Thursday, November 20, 2008

HOW DID THE SPINACH HIT THE WALL?

Ken dragged his girls to watch Pozzuolo versus some obscure village football team, one freezing Sunday afternoon, when the wind was blowing a gale and the nose hairs were congealing.

A few days later, to ensure the heroic kids had survived, we had them round for a mini-pancake party.

The girls were angels but somehow spinach was splashed half way up the dining room hall (right behind Ken's head?!? a giveaway?) and Cristian got the entire machine floating in nutella and whipped cream...


The Murphys minus Danica.

Monday, November 10, 2008

FOX PARADE

Fox and Mate saved the day again!!!! They arrived from Cesena just in time to see Cristian before his knee operation and were there to lend their support to Bean and me, and tell lots of silly jokes.

In the space of a week, they:
- delivered a ton of material from Isa and JA - saving us from the hassle and stress of trying to figure out what Bean will need (one trip to Prenatal nearly saw the shop assistant cleaved in half - and no, not by me, but by Fox. I wonder where I get it from?!);
- cooked lots of meals - including a full on Christmas dinner (with a turkey-chicken-cat hybrid - ask Fox, he will tell you - and with a gorgeous Christmas tree too);
- cleaned the terrace and washed the table and chairs (we can now eat on the floor it is so sparkling);
- sorted out the bike shed, removing all spiders (there were millions);
- built a bed and bookshelf (king of diy);
- had the entire kitchen pot-drying cabinet fall on their head (ok, that was Fox, and no, he did not admit to yanking the doors open);
- taught me how to make pastry (ban the bomb gigantic mince pie and treacle tart - my next trip to perugia will include a treacle hunt);
- went to the Silvestrini CUP to pay for a free ecography;
- and much much more.

I tried to confiscate the car keys, but to no avail... one week down the line, they had disappeared and the fairytale dissolved into thin air.



A first? Christmas in November!


Any excuse to celebrate.


What was that joke about the I-Tit? or the Daddy Long Legs?

Monday, November 03, 2008

WONDERING WHAT COUNTRY THIS IS?! ME TO!!

Today is the day Alitalia has another one of its meetings to decide if the staff can accept the new proposal to save the company. Somehow, the past month and a half has been one long ultimatum - too much deficit, time to collapse it; new investors, time to save it; cash injection opposed by Brussels, time to seek a sentence. Hopefully they will not resort to flying the planes with no pilots or hostesses...

Cristian was also supposed to be operated on today - knee ligaments - but the surgeon called on Sunday to say the hospital was going on strike so he would be operated on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Mah?! Oh and it is now 16.00 on Monday afternoon and we still don't know if/when the operation will take place.
BACK TO FRONT

The boiler pump has blown up, as they do when the boiler is an antique and the owner refuses to change the whole thing. The plumber was suppose to arrive before lunch, he turned up at 14.30 only to tell me he will have to send someone else later. I love waiting for the boiler man, its become one of my favorite pass-times :)

On another positive note, the workmen have finally arrived to do up the entrance hall (perfect timing to start banging and making lots of dust since I have been away a month and have Mate and Fox arriving just today!!).

Now my question is: why lay the new tiles BEFORE painting the walls and adjusting the doors to they will actually close - or the tiles near the door will fit?!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

BELLA ROMA

Bean and I survived!!!!

Actually, we sailed through the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) meeting and the Rotterdam Convention 4th Conference of the Parties.

The Villa San Pio hotel was a highlight, as were a few of the restaurants we tried in Testaccio. Mainly it was a fun opportunity to spend time with Melanie and Wangu the first week, before Melanie set off for New Caledonia (as you do).

So here we have:
Nancy (our Logistics, throughout), Andrej (forest mtg), moi, Mel (TL for wk1), Wagaki (TL forests), Wangu (front - writer both wks), Anne (back - writer wk 2), Keith (writer wk2), Nicole (forests) and Soledad (our TL for wk2).



And this is Anne, Bean and Moi handing out ENBs in plenary.