Be careful what you wish for ……………..

There’s a lot going on at the moment in the British press about the BBC.

It’s almost like there’s some sort of witch-hunt and it seems as if some newspapers won’t be happy until the BBC is disbanded.

But, in my opinion, that would be a huge mistake.

If it were to be broken up, there would be nothing to stop Mr Murdoch and, as well, the ‘dumbing down’ of TV that is usually blamed on the BBC, would accelerate to, well, the standard of most Italian TV.

I always think ‘be careful what you wish for as it might come true’.

There do seem to be a few voices trying to make themselves heard amongst this clamour for the destruction of the BBC – but they seem to be fighting an uphill battle.

In any event, Joni seemed to sum it up quite well ……


Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi

I was exhausted

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.

Last Thursday – Eating and Drinking – I’m in Italy, so what else would there be :-)

There’s this wine that we got last year. It’s delicious. I’m no wine expert but this is a smooth, deep-red, full-bodied, tasty wine. It’s called Roverone.

Last Thursday, we went to get more, with friends. The same friends who we were with last year. It’s a vineyard, set in the low hills south of Milan, between Pavia and Lodi. It’s still in Lombardy so it’s Lombardy wine they produce/sell. The vineyard is Nettare dei Santi. We got one bottle of white too, for F. The Roverone will be my wine for Christmas, for sure :-)

After we were there, we went to the same restaurant as last time, the Trattoria Righini, which I have posted about before.

You get served all at the same time, with many, many small courses. Having been there once already, i was much more careful this time – NOT to eat F’s left-overs and NOT to ask for seconds. I succeeded with the first but not always the second. In any event, we got there at 12.30 and left sometime after 4.30!

The food is fresh and they use in-season vegetables. You don’t get a choice of menus – you just decline (or in my case, accept) the dish they are serving you at the time.

In any event, we ate and drank far too much but it was fun and great food and drink and a rather wonderful day all together.

I did go and have a lie-down for an hour when I got home.

Also, I didn’t actually feel like eating anything at all until about yesterday!

p.s. I DID eat, of course, I just didn’t really WANT to eat :-)

Street Markets in Milan

Actually, this is all down to a colleague.

She wondered if I knew about a “very famous” (her words) street market in Milan. She gave me the address but the piazza name she gave me didn’t exist.

She can be annoying at times.

So I went on the hunt for somewhere which listed the street markets in Milan.

Everyday there is a market somewhere.

Perhaps the most ‘famous’ is Papiniano. This is on a Saturday near the canals (Navigli) and stretches up a couple of long roads. It sells clothes, mainly. Not all street markets are the same. The one near me (on a Tuesday) sells mainly fruit and veg although there are at least a couple of stalls selling the usual street market stuff (clothes, household goods, etc.).

In fact, people looking for somewhere that’s the equivalent of Primark, here, would do quite well to go to the Papiniano market, since we don’t have either a Primark or, as far as I am aware, an equivalent.

But to get a full list of what street markets are where and when could look here. It’s a comprehensive list and shows a map for nearly all of the markets.

For certain, wherever you live there will be a market somewhere, nearby on one of the days in the week.

Update May 2015: It seems the link is currently broken. Here are some alternatives, although the link above was the best a it was easier to “see” the closest market to where you were living or staying.

1. Where the original map came from. Markets are listed by zone (but you need to know which zone you are in) but no other details (other than street name given).
2. Showing some of the “best” markets, ordered by day and linking to a map.
3. All markets and shown on a map. Click on each flag to bring up details of when it’s on. (In Italian, I’m afraid).

Ristorante Delicatessen

Sunday was rather nice. We SHOULD have been with Lola and G and Orlando but the weather forecast was for a dreadful day and so a day walking with the dogs was postponed. We wait for better weather.

And the weather WAS dreadful. It rained nearly all day and was much colder – and, in spite of the ‘extra hour in bed’ I didn’t sleep so well.

However, a couple who were friends of F & S and have a baby came from where they live (Lake Como) to Milan for lunch.

F booked a place about an hour before they arrived.

Every morning I go, by car, to work, along Viale Tunisia. And, although I am aware this place exists (because An, a friend, works nearby and swears by it for a good lunch), I have never actually seen it. And I have looked (but, then, I am a man).

It is quite easy from our place – three or four tram stops and possible to walk if the weather is OK.

The place is called Delicatessen.

Now, for me, Viale Tunisia is not a particularly nice “avenue”. In fact it’s just a large and well-trafficked road, dirty and uninviting. But, sure enough, I have passed it every day.

But, I’m going to recommend it – highly recommend it.

The front looks OK but, once you get inside, it’s a completely different world. It’s been there about 18 months (or more). It is smart and clean, wood and brown. It is large and airy but also warm and cosy. In short, a rather nice place.

The staff are excellent. We had a 19-month-old baby in our party. But nothing was too much trouble. First they got a high chair, then a rocking horse, then, when he went running off, they were there to look after him. That’s not to say that they didn’t look after us too! They were attentive, serving the wine when it needed to be served, explaining the dishes, etc., etc.

The food is from Alto Adige – in the Alpine region of South Tyrol. This is a region of Italy where nearly 70% of the population speak German as their first language, even if it is part of Italy. One of the specialities of the area is speck, my favourite cured ham. And, sure enough, the menu (with German then Italian descriptions, as one would expect) is littered with dishes containing speck.

So I had speck with gherkins to start. It was lovely. F had a selection of meats and cheeses (and that meant I had some of that too, since he doesn’t eat meat with too much fat :-D ).

My main course was lamb. Like a crown roast, with ratatouille and a side dish of potatoes with cheese (hot). The lamb was perfect – not overcooked and VERY tasty. We shared sweets but, to be honest, my choice of grape strudel was the best.

OK, so the prices were quite high – €8-12 for a starter, €10-15 for the pasta course and €23+ for the mains – it was pricey but the food was plentiful and tasty and I didn’t need anything to eat for the rest of the day!

So, place – 4 stars, staff – 5 stars and food – 5 stars!

Wonderful place. Do go if you live or come to Milan.

Slight renovations

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?

Hibernation?

Well, here we are, near the end of October and having had some of the most unseasonable weather – in that, it has been quite warm and little rain.

Certainly, this year, the heating came on before I got seriously cold at home.

But, according to the forecast, this is set to change on Sunday.

Already, today, we have rain.

Tomorrow, we have more rain (but not as much as today).

Sunday we have even more rain and the temperature is set to drop to a maximum of 7°C (with a minimum, on Monday and Tuesday mornings, of 1°C). Time to get out jumpers and warm socks and coats and stuff.

With any luck, there will be just 4 months of this, with things improving in February.

I should be like a bear and hibernate. Or like a bird and fly south.

No, I think hibernation is best. Waking up when it’s nice. Sounds good to me.

How to lose customers.

When is buying a book not actually buying a book?

You may think this is a trick question but it’s not really. The answer is, of course, when you rent it.

Rent a book? Are you crazy?

Well, yes and no. I mean, one can go into a library and borrow a book – but that’s not really the same as renting it as, unless you are late returning it, you don’t pay to do this.

For renting, however, you must pay.

But, I hear you ask, why the hell would you only rent it? Books aren’t like cars or something, they don’t cost a lot of money anyway.

Which is true. However, in this case, it’s all to do with public perception.

Ebooks can be downloaded on your tablet or Kindle and read. But, if you buy them from Amazon (or from anywhere else where they are DRM protected) you are, in fact, not buying them at all but only renting them – and only for as long as the retailer will allow you to rent it.

So, you pay for a ‘book’ that you don’t, in fact, own. Seems stupid, doesn’t it?

Well, yes, to me it seems beyond stupid.

But, reading all about this woman’s experience has made me decide two things:

1. I won’t be buying a Kindle or ebooks.
2. I think I’ll stop using Amazon all together!

I have, in the past, bought quite a lot of stuff from Amazon.co.uk but now I won’t be doing that.

In any event, I really do like proper books made of paper and also Amazon treat the writers/publishers like shit too. It seems they don’t reserve their shitiness only for their customers.

Ah well, that’ll be another customer lost then.

Some short stories to bring a smile to your face for a Friday

David Sedaris is a very funny man.

Someone (AfC, I think) lent me one of his books. They are ordinary stories of him and his family but always funny.

Anyway, you can enjoy some of these short stories here.

But the bit that had me really laughing was:

A week after putting her to sleep, I received Neil’s ashes in a forest-green can. She’d never expressed any great interest in the outdoors, so I scattered her remains on the carpet and then vacuumed them up.

Enjoy.