heating and constant rain - any wise ideas?

My plans for reorganisation are:

Structure my week and have set hours for each work project with deadlines that I keep (I am a PR and writer)
Sort out the kids room and get some better storage - baskets and boxes
Sort our towels and beddings into manageable heaps - no idea how other Mum's stay on top of this one
Have a weekly me night where I do girly twirly things like nails (rubbish at this one - always look like a gardener)
Wood pile - collect kindling and wood on daily dog walks
Get seeds in pots in readiness for the plot
Design the veg plot better as watering was hell last year
The office - agggggghhhh, somehow get some simple orderly systems in place
Painting - the whole house needs a lick of paint especially the bathroom and kids room
Books - ask dh to make some books shelves as we are looking like 'Black Books' at the moment
Cleaning - set up some kind of weekly system as I always feel so glum when we have tumbleweeds of dog hair rolling through the house
Time for us - make time once a month for just the two of us to wind down
Smell the roses - make myself stop and stare and take in the air
Enjoy the good and the bad the happy and the sad.....

Any advice on housekeeping most welcome as generally I dream of having an orderly home but have yet to find out how..  I love my life full of childrens laughter and animals and nature but sometimes a little structure might come in handy...

The kids are looking forward to TT's 5th birthday on Tuesday and the Befana celebrations on the 6th...... (infor from the web) Befana La Festa dell'Epifania (Epiphany - the 12th Night of Christmas) 6 January 2009. This festival is almost more popular among Italian children than Christmas itself. La Befana is a character in Italian folklore, similar to Santa Claus, who visits all the children of Italy on the eve of 6 January to fill their socks with sweets if they are good or a lump of coal if they are bad. The family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few local specialities for Befana. During the day, many children dress up as Befana and visit the neighbourhood in the hope of receiving a small gift of money or sweets. Some of the costumes are astonishingly good and should be suitably rewarded. A popular market, the Fiera della Befana, takes place each year between Christmas and the Epiphany in Piazza Navona in the centre of Rome, where toys, sugar charcoal and candies are sold for the Roman children. In the areas north of Lucca, groups of singers still go door to door singing befanate.