Going to the local market is always fraught with danger for me. For example, I went to buy a few small items – some fruit and veg and perhaps some fresh-squeezed OJ. Well, I did buy those, as well as many other items that looked just too interesting to pass … Continue reading
According to various books I’ve been reading, the Italians have two words for “garden”. The first is giardino and signifies a garden that is grown for pleasure – containing flowers and other pretty things. The second word is orto and means a vegetable or kitchen garden, obviously a distant sibling of … Continue reading
Just finished painting the spare room and I am so happy it’s done! Gone are the corpse-purple walls, with patchy mauve/lilac skirting. The floor is polished up to a nice dark wood, the walls are pristine and blindingly white and the skirting and picture rail is a fresh grass green. … Continue reading
It’s the middle of winter here so the tomato plants should have shrivelled up to nothing by now. However, here in the new house, a rather interesting thing is happening. In the neighbours yard but poking through our fence is the most fabulous tomato plant. Getting all the water from … Continue reading