Tag Archives: F Says…..

Possibilities

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Yes, I want it, of course I want it.

He came up with it.

“I think it’s Paola’s flat,” he said.

I agreed to ask Rita, our “door lady”/concierge, downstairs.

We discussed the cost and we guessed at the “spese” (building expenses). We estimated that the cost would be rather good, actually, and we’d be quite lucky to find somewhere of the same sort of size for that price.

I didn’t even know he was looking but he had found it on the internet. In fact, after we had spent so much time together over Christmas, I’d thought that, maybe, he’d gone off the idea. It seems not.

The cost of moving would be very cheap on the basis that most of my stuff would be moved across the hallway.

Of course, it’s not perfect but it has 2 bedrooms, a small studio, a very large and beautiful lounge/diner. It could work.

We’d both save money on rent and I’d still be in the area that I love.

It’s a real possibility.

Rita said that it hadn’t been “restored” after Paola had done her damage when she left. But, I guess, if they found someone to take it, they would do that quite quickly.

So, let’s see. It would be much more convenient.

And the dogs would be much happier.

It could be really good.

Not everything goes according to plan.

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Well, that didn’t quite go as expected.

The problem is that I don’t think like him. I mean to say, when I saw him cleaning the place where the tree was to go, I thought, “Oh yes, of course, I could have done that” but, until I saw him cleaning, it never crossed my mind that it would be necessary.

In fact, I would never have thought of it. Nor, in future, will I think of it. My brain just isn’t wired that way.

And, so he got annoyed.

And then, one set of lights didn’t work.

And so he gave up. But all that was after the “getting stroppy” bit which meant that I had already given up. There’s simply no talking to him and, certainly, no reasoning with him once it gets to this stage. He is a practical person and I am a man of words and numbers. It’s really that simple.

So, the Christmas tree is in place with some lights on and that’s all.

The rest will be done when he returns on Thursday. Or, maybe, he will wait until Friday.

I think we do need to have a discussion about how he is like an apple and I am like a piece of rock, if you see what I mean. Even if he knows this already.

The preparations continue

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So, he is very happy. The carpenter guy came round last night and fixed the lamp in the bathroom. Now he can clean it properly and it’s brighter and the mirror is higher and the wires are hidden.

We’re, maybe, almost ready. Apart from the cleaning. Followed by the extra cleaning and the re-cleaning.

Oh, yes, and the tree.

He was going to get a tree from the market (the ones he turned down two weeks ago because a) it was too early and b) they were too expensive) – except that they had no more small trees left and the price of a big one was €120!

He said he was going to ‘phone round’ and see what he could get but me, being me, no longer quite trusted that he would do it. I asked if he wanted me to ask someone here, at work, if there was anywhere to get one. He said ‘yes’, confirming to me that he wouldn’t do it.

So, at lunchtime I went to a place I know and found some. I phoned him to say that I had found one and had bought it. At which point he told me that he HAD phoned and there were some at the place they use for the shop in town.

If I had known I wouldn’t have spent my time driving around at lunch and he probably would have got a nicer one for, although it’s OK, it’s not as “perfect” as the one I got last year from the market. Grrrr

Still, we have it now. I can imagine he will want to decorate it this evening. We shall see.

FYI, my “illness” is proceeding. It will soon not cause me any really bad feeling but just be annoying. To be honest, it’s already annoying.

Ah well.

I’m iller than you are!

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Of course, there is one downside to being a gay man.

This is that your partner is a man.

Men are notoriously bad when it comes to being ill. Italian men worse (imho).

So, here I am, suffering with “man flu” (i.e. a slight cold) and, instead of being able to really suffer, I find myself in a situation where F is “worse” than me.

I have this cold (as it was formally known before all illnesses had to be “the worst thing that has ever happened to you so far”) and F has stomach ache.

Of course, his is worse than mine.

So, he is at home and I am at work because, of course, if one is to suffer, one has to suffer properley. Suffering properley means that one must “soldier on” making sure that everyone knows that you are being a hero whilst, at the same time, trying to hide it. This doesn’t mean hiding it but rather, being subtle about making sure that your partner (and, in my case, colleagues) know that you are being a hero and passing it off as “nothing really”. By being the hero, in the normal course of events, it would illicit messages of sympathy and care but, in this case, I get nothing because he is feeling worse than me and my Italian colleagues have absolutely no concept of this “soldiering on” thing. Bloody Italians.

Bah, bloody humbug.

Of course, my cold is because I went out on Friday night without a hat or umbrella. And it was raining cold rain. So, Sunday morning I woke up with this bloody thing that I now have

On the bright side, it should mean that it is all cleared up by Friday and that I won’t be coming down with any other lurgy for Christmas.

Still, it’s a bit of a bugger that, on one of the very rare occasions that I AM actually a little ill, I can’t exploit it for all it’s worth!

Painting at midnight! No, not me, of course.

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Of course, there is a huge difference between me and him and between living with him and living with V.

For certain things, he has to do them NOW!

I’m more of a ‘OK that’s enough, the rest can be done later’ type of person.

He phoned me about 9.45.  He asked if I had taken the dogs out.  I hadn’t.  He had been to IKEA.  The light from the bathroom (if you’re a long-term reader of this blog you may remember the ‘incident’ from a year ago) is nearly falling off.  It needs replacing.  He had bought a new light.  He’s going to get someone to fix it properly.  Plus he got some other things.  It will all go towards making the flat ‘just perfect’ for our visitors on Boxing Day.

He said he was coming with the car and to come down and collect the stuff.  Just after 10 I took the dogs out.  I had been pretty busy all evening, clearing out the cupboard and the old fridge (destroyed by Piero) and reorganising (and a bit of cleaning) ready for the new fridge.

I didn’t put everything away again because I needed to discuss it with him.  I also needed to discuss some other things – like the money I owed him and the fact that I have invited a couple to use his flat over the Christmas period.  I mean, I know he’ll be fine about it but it’s to let him know.

He went to drop off the car at the office and then came straight to me.

He looked at the reorganised kitchen.  The wall behind where the cupboard HAD been was not painted.  He decided it must be painted.  My heart sank.  It was already 10.45 and I really did need to go to bed.  This is the point at which I would have said ‘OK well let’s see what can be seen after the new fridge comes’ – because it is much taller and, I suspect, the unpainted part of the wall will be covered by it.

But, as I know, once he has some idea about organising or cleaning or decorating, it is quite useless to try and talk him out of it.  It’s better to just let him get on with it.

I said that I was really sorry but I had to go to bed.  He understood.  Or, rather, he said he understood.  Telling me to go to bed more than once (whilst I was preparing coffee for the morning, cleaning my teeth, preparing my clothes for the morning, etc.)  He started painting and I went to bed.  I forgot to tell him to leave everything and I would put the cupboard and old, destroyed fridge back in the morning.  I decided that this was not quite the right time to talk about all the other things.

And this morning, everything was clean and tidy.  Everything was done.

Since I started writing this post, the new fridge has been delivered and cleaned by him and he has gone to work.

Tonight, before Christmas cards are started (see the new stamps below), I will put everything back.

And we have a new way of stopping TBP (That Bastard Piero) from getting to the plug and destroying the new one so, hopefully, it shouldn’t happen again.

In the meantime, I must try and remember to tell him about the friends that might come, the fact that I might not be able to get a Christmas tree and some other things like that.

 

Nearly there, I think …….I hope.

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Of course, it’s not really finished at all. But we’re getting there. Saturday was the lounge. Now, all that MUST be done before Christmas is the bathroom, which is not an easy room to do.

Still, bless him, even if it’s for him really.

The pictures were put back up – but in an order he likes – all neat. It does look better, of course, and it is the kind of thing he does for a living, so it’s easier for him.

But it was the whole day on Saturday. I shall be quite glad when it’s all finished and I can have Saturday’s to myself again.

It would be the main drawback about living together. No real time to myself. And I never thought I’d ever think like that.

But, from something that happened last week, I’m now pretty sure that he has taken to ‘living’ with me and using his place as more of a ‘private studio’. So, if we did move in together, we would have to have at least one or two more rooms.

He doesn’t want to get the tree until about the middle of December. Although he loves the tree and decorations, he doesn’t really like the ‘mess’ that goes with it.

I’m going to cook chicken this Christmas because he’ll eat that (or, at least, he’ll eat the breast). And, assuming that P&A will come on Boxing Day, I’ll do Roast Beef with all the trimmings.

I have to be honest, I am really looking forward to Christmas.

A no-painting Saturday

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There was no painting because, until Saturday evening, there was no F, being as he was in Germany.

I went to pick him up from the airport, with the dogs. Piero was sick on the way back. It was unexpected because, after the first couple of times, he was fine going to and from Carrara. Ah well, poor thing, I shall have to remember that he’s still a little bit dodgy when it comes to car travel.

However, they were very pleased to see him, as was I.

And, although nothing particular got done over the weekend, I quite enjoyed it and felt quite happy this morning.

Work soon changed that, even if I was busy this morning.

This weekend, apparently, will be the lounge.

Christmas is coming …..

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Further to my post about Amazon and my desire NOT to use them, I have to tell you that it’s actually quite difficult. I found a website – The Book Depository – who were independent – until being swallowed by Amazon. I ordered from them anyway. I found Powell’s – but it’s an American site.

It seems that Amazon have got the market pretty well stitched up. I’m still working on it.

But, back to Christmas presents. One thing was bought months ago. Unfortunately, he saw one of them in a shop abroad and said they were not that good. Oh well, it’s bought now.

Then there’s the turntable. This is proving more difficult. I have delved around the Internet and found a couple that are good contenders – but trying to find a shop (any shop) in Milan that might stock anything like them, is proving difficult. I may have found some but I’ll have to go and look. Luckily, they’re quite near my flat.

Then there is the problem of other things. In past years, buying DVDs or books means a trawl through the Amazon site but as I said above, I am making a concerted effort NOT to use them.

Then I shall buy him an Italian version of the movie “Up” – if I can find it. He liked the version I played to him – but it was in English and it would be better for him in Italian.

Other things must be thought of. But it’s difficult when every Saturday is the dreaded painting.

Last Saturday, it was the hall. But, I must admit, it’s looking a lot better. We reorganised the furniture so now it looks (and is) much larger.

He has been saying to people that he is looking forward to Christmas and having a tree and cooking (which he generally doesn’t like) and being with the dogs. Me too. I will buy the tree but, of course, he will decorate :-)

And the flat will be newly painted and very clean, of course.

But, for now, the getting of the presents is the most important thing.

And finding an alternative to Amazon would be good, if anyone has any bright ideas.

I was exhausted

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It will rain all day on Saturday so I can’t escape to the park with the dogs :'(

As someone pointed out – it’s the wrong time of year for it.

Not the weather, of course. The weather is typical.

Last Saturday, it was still the wrong time of year but, at least, it wasn’t raining.

Saturday.

Morning.

Too early. I was told to take the dogs out for a walk.

I came back and he had already started. He hasn’t even dressed – just in underpants and T-shirt. He stays like this all day. I busy myself with going shopping, doing bits and pieces, occasionally responding to requests for something or for something to be held or for something to be found or something moved.

I also sit in the chair just outside the kitchen. Playing a game on my telephone, smoking, being bored. But there’s not a lot else I can do.

When it’s finished, I am completely exhausted. My legs feel as if I have been up the ladder all day. I can barely walk – and, yet, I have done very little towards the actual ‘work’.

This Saturday it is the turn of the hallway. He didn’t really like the orange wall in the kitchen but painted it the same anyway. I think it was a compromise. He definitely DOESN’T like the red-painted alcove in the hallway – but it will still be red after Saturday. I told him that I liked it, which I do and, if you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you will know that it was one of the reasons I fell in love with the flat.

So it will remain red.

This Saturday will be different. This Saturday I will be cleaning everything which has been moved out so that, when it’s put back, it will be clean. Apparently.

And, yes, it IS the wrong time of year – but it’s necessary, apparently, for Chirstmas.

He is already planning the tree. We have talked about his main present (it is a turntable to permit him to digitalise his vinyl record collection – and, as a by product, he will be able to digitalise mine too (although he doesn’t know that yet :-) )). We have talked about my present (which will be a new television).

But, Christmas preparations are a seperate post, I think.

For this one is about preparing the flat. And, this year, it’s not just a clean. It’s a paint-job.

So, kitchen down. Hallway this Saturday. Lounge the Saturday after. The bedroom the week after. Really it’s for him and, quite possibly, so that he can have his friends over during the Christmas period.

Christmas has never been this much of a pain in the arse. Nor as exhausting.

Slight renovations

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It is approaching Christmas and, as usual, the house will require a complete clean.

Not from my point of view, you understand?

However, it is nearly time.

This year will be slightly different as, before the ‘Chirstmas clean’ comes a new and unexpected twist.

Apparently a clean will not suffice. This year it has also to be painted.

I may have mentioned this in the past, but DIY is NOT my thing. I do my best but changing a light bulb is a bit of challenge.

OK, so maybe I have exaggerated slightly – but when it comes to painting, there are two things that are guaranteed:

a) however careful I am, the finished painting will have runs. I am unable to fathom out how to paint without it running. And, trust me, I have tried and on more than one occasion.

b) there will be more paint on me than the walls/ceiling/wherever.

I have explained a). F said that he will do it – and he’s quite excited about it. Still, I am filled with dread. It means opening windows, the smell of paint, the mess. For me, the ideal way is to do this when I am away – someone comes in, does it all and I come back with everything done and complete.

It seems that, as this ‘weekend’ is a long weekend (from Thursday through to Sunday), it is the perfect time to do it.

I’m not really looking forward to it – but I suppose it’s better that, at least, I am not expected to actually hold a paintbrush!

Still, you can wish me luck, if you like?