Tuesday, October 25, 2005

SOMEONE HAS A BUMP
On Tuesday I made my way to Florence (yes, I should be buying shares in trenitalia) to have a lovely lunch with Mrs Pretorius, who was looking gloriously pregnant! Mini-pretorius is due at the beginning of 2006. Watch this site as I am planning on getting a pic of her when she comes to Cortona to visit over the weekend.
In the meantime, the chef at the restorant on Piazza di Chiesa Santo Spirito asked her if she had a husband - getting picked up anywhere at any time!! Viva Italia!

Firenze
Florence is beautiful...

Firenze
Even when full of tourists and scaffoldings!

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

THE MEANING OF A MOOSE STANDING ON ITS HEAD
Don’t you sometimes wonder about the meaning behind the strangest things? I occasionally do, but then the phone rings, or an email arrives, or the pasta boils over, so if you thought this was going to be the first of a series of introspective blogs, you are wrong!!

I am madly trying to catch up with a bit of work after a fab few days spent with the Des PAZ, so why, you are wondering, am I waving a syringe around the room?, what does that have to do with work? Ask Dell about refill cartridges and then we can discuss it…

So, where was I, yes, foooooooddd. Not had one about food for a while have we? Our waistlines can certainly tell the difference after the Cortona feeding frenzy though. Good job the baby phone covered quite a large range of places to go and nibble whilst Laurine was dreaming of her next ice cream. The Grotta saw us a couple of times, as did the Antica Trattoria, yum. In Siena though we avoided the pizzas on the main square – yes, the young Roberto did try to throw one at the waiter out there, so we went incognito instead and had take away by the roman fountain.

In the meantime, we tried innovative carrying methods, as in the case of Alyssa, and synchronized mouth-spoon-opening exercises with Laurine and Alex. Isabelle happily looked on, dreaming of her next tartufo dish.

Now tell me, who on earth would take their Swiss relatives to Eurochocolate in Perugia?

Nobody could figure out why he wore sandals when it was autumn
Nobody could figure out why he wore sandals when it was autumn...

mouth-spoon-food sync
Laurine and Alex doing the mouth-spoon-food sync.

Back in fashion
Alyssa in true vintage gear.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina
Bistecca alla Fiorentina, bone an all, at La Grotta.

Could it be romance?
Matteo Giardini taking the girls out in his car.

Innovative transport
Alyssa goes carbon neutral.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

A COUPLE OF QUESTION MARKS
Can lettuce be frozen and why is reading other people’s blogs a lot more interesting than working, especially on a Saturday? Just a couple of the questions that are going through my mind as I really should be getting on with work – yes, I am behind hand with lots of stuff as a result of too much travelling and too little time behind a computer. This is probably a post to kick start a guilt trip, even more so since it is now 3 pm and I am being picked up and taken to Pozzuolo in about an hour… ok, that did it. Over to important documents. But if you have any idea about the lettuce, do let me know.

freezer or no freezer...
freezer or no freezer...

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

BRIDGET JONES DID GO TO THE NORTH
In true mini-break style, Cynthia and The Sherpa flagged down a taxi and flopped into the back, covering the floor with bags. Shop till you drop only applies if the shops stay open long enough. In this case, it was more of a shop till the shops close... Campari and orange came to the rescue as did toast and cheese. Then the thinking cap came on to debate the cold-flesh interface and the figure-food paradigm. The former relates to baring the body notwithstanding mercury levels, whilst the second identifies the causal links between shape and intake. Next on the list is pint vs bladder size.
Ha, what a grand weekend that was.

Campari and friends
The miracle of duty free... our evening companion.