7th January (Fri)
Kids are back to school today. We have a usual first-day-back
type morning with fights over hair-brushing except this time it is
Eli's! Only Eli and Rosa are going as Sammy is still wheezy. (I
wish he were old enough to really make use of the Buteyko breathing
method that has been so successful helping managing Rosa's asthma drug
free, but we will have to wait a bit longer to get him doing it
properly.)
After I drop the big guys I go so Sammy's school to
let them know he's not coming and hopefully to catch Lorella. She is there and has had a
nice trip to Budapest apparently it was full of Italians. I forgot
that she was to start back teaching after Christmas her eyes having
completely recovered from her lazer surgery. She says she feels like
some of the little kids in Sammy's class who are looking weepy at being
back in school. Apparently the teenagers she teaches are difficult
to motivate to learn, and she spends more time telling them to
sit down and be quiet than teaching them English. She says I am
welcome to use the internet and her house even though she is not there
so we go there and have time for a quick cuppa before she has to
leave. I stay there all morning looking up things on Irish legends to
use with Dominico's sister-in-laws school group. Mike comes with Sammy
and Finn who make themselves at home in front of the TV for a while.
Sheck (Lorella's Somalian housekeeper - a very gentle middle aged to
older man) gives them some biscotti. I then take them with me and
go to Chantelle's to say hi and collect washing. Toni is on his way out
he is philosophical about yesterdays inspection and says the fine was
supposed to be 4000euro so they got off light. He doubts Roberto's
conspiracy theories, but he does say that it will be next to impossible
to put up accurate ingredients lists.
I collect Eli and Rosa
who are tired and we go via Lorella's to collect Mike and drag him out
of cyberspace. Lorella is just arriving home and is pleased to
have had a better day than she hoped. We go home for lunch our
usual pasta and let the kids relax after there first day back by looking
at our CDrom encyclopedia. They all love the animals and animal noises.
I take Finn with me to Mimo's Snacks where they now recognise us. The guy
who make the pizzas tells me he's off for a holiday to his brother in
Brooklyn soon. He makes faces with Finn and gives him a little
face shaped potato croquette thing. Finn makes friends where ever he
goes! It has kept him awake anyway and we have a nice shabbat with
chocolate deserts that Toni gave Eli the other day for helping him.
Sat 8th January
It is hard to get used to unstructured time. Despite the
school schedule starting again, Eli and Rosa went off again this
morning, Mike and I find it a bit hard now that he is not working to
know what to do with ourselves. We have a lazy morning with the
small boys. Sammy is much better, and enjoy our tea on the balcony.
We then walk towards Toni and Chantelles' apartment as Toni wants Mike
to go with him to collect a large mirror. We are bringing them a
washing machine drum as we told Chantelle about how great they are as
barbeques and patio heaters and Mike has taken one out of an old machine
we passed. On our way Toni passes on his moped and takes Mike
off with him. The boys are tickled pink to see him whizz off. Chantelle is
delighted with her new barbeque and we stay for a chat. She suggests
letting the boys have a bath and they are really enthusiastic. Mike and Toni
arrive back with a huge mirror in Newbie and it fits perfectly on the
top of a sideboard. They got it for nothing. Chantelle is apparently a
great scavenger.
I go to get Eli and Rosa, and Mike brings the
boys back in Newbie. It is a lovely afternoon so he brings them
down to meet us beside the harbour where we sit for an hour while the
kids make a boat with drift wood. Then we go back for lunch. I
have a snooze after lunch. (We were up late watching our grown up movie
"Love Actually" after the kids had their shabbat movie.)
When I get up
after my siesta everyone else is sleepy and I only manage to keep them awake until about
6ish; except Rosa who stays up with me and write to Clairey who she is
missing lots.
I stay up at the computer again.
9th Jan Sun
Its great to lie in after only two day of school. Well its our version
of a lie-in where Mike gets up for a bit with the wee guys and then
comes back to bed when they've had breakfast. We all sit about in our
enormous bed; we have five camp style beds in a row, and talk about our
plans when we return to Ireland which turns into what kind of house we
all want. The kids draw neat plans and we fancy several of their
features, basements, spiral staircases, and balconies. We will have to
see what happens on our return, renovate or move is definitely a
decision we put off by heading away. Eventually we get up and do a
family clean up, and I arrange to go for a walk with Chantelle. Mike
take the kids to the park and we all meet there when Chantelle and I
have had a good long walk along the shore and we pass an inordinate
amount of octopus bashing and rocking on the seaside. The
fishermen who catch large octopi spend ages either walloping them on the
rocks or rocking them in buckets of sea water. Apparently this
tenderizes them. The fish markets have mechanized rockers.
Chantelle tells me that today we are seeing a lot of hobby fishers and
she also tells me that fishing is closed in the summer to allow for
breeding. This surprises me a bit although I was wondering about
over fishing, but it means that summer tourists don't benefit from all
the fresh fish we have been eating. (I haven't had the nerve to try
calamari of octopus yet.) When we meet up with Mike, Chatelle
invites us for lunch at hers. She makes us lovely salad foods and
pasta followed by skinney fried steak served with salt and lemon juice a
surprising seasoning but its lovely. The kids catch a Sesame Street
movie on TV we stay a while and have tea and almond biscotti. As we
are getting near leaving Maria Gracie texts to see if we are around to
meet up so we find her on our way home. She is with her sister Anna and
nephew Hosea. I text William and we meet him at Toni's who is back
at work. He didn't join us for lunch as he was too tired from working
late and took a siesta instead. We all stay and chat for a while.
William is a big hit with the kids as he plays with them a lot like
their big cousin's, uncles or cousin's husbands! We all head our
seperate ways and we get the kids to bed early for more school tomorrow.
10th Jan Mon
Eli and Rosa are back into the swing of things but when I take
Sammy back, he is not so happy. I don't want to push it and know
its partly that his favorite teacher isn't there until later.
In the end I stay for ages go home for and hour and go back early.
He was very happy when Giovana (Lorella's sister) arrived at school, but
I'm not sure how it will go tomorrow. When I collect Sammy he asks to go
see Chantelle, so we go visit for a short while before its time to get
Eli, and Rosa. As usual we pass by Toni's on the way home to say hi.
Then its back for lunch. We laze until its time for the shops to open
and go to meet a guy Eli bumped into a Toni's a few days ago. He
has a little supermarket and used to live in Brooklyn and is called
Mike. We are very amused to here him call out "How you doing" when
he sees Eli. We have a nice chat and then go to do some economic
shopping at a discount shop. The chicken
hotdogs are 35cents for four and you can get pasta for 29cents so we
won't starve. Again when we get home the boy fall asleep early.
Mike and I get a chance to chat but we are both a bit low. So are
most other folk we know. Back to routine after Christmas is hard
even in South Italy. We are delighted that both our parent plan to
make visits, and we are also planning a few excursions further afield
before we leave Italy. We spend some time making out a more structured
routine that will allow me some creative outlets, writing and painting
and Mike time to work on Newbie. He has also been asked by Dominico to
build a tree house at the farm for his boys. We think this will
get us through any January blues.
11th Jan Tues
Sammy seems a bit wheezy again this morning and since it may be the
stress of school I decide to keep him out the rest of the week as next
week it will be Giovanna in the mornings. He is in great form so it
seems like the right decision and Mike's pancakes help too. The big guys
are pleased to get them before school. The go off and Mike and I
have a good morning writing e-mails and playing with the little guys
-dragon games with Sammy's Christmas dragons. They come down with
me when Nicko the fish man wheels his cart into the Piazza. They
are excited by the trays and trays of live fish he has today all flexing
their tails in and out. I am not keen on seeing them or all the
small and large Calamari and Octopi, but I enjoy going down when he is
there as the interactions are great fun to watch. Francesca is always
there. as are most of the usual neighbours. Today there is a man who
lived in Canada and has some English. He tells me is married to a
Canadian and they live in Giovinazzo. Meanwhile Francesca is calling up
to the older people on their balconies prices and produce their today.
She sends things up in baskets to some. Franscesca has known Nicko,
who is quite a character and messes all the time, since he was a boy.
She has lots of banter over the quality and price of the fish, but
before he goes she always brings him out a shot of alcohol.
Later I make some brown bread and go over to Toni's to bake it and send
the mail. When I get back William and Jane drop in with one of the
other teachers, Alice Rose from Glasgow and we sample my bread. They are
all delighted with it as like us they have missed brown bread.
Mike runs and gets the big guys and Rosa is thrilled to see William, but
they don't stay too long as they haven't had lunch. William is
also trying to do some writing and we agree to help each other out. He
has some good suggestions for some travel writing mags. I have
some stuff ready to submit to publication in Ireland so fingers crossed.
Mike does some Newbie work in the afternoon and I do some home schooling
in the afternoon before having fresh fish on the barbeque for diner with
no fuss from Sammy he must be getting used to it. We manage to
keep the boys up a bit later so perhaps they won't be up so early
tomorrow. Mike and I are much more upbeat today funny how a more
activity and things accomplished makes such a difference. Plus for
me the socializing is important as I do miss friends and family back
home.
12th Jan Wed
I am begining to wonder each time I sit down to write whether I have
anything to say as our days are becoming more ordinary and routine here.
I want to keep it up for ourselves and perhaps we'll get feedback about
whether it is interesting to others or not. Of course readers can
skip over bits as they wish. Today Mike took the kids to school
and we had a quiet morning on his return. I went out early to get
a few bits before collecting them again. I had wondered should I call
into William and Jane or Chantelle. Toni's place is shut on Wednesdays
now that Christmas is over. I walked up town and bumped into William and
Jane and a few minutes later while we walked together, Toni drove up on
his scooter and then Chantelle and Toni's mother arrived. It was very
funny and I could introduce those that hadn't met. We proposed
meeting up later and said we'd arrange it this p.m. We then all
headed off in different directions although I ran into Toni and
Chantelle buzzing about on their moped a few more times around town.
When I had walked Eli and Rosa home, organized a bit more home schooling
and then went out. Mike took the kids to the park and I went to have tea
with Lorella. She had invited me over but had to do a run with Adriana
so I did some e-mailing until her return. While we sat and had our tea
and chat, Mike and the kids showed up. They hurried off to the play room
although Finn and Sammy were soon back for their favourite treat at
Lorella's - biscotti dipped in milk. Eli was thrilled to get to
use the playstation. We stayed until diner time which luckily I had left
ready. William phoned and we decided to go out in shifts as Mike
was tired and didn't think it was worth hiring a babysitter for him.
Me out met patrick german guy.
13th Thurs
Mike got kids out again, sammy and me reading winnie the pooh, back he
worked on newbies horn, and other bits I took wee guys out for walk
called to chantelle but not there back to school met another woman who'd
lived in new york has neices there, got big guys hi to toni sammy gave
him leaves for chantelle, home lunch mike continued newbie in pm. didn't
go to park home schooling, me out rosa and finn got eggs tea bed
14th Frid Jan
big kids school, to lorella's for internet, me long walk by sea, as Toni
tells me about weather coming from fishermen, collect
guys lunch me took them to park mike nap, met alice rose then swapped
and mike saw her too. me nap, went to chantelles laundry chat and back
mike asleep out pm maria grazie babysitting michela trombone guy but
moved on to pomodore pizza place big crowd fello vw nut came here when
kid. more advice re volcanos
15th Sat
Eli and Rosa are delighted when we oversleep and decide to let them off
school today. I do get up though as Lorella has invited me over
for a cuppa. I am able to do some computer stuff too. It is really
cold as the a chill wind is blowing and we realize mid-morning that her
heating isn't working. The ski is clear and after I eventually
leave, I am reluctant as we are having a nice kiddie free chat, I go and
join Mike who has brought the kids to the playground. The park, or
villa as it is known, is inland and sheltered and most days if the sun
is on it, it is reasonably warm. We go home for a late lunch. The
wind is really strong and we spend the rest of the afternoon indoors and
the kids start a great game where they make a dude shop and then all buy
hats and sunglasses and turn into dudes. Its very funny. Later I
ring Chantelle and ask if I can use her bath for the boys. Actually Rosa
comes too and they all have a lovely time with lots of hot water and
bubbles. Chantelle insists I have one too, and I am not hard to
persuade. The guys watch tv but Sammy and Rosa fall asleep so Mike comes
over to drive us home as its very stormy now. Toni's info. from the
fishermen was accurate.
16th Sunday
It not rainy but it has been stormy all night. We take a long
pjamama morning reading and Mike has to fix a pain of glass that has
been slipping in the balcony doors and is now letting the gale through.
Everyone is happy when he does. I fancy a walk but Finn is the only
taker so we walk down the shore to William and Jane's to see if they
have been successful procuring peanut butter for Sammy in the big
supermarket yesterday. The sun is out but it is blustery and the
sea is still fierce. It has turned olive green near the shore and
the rocky coast causes the waves to break in massive crashes and over
the rails onto the path in places. They retreat leaving bath foam
bubbles over the rock slabs below. Finn enjoys the walk but hangs
on tight to my hand in the wind. We arrive and my glasses steam up
when we enter the warm apartment. William and Jane live in a
studio apartment with a dividing wall between the bedroom an main area.
The only window is in the door. They have one of the smallest shower
trays I ever seen in a tiny bathroom, but it is very cosy and, they tell
me, always warm. They are just getting organised for a walk and so
join us on our return home. I get a DVD of Starsky and Hutch for later.
After tea we go to say goodbye to Toni as he is off with Chantelle to
Switzerland for a holiday and too an ice-cream expo on the way back. He
tells us they will have to try out lots of ice cream there, poor things!
Finn and Sammy fall asleep so it is only the big guys and us who watch
the movie. We have a hard time explaining the 70's to the kids
they find it very funny, but not in all the intended places.
17th Jan (Mon)
I have decided to try Sammy in school only when Giovana is there.
Mike and I bring him and on our way through the old city a old woman
coming out of a church notices Cal and tells us that is a Saint who
loved animal's day today and their will be a special service to bless
animals tonight at 7p.m. At school Sammy is more relaxed as Giovana is
there, but he isn't keen for me to leave. She has an new basketball hoop
she wants setting up so I stay and figure it out and then line up
Sammy's class to take turns. They are hilarious and cheer each other on
loudly to get a good shot. They are very kind to each other and as
expressive as their elders. Sammy lets me leave and I head home
have a nice cuppa with Mike on the balcony again as the weather is
better, and then finish preparing my lecture on Irish legends for this
afternoon. I was asked to give one by Clara, Dominico's
sister-in-law, to students at her highschool in Altamura. A group there
is involved in a European project to visit Ireland in March. I
need to print stuff and William offered to let me use his printer so I
pop round. He also goes over an article I am hoping to submit back
home and gives me some great tips. He is writing something while he is
here. When I get back it is time to go straigh to Altamura. I am a
bit nervous about driving there alone but it goes very smoothly and I
find the school without any trouble. I am introduced to the students and
an English woman Judith who has been working on the project. They then
leave me too it. I talk about history using a timeline I found on the
internet and mix in some of the legends and their geographic locations.
Its amazing what you have to learn about your own country when you are
abroad and the internet is a great resource. I finish by reading
them a simplified version of Tir na N'og in Irish and English with
no one there who can comment on my pronunciation. I chat to them a bit
about modern Ireland, there trip and the documentary they have to make
as part of the project. They are top students and an impressive group.
I go for a welcome cup of tea with Clara and she buys me some yummy
little pastries and on our way back some Altamura bread and Foccia.
The drive home is less relaxing on the now busy and dark roads but I
make good time, as I drive into the our piazza he is on his way to the
dog blessing. We find the small elaborately ornate church and see
one dog at the rear so go in and listen to mass. It is the same
short priest we saw at Christmas and he is similarly informal
occasionally asking questions of his congregation as he preaches on the
life of the Saint. We think its St Antonio. We have been told there are
further celebration for him next week. Just as the kids are
getting restless, more dogs start arriving and soon the back of the
church is filled with little restless dogs, one wearing a posh coat, a
very terrified looking cat climbing up her owner, two canaries and a
gerbil. Mass is over and the priest comes outside where we pray and he
sprinkles holy water on the menagerie each in turn. We go home to
Eli who was too tired to come out, and he is already in bed asleep.
18th Tues Jan
Sammy is happy to go to school this morning, once over the getting
dressed part and I only stay with him a short while. I get back and meet
Frank our friendly tailor at the door with bread and cake. We have our
tea on the balcony. The wind is completely gone the sea is calm again
and there is warmth in the sun. We watch our neighbours hanging
out their washing and chatting. One conversation between a mother and
daughter across a balcony this morning, starts with a gesture. The
mother seems to immediately understand what is meant and away they go.
We are getting familiar with daily routines and rituals. Depending on
the day they collect post, or vegetables or fish in their buckets and
give the posty, or the fishmonger or whoever grieve about something or
other, but its all just banter. Frank comes through his passageway
everyday. He seems to shop for an old lady in the corner and they
exchange the same sort of arguments about the price and quality of the
tomatoes and other things I don't understand. All the
altercations end in laughter or occasionally a shrug. Cars come
and go parking in all manner of arrangements and there are frequent
arguments when someone can't get by and the owner shows up. Often
someone just guide them through. There is one apartment being
renovated and the builders have been there since we arrived. The hoist
all the materials up to the balcony by pulley and we have seen huge
quantities of stone come out and cement and plaster go in. One man
is an accomplished whistler and his tunes and occasionally singing are a
now familiar sound in the Piazza. Others include their banging, and
drilling, of course with similar sounds coming from the harbour where
the fishermen are carrying out repairs and refurbishments to boats.
Mike decides to wash the sheets by hand to take advantage of the day. We
are using sleeping bags still so the really just need a rinse out and
airing. Just as I am sitting down to write up the journal the door bell
rings. Two women are their, one with a baby and they greet me by name
with American accents. It turns out Mike met one of them
yesterday. They come in for tea. Shannon is living here with her
Italian husband and Kim is visiting from Australia where she lives.
They are from Seattle but grew up in a farm in Oregon 40 miles from the
nearest town. For a lot of their childhood they had sparse living
conditions but think our camping lifestyle is great for the kids.
When they leave I go along as it is time to get Sammy and Shannon show
me where she lives. Kim is going home to Australia but I am
invited to call soon. I collect a much happier Sammy with red
paint on his hands and go home to try once again at the computer.
Mikes on tidy up duty and offers to wash the sheets by hand so we can
get them dry on such a nice day. When he's done its time to get the
others so he goes and takes them to the park on the way home. I
finish up on the tidying.
19th Wed. Jan
Normal morning getting everyone out. These days Mike gets up with the
early risers and gets the big guys ready. I get to lie in until
7.30 or so until he brings me a cup of tea. (Finn has of course
been awake in the night every night since the last cold, so I naturally
think I've earned my extra hour in bed.) Mike takes the big guys
and then we go together with Sammy who is doing fine now. We then
go to use the computer at Lorella's. Mike really needs his
internet fix and me my e-mail connections with folk. I leave
him to it and take Finn for a while and before we know it. It is
time to get Sammy who is playing with his best friend at school, Marco.
He is a really Italian little fella and uses lots of gestures in his
play. We go home and get lunch ready for everyone and Mike brings
the big guys home. Life is very ordinary in some ways and we are unsure
sometimes how to structure our time. As the weather is not so nice
today, rainy like home, we stay in and while the kids do projects and
homework I get lost in a book. (Iris Murdock's The Black Prince if
your interested a good, if dense read.)
I am thinking there will be nothing much for the journal when the phone
goes and gives us a wee bit more. William needs our help to rescue
Jane and Alice Rose who've run out of petrol on the way back from Bari.
Poor Jane only just started to drive here a few days ago having no had
the nerve. Mike stays at the computer and I go with William. We
get a can full and eventually locate them on the busy highway with a
very narrow hard shoulder. I put out my warning triangle but it makes
very little difference to the speed and proximity of drivers. We
waste no time getting them on their way. They are late for work. They
were going there direct from shopping. So William comes back with
me and joins us for a cuppa and chat. He is working at the English
school part time in order to write so we talk about the trials of trying
to take writing to a more serious level in our lives. He has done
a course in writing for journal and magazines and has already helped me
edit an article I'm sending off soon to a publication in Ireland.
The journal gives me plenty of material but it needs a good bit of
re-working and editing each time. It would be great to boost the budget
with some writing income as we don't really want to dip into reserves at
home, but if we are to visit a volcano it will be hard to stick to what
we have left for the next two months in Italy. (Christmas was
responsible as always for our overspending and blowing the budget a
bit.) William goes home to get some more work done and we have
diner and go to bead early.
20th Thurs Jan.
Usual stuff except we all walk to the schools together and meet Lorella
and the boys both get a ride in her smart car just round the corner but
are very pleases. Giovana wants me to draw some large drawings of a
pirate and a clown for the children to colour in on friday. I take the
big sheet home with me and then realise that Mike has taken our only set
of house keys shopping with him. Luckily it is not raining blue sky is
on its way back, and Finn and I can wait in the main Piazza. On
our way home we meet Frank who tell us he has some food for us.
Francesca also calls me in to give me another coat for Mike and some
jumpers for the kids. For the most part they slowed down and we
get on with our lives more as a part of the Piazza like they do but they
are still looking after us like this from time to time. I go back
for Sammy and later Mike collects some laundry from William (at least
now I feel we were of help to them yesterday because with Chantelle away
we are relying on them completely for washing.) Then Mike gets the big
guys. We have another open day the lack of structure is back to
deal with and we don't know how. We take a walk to the main piazza
and leave Eli on the computer. We do love have the space that we had
hoped for to talk about what we may do back in Ireland. It has turned
out to be true that you can look at your life much easier when you are
not in the thick of it and holidays are often too short or full for
this. So for the first time in a very very long time we are not
mad busy and in lots of ways this is great. I have to resist the
effort to fill the space and just get on with the chats, the other
things we always say we will do when we have time: tai chi, buteyko,
write, paint, help Eli learn the uni-cycle, get the kids to do more of
their diaries and keep up the home-schooling, projects etc, etc, etc.
And perhaps if we don't we'll let some of the goals go and just accept
it. We have our diner early and get a visit from a friend of
Frank's who brought us chocolate for the kids last time. They are
thrilled to see she has more. We hardly know her and yet she is so
generous and warm, telling us goodbye with ciao cara (dear one) and to
the kids and that she will come again before we leave. All this
from a near stranger. We are still amazed by south Italians.
21st Friday Jan.
Just when I thought I was in the clear with Sammy he is hesitant
again today. I think he is just tired at the end of a week but he
refuses to stay no matter what Givanna and I try. I know that next
week it is the other teacher and that there is no way he will go then
and that after a weeks break it will be up hill all over again, so I
break it to Giovanna that we will call it quits. She understands
but says how much she will miss Sammy and wants us to visit her in Bari
soon. I bring him home and we have a nice morning. I collect
the big guys and as the weather is nice we go to the park. We stay
a while thinking Mike will bring the little guys but when he doesn't
appear we head home and of course meet him at the big piazza. He
brings the boys off again and Rosa and I go for a walk in the old town
but change direction after William phones and offers to help me with an
article. Rosa is thrilled has she has developed quite an
admiration for W. and they have paper to draw. We stay a bit
too long enjoying the peace and are late for shabbat. Finn is already asleep
and misses out on pizza. William lent us the Simsons for our
shabbat movie. Strange to watch it here but we have seen it in Italian
on tv and that is even stranger as many voices seem to have similar
qualities.
Sat
I get a lie in until after 8am and then go to collect email and see
Lorella. We have a nice chat and later Mike arrives with the
little guys. The weather is changing and he has been caught in a shower.
Later we get a call from Dominico inviting us to an international
whistle festival with whistles made in the shape of anything and
everything apparently. It is south of Bari. We agree and decide to
go that direction straight after lunch and look about some places on the
way. We stop in a small seaside town Torre de Mare, and decide to try a
walk but the sun rapidly dissapears as we walk along a small marina.
Rain threatens so we head back to the van passing a great statue of a
nude man spearing a huge octopus, all are amused by it, but we have to
dash for the car. We decide to cancel with Dominico and go back to the
mall in Bari. Then we get a text from Lorella Sabino has invited us for
a Barese diner of orricitti pasta. We stay in the mall for a good while
as diner isn't until eight and we take ages going through centre-city traffic in
Bari. The little guys are starting to get very fed up. The day
isn't working out too well and as we fight over a parking space we
wonder what else can go wrong. We are early for Sabino as we have
recieved another text telling us 9pm would be better, so we decide to go
get the kids pizza as they are hungry and we know diner will be even
later. As we enter the old city a moped passes me and I feel a tug, at
first I think something has gotten caught too late I realise they are robbing
my bag. They've cut the strap and I yell to Mike to run after them.
Of course they shoot round a corner and baring Eli the kids all burst
into tears saying, Mummy's bag. Mike returns and I am amazed when
here tells me that there was a police car parked right in the middle of
the narrow street but the lads slipped passed anyway. We are all
very upset and everyone around exclaims over us, "Madonna quatro bambini
blah blah blah." We understand they are very upset for us. The
children are brought cups of water and the police, one of whom speaks
good English, want us to come to the police station to fill out a
report. I have lost a credit card, bankcard, some money and two
phones. I feel very stupid to as I knew it was a city like any
other, and I would usually put my bag under my coat, but was distracted
keeping tired kids going. We ask if I can bring the kids to
Sabino's first and Mike go after that. When we arrive and tell our
story the assembled company all of whom we have met before are upset and
appalled for us. Sabino practically cries and they tell us we have no
idea how this feels for them. Our kids are relaxed and having a
great time with the older kids there after a minute. Lorella and
Luigi follow Mike to the police station, while I start canceling cards.
While I am doing so Sabino goes out, he returns in fifteen minutes with
a plastic bag. He hands it too me and I think he has bought me a new
bag, but inside is my own bag. I assume it is empty found discarded but
no- everything except the money and phones is inside even the sim
cards!! He goes back outside and while I talk to our bank I stand by the
window and see Sabino talking to an older man with three moped and lads
nearby. I am pretty sure one lot are the thieves. I ask the others
how has Sabino done this and they joke that he is a mafia boss. When
Lorella returns after Mike has filled out lots of useless forms, she
tells me that Sabino (Il Doctori) is very well know and respected in the
community and when he went out they had seen what happened and
discovering we were his friends word reached those in charge and it was
sorted. We are stunned an amused as well as relieved to have
almost everything back. For the kids in particular it is great.
Even Finn was saying "Boys give Mummy's bag back?" We actually have a
lovely evening after this with a hilarious explanation of Italian hand
signals by Sabino that I am going to try to animate some how. We return
home late and exhausted.
Sun
Thankfully it is sunday and we have a very long morning lazing in bed
reading to the kids. Its a nice day and we are able to tackle the
job of washing a large floor rug. Mike takes it to the tap in the
Piazza and rinses it there with Finn and they enjoy greeting our
neighbours all out and about. Later he takes the kids to the park and
leave me doing a sort of weekly version of a spring clean. As a lot of
paint and plaster is coming off the aging walls I have to pull out all
the beds regularly to sweep and the amount of dust is incredible but I
open the large back window and balcony doors and let the fresh air blow
through. The apartment is really nice like this and reminds me of
romantic scenes from movies. When the guys get back (we continue
to take it easy with them after yesterday we think they need a bit of
spoiling) so they watch a movie have a late lunch followed by nutella on
biscotti mmmm.
Later it is time to go out for the fiesta happening all over the
region today. It is for St Antonia Abot? A saint who helped people
during plague times. It is lovely. All over the town in the
piazzas there are huge fires lit. The main piazza has a really really
huge one with a stack of immense logs piled up. Its roasting and
sends up puffs of sparks into the night sky that delight the kids.
There are tents giving out plates of flave bean and olives and cups of
wine. Some of the fires have earthen-ware pots sitting on the edge of
the fire boiling the bean. All the food is free except at the
scout stand where they are doing a bit extra with a small puppet show
and folk songs and are taking donations for the Tsunami victims.
The kids can't last Eli goes back to bed followed by the rest shortly
after. I stay out because we are supposed to meet up with Dominico
and family. They are late but I bump into Patrick (another English
teacher -although he is more than half German) and we find Jane, William
and Alice Rose. Eventually Dominico arrives all are introduced and we
chat briefly. Dominico tells us it is to be -10 degrees on Wednesday a
something is on its way from the Balkans. We seperate and I walk with
Dominico and Emilia for a bit longer around the fires in the old town
with the crowds. I go home to check on everyone but as they are asleep
-Mike too - I go and join the guys W,J, P and A R in the pub for a glass
of wine after their meal. Its a nice way to end a much more
relaxing day than yesterday.
Mon
This morning its wet and nasty and both the kids and Mike and I are
still wrecked so we decide not to take them to school. We have a day
inside and home school and use the computer. I only go out to give Cal a
quick run and our only visiter is William who calls get our laundry on
the way past. We even go to bed early.
Tues
Eli and Rosa are happy to go back to school today and I do the usual
stuff, clean up, shower and even manage a little tai chi-
before going shopping. I have learnt where to get all the best
priced things which helps the still tight buget.-Jane and William bring back laundry
later. We are so grateful for all their help with this it is a
major change of fortune where I am concerned. After school Mike
spends the afternoon making
animations using a feature on our digital video camera. We all have
a go its great fun. We love having the time to do these things
with the kids and they are having a lot of creative outlets here as a
result. Quiet evening.
Wed
Another tidy us this a.m. as Dominico is coming to bring Mike off for
the day. He is a bit late and after they leave I have a lovely
morning with the wee boys before its time to collect the big guys.
I work on some home school stuff and really push to help them keep up
their diaries. Of course Mike is delayed coming home as he goes to
Dominco's for lunch. I don't mind at all and when he comes in he
is in very good form due to food and hours spent in bricocasa (translate
homedepo, woodies, big DIY place) and at a lumber suppliers. He is
to start a tree house soon. He also had a phone call from the US
with some nice family news. He got back around 5 and Rosa, Finn
and I went to check e-mails and visit Lorellas, while Sammy got a bath
in the big blue washtub. Poor Lorella has a cold and she's wound
up due to a visit tomorrow arranged her mother-in-law of 40 ladies from
her mother association to her former house. After making the
arrangements with Lorella for tiny snacks organised by a wedding planner
and which glasses to use, she has also caught cold and won't be coming.
The ladies are touring Giovinazzo and will be dropping in for only 20
mins but still all the fuss. I go home as it is getting late and
am surprised Sammy is still awake. We get everyone to bed and then
sparked by a property supliment dad sent us, we sit up for ages talking
about possible house plans when we return to Ireland, sell our house,
add to it, build one, town country, land businesses etc etc.
Thurs 27th Jan
I take some kiddy free time in the morning dropping into William and
Jane for laundry and chat and take a walk by the sea. There is still a
nip in the air but the sun is up and its all looking lovely again along
the coast and in the harbour. I decide to visit Shannon the
American we met. He husband Nicola is home too. As I come in he is
hanging up laundry and they joke that he is one of the four men in South
Italian who help at home. We have a lovely chat and play with their new
daughter Katerine, 2 1/2 months old. I then get the big kids. Eli tells
me he has spent the morning worrying about the additions website story
we worked on last night. He tells me that some passages in books,
like when the reader knows what has happened but the characters don't,
make him so uncomfortable he has to stop reading them and he does want
that to happen in his book. We talk about his total power to
change his literary creations as much as he likes. After lunch
William and Jane deliver laundry and since they both write Eli consults
them.
Later Dominico arrives with his boys who stay while they take Newbie to
collect the wood. The kids have a great afternoon playing swords
and dragons and board games. I get a message from Mike saying they have
been caught in a snow storm so will be lare. I give the kids a
movie in English and make them chips and they drink some coke we were
given. They seem to be delighted shouting "FRiteS when they see the
chips. My wee boys collapse and the big kids draw and play cards until
Dominico arrives. He says it is like they had a party. He goes and
Mike has a hot wine, a local cold remedy and goes to bed early while I
tackle the journal which it is hard to remember if I leave it too long.
Frid 28th Jan -
me nice round of shops in am to have stuff in for r&v enjoyed mike
out in pm bit late back itbig shabbat diner more frites, chicken, pizza
Sat 29th Jan
Lorellas but she went out internet stuff left to -- kids some clean up
for Baba .......