Life was beginning to slow down a little. We were gradually easing into the rhythm of life here. Some of this we’ll do today, oh that we’ll do that tomorrow…. But, then, sometimes things change.
We had a fun July 4th picnic on Sunday July 3. It was a lot of preparation, as it was our first party. What do we need to get? How should we set things up? Will there be enough of everything? What if it’s too hot? We invited all of our neighbors here on our hilltop. And some people we met on our day trips, plus a few that we’ve been introduced to by our neighbors. There were Brits, Americans and Italians.
Mike and I had driven to the nearby town Atessa where there is a real-life butcher to buy the meat. I asked for 2 kilos of ground beef (yes, in Italian) and he grabbed a big hunk of meat and ground it right then. We also bought some sausages and hot dogs.
Our neighbor Paul has a huge gas grill, and he and Mike toted it over to our patio. Besides the meat, I made my broccoli salad and a couscous salad. One American salad, one Italian salad. I also baked chocolate chip cookies, which turned out kinda weird but tasted ok. I think maybe it was the altitude? Several of the guests brought a dish to share. There was plenty to eat. I think everyone had a good time. Sorry I didn’t take any photos. I was too absorbed in making sure that everyone was comfortable.
One day the Polish couple, Marta and Rafael, came (again) to mow the yard at House One and to trim the hedges at House Two. We are so grateful to have found them. They do a great job taking care of the yards.
We are beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed with fruit. The three little plum trees by House One have transformed into prolific generators of plums. I truly don’t know what I’m going to do with them all. And the fig tree is showing signs of doing the same thing. And so is the walnut tree. And the almond tree. Maria lent me a book on how to preserve things. So I guess it’s off to the mercato to buy some jars…. Really, not my thing.
We had to prop up the branch of this tree, as the weight of the plums is so heavy that the branch was about to break off!
Mike wrote about his trip to France to meet up with Matthew. They had a nice trip visiting Normandy and had some good father-son time. We are grateful that they had this opportunity.
While he was gone, I was actually feeling not so well. So I just relaxed, spent a little time studying Italian, and reading.
Last Saturday we took another day trip to a little town about an hour away. In Moscufo, there is a 12th century church that is quite interesting. Our guide Anna Swan always manages to find a docent who is a wealth of knowledge. And she is an excellent translator. After the tour of the church, we drove to a small winery that only makes natural wines. Not just organic. Totally natural. No additives or chemicals of any kind. Even fertilizer is natural, made from cow horns. The wines have an unusual but very nice flavor. Check out the photos.
After our wine tasting, we drove to a glamping site for a “picnic” of sorts. It was too hot for me to really enjoy it, but it was okay. And two donkeys came by to say HI! and taste some of the food left on the table.
Here's a link to the photos: PHOTOS
Today we plan to go to the beach. Everyone asks us “what beach to you like?” and we sheepishly have to say that we’ve not yet been to a beach. So today maybe is a first. Watch for updates.
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