myabruzzohome's activity

Questions Asked

Has anyone had a stall at a local fair or flea market in Italy?I'd like to sell smaller vintage items( table linen,kitchenalia and architectural antiques) from England and France and wanted to try loca fairs.Do you have to be a resident ?

Mon, 07/21/2014 - 08:07

I'm driving from South West England to Abruzzo in June and I normally cover some of the costs by transporting stuff for people -Yes I do supermarket runs too!!If anyone wants to talk to me about this please send an email via my blog

Sun, 05/11/2014 - 10:31

when the builders repaired our roof they left lots of old lime plaster from the roof on the floor bricks which we are keeping.We've almost plastered the room now and we'd like to clean the floor so has anyone got any ideas?No chemicalsNo sand blas

Sun, 02/12/2012 - 09:26

What's it all about then?I thought the puppet was some lovely old traditional 'hobby horse' aka Cornish Fishing Town type affair but its this horrid Barbie doll! With fireworks.My idea of a hellish macho dream.

Sun, 01/08/2012 - 15:32

We've really been struggling with getting our house plastered -I never knew that it was such a difficult operation and am now a firm supporter of leaving well alone unless its really falling off the wall!We stripped off all of the old plaster -pro

Sun, 10/16/2011 - 07:08

My sister is renting a house near Rome for 1 month and has been asked to sign a contract even though its a holiday home normally rented for 1/2 weeks.Is this normal in Italy? I'm not sure how to advise her.

Mon, 02/07/2011 - 07:44

It's hard work but we are getting there! www.myabruzzohome.com

Sun, 10/10/2010 - 09:18

I'm very worried about how our excellent plumbers are going to react to my request to install a Thermal Store with a wood stove incorporating boiler plus solar panels. I've been skimming through information online and it seems that most British pl

Tue, 08/24/2010 - 13:53

Its seems that in Abruzzo recently there has been a change in the laws regarding hunting of several species and hunting with dogs.The info is on this site  'Big Hunter.it'- I've google translated it so do change it to the correct Italian version.

Thu, 11/12/2009 - 13:23

Did anyone catch the news item yesterday on the discovery that the Italian Eco Mafia have sunk at least 3 boats in the sea off South West Italy with yellow containers full of what is believed to be radioactive waste?A mafia informer has apparently

Thu, 09/17/2009 - 04:24

Comments posted

Wed, 08/19/2009 - 13:10

This post made me chuckle as its always us Brits who are the last to complain even when we are provoked beyond all reason!My italian neighbours love to complain about just about everyone even members of their own family !We are just so polite!

Answer to: Bitten dog?
Mon, 08/17/2009 - 09:42

try tea tree oil. Clean the area very well and apply at least 5 times a day.I drop about 3 drops of oil onto a cotton wool pad that I wet after.If you can put a bandage over it stops them licking it off! ( I use a  bandage then put a baby sock over the top!) I cured a nasty wound on my brother's dog this way and it was on the pad so very difficult.

Mon, 08/17/2009 - 09:35

It depends on the area around your house.Can you not make it a green oasis by planting trees and shrubs that will hide the views of bare fields? If the fields are ploughed when autumn rains come they will soon be green! And I've noticed that many farmers are starting to leave their olive groves unploughed to prevent erosion.It would be worth considering if your property could be affected in very heavy storms with earth and stones gettting washed from fields onto roads and paths.Hedges and walls could help to prevent this risk.

Mon, 08/17/2009 - 09:29

What sort of idiot would try to poison an already threatened animal- would you suggest that in the UK ? Sometimes I despair of some people here!! If you want to live apart from nature and wildlife please don't move to an old rural house in Italy!OTOH there will be other ways to deter the pine martens and I suspect that it will happen only at certain times of the year - we've had one or two on our roof but in 5 years its not been much of a problem.    

Answer to: Fenches
Mon, 08/03/2009 - 06:11

Point well made I did mean FENCES! Spelling a weakness!We do layer our hedges in our Cornish garden and have natural living fenches but in Italy the main problem would be watering as in the 1st year the new saplings would need tender loving care plus what about Roberto's manky gang of sheep and goats!!They'd chomp through wire I swear.Sorry but the reinforced razor wire solution is not very attractive ! It may keep out a few Badgers ( not particullarly worried about badgers) but it would look c..p wouldnt it ?I've actually done a bit of research and this website 'allotment gardening' gives some good instructions on contructing a rustic type fench that is quite substancial.www.allotmentforestry.comI'd be keen to hear opinions! 

Fri, 07/31/2009 - 14:38

I am very reluctant to drive anywhere at night and would not consider going further affiield than our village unless it was an emergency.The last time we tried walking home from a restuarant I was kerb crawled even though my partner was with me!I've sat next to too many Italian males getting totally wasted on litre after litre of red wine at our local restuarant! And that's after spending all afternoon in the bar.Funny thing is that Italian women drink very little but those macho males would never let them drive home would they?And it's supposed to British youngsters that cause all the problems!

Answer to: Strange Bird !
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 15:10

Can you record the call ?And put it on you tube?I've downloaded a picture of a Sardinian warbler in my photo gallery!

Answer to: help and advice
Thu, 07/30/2009 - 15:09

It would be cheaper to us a company like intasure who provide us with cover for about  £150 a year under a Holiday Home Policy.I like the Unicredito/Banca di Roma in Pescara and they've always been very helpful.I also have a Postepay Account that allows me to get cash from our local Post Office.I've put plenty of details and advice on myweb site and I've also got a diary section showing our rennovation project and its 'progres' !

Answer to: Strange Bird !
Wed, 07/29/2009 - 17:02

http://www.avisoft.com/sounds.htmListen to both Sardinian warbler calls here as they do have a melodious as well as an alarm call!Otherwise it could just be a Jay but these are very easy to see as opposed to the Sardinian Warbler! 

Answer to: Strange Bird !
Tue, 07/28/2009 - 13:34

Gail there is a Wildlife group for your strange bird tales.!I would say that this bird is almost certainly a Sardinian Warbler or Occhiocotto (cooked eye) in Italian.This is a common bird that does migrate but also in some areas overwinters .It is a very excitable species and makes the noise you describe when it sees a cat , snake, bird of prey etc. Like most birds in Italy they ( wisely) skulk around in the undergrowth so are quite difficult to see. Wrens make a similar noise but they are much easier to see.