Rambling Man...

This last week I decided to get some walking in so I have been out daily exploring the abundant tracks and trails that connect the forests around this area that cover the higher ground. I also had a companion to carry out this task, one with experience of all the sights, sounds and smells of the local forests, namely Rosita, a local Jack Russell. 

These forest tracks are used frequently by walkers, Mountain bikers and enduro riders. Mainly though, the local hunters use them for seeking out the Cinghiale and deer and are vehicle wide so make easy hiking routes. Connections can then be made on smaller, interesting paths that climb up and down deeper through the woods frequently used by porcupines and hares....and lions and tigers and bears!...oh my!

With a dog, a stick, a notebook and google maps loaded on th’ipad I set off on my mornings ramble to find and connect the paths. Using coloured spent shotgun cartridges as markers at junctions I traced and re-traced all the paths until I had walked and mapped the whole area by the end of the week.

A strong wind brought snow to the area by the end of the week but we weren’t deterred and my little companion thoroughly enjoyed herself!

Gaining height and finding clearings in the woods gaveus fantastic views below, across the Valdichiana towards Montepulciano, over to lake Trasimeno and up to Cortona.

Oh naive little me
Asking what things you have seen
And you're vulnerable in your head
You'll scream and you'll wail till you're dead

Today’s fabulous track is ‘Rambling man’, the first track I ever heard by British songwriter, Laura Marling and was immediately drawn in by her lovely voice, enchanting lyrics and sultry guitar. Here a hit from her 2010 album. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/1YXKWOTGskY

Harvest Moon...

Harvest 🌓 

Having just had the biggest super moon of the year at the end of January it inspired me to look into its influence on the gardening front. Spending more and more time outside digging and weeding as the days get longer it gave me the idea that maybe I should be adopting some celestial wisdom by taking a leaf out of the past. A time when wise old sages like Arthur Aristotle, founder of the veg patch, claimed that the moon was quite important and we should pay a little more attention to it.

The old theory goes like this....the moon has 4 phases during the calendar month and if you sow plants in the right lunar phase then they will grow stronger, be more productive, and in turn have more vitality and energy and resistance to pests.

Having not been born with ‘green fingers’ or a classic wispy beard my previous method of ‘bung stuff in and hope’ I felt, needed now to be addressed with these new revelations.

Around here they seem to pay attention to this ancient knowledge and using age old formulas passed down through generations, whether it be for pruning vines, planting crops or even having a haircut or having a party there is a way that has been adopted by many that follow some ‘earth rules’ so I have decided to give it a go too. If it was good enough for Pliney the Elder a few thousand years ago then it’s worth a try for ‘Gary the Trowel’, the new Arian Zodiac mind-warp moon-child of Cortona in 2018.

I browsed the ‘Old Farmers Almanac’, an impressive advisory resource and a leader in all things agricultural since 1792 and learnt that ‘leaf‘ crops need to be planted when the lunar cycle is a waxing ‘new’ moon and then ‘root’ crops go in after a ‘full’ moon when the moonlight decreases and before it starts to wane too much and this is when it’s good for the root growth. This ensures that seedlings get the benefit of the gravitational pull drawing up the water, increasing hydration at the right time and promoting healthy plants.

Ok, so that sounds simple enough and makes a fair bit of sense to me.

So lettuce have a look at the facts, stop ‘beeting’ around the bush and admit it’s thyme to turn over a new leaf....It could be complete claptrap, folklore or botanical boloney but modern science has not managed to disprove it yet. So armed with my new trusty ancient Etruscan ‘Moon gardening App’ I have calculated that if I dig my furrows at the right time my spuds will start to swell, my zucchini will reach a fine length and my prizewinning melons will be massive and be bursting with flavour in the coming months.

So as the werewolves start to howl and the suicide, arson and violent crime statistics rise, a shadowy figure will be digging furiously under the stars, backlit by the light of the silvery moon in a vain attempt to plant a few seeds that will lead to a bumper crop in the summer.

Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon’ was the obvious choice for this one!

https://youtu.be/n2MtEsrcTTs

Aries Traits: Enterprising, Incisive, Spontaneous, Daring, Active, Courageous and Energetic, the Aries are the proverbial infants, guileless and optimistic to the fault. However, they also are impatient, impetuous, vain, proud and egoistic”

The Community of Hope...

It had rained heavily over the past few days so it was a bonus to set off from Terontola with bright blue sky above. We headed south on the 2hr train trip to the capital, Roma.

No sightseeing today, just down for the match.

We wanted to see what sort of opposition ‘The Azzurri’ would be this year as we headed off to the Olympic Stadium in Rome for England’s opening match of the Six Nations 🏉.

At Orvieto the train filled up with the local team and the beer and the pre-match banter started to flow. With a rendition of the ‘Tight Fit’ classic “The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ they tried to taunt us but admitted later it was an uphill battle supporting heir national team. They lived in hope so we wished them well at Rome Termini central station and skipped on a few stops on the metro to Flumicini and then walked the rest along the banks of the River Tiber up to the impressive Olympic Stadium. It was a full house for the 70 plus thousand inside and the game went pretty much to plan with a less than impressive performance from our lot but a 30 point clear win nevertheless.

Tonight, on the way back, the Moretti would taste a little sweeter!

Today’s track by Polly Harvey...

https://youtu.be/qsLqsqbObyg

Mr Pharmacist....

I woke this morning to the news that Mark E Smith from the band 'The Fall' had slipped off this mortal coil and I sorta knew what he must have been feeling....I also had not been well in the night and was starting to mull over my demise too.

I attended the obligatory Thursday market but this day I did not join the porchetta queue nor did I have my little cup of italian cofee in the corner cafe as my body was failing me this day, so I returned home with only a kilo of fresh oranges and a bag of yellow spuds....not that I would be enjoying them!

I needed to return to my bed, to be able pass over naturally and comfortably and with some dignity...i was already cold, rigor-mortis no doubt and I could feel the grip of my self diagnosed disease taking hold of me...,I knew I definitely had the 'Consumption' and I wouldn't have too long left in this green and promised land of milk and honey...and olive oil..and tomatoes...etc etc

Even Charlie from Casualty can't save me now!

I took a last look at the crucifix above the door and lay back, closing my eyes as a lone church bell tolled in the distance and i pulled the thick duvet over my head like a makeshift shroud and finally folded my arms across my chest. For the first time felt I was at peace. I had put on the electric blanket so it could warm my lifeless body and I lay back and imagined quietly what it must be like to slide slowly through the curtains and into the flames of the cremation oven when the time comes....as the temperature started to rise I found I couldn't breathe, I was sweating, the heat from the blanket was stifling so I panicked and burst back out gasping for air!

How long is this going to take?

Next I thought it might be an idea to refresh myself with a few words from the good lords book so I fumbled about in the bedside cabinet and called for my last rights and testament to be read out to me....I lay back once again, the book opened at a random page and as I focused my mind and listened intently, it started...."we are jolly well going to enjoy our supper together as Fanny has brought hard boiled eggs, bags of lettuce and lashings of ginger beer...."it read, .WHOAH,,,,,,,,!!!...hang on!

 These aren't the last words I want to hear on departure from this life!

I dismissed the High Priestess immediately and demanded silence for my final moments.

I turned my thoughts to my legacy...what was I going to leave behind?

An enormous wealth in an off-shore account?

Property and land amounting to millions?

A grieving Nation who would build a folly in my honour?

Oh, wait....Iv just remembered about the small cardboard box under the bed, an in it ....Ah, Yes...here they are....only 2 tickets for the England V Italy Six Nations game in Rome next weekend...Lazarus, get your coat!

https://youtu.be/Cl34oJEoO7s

There was only one track I could use for this one I suppose!

Mark E Smith RIP🎚

Go!...

The knights are long through the Tuscan winter months ....so there hasn’t been much to report on but I have been getting a bit of hassle from the great unwashed so I thought I’d better put finger to keyboard and make an effort!

Have recently had some endless hours hunched over a laptop trying to remember passwords, login details, checking emithers, proof reading, writing, re-writing, hosting. posting, inserting, cropping, copying, researching, scribbling, squabbling, linking, drinking.....Ring any bells?

I thought all this was in the past.....??

But allow us now to be able to shout from the top of our social media platform about the wonderful apartments we have to offer for the summer holidays.

It’s been a lot of hard work but we now have hosting and are live on Owners Direct, AirBnB, Facebook, Booking.com and of course our own website.

Researching the internet even turned up an extranet?WTF? and the whole caper has been a mind-field; up-loading, down-loading, hosting and boasting leading to blank screens, blank looks and error messages galore while all the time we were fully aware that a couple of clicks in the wrong direction and the whole thing would probably end up being hosted on the ‘Wish you were here’ pages of the mysterious dark web!

So when a murderous, axe-wielding ex-con goth meth-addict checks in for a week by the pool we would have only our self to blame !

It’s not our fault if he doesn’t get on with the other guests!

Bitcoin or Paypal?

Euro or Sterling?

Dollar or doughnut?

It’s all been a wondrous learning curve on the slippery slope of marketing our summer residences....

On a lighter note, the hens have settled in to their new home and are knocking out the odd egg as they learn to scratch about and use their Etruscan perches. However, productivity needs to go up or we will be forced to make more cuts than Carillon as we are now enforcing a strict....’If you lay...you stay’ policy in the henhouse so Bhaji, Kebab and Pie need to watch out!

Hunting season has finished now and hopefully the nearby bangs from the loud-stick I heard the other day has entitled me some respite from filling any more Cinghiale holes in for a while? The bloody body bag that arrived at the door the other day, I have to say, made a mighty fine ragu!!

We are continuing with learning the lingo too...

We now know our pollo from our galline,

our uova from our uva,

and our Aglio from our Olio.....still a long way to go!

Ciao for now

Todays track ‘Go!’ by Public Service Broadcasting, a track to reflect the ‘launch’ of our venture and a band with an aptly named title. Anyone who has not heard this amazing band should check them out as they do ‘themed’ albums, this one being ‘Space’.

https://youtu.be/BHIo6qwJarI

Winter Wonderland...

As the inevitable festive season approaches, we take a break from the Italian language lessons and I thought I'd slip in a quick blog before the year ends and before we push on into 2018 with more Brexit negotiations.

Here in Italy, Christmas is a much lower key affair than I have witnessed in the U.K. There isn't the same manic hysteria with people desperately panic buying packets of vol-au-vents, sausage rolls and bottles of egg-nog in the packed festive aisles. Here the supermarkets are flogging pallet loads of 'Panettone's and 'Pandora's, along with big prosciutto hams and strong sheeps cheeses....but strangely, no Port?

It only really starts to get underway here from 8th December, on the night of the much disputed and misunderstood 'Immaculate conception' actually, then it moves at a slower pace up to the main festive days.

Here there are a few seasonal decorations up on folks houses around here and they appear to be a little more reserved than us. Italians don't go mad crazy with the lights, trying to create a 'Griswold' effect, instead opting for religious Nativity scenes (Presepi), which are popular in the towns at the Christmas markets as this was made popular by 'Francis of Assisi', a cassock wearing old lad that lived up the road from here, near Perugia.

Christmas Eve traditionally is marked as 'fish' night, with Italians tucking into several courses and huge 'piatto's' with a variety of fishies....probably with chips, mushy peas and thick gravy and a sneaky battered sausage! Once all this is eaten they will be off up one of the many large churches to sing and chant and swing incense about in the traditional Catholic style they refer to as a 'Mass'.

On the day of the birth of Our Lord, a massive feast is prepared of pasta and meat courses, fizzy wine and stodgy cakes that probably take all day to eat and much like the UK I presume  various unwanted family members come round, get pissed and fill their faces until they are full to busting...then leave.

The 26th is known as 'Santo Stefano', and a public holiday too....I can only imagine that more eating and merryment takes place?

There is also a misconception that Italy is bathed in all year round sunshine...absolutely not!...Yes, it's generally sunny 😎 during the day but temperatures are cold now with most mornings very frosty. Outside the Cinghiale evade the local hunters and continue to dig up the frozen tundra that is now the Olivetti's and the pool remains frozen over....Brrrr! 

Winter field work continues here at La Cesa, clearing up in the woods, keeping ditches clear and composting all the leaves fallen leaves. 

Anyway, it's time to shut the door and crack open the sloe gin, catch up with the 'Peaky Fu**in' Blinders' while we chuck a few more hardwood logs on the house fires to keep out the cold, thus stopping 'Babbo Natale' squeezing his lardy 'pancetta' fat-ass down the chimney!

Buon Natale!

One for the kids....A bit of a vintage festive groove to get you in the mood from Doris Day.

https://youtu.be/SHE0Jo82_34

Sent wi' th'ipad

D.O.A.

Now back in Italy 🇮🇹 and the air is a little cooler in the evenings and even a little frosty early in the mornings. As the golden brown leaves continue to fall the place has an Autumnal feel about it.

Days are still bright and sunny.

We are now just into November so pinch, punch and it's time for a holiday!

Not for us, but it IS for the Italian folk, who seem to like a day or two off.

So, November the first is 'OgniSanti' or 'All Saints' day. 

This day was agreed ages ago when confusion reigned as there were so many different Druid and Pagan shenanigans going on that clashed with what the Christians and the other God botherers 🛐were up to, so the party police must have all held a general meeting and agreed on one day for all...' and cleverly came up with ...'All Saints' Day...ingenious!☯️

The next day, the Second, being my personal favourite, is 'Giorno dei Morti' or 'Day of the Dead'. ⚰️

Anyone who has seen the blood-fest Zombie trilogies in the 80's will definitely feel empathy with this as it's when the lost souls of all the deceased return to earth for one day to walk amongst us unseen and you are supposed to remember and welcome them and even set a place for them to have some lunch at the table.

Well I remember quite vividly what happened in 'Dawn of the Dead' and lessons have been learned.....there is no way I would have let that thing out of that cellar, let alone make it some dinner!

I for one will be wearing my special glasses and walking the streets with caution!

Traditionally, pumpkins and red candles are lit and the first roasted chestnuts are enjoyed.

DOA, a huge noisy track brought to you by US rockers, the 'Foo Fighters', 

play it loud to keep them pesky rotting corpses away!

Did toy with an AllSaints track for a title but couldn't find shit pop music in my personal archive!

https://youtu.be/_5loypOaRdA

Sent wi' th'ipad