Hello birds, hello trees

07/24/2009 - 10:50

Hi - we have been living in San Ginese, about 5 miles south of Lucca, in the lovely Compitese countryside, for a year now. Still amazed to be here, renovating a house which was barely habitable when we started and is just about habitable now. If I hear "piano piano" one more time I will have a conniption. - No actually, come to think of it, I don't care; compared to the nightmare of working in the NHS in Glasgow this is a breeze. One day, magari, we will have a small and elegant B&B which will allow us to stay here for ever and live like paupers. Current plan is to improve my pathetic Italian, which amazingly did not become magically fluent when we arrived, so I can make better friends with our kind and generous neighbours, and argue convinvigly with the plumber. Looking forward to participating in the forum/community  - whatever!  

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OH you lucky ,lucky refugee from the NHS.I .work in the Irish equivalent the HSE and would love to live in Italy even part-time but sadly cannot (yet)Good luck with your B+B plans.Keep us posted!!

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Yes indeedy, I wake up every day after a good night's sleep (that's new!) and I can't believe my luck. Sometimes though, I think there'll be a tap on my shoulder and some god awful middle manager in her nasty suit  will be there saying OK you've had your fun,  there are 55 messages on your Blackberry, and you've overspent your budget. But no! Blackberries grow in the garden now, and our budget was blown months ago. Who cares! Keep hold of your dreams Dublin Patrizia - there is life after the caring profession!

... perseverance is the keyword.We commenced a similar journey over 3 years ago and finally opened our b &b in May of this year. Lots of trials and tribulations and wanting to throw in the towel on many an occasion. Much like you, I got thoroughly pee'd off with "piano, piano". Other half is Italian, so this was normal. Anyway, we kept at it and here we are.It'll be worth it when you get there, you know it will.

You're right about perseverance, and I think you have to adjust your perspective every so often as reality sinks in! glad to hear you made it though; I reckon it'll be a year before we're ready to go public - but I'm quite prepared to rethink that, as piano becomes pianissimo.

Lucky you, Fairy Nuff, living where you do (almost uniquely not in Le Marche!).Have you tried Trattoria da Leo, in Via Tegrimi in Lucca?  Ace, and the BBQ ribs are to die for.Talking of 'die' I'm also a health professional! 

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

No Madam, I am not a rat in any shape or form.  I am a Gerbillo.  My father was a poet laureat Gerbillo and my mother a university lecturer (in quantum physics) Gerbillo (she also wondered why there is no Italian word 'Gerbilla').We Gerbilli are educated and cultured (we never drink wine straight from the bottle for instance) and take great exception to being mistaken for DNA incompatable rats.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

How was I to know about the DNA whatsit?You rodents all look the same to me.I do agree with you about the way to drink wine though, good breeding will always out.Do you ,like Moi ,always use a straw?

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The great advantage of using a straw, as I'm sure you already know, is that you can keep the bottle of wine hidden in a brown paper bag.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

My shrieks of laughter made the C_A _T de de de de---de de de de jump. Let'.s give up our jobs as health un professionals and go on the road in Italy as a comedy double act .We could visit Le Marche and cheer them up poor things ,all that sun must be sooooodepressing.you bring the brown paper bags ,I'll bring the straws,the vino is for nothing and we can get Andrew (scary,scary Andrew) to make us a  monster curry.When that runs out we can live on dripping butties and custard

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The only privisos I make is( or should it be provisi?) No, It's definitly provisos, I'm not neurotic tic tic tic just like to be rightA)Bring your own cageB)Moi gets top billing :

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

OK Dp.A) never travel without itB) We'll have to wait and see who our audience connects with.  Like The Supremes we're The Prozac Sisters.  The question is:Which of us is Diana Ross and which of us (will become) The Prozac Sister? Oh, the excitement!PS You're not bringing anything feline I hope.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

As you can see from my avatar I'm the only logical choice to be Diana Ross; after all, do you know why she was Supreme? Because she's Indian....

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Hi Gerbillo - you mentioned Da Leo in Lucca - great place.Incidentally I'm a bit worried about you and DP being so-called health "professionals". Are you sure you don't need professional help from another branch of our revered service? You both seem a bit delusional. Diana Ross ... world tour...? There there dears, matron will be round with the medication in a minute.

In reply to by Fairy Nuff

Allow me to on behalf of us Marche folk to welcome you with open (but sweaty) arms! Careful though Gerbillo, marchigiani (including plastic ones) hunt and eat anything furry. "God help you"????

In reply to by DavidUno

Thank you for the welcome DavidUno.  Plans for the world tour are coming along at pace and we're really excited about kicking off in Le Marche.Sounds like I may have to come in disguise to avoid being eaten.  What do you think would fit in best in your locality?

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

tour cancelled..stop...must go into hiding...stop...see community statuses...stop...never liked leeks anyway...stop...must keep big mouth shut ...stop...trawl through todays posts to make any sense of this message ...stop....am I bov vered ...stop...Moi?...stop..no...stop..PM me with messages of support...stop...must stop now ...stop...offto make Irish stew....stop

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Paddy & his wife are lying in bed & the neighbour's dog is barking like mad in the garden. Paddy says 'To hell with this!' & storms off..He comes back upstairs 5 mins later & his wife asks 'What did you do?'Paddy replies 'Ive put the dog in our garden, lets see how they like it!' 

In reply to by Andrew

Mick & Paddy are reading head stones at a nearby cemetery. Mick say 'Crikey! Theres a bloke here who was 152!'Paddy says 'Whats his name?'Mick replies 'Miles from London !' 

In reply to by Andrew

An Irishman is rowing his boat in a field of hay. Paddy drives past & stops. He looks at the Irishman in the boat & shouts 'Its thick twits like you that give us Irish a bad name! I'd come over there & kick the s**t out of you if I could swim!'

In reply to by Casa Monal

Grazie for your good wishes - Sure is a warm swap! I'm almost (but just almost) missing that soft Glasgow rain. Not missing the baltic temperatures though.

Have been to Bagni di Lucca on previous holiday in Lucca - it's a lovely area - but would you believe haven't managed to get there the whole year we've been living here - heads down and focusing on the building work. Otherwise we forget and think we're still on holiday! But we're going to do some exploring and days out now - or research for  the B&B as I call it. So hopefully will be up your way soon.

Luccy Luccy you.  As OH always says, the harder I work, the luckier I get.  Best of luck and give us progress reports from time to time (when not on tour of course).

There there dear.  Deep breath.  Pull yourself together.  There's a well known brand of dry roasted and I suspect KP is one of them.We artistes sometimes have to suffer for our art.  DavidUno and his friends are sooooooooo looking forward to our little soiree - we can't disappoint them now, can we?Chin up.  Straight back.  That's MUCH better now, isn't it? 

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Yes you are right,sob  We can 't   ' let            sob                    our public downsob sob.feeling better now but,my dear,the trauma!!!!One is not used to such harsh language Off to have alittle drinkie....now...vino....straws....paper bag...ok all set !!

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I think you'll find it was KC and the Sunshine Band.What's going on? And why is there a rash of Irish jokes in my introduction thread?anyone ever had curried custard?