My mood is like the weather, sombre and grey.  Spring?  Where the hell is it?

Its enough, I say.  The worry, the greyness, both outside and in, the oppressiveness, the crushing weight.  Sunday night, I was up at 3 (or now the clocks have gone forward, 4) and read for an hour and a half or so, Rufus climbing up on my knee because that’s what he’s always done when I was up in the night and its not so warm yet that he gets too hot.  He didn’t curl up like he does, sometimes, but lay there wanting to be stroked.  I read.  The book is Freakanomics.  I should finish it in the next few days.  I’ve still got to finish the Shield of Achilles.  I still remember how the author, at Hay, was such a good speaker that I bought the book.  He made it sound exciting – a mixture of International Law and History, but really exciting.  The book, on the other hand, although it has its moments, fails to quite spark, unlike his oratory, which, quite frankly, crackled.  And the book is long.  I mean a really hefty tome.  The most interesting bit, I hope, is going to be at the end when he will describe the state that we are now in, that being the Mercantile State and his prediction, then, of the terrorism that is occurring now.  Really it is the only reason that I am still wading through it and I’m not one of those that skips parts of a book to get to the parts I want to read.

And then there are the ebooks.  I’m not that keen on the idea of not having a physical book in front of me, but I have managed to come across some reasonably good ebooks.  It’s a bit like those of you who watch soap operas or series on TV.  You just can’t wait for the next installment.  And the anticipation is all part of the enjoyment of them.

Last night I was up at 11.45, owing to message that V received on his phone.  I swear to God that if it happens tonight I’ll flush the bloody thing down the toilet.  I was up until about 2.  I finished Freakonomics and read a little more of SoA.

So, I was thinking what to write, given that I am finding it hard to write anything at all, this being similar to last year and all.  And I decided I should list some of the slightly strange (unknown until I lived here) facts about Italy and Italian life in no particular order.  Please note that I may have some of them slightly wrong and am grateful to any Italian who can correct any of them.  Also, some of these may have been mentioned in previous entries, for which I apologise in advance.

1. Women, when they get married, nearly always keep their maiden name.
2. Cappuccino is only ever drunk until about 10.30 a.m.  Milk (and in this case, very milky coffee) is for babies and breakfast.
3. Children go to school early (about 8.30) but also finish about 1 p.m. when they then do outside activities.
4. It is a Saint’s day every day and many Italian calendars will give you the name of the Saint for each day.
5. Most people (I guess it’s still true) are named after a Saint and celebrate the Saint’s day as well, which is not the same as their birthday.
6. Most Italians seem to think they are philosophers – no, really!
7. Graffiti is on nearly every building and yet, I have never, ever, seen anyone actually doing it.
8. When you say ‘cheer’ (cin cin (pronounced chin chin)) to another as you clink your glasses, you are supposed to look them directly in the eye else it is bad luck/bad form, or something.
9. Pasta is only eaten as a primo (a sort of large starter).
10. People have preferences as to which pasta shape and type they prefer.
11. Every Italian knows the best place to get pizza (although they are all different).
12. Italians can be quite racist (but then, they never had an empire).
13. Before WWII, Mussolini apparently said that the English ‘were eating 5 meals a day’ (Italy had sanctions imposed because they had invaded Libya and Ethiopia and there was a shortage of food) as a way to drum up hatred for the British.
14. Each region (and, in a lot of cases, each town and village) seem to have speciality dishes that you rarely find anywhere else in Italy.
15. Bureaucracy is everything here.
16. Until a few years ago you had to ‘renew’ (pay some money and get a stamp) your driving licence every year and you must still do that for passports.
17. When you buy or rent a flat, often it will come with no furniture and I mean nothing at all except, maybe bathroom fittings.  It is common to take your fitted kitchen with you when you move!
18. Hidden costs are everywhere.  An example (until very recently, or very soon to stop) was the €5 charge when you topped up your mobile telephone.
19. You must carry your identity card (if you’re Italian) with you everywhere.  If you don’t have an identity card (i.e. you’re not Italian) you must carry a form of identity, with your photograph, with you at all times.
20. Swear words use parts of the male anatomy rather than the female anatomy.
21. Mussolini was hanged in a piazza about 15 minutes walk from our house.  There is no commemoration plaque as far as I am aware.
22. Spinning is the word they use when they talk about using a cycling machine at the gym.
23. The word relax is used, normally, as an adjective rather than a verb.
24. Many Italians have a problem with foreign food and will actively seek out Italian restaurants when going abroad – just like many Brits, eh?.
25. Central heating is only allowed to be turned on when the local council says so.  And they can come and check your house!

Anyway, that’s enough for now.  I’m hoping to be feeling a bit better and more positive soon but last year it did last several months.