nonnaB
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Posts posted by nonnaB
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10 hours ago, LizzieM said:
No point in suggesting you ‘keep hydrated’ Nonna …….
Enjoy the weather, wish ours was better!
That goes without saying but cooling off in a warm pool doesn’t do much. Don’t get me wrong I love the hot weather but this is too much it’s unbearable. Even tourists are grumbling about it and are doing their utmost to enjoy it without getting too much sunburn. Thankfully today it’s cool(ish). Hope it stays that way and doesn’t rain today or tonight. Every Friday during July the road where James’s restaurant is the road remains closed and becomes a pedestrian area. There are musical groups playing so there are a lot of locals plus tourists so plenty of business for all 3 restaurants and 2 bars. But if it rains, disaster . Last week there was a saxophone player going round to everyone. Lovely atmosphere. August we have the annual festa with big name artists , food etc. This year with Castagnole delle Lanze being one of the top most beautiful Borghi (hamlets) tourism has increased.
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A few days have been exhausting because it’s been so hot and humid. Now it’s a bit cooler and at the moment it’s raining, such a relief but next week we are in for some real heat. Temperatures in various regions up to 48c For the first time since we built the pool the water reached 32c. Swimming at midnight hoping to get rid of the heat of the day and to be refreshed was like having a hot bath.
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Lizzie was reading about your electric gates. It’s happened to us a few times but fortunately our keys do work. The last time it happened was when my remote control wouldn’t work. The gates are opened and closed at least 20 times a day probably more. In the end we had to unlock them and keep them pulled to . There are often herds of cows being shooed up the road also sheep being led to graze so leaving them open wasn’t a good idea , I didn’t want to go out the door and be confronted by any animals.
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I don’t think I ever went back to my old school but did have a meetup with quite a few class mates . It was enjoyable but sadly a few are no longer with us.
The rain previously mentioned did end halfway through June and now we have a HOT heatwave. At the moment it’s 35 c and even in the evening the temperature doesn’t give any relief. Still there’s not much we can do but to enjoy it as autumn and winter will be here before long. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun? ..We do have a little problem. A milky sky ! Apparently the air has a lot of micro fine grains of sand and although the sky is blue with no clouds it seems it’s a bit foggy or rather misty. Cars are sprinkled with smudges of sand too.It’s too hot to go outside at the moment so I’m watching a cookery programme on tv. Interesting because he’s showing ingredients for sauces for pasta. Very very simple. This he’s making with tomatoes , mint leaves , parsley, ricotta salata and extra virgin olive oil. Just the thing to eat when it’s hot because heavy sauces fill you up too much . Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
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Thankyou I found the day sad but at the same time rewarding to hear and see what the immigrants life has become. Some from sleeping on the ground to being put into a house with a front door and the face of this man peeping round afraid of what he might have seen. A blind boy travelled on his own and found happiness , he was only 13.
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In our village at the moment are a lot of things going off. Yesterday was a presentation of Caritas and immigration. I hadn’t any knowledge really of exactly how many immigrants we had in the village, I thought there was only a big handful , I was in for a surprise. A few weeks ago my husband was approached by one of the organizers and asked him if he would recount his experience of being an immigrant. Not from UK but from Sicily when he was a young person starting out in the world. He recalled when he was the eldest of 7 children and his father had no job. He started work at 11 yrs of age and because he refused to kiss the hand of the Mafiosa boss ( as was the custom) he got sent away and had to find his own way back home . He walked all the way home in the scorching heat and travelled a full day.Years later he came to Piemonte and was refused permission to enter any public place because he was a Meridione ( from the south) he couldn’t find accommodations but eventually a “ guardian angel “ came along and took him under his wing. He told them of many other things that happened to him in the years leading up to when we got married. When he stepped down from the stage the presenters were in tears. He had made the locals appreciate how hard it was for Sicilians to find work and accommodation here in those years. Besides my husband was a lady from Macedonia whose husband left her alone with her children while he came to find work here. She was on her own for 3 yrs before he joined her . She spoke no Italian and had no friends but now after 26 yrs she’s part of the village community. A similar thing was a young man from Senagal who came over as a boat person and is now married to an Italian girl. In the hall where this assembly was had photographs of many many persons who all have had a dramatic life in their youth but are happy and content now. Some of the stories were so sad. On the road leading to the hall the school children had drawn their interpretation of their lives and journey to Italy. It made me cry because these children as young as they are have understood what life was like for them.
on a happier note afterwards the 3 people that had contributed to the telling of their stories had suggested a dish from each of their countries and offered a meal for all the people who attended. There were little tartlets of roasted peppers and aubergines from Macedonia, couscous from Senegal and Penne alle norma from Sicily. Caritas had brought samples of their beer that they had perfected using left over bread. ( not scraps I hasten to add) I must say it was different still with the beer taste but it was very good. A lovely day made into a thoughtful event.On a different tack this morning all the 80 yr olds were presented with a certificate , rosette and a lovely little momento of the event. A sort of medallion in glass . A beautiful momento of being 80 . This is the first year they have given a momento like this. ( I didn’t get one last year … boo boo)
Sorry it’s long but you don’t have to read it. Just thought it was nice to show you that village life isn’t dull.
We have wine festivals. music nights every Friday in the streets. Many more too. It would be nice to see a meet during the wine festival.-
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Lizzie not sure but doubt it. It will probably be after Christmas as now flights are untouchable and Deborah will have more time and hasn’t got the strength during the summer. She just wants to flakeout. Heatwaves and hot kitchens don’t mix.
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Couldn’t agree more Mary.
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Couldn’t think of an appropriate title because it’s too unbelievable. For the last 23 yrs I have used my Italian ID to travel even to UK. I never thought I’d need any other document. After Brexit it changed a lot of things , I could no longer travel to meet up with friends and family because I needed a passport. I was determined not to get my old PP renewed after 17 yrs. Now I want to go to uk with my daughter. Ok simple? Not on your Nellie! Italian pp seemed impossible as they were taking too long so tried to apply on line for British PP. Applying online requires a coded photo which here they’ve never heard of . I wrote a few emails to various people who were supposed be a help and was told the following. Keep in mind that I am entitled to a British PP. Yes you can apply for a British Pp if you live in Italy . But when you leave UK you will have to have a visa
maybe it’s better that you have an Italian PP. We decided to give up the idea but my husband tried to ring the Italian Questura in Stato di Polizia and every time he rang they hung up. He tried for a week. Then one day a lady rang me enquiring if I still had some preservation jars for sale. She came to collect them and in the conversation touched on unavailable telephone calls. She knew all about it as she was head telefonista at the Questura. She was very kind and helped us along with the applications. ( instructions only) One month later we had our Pp. Unbelievable how you think your British upbringing could let you down by not issuing you with an essential document.
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Shocked to say the least. The attack has been on tv here. Hope no one lives in those areas where this happened. I understand they have arrested someone but there are quite a few areas that incidences have occurred . Seems to me a few men are involved.
Stay safe everyone.
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Sounds like you’re having the weather we had last year. Enjoy it while you can. Here we see the sun for a day then it rains. Today we are outside in the sun and enjoying the occasional dip. It’s taken me exactly 2 weeks to get the pool clear enough to swim in . The rain has caused havoc with it, and caused so much algae. So here’s hoping it stays clear and we can enjoy it ( if it doesn’t rain)
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Hope you are ok Phil. Remember we are all at a certain age, me included and we don’t always do what we are supposed to do.
Just come back from Asti in a sudden storm, side of roads flooded,
arrived on the road to home and everything was dry. Now it’s started here the biggest drops of rain !
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Mrs B sorry I didn’t answer about my husband.He’s ok the hospital gave him a cortisone injection and strapped his knee up. It’s still bothering him a bit but at least it’s not as painful as it was. They recommended a risonanza so Dr tomorrow to ask for prescription to book one. Now it’s my turn I have a floater in my right eye. My optician has given me a phone number as she can’t look properly. Age I suppose. I hate going to the drs I’ve had too many visits in the past.
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DJ360. Things here are a bit more forward. My neighbor gave me about 4 kg of courgettes and a friend every time I see her she gives me 3 great big heads of lettuce, we can never get through it. I’ve told her not to give me so much and the next time I see her she brings me eggs. !
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36 minutes ago, Beekay said:
I allus thought 'Syrup of Figs' was quite productive.
You could go into production Nonna.
Don’t think so Barrie. It’s easier to eat them.
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1 hour ago, MRS B said:
Ooh you are lucky Nonna, what are you going to use them for? How’s your husband doing as well?
Eat them for breakfast every morning. Us , my daughter and my son and family ( 8)
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Our fig tree tree once again is producing so many figs. Earlier this year our neighbour pruned it and told us it probably wouldn’t be so prolific . It’s got so many figs and every branch has at least 10-12 figs.We even had a third lot after the first and second flush.
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Weather here is same. Thankyou CT that’s the one. Never gave Barrie a thought not being on FB.Stressful day so far. Husband has been talento ER . The local ambulance has taken him , He’s been in agony with his knee because Friday we walked over cobbles and he’s not too steady. Dr says it’s not the menisco so waiting for news.
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Sorry but don’t know what else I can do.
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https://www.facebook.com/dcannistraro/videos/805859123963226/
Try this one. If not it’s a drum group playing at my daughters hosts for the festival. They are so good and noisy and you really have to be there to appreciate them. There was a music group in the yard and the Timbales
( drums group) were playing along just like pop singers do when they want the audience to join in.
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Although we live in a wine growing province I know little about wine apart from drinking it of which is Barbera.We have at least 6-7 wine producers near us.All are available for tours and tasting. Foreigners come from everywhere for their wine even USA when they visit their summer home in the village. Apparently on Saturday alone 30.000 people were in the top part of the village and as we were voted one of the most beautiful villages in Italy we had a bumper festival.
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My dads wine had that effect too.
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Our Wine festival has just finished tonight. Food and wine , what more do you want. There were 22 wine producers from around this area and 22 groups offering different types of food from Tagliatelle to sandwiches. My daughter made Gnocchi with Castelmagno and cream sauce. She went through 14 forms of cheese each weighing about 8 kg . My son didn’t participate and decided just to keep his restaurant open and serve drinks and cocktails. He said he’d gone through almost 11 liters of Gin. There were street musicians playing all 3 days each one different from the others. To start we bought our wine glass which was in a sling bag to hold round our necks then we bought our Barberini ( basically tokens . Barbera wine is the cause of this festival) so each time we bought food or wine we paid in Barberini. So the wine glass was in constant use while walking from one place to another to see what they had on offer and sampling all the different wines. It’s a very interesting festival and brings in a lot of different nationalities.
I know it’s a long post and nothing to do with Nottingham but I think it’s interesting to know how and what other ex Brit’s do and see in their adopted country.
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How's your day?
in Owt' Abaaht Nowt !
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That’s what we’re afraid of , we’ve had some pretty high ones last year it blew the roof off a small shed which landed in next doors yard and it blew the roof off the Gazabo and we never did find it.We replaced it this year with an aluminum one. Our fig tree which is quite tall and wide was blown horizontally and I thought it was the last we would see of it but it soon recovered.