Sestri Levante, Liguria

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This is another Trip report…

Sestri Levante, Liguria, June 2025 — Anniversary trip

We had reserved a really nice room with balcony at the Vis a Vis for 3 nights. We had stayed there a couple nights just after Covid. The hotel is way up high on a hill with amazing views. It is family owned and they designed it to be like a cruise ship. It is very beautiful. We go to this town to relax and wander. We don’t go to the beach. I know! People say, you go to the beach but don’t do the beach?! I like the beach OK but Luther, being very fair skinned does not, so it’s no problem not to go.

While we were driving there I received a phone call from the hotel saying they had an issue with the air conditioning on that floor and they didn’t have our room for us. They had booked us into a waterfront hotel ocean view suite. We didn’t have a lot of choice so we ended up checking into the Hotel Nettuno. The room is nice I guess. It has a nice view of the beach. The hotel has its own umbrellas. A lunch restaurant and a rooftop bar. The room is two story. This presents issues for me because of my poor knees. The bathroom was downstairs. For the last two nights I slept on the couch downstairs. Not quite the experience I had envisioned. 

Oh well. It is what it is. We walked over to the Vis a Vis to their roof bar which has beautiful views for drinks to welcome ourselves there.

Then we had reservations for dinner at Pesce Balla — the Dancing Fish. It was recommended by my friend Matt. It was about a ten minute walk. You are seated and when ready to order you go to the counter where all the fresh seafood is displayed. They give you a glass of Prosecco which was a nice touch. You decide and order then return to your table. 

We split the Branzino cooked in a salt crust. Luther got marinated tuna and I had the anchovies. It was all good! I enjoyed the dinner a lot.

We enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to our hotel. Nice evening.

Wednesday
I woke early and looked out the window about 5:30am and loved the quiet. I snapped a couple of pictures.

Our window

Sestri Levante is not big, at least the old part of town isn’t. There is a newer part which is much larger which is normal for Italian towns. We set off on a walk to just shop and look at stuff. The sun was very hot. We tried to stay in the shade but it was not always possible. I looked for a loose linen dress but didn’t find any. Seemed everyone walking the streets was wearing one but none were for sale.

Finally we stopped for refreshments. It was on a tiny pedestrian street lined with places to eat and shop and great for people watching which we did while having our drinks. The buildings in Sestri Levante are all elaborately painted to “fool the eye” in the Trompe l’oeil method. The buildings are all painted to look like they are built of stone and have elaborate stone embellishments, but it is all fake. Painted by talented artists to look that way. It’s fun to look at.

This fellow was making pesto Genovese the traditional way, with a mortar and pestle. He worked at the restaurant next door. He had on a mic and speaker for his demo. Pesto made this way is a lot different than that made with a processor or blender.

Afterwards we went to a supermarket we found on our walk and bought a nice picnic for the room. 

Later, after showers to wash the sweat off we headed out to our dinner spot we had reserved. La Sciamadda dei Vinaccieri Ballerini. It was right on the same street where we people watched. It was goodish. I had a weird starter which I can’t remember the name of but it was seafood and layered veggies and bread. Tasted good. Then I got fish again. They do fish well.

We walked back and decided to check out the roof bar in our hotel. It was very nice. The sun had set. It was comfortable. They had two singers who sang old standards. It was pleasant.

Thursday
Another slow day as intended. The breakfasts are good here at the hotel. They have a big deck restaurant area under cover but with nice sea views. It has breakfast and lunch. A beachy place. The breakfast is a buffet and I have really been enjoying the fruit. I don’t think I’ve had better. Melons are so sweet now. Lots of sliced things. Melons, kiwi, pineapple, grapefruit, blueberries, and then whole beautiful figs and other things. I also have a taste of focaccia with a little cheese and some scrambled eggs. No sweet pastries. That’s a big breakfast for me. If we eat too late I’m not hungry for lunch. Today we had plans for lunch and picnic dinner in the hotel for dinner so we got up and went to breakfast early. Nice watching the empty beach. Seagulls calling. Fishermen in their boats heading back in from getting their catch. 

We went for a short walk and visited the church. It has nice bells. We walked over to the Bay of Silence beaches

Lunch was back at the Vis a Vis on their beautiful outside terrace on the top floor. It is breezy with spectacular view of the baia dí silenzio— bay of silence, isn’t that a pretty name? And also of the city in the opposite direction. They have pretty white curtains hung all around which flutter in the breeze just an exceptional place. On my friend Matt’s recommendation we had the fish burger with fries, but first we had appetizers. We both got the anchovies all ways. What a great dish. My sister would love it. She’s a big anchovy fan. This one had them marinated in vinegar with a little pesto on top, fried, on a bread with cream, and a delicious curry version. So yummy. It was a really nice lunch. And then back to the hotel for naps, showers, picnic and may be a visit to the roof bar again. A nice day.

We did go to the roof bar this last evening. It was beautiful. I love watching the sunset, the boats, the mountains, the water.

We are home now where it is BROILING hot. Going up to 40C next week, that’s 104.2F. Damn hot! And this is only June! 🥵

Birthday party and other things

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We have had a fairly busy few days. We have been in a heat spell so not doing much in the middle of the day for sure. But in the evenings we have been invited to some fun things.

Thursday we went to visit friends in Montone (nearby hill town) for a lovely dinner. We ascended the hill only to find the road closed due to a landslide! So we had to backtrack and go up the other way. This made us 15 minutes late and I HATE being late. Anyway, we finally got there. We were six, all of the four besides us are architects. They have beautifully restored homes in the village. We had a cool supper with antipasti and a nice cold hummus soup and after that, a delicious salmon and cool salads, after which we went upstairs to their logia which is the best thing about their house. An outside-inside space. Furnished, with a table and sofas and a fireplace for cooler weather. Not that it was cold of course! But the cool breeze was welcome and we enjoyed our dolce there.

Then I visited our Saturday market and got cheeses, fresh eggs and tomatoes. It was going to be hot so I went early. That evening we were invited to a birthday party at friends house where we had not been before. Directly across from where Calagrana is but up a winding strada bianca— white road i.e., unpaved road. The road was not bad but it was about the twistiest we had ever encountered. The house was at the tippy top of the mountain with views off to both sides of the ridge. Amazing!

It was a great party for about 50 people. They had a “pig man” do the food. Yes, he owns a pig farm and also makes his own cured sausages and prosciutto which is in a climate controlled warehouse that our host said was probably worth millions. There was a four piece band. Everyone was seated and there were four courses. Started with very delicious cured and thinly sliced prosciutto. Then pasta, which just kept coming. A rigatoni, an orecchiette and last, gnocci with shaved truffles. The secondi was porchetta, roasted potatoes and salad. They actually had a gelato stand for gelato and cake!

The space and sunset
Our table
Pig man with porchetta and prosciutto.

Believe it or not, it got actually cold during this party. Down in Umbertide it was in the 90s so I wore a linen dress with short sleeves and sandals. I was freezing before someone shared they found a big basket in the house with blankets! I guess it is always cool at 600 meters. I bet the wind could howl up there. It was a great party!

Later the bad played.

Just as a point of interest I want to tell you about what transpired while we sat at the table. Across from us sat a nonna and her grandchild, Romeo. Yes, Romeo. The boy, who was five, had a phone and was completely immersed in whatever he was doing. When the pasta course came the nonna carefully cut up each rigatoni and fed it to the boy like he was a baby, while he was completely ignoring her, other that to open his mouth and ingest the food. What would you have thought? If it were me the phone would be turned off and he would feed himself. Italian nonne and Mamas completely spoil their boys. To such an extent that they live at home until they are sometimes 40. And Mama cooks all their meals, cleans their room, does their laundry. So what do you think this man-child will expect of any girlfriend or wife? Yup. I am the Prince…wait on me. Ah well. It is the culture.
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Tomorrow we leave on our short trip to Sestri Levanti for a little sea air, good seafood, Ligurian specialties, and relaxation. I will post pictures after we get home. We got our first tomato this week so I am looking forward to tomatoes from my two plants when we get back! Ciao for now!

Traveling

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Let’s go back. I grew up in a blue collar family. The only vacations we took were what my parents could afford so that was an annual trip to Virginia Beach. My mom was very frugal and brought things in coolers so we could eat cheap. This was a LONG time ago, back before high rises on the beaches. All these hotels were old clapboard two story beach hotels. We stayed at the Dolphin. It had a big front porch and a lawn down to the boardwalk. Right on the ocean. I have fond memories. We always brought our dog Cricket. 🙂

Flash forward. I was thirty one years old and had been married thirteen years. We had been very poor since our marriage. We had never had a vacation. I worked to pay our food and rent. Luther worked to pay his tuition. Until he finally stopped going to school and got a job we had little. Even trips to McDonald’s were a stretch. So, I was thirty one and I realized I had never been outside of the US. And finally we could afford a vacation. I said to Luther “we are going on a vacation”. I remember planning that trip. We went to England and Scotland. Good place to start because the language was ours… sort of. It was an epiphany. I saw the world I never knew. It scared me some. I felt uncomfortable but still. It was our beginning. After that we traveled to Europe every two years.

I think most who of you who know me and read this blog know our first really big adventure was to actually MOVE to Germany in 1990. After our first travels we decided to go for a big adventure. Luther first got a job with a German software firm. I worked for an international company who had a site in Heidelberg. So I transferred there. Moving to Europe was probably the reason we finally decided to retire in Europe. It was life changing. Just a couple pics from our time there.

Me and Luther in Florence.
Luther near Ponte Vecchio in Florence
Me. No idea where!
Amazing experience to actually be this close to Pope John Paul.
My sister Cindy, Her husband Bill, and Luther on the Cinque Terre.

Once in Germany, we went everywhere. It was right in the middle of Europe. We visited all the Low Countries, France, Austria, Spain, Denmark, Italy. It was an amazing opportunity of which we took total advantage. It was the beginning of our great European adventure which led us here, where we retired, in Umbria, Italy. So this post is a Blast from the Past!

Pizza night at casa Vera

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As I mentioned recently, we were invited to pizza night with Vera’s family. Our famiglia italiana. There was an interesting group. Of course there were Vera and Graziano and their two girls Maya and Desiree. Then there was Graziano’s mom and dad and his brother and his wife and their two children. A couple from Brazil who were unrelated friends with their two children, one, a 2 month old. Finally Vera’s nephew and his wife who was visiting from Slovenia. Many languages a tavola. 🙂

It was a hot evening after a hotter day but we dressed for it and it was shady with a light breeze so not too bad. During this past winter Graziano had build a new pizza oven with prep area under roof. It is a beauty. He said it was a lot of work. It replaced the old oven that was 40 plus years old and had done its duty. This was the very first use of this oven so Graziano and Vera were nervous to see how it went. One of the things I was surprised at was that they have no refrigerator downstairs. Everything cold is up one or more floors and has to be carried down. I mentioned to Vera they need a frig in the shelter. Make life so much easier. I’m pretty sure she will do it. 🙂
Photos have captions.

The new oven and place for making the pizza.
Graziano and Luther in the yard before the activities began.
Desiree and the new bambino
Dog that was abandoned which Graziano’s dad took in. He is very frightened. Obviously has been abused.

Now for the action. Pictures of the oven.

Moving wood and ashes.
Oven is ready for the pizzas.
Cooking it up. Margherita. It takes less than a minute to cook..

This is where Vera assembled each pizza, and her mis en place with all her ingredients.

All important tomato sauce.
Mis en place

Now for the pizzas.

First Margherita next to a pizza bianca. They started with three of the bianca sort of as a test run.
Salsiccia – sausage.
Gorgonzola with salumi piccante – spicy salami.
Zucchini with blossoms pizza. My favorite.
Salads. Melone e prosciutto is a standard for summer in Italy. The watermelon, melon and feta with mint was cool and sweet.

And finally…Vera sat down to eat the fruits of her labors.

I ate a ton. It’s impossible not to taste every single one. Their salads were delicious. Graziano’s mom, who is an excellent baker, made a delicious dessert, coconut cake. We stayed until well after dark, and headed home.

Below are links to three video I took of the action for the first pizzas. They are short. You may notice she and Graziano are a good team. He holds the pizza peel on the table so she can place the dough right on it then add the ingredients. She says “vai!” Each time and he takes it and slides it into the oven. A minute later the pizza is done and they repeat the process. Boom boom boom! Pizza’s on!

Terrazzo update

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Hi everyone 😊 This is an update on stuff outside. It’s really hot now so I spend my mornings out on the Terrazzo. It is cool and there is usually a breeze. I had to deep six one of my tomato plants because it was diseased. Sad. But we still have two. They look good and have some nice fruit. Second picture is a sprinkler I got. I’m having problems with the irrigation system in this bed and have a call in to our gardener who installed the system many years ago. I like the sprinkler. I got happily all wet trying to adjust it. 😎

The fish FINALLY woke from their long winter nap. We still have Qua. But the other two are new and small and have no names. I do like watching them play.

Some other pictures of plants. I put captions on them.

These are the lavenders. White and purple. And the red maple at the end.
This fern was nearly killed by an invasive plant but seems to be making a comeback. And the impatien is pretty.

Here is where I sit in the morning when it’s cool. I like to look at the surrounding mountains. Pretty.

Finally, a funny story. There are these big bottles used for wine here. Called demijohns in English. Damigiana in Italian. They used to be common and found in the recycle centers, tossed away. It seems now they are scarce and they are sold for a good price mostly among us immigrants. Anyway, I was driving back from errands and I saw an old man crossing the road near our house with a big, green demijohn. He was headed for the glass recycle receptacle. I made a quick turn around and sped back. Lucky for me the bottle wouldn’t fit and he was just leaving it. I asked if I could have it and he happily gave it to me apologizing because it was dirty and saying I needed a plastic cap. He assumed I was using it for wine. Anyway. Here is my prize, all cleaned up.

Today is laundry day. Did you know power is less expensive on Sundays and in the middle of the night in Italy? Yes, it is. Being summer, I no longer use the drier. Everything dries on the rack outside in minutes. Solar drying 😁 These just came inside so I can fold in the cool inside. The sheets smell like sunshine! ☀️

Catching up

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It has been busy here and there, but it is mostly very mundane! I’m going to show a few photos and tell you a bit about what we’ve been doing. I finally finished my medical things. Navigating the system is hard for us stranieri. We don’t ever really understand it. But I did it and all is ok and I’m happy. Our two cats will be 16 in August. That’s a pretty old age for cats. So far they seem OK. We can’t decide if Simba is getting deaf. Rocky, pictured below, loves the terrazzo but he doesn’t go far unless we are out there with him. He seems to love the heat(!) which is inexplicable given that thick coat of fur! 😳

On Sunday we were invited to Pranzo at our friend Doug’s beautiful home. Sunday lunch is a tradition here. The best day to get together to eat with friends. Below you’ll see his amazing view. We sat on this terrace and enjoyed that view. It was hot but not in the shade. The beautiful table is next, and finally his coup de resistance- a grand salad Niçoise. Everything he served was cool. Perfect on a warm day.

We saw our friend Vera for a chiacchierata. That means chat in Italian, it is so much easier in English. I still have a hard time pronouncing it! She invited us for a family dinner this Sunday. They will make pizza in the big wood oven.

Today we had a treat. We went to Arezzo to meet our good friends Susan and Gary who live in Florence now. Arezzo is a city in Tuscany about 50 minutes from us driving. It’s about the same from Florence by train. We met up at Osteria 54 for lunch. It had a small menu but plenty of good things to choose from. It was so great to catch up with them. They were our first friends when we moved here. They lived in Umbertide then. They helped us out a lot and we got to be great friends. It’s not that often you meet completely simpatico people. We traveled together and discovered a billion great restaurants together. We all love good food. We had a great time today catching up. We miss one another a lot. We have a trip planned together for October but I’m sure we will see them sooner than then. Picture below is of my appetizer. A cold tomato tartar with burrata cheese in top. Perfect on this hot day.

Otherwise we have been doing some trip planning. The October trip is to Lecce in Puglia. We also have an anniversary coming up so have reserved in a Ligurian seaside town, Sestri Levanti. We were there once before and liked it a lot. And finally our big get-away trip to Austria for a month in the summer to beat the heat. We will have an apartment in the mountains and we will do a couple short excursions from there so I was busy making reservations for those as well. These are all happy things to look forward to. That’s not always the case nowadays. We need some things to distract us from events in our world right now. That’s about it. Enjoy June…happy strawberry moon which is amazing right now! 🌕

Summer, here we come!

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The weather is picture perfect right now. Quite warm, 31C or 88F today and getting hotter. Our terrace is the perfect extended living space. Last night we inaugurated eating dinner outside, and then watching a movie. 🙂 It was lovely. Luther smoked a cigar but I really think he has decided that cigars are no longer a big part of his life. It is hard for him to transition. But it’s a good thing. Maybe now it will be an every-now-and-then thing rather than an every night thing.

Today is a holiday here. Republic day. The day, in 1946 when they voted that Italy would become a republic. Nothing is open. I had a basket of the kumquats that I harvested from my tree sitting on the counter for a week mocking me to use them. I found a recipe for kumquats and apricot chutney. So today I amused myself making a batch. It’s quite tart and a bit piquant. I think it will go as a relish with many things.

Last Saturday night we had rather an unexpected experience. Goes to show we can still mess thing up after all these years 😁 We used to have a restaurant in town called Locanda Appennino. It had a lovely outside summer terrace which sat right on the city walls. Sadly it closed several years ago. Recently friends told me it was open again under new management.

We had friends visiting in town who own apartments in the countryside and we always try to have a meal together when they come. I made a reservation at this new place for us all. Or at least I thought did. I first called the number on the Internet and ended up with the old owner who said they were closed. But I “knew” they weren’t! So I found another number and called it. I made the reservation and let our friends know.

Saturday we went into the restaurant and looking back on it now, they didn’t seem to have a reservation for us but said if we came back they would open up the terrace for us. So we did that and returned.

The place was a little basic (understatement!). I think it must be a work in progress. The owner and cook were your basic, rather “rough” Umbertidese. But sweet, as all Umbertidese are. They told us what they had. Basically an antipasto assortment, a primi which was tagliatelle with ragu, and a secondi of pork. We had one vegetarian so we asked for a non-meat pasta which they made for us. The wine was red…or white in re-used bottles.

The antipasto was good and varied. We had cheeses, meats, roasted baby onions and radishes on platters to begin. Then a plate of the thinnest sliced eggplant ever (super good), and a plate of bruschetta fegato, (liver). Oddly, no bread. In the end, we all got fed and had a laugh. 😆

At nine o’clock I got a call from the other Locanda Appennino. Yes, there are two. I was so embarrassed that I had reserved a table for six on a Saturday night and then was a no show. I never would do that. I even told him when he asked where we were that we were there now, eating. Until we figured out the confusion.

We are finally enjoying summertime in Umbria ! 💚

Cataract surgery

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I will relate the entire story. I visited the local Occulista here in Umbertide that I used once before for a checkup. She said I needed surgery because I have cataracts in both eyes. She recommended two doctors. I opted for Dotoressa Ricci who would give me an appointment in Città di Castello north of us a short distance. She gave me the option of getting in the queue for the operation in the National Health system (free), or to pay private. The differences were, for the public system 1) I would have to wait a year or more, and 2) I wouldn’t get a choice of the type of lens they implanted. For going private, 1) I get the operation now and 2) I get the exact lens that will correct my astigmatism and remove the cataract. I opted to pay private. The cost was €2,000 for all. Including follow-ups.

The operation took place this week on Tuesday in a private clinic in a town called Gualdo Tadino. It is a 50 minute drive, but it is a very pretty drive so… The actual procedure was not fun. I don’t know how it is done in the U.S. Maybe someone can tell me. It took maybe 20 minutes. And I went home to do drops for a month. I had to wear dark glasses inside and out.

Today was my “after surgery checkup”. This time in the Gubbio – Gualdo Tadino hospital. All of these facilities are unknown to me. I was surprised that the hospital was quite modern and new. It was also in what I would call the “middle of nowhere”. It is nice they have a good medical facility out there.

I had to wait for an hour for the doc to see me. But it was all good news. I can see well from this eye. I need to get my glasses refitted to have plain glass instead of prescription. I’m cleared to drive and do anything I want. One more post op checkup and I’m done. Second eye we will do in September. Summertime is fun time here. We are all going places and doing things. So no business to be done! I love this summer vacation mindset.
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A little side step. I always loved, and used the Miracle Grow pellets back in the U.S. for my plants. But I just couldn’t find them here. Most things are liquid and you mix with water. I like the time release ones. Finally I managed to enter the right parameters and I found this…

Literally crescita miracolosa. Means … miracle grow!

Chinese store

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Last week was pretty busy. I finished the final medical tests my doctor prescribed. I visited Ely, at Calagrana to pick up a chair a friend had left for me. It was early because I had gotten blood taken for the test at 7:15. The morning was lovely and I don’t think there is a more perfect, calm and beautiful spot than Calagrana’s terrace. Ely made us a couple of cappuccini and we sat on the terrace and had a nice talk. We should do that more often.
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I also needed to pick up a couple of demijohns and a terracotta pot I bought from a lady nearby who is continuing to downsize her home here. They have lived here a long time but moved back to Maryland a few years ago for health reasons. They can’t yet let their home, up above Umbertide, go. I don’t blame them. It is pretty up there. You can see the city in the distance.

She also has cacti which were blooming. I am planning to make my planters, which are not irrigated, into a succulent garden and she is going to give me some of the cactus.

Next I did something I seldom do. I visited the Chinese store. You’re probably scratching your heads aren’t you? But this is a “thing” in Italy. I don’t know why I have never written about this before. Every town of any size in Italy has their version of a Chinese store. Owned by Chinese people (obviously) and full to the brim of all kinds of things. Too many to list but to name a few: office supplies, toys, kitchen tools and supplies, clothing, pool toys, pots for plants, art supplies, etc. To shop here is to get cheap stuff. Don’t look for quality or tasteful things. But for everyday things that people need, you can be pretty sure you can find them here.

What did I buy? Well, I bought a new wooden scraper spoon, some shelf paper, and a bunch of new clothes pins. Boring but necessary things. So there you have it! Another odd thing you’ll find in Italian villages and towns.

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Otherwise, tomorrow I am getting cataract surgery. I’m very excited. I may not have to wear glasses anymore! And today we also did some planning for a short trip over to Sestri Levanti in Liguria for our anniversary. We went one other time, staying at Vis-a-Vis (thanks Matt🙂), just after Covid, and wow, what a difference between then and now. Then we had our pick of any room we wanted. We had two balconies, one sea view, the other town view. This time, I had a very hard time finding a nice room with a terrace and view at all. Back then, no one was traveling. Now, that’s not the case. It is the opposite. Anyway, it is not exactly on our anniversary, but we will celebrate as though it is.

That’s all the news fit to print. Enjoy spring. Our weather has turned glorious! Enjoy yours, and Happy Memorial Day.

Busy Saturday

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Lots going on in Umbertide today! I headed into the center of town to visit the market and also to do a short shift at Books for Dogs. I had forgotten that Sunday was the big, exciting day when the Giro d’Italia goes through town. See the banner below. It is a very famous bicycle race. Almost as famous as the Tour de France. Of course, ours is more important HERE. The cleaner up people were out mowing grass all along the route. Including the park next to the river.

It was a pretty day. The market was busy. Slow Food had a booth open. I bought some asparagus, spring onions, baby zucchini and some itty bitty new potatoes. But there was lots I didn’t buy, like new peas and fava beans. And the brand new local artichokes! It is so nice to see all these new spring veggies after a long winter of the same old winter veg. Inspiring.

I did my stint at Books for Dogs. A busy day. Now that the weather is nicer more folks come out. A couple of pictures of the goods. The winter things are gone and we are ready for the summer.

text

In my own garden I took a couple pictures. The first is our Christmas tree. He is spending his summer on the terrazzo and seems quite happy, judging from all the new growth. The next photo is the lemon tree with all its flowers. it also is very happy. And last is a teensy, tiny lemon just forming from the flower. There are probably a hundred flowers so it is not possible for them all to become mature lemons, as time goes by, some fall off.

I am feeling better from my cough. So happy. I even have energy to do some gardening. I planted another tomato, this one Sardinian with a darker skin colour. I also planted a tabasco pepper because I couldn’t get a Jalapeño. They had scotch bonnets and habaneros but I didn’t want those. I also got two basil plants. Next week flowers, chives, sage will come.

Buona domenica to all.