Narrowboatboy’s Big, Bad Blog...Narrowboat & Travel blog based on Lancaster Canal

Experiment 1

Now, getting towards the end of the week it was time to step it up and the Barbierro was the weapon of choice for today, a nice little multi-functional tractor. With the front end mower attached it was a nimble tool for cutting around the olive trees. Later, with the rear roller and mower combination it was time to tackle the big field at the front. The woods at the rear are extensive, unexplored yet by us, but they continue right over to lake Trasimeno and into Umbria. Walkers and mountain bikers use the paths occasionally. Tuscany, however, has a serious wild pig (cinghiale) problem  and I think the majority of them seem to live here in these woods. They come down at night in large numbers and root around the property, leaving tell tale holes and trotter tracks. Plans are afoot to curtail the nocturnal activities of the tasty little porkers ....but not just now so we  headed up the hill to for our evening meal at trattoria 'La Grotta', hidden down one of the man...

Across a Wire.... The outside light, which is the home of an old crow, hasn't worked for ages so the first job of the morning was to take it down and find out why. On inspection, it revealed that the crow was indeed dead, deceased, no longer with us, devoid of life, insentient, departed from this world, passed on etc etc....and the light fitting was not much better! Off we trolleyed in the pickup into our nearest town, Camucia. We have got to know Camucia quite well now so it wasn't a problem finding some new fittings in the little electrical shop to make the repair. Being a Thursday we also knew from past experience that Thursday in Camucia was market day and market day meant it was Porchetta day!  The porchetta man gets through two whole pigs in a morning and sells the speciality cooked meat sliced directly off the pig on the stall, it has been seasoned with garlic, rosemary, fennel and olives and packed into a bun and tastes Buonissimo! ...

The sun came out again today, and it came streaming through the window as soon as the shutters opened in the morning. Shorts donned and coffee consumed and we poured out into the garden to see what the day's activities would inspire us. The iris beds up the sides of the drive had become heavily overgrown and choked so we set about digging them out....Jeez, 3 hours later we had only done a few feet so after lunch we needed a new plan. Out came the Briggs & Stratton rotavator to speed up the work. By the end of the afternoon we had done the lot.  There is about 15 acres with the property, lots of terraces and lawns and the upkeep to keep it looking well is immense. The good thing for us is that all the work is outside in the sunshine so it doesn't really feel like it's a chore, in fact it's not a chore at all...it's therapeutic and an enjoyable way to spend the days. By teatime its become chilly, so it's inside the farmhouse where the fires have b...

La Cesa There's always plenty to do at La Cesa.  http://www.lacesa-tuscany.co.uk/ It's a fourteenth century converted farmhouse situated in the south of Tuscany just below the medieval hilltop town of Cortona which will no doubt get covered later in the week. It's a sanctuary we will call home for a few days while we lend a hand in the gardens and explore the surrounding rural area. It's also a holiday let so jobs need to done to get the place looking its best following the devastation caused by the windy winter months. Tree surgery, stump grinding, trimming, cutting, pruning, rotavating and anything remotely agricultural goes around here.  Today the Wisteria that covers the house, pergola and pool had a serious haircut and we get to add a few foot to the already massive bonfire that we aim to have later in the week. It's time now for that glass of wine at the kitchen table. Today's track came to mind while hacking down the huge amount of ol...

Pisa.  Famed almost entirely for its under-average sized cock-eyed Tower mobbed every hour by hoards of visiting tourists wrapped in puffy jackets, clutching maps and slices of pizza buying plastic replicas of the erection and tea-towel souvenirs from tacky street stalls. Here you also have to be very wary of getting a poke in the eye from a misguided selfy stick in the vicinity of the basilica! Seen it, done it, bought the tea-towel so we don't now bother with that end of town anymore... The airport is very handy for the centre of Pisa. Our chosen method of travel to get there is generally best experienced standing, pressed up against the windscreen, on an eight minute white knuckle ride on the local 'PisMover'; a hilariously named mode of transport that always brings a childish smirk when one sees the name on the front of the bus. From here, only a few streets away lies  Alessandro Della Spina, a small Italian hotel to allow us to have a night out ar...

It would appear that previous trips that have not attracted any blogging have given rise to a proportion of criticism from what I can only describe here as sad individuals with very little going on upstairs...oh well, you know who you are and I intend to make amends with some literal ramblings throughout the latest trip while returning to Italy. The half hour delay leaving John Lennon gave enough time to peruse through the in-flight magazines and Sunday supplements inspiring and tempting me to buy a plethora of desirable items, never previously considered, but now, by clever marketing jargon and in a relaxed state from the airport bar I can't help but find them totally irresistible.  How could I not want a half price pair of Ultimate crease and water resistant fabric pleated slacks in French navy with a complimentary slip on apron trim shoe with elastic inserts for easy foot entry?...both claiming total maximum comfort and support for the regular wearer. Or A lim...