For weeks now, I have been thinking that the links to other blogs needs a serious spring clean. In spite of this not being Spring, it really can’t wait.
A tidy up
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Tag Archives: Friends and Inimies
Monopoly; Snow; Fat Feet; An Outing At Work!
I won! Since this happens rarely and certainly if V is playing (since he nearly always wins) it was quite something. It was a match arranged by V with some colleagues since one of them, L, was convinced he could take V on and beat him.
But I did like the ‘new’ way of making deals. L started it with the deal he gave to M, letting him complete the ‘dark-blue’ set on condition that he wouldn’t have to pay rent if he landed on them. Then I made a deal with him in a similar vein but also collecting 25% of any profit that he made during the game.
>However, my coup-de-grace was letting V have the final green one in place of a complete one and a half sides of the board! I knew that he wanted the greens so much that he would give anything to get the set.
And it snowed Sunday night, even in the centre of Milan. And it’s been very cold since then. I just HAVE to get another job because they don’t keep the offices warm enough for me. The forecast is for snow and rain from now until next weekend! Enough already! Roll on spring.
In other news: I think my feet have put on weight. It seems to be getting harder to get my socks on.
Also, I found this morning, yesterday someone at work found my blog. I was a bit concerned for a while but then I thought it must be Pietro. Luckily, perhaps, it was. However, whilst I was looking at all the sites they had visited, it did scare me for a while. Anyway, now that he has found it perhaps I should include his blog on my links on the side? Nice to see you Pietro!
A cunning plan, maybe?
I should be grateful for my life, even if, at times, it does not go so well. After all, there are many people who are worse off. One ‘blog’ friend is ill and I have yet to find the right words (indeed, any words) to express how sorry I am. Another friend is not ill so much as just not quite themselves. If only I lived a little closer.
Cheese and Celery and other rambling
V brought back some strong cheddar cheese from when he went back to the UK recently.
We already had celery in the fridge and, the other night, we had cheese and celery and a nice glass of Nero D’Avola. I had forgotten how good cheddar cheese was.
Next week I am back in Wolverhampton for a couple of days. Unfortunately, with three colleagues, so I won’t be able to visit S nor go and see V’s family (although, on that front, everything is not too bad).
However, I will be able to buy some cheese, and bacon, and sausages and, maybe some other stuff, so there is a bright side. My colleagues have a list of stuff that they want to buy. Maybe I can encourage them to go to Primark too!
V has some sort of internal interview early next week. We don’t know what for, exactly but we are hopeful. Apparently, there were jobs that V has been put up for (secretly, of course, Siamo in Italia) but the language was considered a barrier.
Nothing further on my job front but one can always keep one eye open, just in case. Although, it seems, the only way to make some real money is run the business yourself and I consider that a tad difficult in this Bel Paese.
Something or nothing?
This weekend I was, sort of, half-offered 2 jobs. That’s nice. One of them, unfortunately, I couldn’t take. The other, well, who knows, it’s early days yet.
Bored/Fed-up
No, not me. I’m really busy and have no time to be bored, although I am incredibly tired.
Mantova, Subbuteo, Eating
Well, today, we go to Mantova to the Festivaletteratura. We have been going for about 5 years now and every year it gets easier as we understand more each time.
Post 200; Mongolian Barbeque and other food for the weekend; Clowny WILL be a real word!
Well, first, this is the 200th (published) post!* Considering I have been doing this blog for a number of years, 200 doesn’t seem that much. But it is some sort of milestone, I guess.
My 2nd week back at work and, the weekend just gone was also back to normal, if not busier.
Friday we were supposed to go and see FfI, who had the really bad accident at the end of July. However, she was on new drugs and very groggy so it was rearranged for Saturday. Then, on Saturday morning, A texted to suggest the Mongolian Barbeque restaurant. We agreed. So it was, kind of, apero at FfI’s about 5, then 9.30 we were at the Mongolian Barbeque. What a great place.
We had starters, which were “pick your own”. I chose a few small meatballs with a gravy with some roast potatoes and, incredibly, they tasted just like faggots. Now I really love faggots – you know, Brains – and we can’t get them here, so I was delighted to taste these.
Then we went up, selected our raw meat and then gave it to the cooks to griddle. And it all tasted superb. All this for a fixed price of €18. Great value for money. Even better for Sunday Lunch where the fixed price is €12. It doesn’t include drink but it’s still not bad.
The only thing to remember is that, should you not eat everything on your plate that you have chosen, they make a surcharge of between €5-10! Can’t say I blame them really as it ensures that people don’t just pile their plate and leave a load of stuff to be thrown away. However, this is a bit of a struggle for V who, as normal with free food, takes much more than he needs – and then can’t eat it! So he spent a while trying to convince everyone else to take some. Luckily, there was A – who is more like a human dustbin!!
Anyway, the food was very, very good and the experience of queuing up and watching your food being cooked, is also good. Worth checking out. It’s on Via Monte Nero in Milan, should you choose to go. Do book as it’s very popular.
Sunday was a really nice brunch with N followed by a surprise visit by friends from the UK who were catching flights back today. For the price of a nice Indian meal they stayed with us. And it was great to see them.
V was explaining about Dino to them, with the usual, ‘I never wanted another dog’ and he actually said ‘he does many clowny things!’. Now, I’m not sure why he said it. Nobody picked up on it and I said nothing. Maybe he remembered the word when we played scrabble that time with S & P. The story is that, in order to get a decent score, I made up the word and, although P, in particular, was sure it was a made-up word, no-one challenged me officially for fear of losing a go.
I made a very good explanation of why it was a real word, even though I knew that it probably wasn’t.
Anyway, now that V has said it to others, I’m sure that, in a few years, it will enter the dictionary and become a real word. And, when it does, you will know that I invented it!
It seems a perfect end to my 200th post, don’t you think?
* Unfortunately, not any more. I have deleted some posts since the move here. This is probably somewhere around the 195th post now.
Drinking milk – a warning
K: Can I drink the rest of this milk, please, Mum? (a small jug of previously warm milk used for Caffe Macchiato).
S: Sure.
V: You shouldn’t drink hot milk that has cooled. It will make you ill.
All (OK, probably just me): What?
V: Drinking milk that was heated and has gone cold makes you ill.
A: Did you make that up?
V: Hmm. Maybe, yes. When I was young.
Dragonflies: Montevecchio
We were up at Montevecchio the other evening (not really a place I would recommend) and walking around the cobbled streets when I saw so many dragonflies doing their acrobatic, helicopter thing above us and over the vines laden with unripe grapes.
Then again, yesterday, in the park with the boys, a load of them in the sun chasing their food.
In Montevecchio, we were with A and F. He actually asked if they bite!
I must say that they have got to be one of my favourite insects.
We found somewhere to eat. Called Il Rustico it was exactly what it said on the tin – rustic. Unfortunately, the food was too.< Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it was more than disappointing and V & I commented, to each other, that, even though people consider Milan to be expensive, we could have had a far better meal in Milan for the price. Even A & F agreed that the food was well below par. Give Montevecchio a miss. Now back to cleaning and general household chores. Oh joy.