It really has been a colorful Fall

Ben and I have both remarked several times about how colorful it has been.  More colorful than any previous year.

 

 

Looking across from our house.

 

 

 

The colors of Fall sunsets are a cross between these two pictures.  The top one is less vibrant while the bottom one is sunset on steroids.  Actual colors are somewhere in between the two.  More golden, rosy, purply than then yellow, turquoise ones of summer.

Topper Shutt Would Know

It was one of those conversations that you have in bed at 5:30 in the morning with your spouse.  You know the type of chat…after his weather station had sounded the alarm because the temperature had dropped to 38 degrees…after the 45 pound dog had jumped into bed with you because there was thunder and lightening…after the precipitation hitting the window sounded like gunshot pellets.  There was nothing to do but get up and take a look.  And then come back and discuss…is it hail?  sleet?  freezing rain?  Well, it sure ain’t snow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cold light of day has made me decide that it was a mix of sleet and hail.  It was too uniform to be just hail.  No coating of everything so not freezing rain.  But Topper Shutt would know for sure.  So would Doug Hill.  We miss our Washington DC weather men.

Peacocks, Part 1

I have always been fascinated by birds.  Used to keep them and raise them,  Still hope to raise chickens.  So you know I was delighted when we came upon a ‘muster’ or pride or group of peafowl, peacocks and peahens at the Magnani Rocca Fondazione outside of Parma.  (more about why we were there in the post called Toulouse)

 

Many of the muster were used to visitors and very tame, really somewhat pushy wanting to enjoy our lunch too.

 

 

 

 

Look for some more peacocks in part 2

Peacocks, Part 2

More colorful peacocks from Magnani Rocca Fondazione outside of Parma

 

 

 

Toulouse-Lautrec

Now, I am not sure why, but since high school I have been enamored with the artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.  (Google him if you want to know more)  There was my great May of Toulouse, back in the late 90s when in one month’s time I saw his work at the Art Institute in Chicago, the Musee D’Orsay in Paris and at his childhood home in Albi, France.  That’s me all Toulouse all the time.

 

So while reading the freebie magazine that the Esselunga publishes I saw an article about a Lautrec show mostly of  his graphic works (posters and such) at the Magnani Rocca Fondazione outside of Parma.  www.magnanirocca.it  if you are interested.  Parma really is not that far and I decided that we just had to go.  And off we went.

 

 

 

 

The small estate and a nice art collection had been inherited and then turned into a museum, housing works originally part of the house in the rooms where they have always hung with the original furniture and then traveling shows (like the Lautrecs that I wanted to see) in a newer, tastefully done wing.  No pictures were allowed inside.  For most of the time there, Ben and I were the only folks visiting.  It was so cool to be able to walk right up to works and see them without being jostled and moved on.  There were several works of Lautrec that I had not seen before and an early Picasso (influenced by Lautrec) that I had never seen and might have guessed to be a Lautrec instead of Picasso.

 

 

Part of the grounds of the estate.  Look for two other posts about the peafowl that live there.

 

And for those of you who are interested, this was not an inexpensive day. 

 

Fuel for the car                 60 Euros

Tolls                                  36 Euros

Admission                         18 Euros (9 each)

Lunch                                15 Euros

 

Even though this was a real splurge for us I am really glad that we went.  It was nice to do something different and play ‘tourist’ for a bit.

More Fall Shots

The tree in Elizabetta’s secret garden.  (I might have to rake leaves!!!!! Oh noooooo)

 

 

 

 

Sheep still safely graze across the street.  You know you live in the country when it is so quiet that standing 150 feet away from the sheep you can hear them chomping on the grass.

 

 

 

My pansies in the cool oyster box that I brought home from Nice.

Nice Visit, things to do, part 3

And there was SHOPPING!!!! Wonderful, wonderful SHOPPING!!!!!

 

 

It used to be that the idea of going shopping would not have been high on my list of things to do.  But since we live out in country and usually only go into Arezzo to go to the grocery I am now somewhat shopping deprived.  Well our few days in Nice hardly began to fix that.  There is so much shopping there.  And there were actually clothes that fit me and did not have a line of sequins across the hips that screamed ‘wow, look at the big hips on this one!’  

 

Well first, there were all the shops in the old part of the city which I barely touched.  Then, there was Galleries Lafayette, a big department store, headquartered in Paris.  And then, there is Nice Etoile, like a mall, reminds me a lot of the Shoppes at Georgetown in DC.  And then, there was the whole 6 block long pedestrian shopping area.  And then, there was an H&M!  I felt like the only place I did justice to was Galleries Lafayette.  I need a week in Nice.

 

 

 

Christmas decorations ready to be unfurled outside Galleries LaFayette.

 

And of course there were grocery stores.  Ben and I were in a giant Carrefour and another smaller one.

 

These are just some of the goodies that I brought back.

 

And look what movie was playing…

 

Italian Census

We had been seeing some chat about the Italian census on the Expat sites that we read and there were ads on TV about it.  It seemed that it was supposed to be filled out on October 9.  October came and still no form.  Finally it arrived, addressed to Ben.  Hello!…  I’m the citizen not him.  But in the eyes of the census folks and our town of Monte San Savino, Ben is the head of the household.  So it came addressed to him. 

 

 

There was the many page form, an instruction booklet and a letter explaining why it should be filled out and how the info would be used.   All in Italian, of course.  Fortunately one of those Expat sites had a link to the info in English.  Here it is if you want to see the questions on the form. 

http://censimentopopolazione.istat.it/_res/doc/pdf/multilanguage/long/English.pdf

 

The most interesting questions were about the size of the house that we live in and the type of energy that we use.  The hardest to fill out were about our education. 

It took me about an hour to fill out the form.  I could have done it online but lately our internet connection has been coming and going.  I would have hated to have started filling out the form and then lose the link before I finished.  So I took our completed form down to the post office and waited while …

 

 

the nice postal lady printed the receipt for us.  I took the receipt and have now filed it away.  We do try to be good citizens. 

 

And in case anyone from the Italian census is reading, here a picture of the 3 souls living in this house on October 9, 2011.  (Elizabetta elected not to be part of this.  You know she has her own place)

 

Fall shots, like I so love Fall

 

 

All these gazzinas are volunteers, grown from the seeds of last summer’s plants.  They are doing well in the shelter of the front porch which gets a lot of sun.  I had cut the ones in the glass thinking that I would use them at Thanksgiving and then remembered that they close up every night so not good centerpiece flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunsets from down in the valley.

Nerone’s New Years Eve Night Out

Last summer when he first joined us, Nerone showed us that he enjoyed going to festas and sagras with us.  That he could be a real party dog.  So when we were making our New Year’s plans with Dinah and Allen (Canadian friends with a place in Lucignano)  I asked if we could bring Nerone along since we would be away from the house for so long.  Dinah and Allen, being dog people, graciously agreed to invite him too. 

 

Last year you might remember that we were at Dinah and Allen’s for New Years.  Their back terrace over looks the valley.  With its more than 180 degree view it is ideal for fireworks watching.  If you saw the pictures on TV of the fireworks in Sydney Australia these are even better (except of course it is colder).  Each community sets off fireworks and it is a long display of color popping up here and there in the distance.  Lucignano and the restaurant next door to the terrace also set off fireworks so Nerone was not spared the anxiety and fear of the noise.  I could feel his trembling through his leash standing 4 feet away from him.  So he took refuge in the house and was much happier there.   

 

His pictures from the night.

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m not sure about this lady” 

Nerone with Dinah

 

 

 

‘”But, I’m likin him.”

 

Nerone with Allen

 

 

 

“I think George might have been making fun of me..” 

 

George singing his Neorne blues song.