A trip to Pietrasanta and back to the Garden

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My forecast says that, in about an hour, it will be 35 degrees C but it will feel like 41!

In fact, I suspect it is more since, this morning, on our way to Pietrasanta to meet Lola and G, many of the displays outside chemists were already suggesting it to be 34 degrees.

For certain, it is VERY hot but, whichever way you look at it, it’s much, much better than being cold – well, unless you are F, of course.

I have forced the dogs to come outside in the garden. They weren’t keen to leave the house – which is the first time I can remember. But it is equally cool (or, rather, slightly less hot) at the back of the house, which remains in shade all day. There is the chance of a small breeze outside, from time to time.

And it is peaceful.

And, I am British, so outside when the weather is nice is a “must” – which, to be honest, is not Italian.

We had a nice (though smallish) lunch in Pietrasanta with Lola and G and the dogs.

Lola is getting a new dog tomorrow so is very excited. And, in September/October, we shall go to their place so the puppies can play in their garden – which will be lovely. I would tell you the type of dog but can’t as I have been sworn to secrecy by G. However, it’s a fantastic dog and I think Lola will be very happy even if it’s not going to be like Duick.

Now I am alone with the dogs whilst F goes to get his hair cut.

It’s perfect weather for a nice glass of cold wine or beer so, once I’ve posted that, I think I will be drinking just that.

Enjoy your weekend.

What it’s all about

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Holidays are for relaxing, unwinding and doing what you want. I’m doing a lot of reading this holiday. It’s one of those pleasures I have with not being near a computer. I have the phone, sure, but it’s not the same.

This year, however, I have not read my usual book – Blind Assassin but a few books from my bookcase that I never got round to reading or that were recentish presents..

One of the books that I finished a few days ago was The Beach. I didn’t really want to read it, having seen the film and thought it was a bit pretentious. But I’ve read it now anyway. I got it given to me from someone leaving Milan, I think.

As usual, the book was far superior to the film and it all makes much more sense now.

The other book I really wasn’t crazy about reading was Vernon God Little. It’s a bit like 50 Shades of Grey or The Da Vinci Code – I don’t mean the story nor, God forbid, the atrocious writing, I mean as in one of those that everyone has read. In this case, however, apart from the end, which, to me, really spoilt the whole story, the book was, well, interesting. I doubt if I would re-read either of them but they turned out OK in the end.

I have also read “Old Age and How to Survive it” – an amusing book given to me by Best Mate. And I can now say – old age, bring it on :-)

I am currently reading “the Various Haunts of Men” – a complete change from the others as it is a thriller. It’s very good and hard to put down.

Luckily, I have another 4 books to go and, although I probably won’t read them all, as F goes back to Milan on Sunday, I may get through a couple.

And I have found it so nice to be able to read. To have the time for reading. Damned computers that take up (and waste) so much time!

Wonderful English/Scottish words

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I have been reading a lot this holiday. And it always means that I find words that aren’t used so often and, because I live here, I never use now.

One of these was charabanc (pronounced shar – uh – bang), meaning coach or bus, usually for tourists and often used for day trips. An old, English word, little used nowadays. A rather splendid word, I think.

The second was a Scottish word, dreich (pronounced dreek) meaning dreary and dark, applied to the weather (we wouldn’t really use it so much here anyway). It does, in my mind summon up a rather damp and miserable day.

Piero makes a break for it!

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Piero is growing fast. Now he is half the height of Dino. He is also getting more mischievous.

Take this morning. F took them to the pinetta and let me sleep for an extra hour. Then we got ready to come to the beach. Piero was, as usual, outside. This time he was round the back of the house, discovering some new thing, something new to chew or somewhere colder than elsewhere.

It was nearly time to go. I walked round to the back and could see him the other side of the low wall, tucked in by the back fence.

I called him. He pricked up his ears. After another couple of calls, he got up and came trotting towards me. Dino had appeared by now and so they followed me back round to the front. Dino went ahead up the (marble) steps and I followed. I got to the door and looked behind me. Piero had got halfway up the steps but, realising that we were going inside, paused.

I noticed that he half turned and knew it was because he didn’t want to come in and went to get him. He turned full circle and bounded down the steps.

Luckily for me, he headed for the gate so I got him but it’s only a matter of time before he realises that his best bet is to head towards the back where he will be more difficult to get.

I can see us now, running round the garden with him thinking it’s a great game!

The White City

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I don’t suppose I’ve ever mentioned before but this place reeks of marble. This is, so I am told, the place for it. It is mined (or is it cut) from the mountains that sit behind me – me being on the beach, looking out to sea.

Apparently, this place (of which I had never heard before I came here with F) is famous, if not infamous, for it’s marble and. In particular, it’s white marble.

Various famous people have come here to pick their own marble for their kitchen or whatever. There are big yards, near where F has his house where there are huge, almost square blocks of the stuff, where they also cut it into huge flat sheets. Yesterday I saw some people who were being shown round one of these yards, obviously choosing the block or sheets they wanted.

The marble, since Roman times, was hauled down the mountainside, to the sea front where it has been shipped all over the world.

As one would expect, with marble being such a big thing here, marble is used in some of the strangest of places.

I mean, there are the usual, expected sculptures and monuments. At every roundabout, variously placed outside public buildings, in squares and one, of what looks like a baby polar bear, outside the school.

Some are modern, like one with waves with hands and heads sticking out – I guess to remember those lost at sea, some old and rather forgotten like the one of a dog, about 5 feet tall.

Then marble is used on houses that, elsewhere, would be unthinkable. Like, for instance, the base of houses, up to the damp course. And for tables and instead of skirting boards.

Then there’s the street. The pavements are not paved with gold but often marble. And, for me, the most extravagant thing is its use for kerb stones.

This is certainly a place for marble and mostly white marble. And it gives the place a rather opulent feel.

Woof Woof Sands

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Today, as it was cloudy, was the day for bau bau beach.

Bau bau is what young kids get told are dogs, much like we say ‘doggy’. Bau bau is also the Italian for woof woof or bow bow, being the noise a dog makes when it barks.

We took them to the pinetta first so that they would be tired. They were definitely tired – just not tired enough, it seems.

Actually, bau bau beach is one of the free beaches – i.e. one doesn’t have to pay. But you don’t get any facilities – like a bar, tables, a cabin, loungers or umbrellas.

Except, for €15 per season, you can use one of the loungers and one umbrella (that you must put up yourself).

Unlike a normal free beach, however, on this one you can take dogs.

It was Piero’s first time. He wasn’t keen on the water but, as it was the only way to get to some other dogs, he went in.

Dino wouldn’t go in further than his belly – until we threw a stick in. Then he went to retrieve it. Dino’ hair is short now so getting wet made no difference. Piero has never had his hair cut so when he got wet, he looked so skinny and drowned!

We did the paddling/swimming thing a few times and then went to sit under our umbrella for a bit. Piero found his voice. He wanted to be with a couple of border collies that were playing on the shore and, sometimes, swimming in to retrieve a ball that was thrown out for them. Piero didn’t like not being part of it so barked – a LOT!

But it was good fun for a few hours.

Then we took them to the pinetta again and then had breakfast (it being nearly 12.30). After doing some supermarket shopping we tidied up the garden a bit.

F is now having a bath, after which is dinner – stuffed tomatoes, watermelon and fruit salad.

Today was the dogs’ day. They are exhausted. And so am I!

Minutes away ………..

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Well, this is it!

The last time for getting up at 5.30 a.m. for 23 days.

And the last time for getting up at 5.30 a.m. with a temperature of at least 26°C until, probably, next summer, since it will be almost September by the time I do it again.

And my test worked, and I am happy about that.

In one hour, I leave work. I go home, hold T’s hand whilst she does her test; pack; shower and, with any luck, we shall leave.

F is going to be really busy today and doesn’t know what time he will finish – but I reckon he will try to finish as normal which will enable us to go.

It is so very hot an humid here, right now and, although it’s hot and humid there – it’s not as bad as here.

Less than 1 hour now.

Not that I’m counting down the minutes or anything ……….

Half-preparing

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Well, my first night ‘free’ for a long time.

I have been so busy and will continue to be busy for the next two days before the hols. I have tried to set up this WordPress thing to allow me to post by email. I got it working partially but the text of the message came out as gobbledygook. I might have another go tomorrow. It would allow me to post whilst I’m away or, at least, it would be much easier to post. Still, if I can’t do it that way, I can try something else. We’ll see.

I should have done a few minor repairs to some jeans and trousers but I will take the stuff away with us and do it then. Maybe. I mean – maybe I will take it away. And, anyway, even if I DO take it away, maybe I will do it. The probability is that I will take it away and bring it back in the same state. But I do have one week without F and I think I might do it then.

I have given the dogs their monthly anti-heartworm and flea stuff tonight so they’re ready to go.

I did the last shopping (I hope).

Tomorrow evening, I shall pack as Friday will be busy and I don’t want to have to do it then.

Two nights from now and I should be eating pizza (with aubergine, asparagus and lardo) in Bati Bati on the first night of our holiday (subject to F finishing work early enough, T finishing her English Test early enough and the traffic not being horrendous).

The weather is very hot right now but is due to change on Monday (typical). This evening, walking the dogs, it said it was 34°C which is quite warm really. Still, even when it changes it will still remain n the high 20s, so not too bad.

And I sit here finishing my nice cold beer before I take the dogs out and go to bed, for I am exhausted.

Till my next post. If you’re going on holiday too, then have a nice time. If not, then have a nice time anyway.

Social or Anti

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I don’t know why but during the weekend I kept thinking of my parents. Well, not thinking of them, exactly, but rather how much they wouldn’t like this. This thing that I do now.

I always thought that I would never pay to go onto a beach. But I used to hate carrying everything. Not that I actually carried everything, of course, but as I was the eldest, it was always more. And, instead of setting up camp near the entrance to the beach, we always had to go where there was no one else. Which meant walking on the beach. And walking. And walking. Laden as we were with deckchairs and windbreaks and costumes and food. And walking until I thought I would die. Or felt I would die. Or wanted to die with shame and embarrassment.

Even when we arrived at what seemed to be the furthest possible location, it wasn’t finished. For there was the setting up of the windbreak, the deck chairs, the changing into costumes, one at a time, using this thing that my Mum had fashioned out of, what seemed to be some sort of toweling but was almost like a curtain – but a very ugly curtain, with elastic at the top or drawstrings or something so that it covered you from the neck down. I absolutely HATED changing on the beach.

Then there was the food. We were a family of 6 so there was a lot of food. Sandwiches made that morning, sausage rolls made last week and kept in tupperware, rock cakes, hard boiled eggs. And other stuff.

It all seemed such a palaver.

But, being 6, I guess they couldn’t afford to go to restaurants and we didn’t have burger places then – except Wimpy, which was dreadful (not that the burger places now are much good). I understand now and I think I understood then.

That doesn’t mean I liked it. I didn’t. I HATED it. I hated everything about it. It’s like we were some sort of tribe, invading the beach. But with the embarrassment of it all I was, kind of, glad that we weren’t near other people. But they seemed to hate it when other people came near. If someone pitched up near to us they would complain and ask (themselves) why the person had to park themselves so close to us.

And, on reflection, perhaps that is one of the reasons I find it hard to socialise, in general. I wasn’t brought up to socialise, I guess.

Of course, in the early evening (unless the weather was not so good) we had to reverse all this. Packing away the food left-overs, uprooting the windbreak and rolling it up, collapsing the deckchairs. Getting changed again using the stupid and hateful changing robe thing. And then carrying the whole lot back to the car.

However, now, I love the fact that we just go to the beach. We take towels. We take personal stuff. But we don’t have to take deckchairs or food or an umbrella or a windbreak. It’s not a 6-mile hike to the spot we have. Of course, there are people always nearby. It’s not like we can hide away. And because F is from there and so are many people on the beach and that we share an umbrella with another couple (who only come for about an hour), you can’t really NOT talk to anyone.

But it’s nice.

And, coming back to the point, a lifetime away from anything my parents would have done.

I am really ready for this

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The holiday starts next Friday and I can hardly wait.

I am so busy at the moment that I seem to not even have a second to myself. Of course, that’s an exaggeration – especially as every weekend we are away. But it does feel like it.

So, three weeks away (F is only coming the first two) – with time to relax, is definitely a need.

Who knows, we might even get to meet up with Lola. I’ve mentioned it to F and he thinks we might make Pietrasanta the place to meet as we’re supposed to go to some restaurant there. It’s run by the nephew or someone connected to the woman vet who has the umbrella just in front of us.

And we have to go to La Brace ‘cos F really wants to go there (we didn’t go last year).

And we have to do other things. Hmm. I can see it will be just as busy – but at least it will involve much eating and drinking ;-)