Mumsnet Talk

Greetings, Ciao , Welcome , Benvenuto

ciao!

ciao! Franca am glad the travel agent was quite positive.

CAn I just say it was 23 + deg oggi and there were still kid in hats, bandane, and felpe grosse and jackets ...one kid was still in his pumino FGS......

Rosa I dont doubt it. DS was the only kid in the playground running around in the sun after school (at 1) in a T shirt. I made sure I placated the armies of mamme shooting me daggers by wiping his neck etc of sweat after playing and putting on his jacket and talking loudly of the dangers of sweat....

Lol at talking loudly of the dangers of sweat

I sent mine in a tshirt, grembiule and felpa this morning...

Really hot here too, mind you, this is my ideal weather.

me too Franca. Love it.
So the Emilio Fede and Berlusca love affair is no more...

Oh yes. "Mi mancherete. Soprattutto dopo 23 anni di direzione svolta nel massimo dell'obiettività e della libertà"... this is what he's just said in his last tg.
at massimo dell'obiettività!!! Mitico!

Ho ho shame I missed that.
Today we saw a car being winched out of a fountain, god knows how they ended up in there.

@ car in the fountain. Were they throwing coins? Or cooling up?

Ok: it seems that dh's interview is on the 13th. Our tickets are on the 10th. Travel agent thinks he can try to change dh's ticket, but he is adamant he won't be able to change ours (me and the children)

So, I can go with the children on the 10th and wait for dh to arrive (on the 14th) at the hotel in Key West we are booked in. Fine, it is a lovely hotel, I am sure we'll be fine. Please reassure me !!!

You will be fine , Key West is great are you driving there from Miami ? The worst bit IMO is getting out of the airport and onto the highway then its straight down. Once in Key West hire bikes and pedal round we hardly used the car when we were there but our hotel wasn't right in the main streets it was just before but it was about a 15/20 min walk. Its lovely and relaxed round there and OMG the KeyLime ice cream sort of a small shop not on the main drag but before POssibly South street or adjacent . It only sold Key Lime things I bought cold tea mix, pie mix, we ate a bit of pie and went back for the ice creams it was all yummy. We did go about 8 years ago so things might have changed but we found eating pretty reasonable - the places on the main street were higher in price and more 'trendy' with lots of Hemmingway lookalikes and things. We did have a drink in Sloppy Joes but preferred the bars near the harbour.
Sanibel I have never been to but my sis said it was lovely. Orlando don't just do parks the outlets as well you can fill a case from Gap , Hillfinger, Ralph Lauren etc - forget the shopping mals unless there are sales and go to the outlets !!! ( far cheaper then New York as well !). Where are you staying in Orlando ? I am green with envy already you will have a ball....

Spy LOL at a cra in a fountain was it a flat one or did it have raised edges so the car 'jumped in '?

at Hemingway's lookalikes

We are flying into Key West via Miami, so no probs there (unless we loose the connecting flight , I am already stressing about it and have visions of me and the children forever trapped in Miami's airport )l

Ok, you are really reassuring me that it is possible to get around the town by bike or walking, as you know, I haven't driven for yrs. Our hotel is by the seaside and seems to have all sorts of amenities, but I am glad to know that we can easily escape into town and that there is lovely ice cream to cheer us up!!!

We are staying only 2 full days in Orlando, as theme parks and malls aren't really dh's scene, so we had to compromise there!

Dining, hotels and renting cars seem way cheaper in the US than here. At least in Florida.

Oh in Orlando we are staying in the Renaissance Orlando Hotel at Seaworld, it has good reviews on tripadvisor and very convenient price.

Rosa, since you are officially my florida expert, do you know where to buy tickets for the parks from???

Decide what parks you are going to do and then go on the Dismney site and see if there are any park combinations that are right for you . We had Universal and Islands of Adventure. Then one for Disneyworld, Seaworld, Epcot and Busch Gardens I think it was. We ended up with repeat entry for Islands and Universal as we liked it so much and queues were few and far between. We actually purchased from Disney as all the special offers etc diddn't give any savings at all and we never found any queues . However we went in NOvember . Get yourself on the Disney mailing list as often they send out special offers.
For the parks if there are rides that have fast track it is worth on arrival going and getting your timings so you have reduced waiting times or avoid disapointment if they are full or queues are hours long. Get to the parks early as they open and if you go to Epcot make it a day and stay to watch the fireworks. Epcot I love as it is sooo big and often people don't bother going in all the places . It is also interesting I find ! In the Italy podium they sell Murano Glass and LOL one of our friends actuially made the items they were selling !
We only once stayed in the area that you are in and as for eating out we ended up trying to see how much we could eat for as little money as possible .... DO look out for the vouchers /coupons as often you BOGOF. There are lts of buffet places say on I Drive where you on entry say what meat you want which they bring to you and then there is this huge buffet . Breakfast was about $4 and you were stuffed... OK the last time I was there was 6 years ago when I was pg with dd! But yes you can eat for so much less in the USa and portions are huge.
Our hotel was the Banana beach resort in Key West so you can see where we were in relation to where you will be. Its a small place/ resort with boat trips , trips to see the mantees, the islands etc. The beaches I don't think were fab in fact manmade but the sea was clean ! We basically pootled here and there and relaxed. If I recall there is as small shopping centre with a great Ikea kind of shop more for small items sort of before or as the area of Key West starts.
I had conch fritters and found them hard and rubbery and horrible !!!!
Oh happy memories I am sure you will have a great time.

Thanks rosa!!!
We certainly want to do the Universal Island of Adventures, because that is where the Harry Potter Wizarding World is. For the second day, I've no idea. Traditional Disney? I am lost

sorry to gatecrash (especially when you are talking about Florida) but are any of you in Rome and can you confirm that it is NOT going to cost me £10 for a coffee, as some annoying person warned me yesterday?

Hi MightyNice am in Rome and rarely pay more than €1 for a coffee so dont worry . It is possible to pay huge amounts but as long as you avoid sitting down at the main piazzas where they inflate prices for tourists you'll be fine. Italians normally drink their coffee standing up at the bar and this is the cheapest way. If you get waiter service sitting down outside then you are charged more however still shouldnt be anything like a tenner. If you want to sit down then choose the small non flashy bars on the streets with just a few seats outside cluttering up the pavement as this is where the Romans will go rather than the prettier ones which again are often tourist rip offs.
Franca I have holiday envy. Trip sounds amazing. Good news re DH being able to change. I will want every little detail of Harry Potter

I am not in Rome, you need BananaGio or Sputnik .

Of course it's not going to cost you 10 euros for a coffee, but you might run the risk to get ripped off, yes. Probably, if you sit outside in a very touristy area, they'll try to charge you lots of money for a coffee.
I am sure Gio and Sput will tell you were to avoid going.

I am in Milan, btw, and in some upmarket or touristy bars sitting down for a coffee is remarkably expensive, but not in the other 97% of bars, iyswm.

thanks banana

I thought it couldn't be true, most have ever paid was 2euros in Naples although am gifted in the art of paying more than necessary for everyday things

Oh x post!

Gio, can you perhaps advise MightyNice on which areas to avoid? Like sitting in a bar in PIazza Navona is going to be quite expensive, no?

Gio, of course, I will let you know everything. There is a wonderful website if you feel inclined... they even sell wands

oh and thanks franca too

you lot are friendly, I wish I liked Italy enough to actually live there (not that do not love it, just not enough)

Oooh me too mightynice. Have you got a lonely planet? They may have lists of good bars where they won't try to rob you!

good thinking, will get one, am bit worried that have opted to stay nr via veneto for sort of easy access to 'things' but that is far away from where I can probably afford to actually eat

I am Italian Mighty, so I had no choice really . I did live in England for years though.

I am sure there are still some lovely trattorie in Rome where you can eat well without having to pay £££.

You need Gio, I am ashamed to say I know Rome very little

I bet I end up moving to the much maligned south at some point, when my youngest leaves home and my horse dies (argh) but not sure how I would support myself really, just live off the equity from my house here?

it's not as if England isn't racist, sexist and homophobic without even the benefit of sunshine and nice food!

Mighty, I'd love to move to Southern Italy too, preferably in Sicily.

avoid every bar on Via Veneto! Is totally geared towards international tourists and business people with expense accounts. If you want to sit and watch the world go by on piazzas like Navona, della Rotonda (where Pantheon is) etc then get a take out coffee in a bar and sit on the fountain steps. As a guide re food prices in restaurants look at the prices for the Primi on a restaurant. Pasta al pomodoro is usually the cheapest. In a typical trattoria where the locals go expect to pay €6-7 for that, in the historical centre €8-10, anything over that is either very posh or for tourists. Dont know the Veneto area too well am afraid as am over the other side near the Vatican so cant help with local recs.

AM crap on Rome to be honest Gio and Sput are the ones you need.... Have a good time and do some window shopping in the fabbo shops down there for me !
Franca Disneyland is great if they are still into it all there are some good rides but after Islands / Universal I think that they win hands down. Have a look at Epcot DH might actually enjoy some of it its not all rides ( but there are some good ones) . I wouldn't bother with Seaworld as you are there for such a short time ! We did Islands and Universal on one day one time as Islands had just opened but again we were there in low season so would be interested to hear what the queues etc are like in June. Gotta go get the monster Ciaooo

Rosa, thanks. Yes, mine aren't into Cinderella and the likes anymore, but I am sure they would like Disney nevertheless.
Ummmm what to do, what to do... perhaps a 2 days pass for Islands of adventure? I think it might be a good option. I'll have a look at Epcot too!

Do you think I am turning into one of those adults who holiday in Orlando for 2 weeks every year?

Re queues. A friend of mine went to Disneyland in LA in July and told me they weren't huge. Boh!

thank you I had 8euros in mind as a sort of guide, I suppose whatever I budget should probably be doubled - holidays always cost more than you think don't they?

(might have a couple of days in Sicily in July/August, not sure, we are going to some festival in Sardinia anyway but unless I get over my seafood phobia those islands are not habitable for me )

Oh don't worry Mighty, Sicily is not just seafood! There are lots of fantastic dishes with vegetables (like caponata) and the splendid parmigiana or the amazing arancini di riso <<salivates>>

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm parmigiana! didn't know either of those were sicilian, sometimes forget how highly regionalised the food is (but everything else is isn't it, so why not the food) when it comes to Italian cuisine - I get so depressed when I come home and things don't taste the same

(should probably hide thread before it fuels desire to move to Italy, went through this with France many years ago)

don't get depressed. My parmigiana is certainly not comparable to the parmigiana made by a local. They have it in their dna, imho

Nah, no need to hide thread:

Berlusconi, recession, the northern league, women with exposed decolletes everywhere, pollution, corruption, debts, debts, debts, unemployment, women exposing tattoos on their vagina, vaginas, short men with fake tan, debts, mafia, Berlusconi.

See?

that is an excellent list and let's add my inability to say anything much in Italian to it!

northern league = scary alpini people? think we had run in with some in Turino last year, they seemed very angry anyway

The northern league: scary racist party, convinced that the north of Italy should be independent. here

Right, I am going to pick up my children... ciao!

Wow in 20+ years of living here how have I managed to avoid women with tattooed vaginas?
Perhaps because I unplugged the TV 7 years ago.

Re Rome, really the centre of Rome may as well be another planet, I so rarely go there (when I do I always think I should do it more often) So I'm no help really.

The car in the fountain, it was a raised fountain in the middle of a suburban roundabout. I can't figure out how they managed it, it must've been fairly spectacular. Hope the occupants were ok.

Lol Sput, . I haven't seen the tattooed vagina too, as I don't have a tv as well, but it was Belen's in Sanremo...

Lol Franca your list is excellent in a nutshell! Sput how the heck did the car get in has the local paper not written about it?
We have a Tv it is mainly on sky I cannot say the last time we watched any rai . Dh watches zelig and thats about it for mediaset as well!

I found this, it seems the driver wasn't seriously injured

www.romatoday.it/cronaca/incidente-stradale/macchina-dentro-fontana-piazza-fonte-degli-acilii-axa.html

I like the website btw. I was very tempted to sign to get news from Casal Palocco!

Ah Rosa, I managed to download the bbc iplayer for the ipad. It is for the foreign market, so not too many things, but still quite entertaining. Dd loves watching Junior masterchef, shame there is always one season and she now knows it by heart.

Ah Franca if only you knew, this is the leafy suburb of Rome where all the footballers live. And certain kind of women who drive fuoristrada with a sign that says "bitch on board". I could go on... (possibly they all have tattooed vaginas, certainly they might deem a rubber mini dress appropriate attire for the school run).
It's where my kid's school is.

Oh dear! Here: Nanni Moretti & Casalpalocco

Thanks for that I will look out for it I saw the junior masterchef Australia on sky the 8 yr olds were amazing !!
Loved the article on the car and how the heck he managed to get in the fountain will be a talking point in the bars for ages! Its a bit cloudy here today so unlike all of my neighbours I have not washed the curtains... I have only been here a year so they can collect dust a bit longer thank you!

Ciao a tutte, I hope you all had a pleasant weekend.
Dd went to her first sleep over party, and yesterday she was knackered (but happy).
The temp has dropped down a bit, which is fair enough, I suppose...

Thanks Franca, you distracted me into watching Caro Diaro, I'd never seen it.
Just before the Casalpallocco bit he goes round Spinaceto, which I live on the edge of.

We had a nice Sunday we went with friends to a kind of agritursimo and teh dds had a ball. It was certainly colder yesterday and grey DH and I are in the middle of a mega dispute about his future however we have got to the not talking to each other part of the argument.....

Ah Spinaceto, yes, I remember that bit. To be hinest, to me Rome looks entirely gorgeous and green!

Oh dear Rosa, what do you mean his future? Are you still discussing whether to move back to the Uk or not? (nosey)

(gatecrashing yet again to squeal express excitement at being in Rome this time next week!)

but also to ask stupid question about how often onions and garlic are cooked and eaten together - did I dream up the notion that this is rare if ever? thank you for tolerating me . . .

lol! To be honest, I do often cook onion and garlic , especially in pasta sauces.

yikes! is there some authority we could turn to? will I have an opportunity to ask after papal mass - would he even know?!

No he wants to basically hand over the reins of the business to other people and sit back on his a**se and just take a salary ( which will be fixed). I say we can enlarge / improve on what we have and now is not the taime to hand over security. Today he has cleaned, tidied, hoovered and even washed the pan up from lunch wtf? All to prove he is capable of staying at home ..which is is not as he doesn't even know which drawer the dd's pants are in ! I don't mind going back to work but only if I know he could cope 100% - he can't! And I am bugge++ed of I am going to do both ...If we both worked then the situation would be different . I still want to go to the Uk for 6th form college and uni for the dds and we would need to invest in a flat or something in the Uk but again now is not the right time ! He is a bit of a 'hide my head under a stone person and hope a solution to the problem comes to the forefront' ....Oh well time will tell.

I use a bit of garlic in sauces but dh doesn't like the taste that much so its subtle .. BUt I know loads who mix the 2 should we not ????

thanks rosa, just wondering where I got this idea from

maybe it is a restaurant thing, have definitely never eaten something that had both in

at the Pope. I bet he doesn't know. Plus, he is German !!!

Oh wow, Rosa. Why does he want to give up his activity? Is he overstressed? ANd would it be easy for you to get a full time job?

MIghty I bet you have but have never realised...

Franca yes he is a bit stressed but he fails to see the whole picture and only sees what he wants to see on some things. He will get bored in a matter of weeks only he thinks not , he will not be able to do anything else unless it is in nero and we all know how impossible that is now .
My job doesn't even exist anymore I could possibly apply for stagionale but its 6 years since I left the comp and so I doubt they would take me just like that. I could do a couple of other things ( accompagnatrice con patentino) I know of a few places that would take me on or I could go down the teaching route as I know I could get work easily ....However I don't know if I really want to. We could expand together with what we have or maybe link in with another company a larger one but he is just being so ( scusa) uomo del sud and wanting an easy life !

I totally see your point Rosa, and I agree. Seems such a pity to give up an activity that is already established.
I know that it is not easy to be self employed in such difficult times, but it is worth to carry on.
Can he take a holiday, maybe?

He will be rafting in a month and leaving me to run the ship ...I don't mind. A holiday for him is not really the solution as its just postponing the decision longer and things need to be decided now ....small factors influence the final decision. What bugs me is that he seems to have made up his mind but I just don' t agree with his reasoning and lack of ' the whole picture'. I told him before we got married that if he wanted to train as a rocket scientist or whatever that now was the time to do it not when we had kids etc as at that stage in time I could support the both of us. He chose not to! Arrgghh I can't put all the ins and outs on here ......

I totally understand where you are coming from Rosa, and I totally agree with you.

Bless you Thank you.he has washed up the dinner plates and put the dds to bed they are now all reading stories ...( they have had a busy dopo scuola and are shattered)... Almost unhead of last 2 times I went to the gym I came back to a filthy kitchen. Mind you I have a cold coming and really don't want to go to they gym but I am going on principal.....

Oh wow, looks like he is really trying to impress !

Buona gym, I am planning to go swimming first thing tomorrow morning, after school run.

That sounds very frustrating Rosa, can he not work part time instead?

If he works less we have to pay the employee more so we get less money . However he said last night he has not decided but he will wait until fino anno. I see an opening in the market but he is just so negative won't even consider it. Basically in our piccolo we have a reputation for being , reliable, decent, helpful ( truist me in dh area of business its the opposite). All the guides we work with say they have never had such a service . Why could we not get together a few others in dh business who think the same as us and really promote this . I know the agenicies will come to us as this is what they want. he has just said his colleagues cannot do this, they are not reliable ( all 180 of them then ???)its too much work - promting , staying behind it ...erm excuse me what the 'F' do you think I can do ?
ANyway I have not given up yet as I know its something that really could be done its getting the right squad behind you .

You are totally right Rosa. Also, I believe, tourists are becoming more and more aware and the demand for prompt, kind, reliable services will, imo, always be on the up.

If this is the start of the Easter holidays lord help me in the summer they are both driving me mad and its only 10 am....... Buona Pasqua

Ooooh Rosa... I hope they've calmed down a bit.
I left mine this morning with dh so they did their homework while I went to the mercato...
Luckily a friend of ds is coming this afternoon, this means they mostly play and keep vaguely quiet and ds doesn't get to annoy dd. Well, hopefully.

We went out for lunch with friends so they were better . Now I need to go to supermarket just not sure if I can be bothered to take both only 1 means saying no once in the chocolate aisle.....dh was at home domani now he is working . I might try a friend round tom pm as well but I should tidy up so they can mess up IYKWIM.....

I've already tidied up and hoovered a thousand times... they create mess out of nowhere, even when they watch tv, iyswim...

Bossi has resigned!!!

Really off to read the news...it was about time as he really had lost the plot a bit too extreme. Who is going to replace him not the chap fromTreviso I hope ? I like Zaia he seems from what I can gather not super extreme but has some decent ideas.
Went to do shopping I can't tell you what the place looks like now.. I need more Ikea storage.....

Ah, Ikea storage... I love it!
spreading some IKEA love...

Oh good riddance Bossi.
Did someone mention Ikea?
We just transformed our super grotty box room into a tiny studio and storeroom for my business, with the help of Pax numero 3 and one of their desk combos, I am so so pleased.

Me thinks more is going to come out or be nascosto in the Bossi thing maybe the sh*t really has hit the fan.
I just need time to go and buy in Ikea I have 3 places where I need better bookshelves/ storage and also the crafty box seems to be getting bigger as they are doing more.
Franca have you decided what to do about the hols yet?
DD's are at an Easter thing so more tack coming home I am doing a whirlwind clean and have mopped myself to the computer so it has to dry !

Happy Easter - qui non piove but the wind is cold. I am at MIL dh is in lavoro and so far SIL etc have not arrived ....

Ciao, I hope you all had a lovely Pasqua with nice weather and good food!

Oh Sputnik, have you now got one of those super organised hobby rooms you cansee on pinterest??

hello, just cartwheeling through to say hello and to see if anyone has any ideas for things to do/see in Rome that a grumpy and tired 12yo might enjoy? that she is not as impressed by it all as me

Hi Mighty, I am sorry that dd is not enjoying her trip to Rome .
i haven't been in Rome for ages, and I have no idea wat 12 yrs old might like...
I would have thought that rome met the tastes of people of different ages!!!

ciao tutte - quick hello from me as got parents over so been super busy. Hope you all had lovely pasqua. MightNice what kind of things would interest dd?

thanks, never mind, posted in moment of ARRRGGHH after a trying day of queuing for things

have tried to take her to places and things that she seemed interested in but think she has just found it all very tiring, and I suppose I assumed she would be as fascinated by it all as I was at her age - not a complete disaster, eg if she had a nutella deficiency before we arrived she is definitely cured now.

she seemed happiest in the Borghese gardens and at the zoo and when shopping, and watching tv in our room so maybe will try to resist the urge to drag her to any more churches/museums/piazzas and let her chill instead it is actually quite hard work being 12!

Mighty hard one ...Hope you find a happy balance as its tough when you want to go see and they don't ....Especially when you know they will regret it when they are older!!!
Gio how great having parents over ..I am honestly thinking of a quick trip back but it is a case of fitting it in and finding decent flights.
Easter was wilth MIL ...passable but we had a lovley Easter monday in an agritursimo it was cold but thankfully it diddn't rain .....

Mighty I hope you manage to find a good compromise for the rest of the holidays.
Gio how lovely your parents are here!

We are having a glorious day, but more rain ismexpected tomorrow.
I will also be working this month in the children's clothes shop I used to work at 2 yrs ago. It will be a hectic month, with work, volunteering and all the children's activities... Not sure whether to feel anxious or happy!

Franca you loved the shop - I remember , hope you enjoy it just as much and they give you discount !!!
Well I am going to the Uk next week as despite the fact that my father is doing ok there have been a few more ups and downs and I think that they could both do with a bit of nipotine so bit the bullet and booked. Dh is in agreement thank heavens but the prices were not as good as they could have been !!!! Plus the following week we have gym club in Piazza San Marco ..... Yes in the piazza!!! So if you go on the webcam on May6th there will be Rosa in the middle of 100 women doing 100steps ....along with minirosa and dd1 doing whatever they will be doing. Then its fine anno etc so it was now or wait til summer!
Thing is I have an order for 60 cupcakes and a big cake for Sunday so its going to be manic right up to we go......

thanks rosa .

Happy to hear you are visiting your parents, they will be so happy to see the girls, and the girls will be happy to spend time with their grandparents.

Have a lovely time! I am impressed by your baking business, how often do you get orders like this?

When I get them it is always together !!!! We also have teh festa della torte a scuola friday so more baking for that. The 60 cupcakes are mini ones and so shouldn't take that long the bigger cake will I expect take 2-3 hrs but its soldi !!!
Today we have the communione and its raining hard .. I am on here loooking at the pictures of DD1 at a wedding when she was minirosas age to go and hunt out the clothes!!!! Dh has gonte to the church we are going later ....when I find everything.. I should have done it yesterday but time took over !!
VAdo Buona domenica !

Well it wasn't a wash out and it was ok. However I can't get my head round it all it just seemed very over the top like another battesimo pranzo, torta bonboniere etc which I suppose it is really. However a 9 yr old getting, a cellulare, laptop, digital camera, nice watch all in one go just seemed troppo I mean she has the lot now ...... Well rain forecast today again ....

wow, that is a lot of present for a 9 yrs old. I don't approve btw!!

It stopped raining a bit here, quite depressing, really. This afternoon I am working and this morning I started a knitting course! I hope this time I learn something (and most of all remember what I learnt!)

That's crazy Rosa, but it seems pretty standard these days.
I am back from Easter, we stayed with my parents then drove to Cambridge and did a day in London, it was manic!

Glad you had a good time Sput - Only been to cambirdge once but it was a lovely place. I am flying MOnarch on Saturday haven't used them in years worked out cheaper than Easy Jet !

Hello! I am a bit of you all with those trips to the Uk, I miss it! And Cambridge is lovely, I spent a whole month there in 1987!

I've had a very hectic day, and I also had my first mammography, all is well, but you can't help feeling a bit tense while you wait for your turn. Apparently I have very "young" boobs ... .
Took the children to a friend's party and ds got one of those farting cushions as a regalino from the host, which has become his fav thing. Help!!!

at farting cushion Franca. DS finds nothing funnier than farts. My brother bought him a fart machine and it was favourite toy for a long time...
at your day in London Sput, really fancy a long weekend there. Hope your trip goes well Rosa

Banana, you can send mastergio here, ds can teach him how to make farting noises with the help of 1 hand and 1 armpit

Looks like it will rain again soon. Aren't you all knackered by this primavera? We are all struggling in the mornings.

ciao everyone, just marking my place, hoping to "drop in" more often.. although with work, daily life and what seem like constant trips to Puglia/UK and/or house guests from both sides of the family, time is not on my side!
Still in deadlock with DP about our future and the pressure is still on to move south but I'm waiting to see how our couples counselling goes...meanwhile we'll be down there for the whole summer, even longer than last year it seems.

Anyone got good ideas for where to find a short-term apartment let in Puglia (not holiday homes, just an affordable flat)?

just read back over the thread, Franca's list beginning and ending in Berlusconi made me smile (bitterly..) as did the impressive list of hi tech comunione presents your daughter got, Rosa! Am sure we will go through the same (if DD chooses to go through the prima comunione..) - I'm still recovering from the OTT christening "banquet"!

MightyNice, hope your DD ended up enjoying Rome at least a bit. My mum used to drag us round museums and churches and it did get a bit much but I thank her for it now :D

Hello spaghettina, good to hear from you.

I've no idea re the flats in Puglia, where exactly are you looking? I think you should probably contact local agencies?

I am off to pick up the dc, as they are at friends'. Predictably, it rained massively at 4.30 when they got out of school...

Hi - Its just rained here as well not massive but it seems to be pretty damp outside. Well done on your boobs Franca I think I am due a check soon as its every 18mths - 2 years I believe at my age.
Uk I am hoping for a good time but the weather forecast isn't that good and parents are having a tough time so I think I am going to be overloaded on but seeing as I am over here its only right I get my share !
Spaghettina hi, re flats in Puglia I would start wth say Casa.it and maybe take it from there. It was my nipotina who got all the gifts if t had been my dd then they would have been sequested !!! Far to much for a 9 yr old even if it is par for the course. DH has already said when its dds turn it will be a small celebration with the 4 of us , pizza and gelato !!!!
Been baking ....domani its a big day have so much to do its a worry .. Thankfully dh is at home so he can run round after the dds.....

Rosa, the doctor told me to alternate mammography and scan until I am 50... boh!

Good luck with all the baking my dear, and I really hope the minirosas will light up your parents days when you are there.

When I go they do both together anyway will see when I go to gynae next month ..I must remember to book . !!!!
Cake done ....2 sets of cupcakes in oven wish I had another cake tin...getting a boit overloaded with it at the mo...Will be better once I get the booked ones out the way, then just have to do some for dd cake day at school..... Oh and Pack !!!!

Oh brava rosa!

Scuola made Eu800 not bad eh ????? Finished packing off in the morning its going to be a hard week I think just helping to take the strain a bit ... Ci sentiamo....Have fun and buon 25 APrile if we don't speak beforehand!

Oh well done!

Have a nice trip Rosa, and try to make the most of it . Buon 25 aprile!

At gatwick now we were early so now sitting in a lounge best money ever spent when you have connecting flights - sat next to Peter Andre at cafe .... Diddn't even know it was him until somebody told me !!!!!!! I love my IPAD as i can log in wherever. Mind you not sure the GPs have wifi.......

Awww impressed rosa, you do travel in style! And lol at Peter Andre !

We are off to the countryside, going to a bbq at a friend of ds. The sun is shining, at last.

Rosa buon resto del viaggio

Oh no Franca low cost airlines for us but we are BA going back as it was cheaper.... Also its£10 a child. In this 3 hr duration both have had a poo at different times, a wee, dd1 has eaten, cheese and crackers, juice, fresh fruit salad and a bit of cake. Minirosa, banana, grapes, crackers and juice. If i was on my own in the main lounge I would have had to take both all to the loo 3 or 4 times with all the hand luggage and would have probably spent more on crap food. When we have connecting flights it is brill......

lol at having a poo at different times

Have a lovely time Rosa. Meanwhile here the weather is shite again. The dc are tired, but very excited, have I told you the inlaws have a new puppy?

Crappio here as well today yesterday they were playing in the garden in wellington boots however!!! Bought the dds 3 pairs of shoes ( between them)from Clarks for £80 thought thats lots but if it was Naturino I would have got
How lovely a puppy no wonder they would be happy. Its festa today 1st year dh will not be getting me a bocolo ........

nice here today and 29 degrees friday and saturday . Lake here I come!!
Hows your Dad Rosa? What kind of puppy Franca?

Hi rosa, , I've just read of the floods alert in the SW, I hope you aren't involved in that.
Looks like the dds are having fun and well done with the shoes! How are your parents?

Gio, they have a rescue dog (alias the best dog in the world) and have recently got a golden retriever, she is nearly 4 months old and absolutely adorable!

Yes, the weather forecast is good, at last! Yesterday we got heavy grandine here, dh and ds got totally soaked!

hi ladies hows things? such a nice sunny weekend. now its cooled down again and the tiger mozzies have arrived in force . Are you still in UK Rosa?

Ciao, we had a lovely long weekend, as we headed south towards le Marche, escaping the rain. Great food, lovely little towns, the usual, really.

Rosa are you back from the UK?
Gio, have you made a decision re school for mastergio?

Yes we are back. Thankfully we were not flooded out but on Sunday it was windy and wet and I thought we would be stuck again but we got off ok Just a very bumpy ride to Gatwick. Girls were fine and the week went very fast ! Back its frantic with school , sports practicies, and dh work . ( Serves me right for going away !)
Rather too humid for my liking here , Franca so glad you had a good few days away. Friends are in Puglia and they say it is summer down there.

oh yes, May will be very hectic here too. to top it all we‘ve just discovered the children have pidocchi again. aaaaah!

How are the nits have you managed to get rid of them ???? I am dreading it .
Very busy weekend with the gym display it was fantastic on the lagoon front with all sports that you can do in Venice, great participation pity it rained on and off in the morning then got better and we did infact do our display in the sun ..God it was hot leaping round on steps in the sun . Now onto this week 2 school trips, catch up on all I diddn't manage to do last week , with a battesimo / commuione next Sunday and I must get the cambio stagione done.... for dh and I as the dds are ok ...Just !

Oh wow rosa, it must have been great, such good fun! Post some pics on fb!!!!
Nits... not sure we got rid of. Usually you do 1 shampoo, and then another one 1 week later. I keep plucking/combing little eggs out. grrrr it is never ending.

Weather was crap here over the weekend, we even had grandine on sat afternoon.

As I said, this month is going to be hectic... ah, have you heard from the school?

yes get some photos on Rosa. Franca I feel your pain, bloody nits, we have had them on numerous occasions and they are so bloody resistant to treatment.
Re school have gone for tempo pieno, just waiting for the lists to be released to see if he has got in.

We just called as the lists never ame out!!!!! We had an invite for an open day so we must be in!!!!!
Pictures will see what I can do, I need some of my group as well but I do have a couple of the dds. The smallest of which has just had nuroflex for 38.9 febbre........she had a tosse and I thought a bit of allergia as the pollen has been flying round here but obviously not.....

Oh noooooooooo febbre! I hope she recovers asap. Ds had mild temp and sore throat last week, but is now ok.

I'll keep fingers crossed for you both to get into the school of your choice, with the number of hrs you need. I seem to recall that at our school they contact you only if you are not in. And then we discovered which classe they were in September.

Nits... grrrr. Dd is having her 2nd treatment right now. Che palle!

She is ceratinly better now just a nasty chesty cough which is hanging round - kept her off and we went and did spese for another comune that we have this weekend and yes rain is forecast for that as well........

brrrrrr, it was freezing yesterday!
I now have a bloody cold. Bleah.

I am all excited about my knitting classes, have I told you? I have been to 4 classes so far and had a lovely time. I now want to start a project.... so far I've just lost time on pinterest...

I am snotty as well , the cold is there but not coming out and its driving me mad. agree it was cold yesterday but I dressed the dds up anyway and layered them in sweatshirts and boots !!! The communione was ok , the girls had a good time and despite the wind it wasn't too bad.
I would love to be able to knit properly I can manage basics but my mother is super fast and can do all kinds of wonderful things - I just need time to learn.
My latest SIL rabbia. For MIl birthday SIl decided to do a photo painted / printed onto canvas , fine great idea. She picked aphoto of MIl with the 4 nipotine fine , Then when I see it her 2 look fab minirosa is ok and dd1 has her mouth open and is looking stupid.... I am soo cross as there was a decent pic of all 4 that dh had and SIL saw it as well.... PLus it cost us €40 as well - not amused. Live and learn. DH conveniently forgot festa della Mamma. DD1 did a picture for me and said some lovely things so I am hoping that somewhere along the line it will be made up along wth my birthday and anniversary... Men !!!

, wow rosa! I would be disappointed too!
No worries, my dh totally ignored the whole mother's day too, but it is fine, we really don't do this kind of feste. Ds wrote a lovely letter for me t school, telling me that i sing like a mermaid and that i am simpatica like a comico on tv!

Hope you feel better soon, I am feeling better today

would be as well Rosa. at your mermaid singing and bless your DS Franca. That is lovely. I had a day of peace for festa della mamma. DP took DS out and I lay on the sofa watching Homeland (my new obsession) and then they bought me back a large tub of gelato (all dp's fave flavours but cant have everything I guess) - was still v nice.
Hope colds have passed. Just got allergia here.

Awww, a day of peace, how lovely!
What is Homeland like? What is it about? I need to find a new series to follow.
Last week me and dh watched (bought from itunes) Episodes, which is a sit comedy with Matt le Blanc, Tamsin Grieg and another English actor. Quite amusing, I have to say. I adore Matt Le Blanc.

My cold is on going but I only have a blocked nose now not really any other symptoms. We have dd1 recita this weekend with cena at school and being a rappresante the organising is sooo much...Infatti my grandi can't manage red riding hood its too hard for them so I have to invent something else for them to say as we have been trying now for 3 days and its too hard !!!
How I would love a day on the sofa doing nothing can't see it happening though.... Homeland will look that one up . I still have series 1 of Glee to watch it was a presnt 2 years ago ...Is it worth it ????
DH downloaded me Pan Am - load of rubbish gret if you are ill and can't think but not what he or I thought it would be .
Vado ciaoooooo
HAd crappio weather yesterday with high winds and rain , today is about 10 degrees colder but sunny its getting more and more like the Uk every day !

Gosh yes, the weather has been englishized . Yesterday we had a freezing wind here, but today is a bit milder. On the plus size the sky is blue p, the air feels cleaner and the mountains seem so close, we can see the Monte Rosa and all its neighbouring mountains!

Yesterday we watched Attack the block, a british film about aliens attacking atower block in london and being faught by hoodies! Great fun.

Have no idea re glee rosa, never watched it. I am looking forward to mad men.

YEs we have fab views of the mountains as well mi fa proprio voglia.....

of your mountain views. love Matt le Blanc as well Franca and am thinking of getting Episodes. Homeland fab - spy / who's the mole type drama without the excesses of 24 say. Agree with Pan Am Rosa. I had high hopes and watched it on Sky. Watched it all the way through but it was a purely an easy evening watch with lovely period outfits rather than the classy American drama I was expecting. And Christina Ricci was v annoying I thought and I usually like her. Glee is ridiculous but watchable in small doses if you can get past the whole random breaking into song and dance routines thing. Havent watched it for ages though,got very samey.
And there is my TV review of the morning
So excited girls, I was sucked in by the vodafone ad on every 2 mins at the moment and have got myself an Ipad on contract. Love love love it already and havent worked out how to use it yet! Any other Ipad users out there who want to tell me which apps I must get etc please speak out.

I Lurrrve my Ipad with a passion ! I have the independant , telegraph and guardian on rotation , not the same time, my fitness pal ( too easy to cheat), Angry Birds, Kindle, weather, just about any free app that there is ......I don't like magazines though I prefer the real thing.....
Just been to a new dietician I will be starting next week ...eeek looks good though lots of food but no chocolate ..Bugger !

I have an ipad as well, and as much as I love it as a beautiful object, I am not 100% convinced, but mainly because I don't use it at its full potential.
My fav app is the bbc iplayer, we have subscribed for 1 yr. I hope that in time it will get more and more programs.
I like The Guardian eyewitness.
Dd likes the Harry Potter trivia app, Math Bingo, Puzzle planet and Mahjong.

I also have the kindle app, but haven't bought a full book yet. I'd love to subscribe to elle decor UK, but somehow it doesn't let me. boh.

There is also a lovely ikea app!

Franca if you put Film plus I think it is called you can get Uk channels for free and its legal. I get BBC1, 2 ITV 1,2 Channle 4 and some others.. and cbeebies!

Hurrah!

Thanks a million rosa x

Now that was scary.. no bang but house shaking, glasses rattling , grabbed the dds and debated what to do. we stood next to maestro wall that had been steel renforced . But then thought the steel would be worse if it fell on us . ( for the next one we have aplan!)DD1 was terrified and we just managed to get them cuddled up an hour later when the second one happened...more like wave though. Think is when looking at the terremoto sites there have been increasing ones in the Bassa Padana for the last few days ...un piccolo avvertimento in caso che??? Or maybe they don't want to scaremonger.... However that for me was scary.........

all ok Rosa? Just watching TG re quakes.

Very scary. We felt the one at 4, it felt it lasted forever. Both me and dh were just paralized in bed, not even able to talk to each other. I could hear the sliding doors in the kitchen rattling.
Luckily the dc didn't wake up.
So now, bombs in schools, terremoti, economic crisis, social unrest, wtf?

wtf indeed Franca! scary times. was there any damage in Milano?

No, no damage thankfully, just very scarey. I have seen the pics of all those beautiful places in Emilia, cavolo .
Any news about the bomb? I am not sure about the mafia being behind it. That poor girl, just no words.

the more i think the more i just cant see it being the mafia. apart from the chances some of their kids being in the school it just seems such a shift for them. are there still tremors?

LAst tremor I felt was round 5 ish , like a wave there have been little ones, It was a co incindence but minirosa was in my bed as she came in at 1. I went into her bed so I was in with dd1 - so when she woke I was there mid you at that time Dh had shouted teremoto and had minirosa in braccio. I feel very sorry for those nearer the epicentre .
As for Brindisi if it is the mafia then as the investigations go on , prove will get lost, witnesses will withdraw statements etc ..... I hope not as it is just terrible why why why kids FGS... Unless the kids have parents who are involved but I diddn't think the mafia went for kids..... Whoever whatever they deserve the death peanalty for what they have done....

Another bloody tremor, 5 mins ago, while i was having a bath! Bastaaaaaa!

Dh felt the one at 3-15 I was at dd 1 school and didd't feel a thing ... I hope thats it now as Every vibration in the house scares me.... Just the fridge starting off sent me in a tizz..... Bloody hell and agree BASTAAAAAAAAA

I have just (re) watched Deep Impact

Ok, the crappio weather is def doing my head in. I should have been outside shopping for dd's birthday/party and dh's birthday plus a good number of other errands, but no way. It is worse than in England!

Forecast is rubbish as well... its wet and damp , dreary , windy yuck ... I should be changing sheets today or even this week sometime but teh foreacst look srubbish .. and next week as well FGS !

The sun is shining here right now... Boh!
Rosa, when you make cupcakes beforehand, where do you store them?

In the freezer if anything more than 4 days ...iced of course . Or in an airtight tin. One made of tin is better than plastic... No idea why but they keep better. Mind you in my house they never last more than 2 or 3 days....!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks. So, if I am making them on sat to be had on sun, should I also ice them?

I would then the icing has time to set . If you need a foolproof receipe let me know.... FUnny grey sunny day boh no sure what it is going to do really....

Oh yes please !
i have agood one for vanilla fairy cakes, but not sure about the icing...

80g unslated butter, 250 g icing sugar then 25ml milk, but in mixer and beat for agens until it is soft and fluffy , I add vaniulla ess with the milk... Its a hummingbird one ( who I love adore and worship ...none of their stuff has ever let me down. The other day I forgot the baking powder in the cupcakes I shoved the mixture back in the bowl and added then .. they still worked!

Thanks my lovely!

has the ground stopped moving yet? all this talk of cupcakes has made me want one. think will try out your icing recipe later rosa.

Apparently not , though I didn't feel the last one yesterday night.

Oh yes, I can't wait to make the cupcakes on satruday, hopefully dd will lend a hand.

I diddn't feel it either apparently it was much shorter. SO humid here today its horrible after yesterday in jackets and shoes!!!
I have to hide the hummingbird book as I just want to make and eat everything in there..... Think its they have another even bigger out and I am so scared that it will fall into my Amazon basket one day !
FInished english now for the summer did the last recita today and it started to rain mid way through so we had to go inside!
MAd weather.....

I should be going out doing things and instead I am being all "domestic", I have tidied the bookshelves in ds's bedroom, took me ages!

I now have to go out to get party bags and olives... boh!

Have a good weekend and lets hope it won't rain as ds has the picnic with his class mates tomorrow.

Hope DD has a wonderful birthday and your cakes are a success......

Thanks rosa. The cupcakes look amazing, I just hope they survive the night!

How did it go ????
We went to a great agritursimo yesterday in the veneto campagna. Basically the whole place was ours ( there were 30 of us) and the dds had a ball lots of places to run round in animali etc and such good food.... NOt diet friendly but not excessive either !
DD1 thought she was going to be sick this morning but is fine now ( boh) I am making teh last 2 cakes of the season as after this I go on strike as its too hot to work with the icing........

Happy to hear you had a lovely sunday rosa, agriturismi can be wonderful, and the food is great!

It went very well, thanks. The party was at my inaws, so the kids played in the garden and picked up cherries etc. the cupcakes turned out wonderfully, I also made a ciambella allo yogurt and choc cake with choc ganache.
We also got lucky with the weather, it was sunny and warm and then it rained after the guests had gone!

All ok ?
I Was in teh asilo with DD and the kids were making so much noise that I don' think they even felt it ..I diddn't ... Meglio , but it is worrying ....

Checking in as well- all OK up North? Just been watching the boato that came with the nuova scossa on TG. Scary stuff. Stay safe!

Hello girls.
I didn't feel the one at 9, because I was swimming.
But I have just felt a big one 10 minutes ago, it is fucking scary, and I feel sea sick. Head still spinning. We are at the 6th floor, dh was home at 9 and told me it was even worse

Those poor people in Emilia, I feel like crying a bit.

Hiya,
Back after a long time- with two DS this time.
Franca- very worrying to read it was that strong in Milan. Hope you are feeling better and that it was the last one.
London is gloriously warm and sunny these days- would be outside were it not for reading the news about Italy while cuddling DS2 to sleep...

Hi SG, congratulations, I've seen the pics on fb, you have 2 gorgeous boys

I am happy to hear it is nice and warm in London, imo it does make things easier with 2 little ones (unless obviously it is 40 degrees and humid, which I suppose isn't that likely in London).

I was bloody scary. My head is still spinning and my knees feel all fluffy. I hope the dc are fine, I know they evacuated the school until the pompieri told them it was ok to go back. Thank goodness they have a big garden (you probably know where my dc go to school

It

Second one at 12.55 was agree horrible everyting was swimming almost ..then another 5 mins later whilst talking to dh ... I don't like this at all . Thankfully we are 1st floor I feel for you on the 6th . Hi Suig nice to see you again !!!!

that must be horrible being so high up Franca. The L'Aquila one was bad enough on the first floor, FIL is on the 5th and said was terrifying. Poor people nearby. And poor you guys who are feeling it. Basta adesso! Hi SG,nice to see you. DS2 is gorgeous and ds1 looking so big now!

I have to say that I am still shaking a bit, I feel tutta molle. Those poor people nearer to the epicentro, this is just awful.

Changing subject, Gio, I have seen pics of master gio diving in a swimming pool on fb, che grande!!! Where does the time go? (and what a great pool too).

I have collected my plane ticket for florida this morning, getting excited and mildly apprehensive

the picture of master Gio is a bit deceptive... he looks the part and then jumps feet first in! they are just doing diving from sitting on the side now though so piano piano. Oh how exciting re Florida Franca. When is it you go?
How were all your dcs at school with the quake?

awwww, he does look the part!

Kids were fine. They have been evacuated, probably a good chance for them for a chat with their mates. They told me they didn't feel scared...

We are off on sunday 10th.

Franca how exciting for you . DD1 wasn't evacuated but they apparently diddn't feel anything. The piccoli that normally sleep in the old part of the building they put them in one of the new classrooms ( only one storey high) so the grandi hand to play quietley next door!
IN minirosas the teachers had to control the school before the kids were allowed back in , as they say the crepi are there from past years so who can tell!
I am watching that sisma site and they have been 3 x over 3 in the last couple of hours I am worried that we will get more.... And of course down in EMilia I wonder how many are sleeping outside...... ?

I must admit that it took me ages to fall asleep yesterday night.

I am so sad that 2 people have bothered to even post on the thread about the quake maybe I got the title wrong but I am seriously sad about the lack of support.. After watching the news tonight- all those people homeless, workless, it is terrible and I want to do more but can't find out who to send a box to was thinking nappies, latte in polvere, anything I can put in a box.....May the tremors end doon and peole can get their lives back...
And Stop the 2 June stuff out of respect IMO.....

Oh bless you rosa, I hadn't realized you had started a thread. Sadly, I don't think other countries are that interested. Not big enough to be sensational, iyswim. The media too busy talking about the fall of the euro (which many people on MN seem to be happy about, but that's another matter )

Feeling very sad too. I will make a bonifico directly to the comune of San Felice, will post a link on your thread. xxx

THanks we did a donation a general one. I have a box of things her that dh picked up whilst on the mainland think I will send it to the CRoce Rossa in Modena - not sure where else to send. They are bimbi things bit on the San Felice site the address is a bit vague...Might try it though....
Its not even been mentioned in the Uk news today or really in the papers . Far more important things like the Queens jubilee and Assange.
I am disgusted that they are even celebrating June 2nd.. There should be a ceremony with 1 of each force and no parade IMO....

Yes, it is all very upsetting, I agree with you, totally.

Sorry I haven't checked in for a while, the earthquakes sound terrifying, I have only experienced small ones, but terrifying nonetheless. You feel like you can't trust anything anymore.
Not long til Florida then, how exciting Franca. I actually booked our ferry to Croatia just now, and we'll probably be getting a tent at the weekend, so hopefully our first proper family holiday will go smoothly. We'll drive back so if it's a disaster we can go home early!

agree as well Rosa. And yes the UK is too busy being distracted from the real issues within its own borders by the jubilee etc so they certainly wont be focusing on anything from across the channel...apart from the evil EU issues of course. Celebrate the jubilee if you will - no strong feelings particularly either way but cant help but compare the fact that there seems to be no talk about the damage an extra bank holiday will do to the economy blah bloody blah whereas when there was one public sector strike a few months ago you would have thought the unions were out to destroy the country the way it was reported. Or is the economy to be saved by sales of bunting and flags, is that the difference?
What a grumpy old socialist I am this morning . Hi Sput and when are you off to Croatia?

Banana, totally agree with you, as usual (it might be the old socialist who lives in some corner of our minds )

Sputnik hello! Croatia is wonderful and the camping sites are very well organised, so I am sure it won't be a disaster! Where are you heading to? I went to Hvar ages ago (1988, I think, camping with friends), it was gorgeous. And then 3 yrs ago we went for a week in Istria/Slovenia.

Also a bit of your tent buying... I love tents!

Gio, master gio recita was lovely, I saw it on fb.

We are getting a ferry to Split and then possibly some islands further up and ending up in Istria, I still have to plan the itinerary. We went the year before having DD, and were impressed with the campsites, I'm really looking forward to it. Tomorrow we are hitting Decathlon in a big way, we have to get ALL the gear.

DS had Pirate Day at school today, he's been having a lot of fun recently, last friday they all brought their bikes and scooters into school.

Ahhhh at the Decathlon galore!!!!

Let me know if you need any tips re Istria, I remember we went to a delightful village on the hills, but need to look up the name

Happy to hear ds is having fun at school, and has a good time. We have the school fete on thursday and have had all sorts of social happenings, in fact it's been rather busy!

We have been manic this week with school gite, gym club end of season parties, festa cugini and lord knows what else so today I am on strike. Next fri we have Dd1 gita to a castle in the veneto hills then that is really it !!!
Plus MR threw a huge tantrum in the supermarket had to be half dragged half put under arm to get home ..I don't think I can ever shop in there again.
Croatia is lovely I loved Hvar and Brac especially Brac as it was quieter .. Mind you this was a good few years ago now. Hope you had fun in Decathlon I always see such good ideas in there ..apart from a knee support totally rubbish it doesn't stay up !
Loved the recita video , minirosas school disspointed me in that side of things they did about 5 songs but no 'actions' and as we were in a park place the teachers were singing but they were not in time with each other. There was a stereo no idea why they diddn't use it ! DD1s was great costumes, songs poesie etc and of course the English bit was just fantastic !!!!!!
Spaiggia countdown , the new diet is not working pity as I had great hopes and the dietician is not cheap. Am also trying zumba on Monday not sure if its right for my dodgy knee we will see!
Buona domenica it should be raining here now its not so heaven only knows what the weather will be domani !

Any tips are more than welcome, last time we were mostly in those islands under Istria, but I'm buggered if I can remember names without looking on a map.
Anyway 600 euros to Decathlon later we are good to go! I'm hoping it's an investment we'll be using in the next few years.
We just watched the Borrowers, I can recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.

Oh and you have my sympathies for the supermarket tantrum Rosa, I will never forget DS's all time biggest tantrum, it took me a long time to go back to that supermarket, and I still can't go there without thinking of it...
Anyway, this too shall pass etc.

Bloody hell another .....and they were getting less in EMilia..I daren't put the news on to see what other damage has been done......

I didn't feel this one at all. Will check the news.

wow, 5.1. I didn't feel it at all. Bloody hell.

Sput, in Istria we loved Rovigno and the peninsula of Premantura. There is a park (Kamenjak, I think it is called), you can enter with the car (paying a fee, can't remember how much), there are wonderful beaches etc.

I wonder if it was a different falda or whatever its called. The other night on Santoros show it said that there are 2 zone within the big zone that are rumbling. He said that it is possible that the small tremors in the other one could mean a big one ..if Milan is not on that line of the tremor then you won't feel it. There were places in the mainland that diddn't feel the first 2 at all.
I love Croatia and will go back one day....

Boh, I don't understand much about falde, but it's been felt in Milan, I've read it on the corriere website! We didn't feel it, which is strange, but we were putting the children to bed!

now rain on them ... I just feel so bad for them and hope that they do get sorted out ...Poor people and I do so admire all the people that are there helping..
I don't have any enthusiasm for anything at all today just feel flat like the weather!!!

Those poor people, hope this ends soon.
My family is all sick, DS aparently has scarlet fever, though he's not actually got much fever, DD has to stay at home til she's done the test and been cleared, DH has fever and sore throat so looking dodgy for him too, and I have a stinking cold. Bah.
DS was great with the doctor but is already having probs with the ABs, he's really got issues with food and it made him retch. Finger's crossed we'll find something to hide it in tomorrow.

Yes, it is tragic, there have been scosse during the night, still.

Sputnik, noooo! I hope you all recover soon, poor ds. I wonder why antibiotics always taste so awful.
There seem to be all sorts of bugs doing the rounds, lots of friends of the dc vomiting or with high fever.... eeeek!

Well sent my parcels hope they make it ok... YOU just wonder when it is going to stop....
Franca keep your dc off for a couple of days before you go... mind you they finish this week no? then you are off. You better pop in when you can just to make us all jealous !
Sput how bad, hope that you all come out of the woods ok. ANother idea I was suggested once is to melt at room temp some stong flavour icecream say strawberry or banana ( if the Abs have 'that flavour') mix in the abs and then refreeze or say make a milkshake with that bit of icecream as a 'floater' Apparently a bit does get lost in the mixing etc but if most of it goes in esp if he has a problem with food. poor chap. I still remember dd1 trying to get her first pill down in Tenerife think it has probably scarred her for life !

I can't keep them off, they'd kill me ... Thelast days of school are the best. They have the festa della scuola on thurs, and ds has a party on Friday. Dd is going to a merenda with friends on wednesday and after me and her are going for an aperitivo with her class. And today it is ds's class saggio di coro. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP

But I have booked an appointment with their pediatra on thursday afternoon (after the festa della scuola), after all, they haven't seen her for months. At least she can check the throat etc and perhaps give me a list of must have medicines... I am feeling so bloody apprehensive right now. But excited.

Of course I will keep in touch my dears, I will have the ipad with me, so whenever I hit a wireless location I will check in .

Rosa that is a good tip re the ice cream and antibiotics. When are you off for the seaside?

Sputnik, hope everyone feels better asap and that you survive having all these malati at home

Luckily DS didn't notice the ABS in with yogurt and lots of pear and apple spread, what a relief! Unfortunately he doesn't eat ice cream but it sounds like a good idea. DD was positive for streptococco too so they'll both be off til Friday, glad we did the test because she has no symptoms, just a sore throat for a few days 2 weeks ago and a bit of fever that cleared up. Apparently streptococcus untreated can lead to heart problems.
Meanwhile I have a really heavy cold and DH started ABs too. Anyway we are lucky this is not happening next week as it's DS's birthday and my sister is coming over, hope we'll all be sorted by then.

Diddn't know that about strep... Yes get it all sorted out and clear !

I tried zumba last night , I think I liked it but will go again next week just to see !
Thanks for the reminder I booked Dd1 and minirosa for the yearly checks with the paed next week....

So, is the streptococcus the cause also of scarlet fever? Bloody strep!!!
Hope you all feel better soon.

The saggio di coro was amazing, they even sang Giorgia's "Di sole e di azzurro".

Then I met ds's teachers. Ds is doing well at school, but they are worried as he appears to be anxious and always in need to be reassured. I feel a bit worried. They are lovely and trying to help. I didn't really know what to say

Franca , were you aware or did it come as a surprise? What does ds say ? When he is with his amici etc does he seem normale?
However you say the teachers are being lovely about it , that must be reassuring.
Re meds for the US. Things like basic painkilers etc you can buy almost anywhere, i love wargrains farmacy they have everything there including milk!!!
If it was me I would take sachets of tacchip for the plane just incase, i also in my little plastic bag of 100ml things have , busta di nurofen x me! Arnica, those disenfectant wound sachets, small bottle of sanitising hand gel, lipsalve,ear drops for dd1 , plasters and a disenfectant cream, . In my rucksack I have a packet of wetwipes and wetwipes with disenfectant in them for airplane toilet seats ( it is phsically impossible to hold a toddler /3 yr over an aircraft loo!!)
When I go on hols I take a few of the most essentials like anti vomit stuff and rehydrating salts just a couple, basic painkillers, and thats about it as if needed you can get everything there.
Must go and do some cleaning.......
Sput how are the bugs in your house doing???

Rosa, it came a bit as a surprise. I mean, ds is a child who needs lots of interaction at home, but I've never felt he needed that much reassuring iyswim. He has lots of friends, not just in his classroom, but at football club too, where he usually tries to lift up the morale of the team. Therefore, yes, I wasn't expecting him to be so needy at school.
Perhaps it is just a phase, but the teachers would like to find ways to respond better to him and find strategies especially in view of the fact that he'll go to medie in sept 2013

Anyway, I will speak to the school's psychologist and she'll speak to the teachers. We'll see. Che palle!!!!

Yes, that's more or less what I was thinking to bring with me on the plane. What are the anti vominting meds, never heard of them.

Peridom......supposte easier to carry....Mind you I haven't used one on dd1 for a while...

I will ask the pediatra then!

They are for if you can't stop vomiting and everything you take down comes up again ..... NOt as anti nausea for flying IYKWIM. WHen minirosa has had the last 2 vomit bugs she was in risk of going into dehydration so we had to use them. WIth dd1 she is older and better at riding out the bugs....
There are anti nausea like travel sickness stuff.....but touch wood mine have never needed them !

Franca, did they tell you more precisely what your DS needs reassurance about? Was it school work or more general social stuff? Maybe it is kind of performance anxiety and perfectionism if it's for the academic stuff, hence why it wouldn't show much at home.
Coro sounds lovely :-)

I'm feeling a bit better today but I'm getting a sore throat so a bit worried that I have the strep too, I have to wait til Friday for my test results. Kids are OK, DH was a wreck earlier but looking better.We were well enough to go for a walk on the beach, first of the year :-)

I'm really glad my DCs inherited DHs iron stomach, they practically never vomit.

Yes, it seems to be related to school stuff. He seems to be over eager to show them he has understood all the time, or he wants reassurance for basic stuff, like "turn to page x". We have decided we will contact the "sportello psicopedagogico" that works at their school at the beginning of september, as they seem eager to want advise on finding better strategies to help him/reassure him.
Bizarre, as he is indeed quite quick and very good at things like maths for instance. I am happy to have a word with the psicologo as I think this might be related to his on and off anxieties about falling asleep.

Glad to hear you are all feeling a bit better. There are 4 children from dd's class with febbre. I am glad I have booked an apt with the pediatra.

Rosa, no they don't usually suffer from travel nausea. They had (well we all had apart from dh) an awful bug last year in January.

bless ds Franca, is he a bit of a perfectionist all round? good that you have the support of the teachers etc at school though. How is his sleep anxiety these days?
Sput hope your throat is better.

Thanks gio . In many ways he is not a perfectionist at all. Very disordinato, very loud etc. But it appears that he really cares about school (even if at home he is not one of those people who are eager to study, iyswim).

He is fine at falling asleep at the moment. But he went to a pj party on Saturday (we were away for a big party with friends) and at 11 he rang me in tears and so my dad went to pick him up! He gets very anxious when he is with other children, as most children usually fall asleep before he does, and this makes him feel different and he starts feeling he won't fall asleep ever again. Argh!

Hope all is well in Rome. Has master gio finished school yet or will he go until end of June?

until the end of June! until the last second!! Then we are in the UK for most of July and then mare in August. Are you doing mare this year or is the US your main holiday?
I suppose re ds Franca at least he cares about school. The anxiety isnt ideal but listening to 2 of my friends in despair re their ds's being bocciato from media this year mainly because they couldnt care less about school makes me wish materna could last forever!

Uk and mare best of both worlds I suppose!

We will spend July at the inlaws, in the countryside (save money !!!), it is only 1 hr from Milan. Dh will be working. Then 2 weeks of mare in August!

I have signed dd up for a laboratorio artistico first week of Sept.

Mine are going up to 23/6 but with this weather I am half wishing we had delayed the mare until later.... BOh . Next year we will be doing inverso 1st the Uk then mare as my sister has a big birthday and she is planning a big party ! Mind you the way the crisi is going we might not ...I think I will be doing more English somehow..
DH dentist gave him some fresh peas...I have now 5 bags of fresh peas in the freezer, my thumbnails have turned green and the rest I have given to neighbours and SIL...
DOmani gita for dd1 I hope its fun ..It is to a castle somewhere.....

I have one word: pidocchi. Again. Ffs.

Aargh Franca!
Gio has a point about your DS Franca, perfectionism can be a positive trait as long the anxiety is controlled, hopefully they can help you with it.
We did a trial run putting up the tent in Dsil's garden, seemed pretty easy. DS cried when we took it down again, I think he thought we would sleep there.

at ds Sput, he is going to have so much fun! when do you go?
Oh Franca I feel your pain. We havent had so many cases this year which makes me think one of the kids who went into prima wasnt treated mai because it was ridiculous how often it happened. Does dd have long hair?

We leave on the third, I am ridiculously excited as this is the first proper holiday we've ever had, not counting visiting our family etc.
DCs back at school today, I'm still a bit wobbly so taking it easy. Our house is a tip as you can imagine after 4 people at home for 5 days and minimal tidying up.

Yes, he does care about school, he says so himself

Kids adore sleeping in tents, Sputnik you are going to have a a lovely time I am sure. How exciting! (I am still trying to remember the name of a little village on the hills in Istria, really lovely place, but my memory is blank)

Gio, yes, dd has long hair. Just need to find a moment when she is nits free to take her to the hairdresser!!!

I have great memories of camping as a kid, luckily DH does too!
So my strep test was positive too, I'm glad I started ABS anyway yesterday without waiting, I knew something was up. I left my tip of a house and did some light retail therapy, did me alot of good, though I went probably a bit too crazy in DPAM

It is easy to loose one's mind in Dpam...
How are you feeling sputnik?

Sput: sorry to read re scarlet fever. We had it ( or were told we were likely to have it) in November and it was miserable, the sore throat being particularly bad. What antibiotics are you on? Some of the huger pills can be crushed and melted in water or also exist in liquid form...

Franca: I would also pack some antibiotics and see if your GP and paediatrician are happy to consult over the telephone for minor things. Some doctor friends found they needed a prescription painkiller while in the US and had to pay 300 USD to be seen, despite knowing perfectly well what was wrong and what was needed to fix it.

Back to bed for me now. DS2 woke up at 4.30 and then needed a nappy change, followed by throwing up in our bed, full change, dirty nappy, showering of mummy and bathroom while on the changing table, further full change, then a feed. And now that I have held him up for 20 mins post-feed and he is happily asleep on me I can try and sleep too.

Well thats all of you now ...so all you have to do is get better!!! Sue g sounds as if you have had a busy night, hope you get some rest..mind you with 2 you tend to survive on little or no sleep.
Very grey morning here, yesterday I had dd1 gita it went well and dd enjoyed it , fun and educational . Some parents wanted a water park or similar but IMO a castle with a percorso fairy tale and then the children making an afresco in the afternoon Was far better.
Franca have you packed yet...not long now...how long do you have on your own before dh joins you ?

Hello Suigeneris! I remember those kind of nights pretty vividly still .

I have just bought a bottle of Augmentin for the children, but now I am a bit about the doses, if needs be. My paediatrician never answer the phone, she has a segreteria telefonica and you have to leave a message... not really doable from the US, my mobile doesn't work there.
I do have an assicurazione. Boh. Aiuto!

Rosa, I am more or less packed and ready to go. I am sure I must have forgot something essential. Dh will arrive on the 14th, at night.

Bambini di eta' superiore a 2 a nni. 2 anni-6 anni, peso: 13-21 kg, dose: 5 ml ogni 12 ore; 7 anni-9 a nni, peso: 22-29 kg, dose: 7,5 ml ogni 12 ore; 10 anni-12 anni, peso: 30-40 kg, dose: 10 ml ogni 12 ore. Bustine bambini (400 mg + 57 mg / b ustina). 2 anni-6 anni, peso: 13-21 kg, dose: 1 bustina ogni 12 ore; 7 anni-12 anni, peso: 22-40 kg, dose: 2 bustine ogni 12 ore. Insufficie nza renale: adulti: gli aggiustamenti posologici sono calcolati sulla base del livello massimo raccomandato di amoxicillina. -clearance dell a creatinina: 30-10 ml/min 1 dose da 500 mg + 125 mg,

There you go .......... I am excited for you and wish we were going as well .....well maybe one year , possibly ! I have 2 english students lined up for 2012/2013 and more requests so think this is going to be the way I am going ! I think teh materne will be taking me back as well probably well 1 for sure the 2nd they have to decide if the genitori want to pay extra o no !

Thanks rosa

I am pleased to know you have more students, I def think that is the way to go.
Of course now your daughters are still little, but there is a huge market (at least here in Milan) for english teachers who are specialised in teaching to children (and who are willing to come to your house). We pay ours £££! And she is totally worth it.

Good news re your students Rosa. Agree with Franca re demand. A few of my friends teach English privately here and they have far more requests than they can manage. Oooh Franca you are going to have such an amazing time. You must get some photos on fb. Are your dc besides themselves with excitement?

Yes, they are very happy, but a bit worried about the long flight . At the moment they are relaxing in front of a Bud Spencer and terence Hill movie .
Dd claims she is already missing her friends at school.

I will, I will post on fb. I am taking the ipad. Not sure my mobile will work there. Boh!

Rosa if the English falls through you'd make a good pharmacist
Franca is it Monday you leave? We are all vicariously excited for you!

They will be fine and the flight will pass in no time, I hope you get a nice crew, decent films, and no hope for the food whoever you fly, but think of the fantastic breakfast you have in the USA. We always have a cracker of a breakfast on Day 1, OJ,pancakes, bacon, eggs and tons of crap coffee..then from day 2 we search out decent coffee and go from there... Well that should all be we used to...and we will againjust not sure when !!!!
Franca can I ask how much you pay an hour? As I don't think I charge enough, the materne I can't put the price up as I am too fond of the children but the private students we haven't discussed price yet!

Mmmm american breakfasts.
I have let myself get dragged onto a politics thread where the statement if you dont like it go live in north korea is being bandied about. I despair!
Rosa my friends in rome charge 40 an hr with reductions for small groups per person.

Madonna mia, ma certe persone mi fanno proprio arrabbiare sul MN. Ma quante cazzate dicono!

Io evito certain threads perche parlano da loro sederino.........

Ciao ragazze, we have arrived in key west! The trip went very smoothly. The milan-miami was alitalia, me and the children had 4 seats for ourselves, I watched 4 movies (i should fly more often to catch up with the movies i miss during the year . the food was crap, but never mind. The dc behaved perfectly, I am very smug, but at this age they are eay to entertain with movies and there were also games to play on the plane screens, so, I didn't do much.
The plane to key west is very small, on an eareo a elica!!!!

We are now relaxing a bit before hitting the pool, and as soon as we feel more energetic we'll explore the sourrindings.

Thanks for the support you gave me re the trip, now i need to concentrate/stress re dh's journey.

Gio, I saw you on the thread, you go girl!!! Cant believe all those right wingers!

Ah rosa, i pay loads, as it is through a school, that charges a bit less than the British council. How much do you charge?

I pay 40 euros for the 2 of them

Yay Franca, glad the trip went well :-)

Yay good news Franca.not remotely jealous of you being in key west...have a fabulous time and let us live it vicariously through you

not at all...per niente!!! Franca so glad it all went well and the dc were well behaved you proud mamma you!!! Have a total ball and if the key lime bakery is still there do stop... Its sort of on its own in a street leading down to the main area. The ice creams were to die for ...and we bought some cold tea mix which was yummy.....
I have just done zumba..loved it.....

Well, the children just had a lovely time in the pool, I wanted to and explore in the late afternoon, but dd is knackered and she burnt her cheeks, despite sun cream (50). Bad mother emoticon for me then.

So impressed by your energy rosa, zumba sounds super hard!

They do a great total barrier cream it is like warpaint and it works......
We had a tornado today...... I diddn't see it but by god the winds were stronga nd we had hail and torrenial rain as well.... A few islands were hit pretty bad roofs taken off and things and 100 trees uprooted on an island......
Basta adesso no?
Franca enjoy the good weather for us.....

, even tornadoes now? What the hell? Earthquakes, economic crisis, torrential rain... Enough!
I think it is turning hotter here, rain is expected in the next few days.
Today we hit the city centre and the dc loved the acquarium, even petted an alligator ( a small one). I am still jet legged, i am tired!

Wow that sounds dramatic Rosa. It's been warm and very muggy here, due to heat up dramatically next week, can't wait (not).
Argh I have to tidy up here, my sister's coming tonight for DS's birthday on friday.
What are you up to today Franca?

SOunds fun Franca and teh jet lag will soon go .... ITs beautiful and fresh here today but yes temps due to rise this weekend as well here, maybe summer has arrived ??? Certainly fewer bimbi in the materna today I wonder why ?????
Have fun cleaning , I have bags of stuff to take to second , hand, to friends etc it is just a case of doing it !

Hello girls, this morning meband ds were up 20 mins later than yesterda, dd is still asleep, but she is a dormigliona, she doesn't count!
I did my back in yesterday locking the bikes , so it is Aulin for me afyr breakfast. We still have the bikes today, so we are going to see the butterflies sanctuary and i also want to taste the key lime pie! ( the hotel we are staying at is fab, but the food is a bit lame imo).

Happy to hear the weather is better, hope it doesn't get too hot and humid. Gio what are you doing for ds birthday? He is 6 already!

You are definitely jet-lagged Franca, it's my DS, and yes he's 5, already! We are going to Zoomarine on friday, it was only a 1/2 day at school anyway so thought we'd take them out.
Tomorrow he will go in with a cake fashioned from mini cornetti, as he doesn't eat actual cake, that should be fun.

Oh my goodness, sorry Sputnik, I was totally convinced I read "bananagio"!
Oh desr, sono veramente rimbambita!
The cake sound yummie, are you making it? Where is the zoomarine?

No worries Franca!
I have 2 packets of mini cornetti, some toothpicks, and hoping to use half a loaf of bread as a base in the middle and to stick the candles into. I suppose I'd better try it out in case it doesn't work and I have to find a plan B.
Zoomarine is really close to our house, in Torrvaianica where we always go to the beach, they have dolphins and various other marine stuff, not sure as we've not been before.
Speaking of dolphins, have your kids seen Dolphin Tale? It's set in Florida, a bit shmaltzy but a good (true) story.

ooh Sput we went to Zoomarine beginning of May. The shows are great! We saw the seals, dolphins and diving pirates shows and ds and his mate loved them all. They also loved the dinosaur exhibition. The pools werent open when we went but we went on the log flume and a few of the rollercoasters. DS has not shut up since re wanting to go again for his birthday. Happy Birthday to your DS!! And good luck with the cake.
Hows the jet lag and back Franca?
Rosa I saw the pic of the tornado-when I read your post I imagined a little one - it looked like something off CNN News!!

Zoomarine sounds like great fun! Have a great time, master sputnik!

Gio I like the pic of ds, so proud in front of his school.

No we haven't seen a dolphin tale yet, but we have just seen the ad on tv, here at the hotel, so it is on our list of films to watch.

All is well, really hot, dh is hopefully on his way, and i think i have already gained 10 kilos...
I have seen an ad in a magazine by the dept of health that now women will have free mammograms etc, and i went all warm inside. Bravo obama!

The poc on fb, i meant

FrAnca sounds good hope your dh gets over jet lag fast as you guys wil be up and running.....i went to St Erasmo today and many places they have all just got on and re built walls and put tiles back on, apparently there is a missing sheep however and many of the agricultrual campi also at Cavallino are ruined....
Happy birthday Master Sputnik have a great day....

Hello, dh arrived at last, his flight from atlanta was 4 hrs late... At one point i doubted he'd arrive!
How are you all?
Yesterday we went on the trolley tour, i must admit i want on of those tiny wooden houses with the porch...

Hi little italy - hope you are all doing well. Using my internet connection for work overtime (unpaid of course).

Ds turned 6 a few weeks ago and we were graced by my dsil and her new partner (they flew over) and can I just say, he's the most fantastic guy and a big up to my sil's choice in guys.

We over in Italy over the summer and I'm very much hoping he'll come down to mil's place. She'd love him.

I'm trying to negotiate more hours with work. They want me full time but I want four days max as ds would have zero social life (talking play dates here for an only child). Will know in the next month. Yikes.

Hope your summer plans are sorted and all is good.

Hi giveitago, nice to see you again, good that in this day and age they want to offer you more work, generally they seem to be laying pesole off. Have a great summer and hope MIL is ok she was a bit pesante if I recall.

Franca great that Dh arrived ok, bet he is tired though. Hope you have a wonderful family holiday...
We have escaped to San Candido for 2 nights before the heat hits as its due to be horrible next week but we have too much on to be away....

Hi giveitagi, nice to see you again! I agree with rosa, it is good that you have been offered more hrs, but totally understandable that you want more time with ds. Have a lovely summer!!

Oh san candido is beautiful rosa, have a great time! We are in naples, tomorrow we are visiting sanibel.

Cycled 45 km with minirosa in tow... Was great loved every minute and was only a bit sore the day after, much less than expected, trying to get head round packing for mare but can't probably the fact its 33 degrees and every time I walk 10m I feel as if I have wet myknickers and no part of me doesn't sweat.. Well shouldn't complain its been late coming this year. Plus I love my A/C!
Franca we were at the Temple again, they are still so nice.
So where are you now??????
Gio great video of DS he looks as if he had a ball....
Sput how did the birthday go? All over the bugs now?

Very impressed cycling in the heat Rosa. I am totally fed up as have broken my
ankle on the bastard rome uneven pavements, have a massive cast on and it hit 36 degrees here today! Feeling very sorry for myself.

Oh no Gio you poor thing What a total pain.
Thanks for the birthday wishes for DS everyone, Zoomarine was great, a couple of things I think were sensory overload for him and we'll avoid next time but the rest was great. He loved the dolphins especially and saw them twice.
Very impressed with the cycling Rosa.

Oh no Gio....sue the commune, my MIL did when she broke her hip on the uneven pavement and got €8000 compensation..... If she had been an actvive working / mum apparently they dish out more... Send dp out to take pic of uneven bit and find a lawyer. You poor thing how long do you have the cast on as you were/ are going to the Uk soon no?
Good about zoomarine , must give it a go sometime. We did sealife and dd1 loved it.
The cycle ride was a fair bit downhill with the odd little uphill bits , but tra montagne and streams it was very Julie Andrews.... I have a clip of video with dh coasting and dd1pedaling like mad so I wonder who did the majority of it?????

Oh no Gio, that is just horrible, and even more so at this time of the yr, when it is so hot. You poor thing, hope you get all the help you need.

Sput, happy to hear you all had a good time at zoomarine, accidentally my dc mentioned it yesterday, they want to go too!

Rosa, san candido is wonderful, i would love to back to the piccolo hotel.

We are in orlando (has to be one of the weirdest place i have ever been). Today we went to universal island of adventures, the harry potter bit is amazing!

Franca go to the outlets in Orlando you can clothe the dc for poco o niente for the next year. ( and you!!!!!)
Madonna che caldo - gio I feel for you will you be able to weight bare at all or is it crutches for 6 weeks?

Not sure yet Rosa. Go back on friday to have this medieval cast removed so will know more then. If they have to put one back on they will have to give me half an hour just to scratch!
Whats hp bit like franca, are the dcs loving it?

Rosa, I am afraid I won't be able to do the outlets as no one in my family likes shopping other than me, I am hoping to manage to negotiate to be left for 2 hrs and then picked up again...

Ok, so yesterday we arrived to the island of advenures at 9, when it opened and we went straight to the HP area, where we queued for the Forbidden Journey, basically you go into hogwarts, see a few rooms and then there is this ride, a simulation of riding the broom which is AMAZING. We all loved it.
Then we queued to get into Olivander's (mistake), but the children love their (overpriced) wands. We queued to go on the flight of the hippogriph, and after 40 bloody minutes the ride stopped. So we went to jurassic park. Then we queued again for another ride in the water, but again it stopped. I was pissed off.
We went back to HP and managed the hippogriff. We did spiderman (good), and then, as there was just a ten mins queue, I was brave enough to do the dragon challenge, a proper ride. It was just great.

So, the harry potter area is truly wonderful, but busy. The morale della storia is go in november or don't be tirchio and buy the bloody express pass.

Children loved it.

Gio how are you today? Thinking of you!

Hee did you do teh red dragon blue dragon ride at the far corner? I loved them !!!!
Yes Franca you MUST get dropped off or you will regret it ! Go to the ones that you can walk between , carry on dring up I Drive North there are 4 or 5 together Hillfinger and Reebok are to the right then you cross over and there are 2 small ish malls .
Don't go to the big shopping mall as its expensive and not outlet prices.
WHat happened in Starbucks???
I am glad you manged a few of the rides though and it sounds as if the dds enjyed it all...
You are not missing the heat here though its horrible.... I feel for you Gio I am sweating just walking as normal imagine if you had a plaster on as well......
Is there still the back to the future ride as that is brill? MInd you it sounds as if the queues were bad and think you are right NOvember is the time to go but now we have elementary school not sure how we wangle it ....Or pay for it to be honest ..!!!!!

Franca your DH definitely owes you some childcare while you do some shopping!
Gio I broke my ankle when I was a kid and I remember using a knitting needle (not the sharp end) for scratching.

Yes, I went on that one rosa, it was the first time on a big ride for me, I went on my own!
I didn't manage to go to the outlest, as yesterday we went to cape canaveral and it was pouring when we drove back.
Never mind, we are in nyc now... Hehehe this is where i will get my revenge (evil cackle)...
Nothing happened in starbucks, it is just evil!

Gio how are you doing today? It is bloody hot and humid here

Gio how did you get on with the plaster change, are you more mobile now?
Franca how hot is new york? We are at the beach since sat and dh has gone back home to work ( bugger) and will be back on rhrs, we were going to go for a walk this pm and its started raining ...better now than during the day!!!!!

got a brace thing now Rosa, much better as can remove it! and lighter, cooler etc. Leg is going in right direction but going to be a few weeks still on crutches...
How are you getting on Franca?

That's good news Gio.
It is too hot here, can't wait to escape.

Sput when are you heading to Croatia? Have you an itin decided? Gio has it stuffed uo your UK trip as you were going in July no? Just been to the hell hole of Luna park eaten alive by mozzies every year I say never again... But this time have promised they can come back with dh who will spoil them more than I do......

Still going rosa, next week and cant wait. Got a wheelchair and lift onto plane booked. Nothing is keeping me away from the prospect of 16 degrees and drizzle for a few weeks! Am very that mid july weather has arrived early this year!
When are you back from the beach Rosa?

Have another 3 weeks.. Then we are off to drizzle land as well..... Dd1 seems to have a slight tum upset...boh doesn't seem bad maybe she drank too much pool water!!!

Hello my dears, I am back to Italy, we arrived yesterday afternoon, our plane had a 5 hrs delay.

New York was great, as usual. The afternoon we arrived and the next was incredibly hot and humid, but there was a big storm in the evening that refreshed the weather and the next 2 days were sunny, but not stifling hot, just normal warm summer days.

So the trip went well andwe had lots of fun, but I have to say that I didn't get to do as much shopping as I wanted. Actually, I didn't mean to shop that much, but I was looking forward to spending 2 hrs in Barneys, dreaming I had the famous portafoglio di Onassis... but I didn't have the time. grrrr.

Gio glad to hear you will be able to go to the UK, I am sure it will be more bearable in the fresher weather!

Hope you are all well. x

Welcome back, glad you had a great time. What are the dc best moments? I think that sometimes what they pick up is different to what we think they enjoyed!
Good for dh wallet that you diddn't get to shop that much you might have done serious damage!!!!

Dd's favourite has been Universal Island of pleasure...
They both loved:
Key West little aquarium
Key west butterflies conservatory
Shelving on Naples' beach
Balto's statue in Central Park
A playground in Tribeca
The view from The Empire state building.

Ds also loved Nasa, knowing everything about the Statue of Liberty and immigration to the US (he wanted to go to a little museum nr chinatown where they show you how early xx century immigrants used to lived but we didn't find the time), the Natural History Museum.

That is great, (made mental notes for the future!!!!!) so are you off to the beach or in laws now? Its humid glad we are out of the city now,
Gio enjoy your priority boarding!!! Seriously hope it all goes well and the weather does improve it is pretty crap in the Uk now. Mum says she hasn't worn a t shirt since March!!!

We are still in milan, as I still have at least 3 loads of washing to do, plus have to take them to the dentist and ds is watching the football with a friend today... But yes, we will go to the countryside asap.
How are you enjoying the beach rosa? Not sure why, but the trip to the us made me nostalgic of britain! Boh!

Beach is good thanks, dh is workingon and off so it hasn't got to the relaxing stage as yet, plus niopte is here as well until sat so its extra everything.....am pleased to be out of Venice right now and feel for the people in EM, I know most have A\C in the tents but it must be terrible.....

And love the new look you were quiet about that change!!!!!!

Welcome back Franca! Sounds like you had a great time, I'd love to take my lot in a few years time.
It was the DCs last day of school today, yes they have been continuing in this heat and it's been a bit of a sofferenza. It was quite sad as 2 of DD's close friends are leaving for good, including the mum I got on best with in her class, the ones she always went home with if I had to take DS to speech therapy or whatever. I am hoping we will stay in touch though.
Also sad saying goodbye to DS's teachers, they have been fantastic and he has made huge progress this year.

Ragazze it is 10.20 at night and 30 degrees in our apt, I really hate to but I might cave in and get AC installed next year.

Thank you! I went blonde to fight the white!

Sputnik, sorry to hear your dd's friends are leaving, that is so sad at this age, but I am sure you'll be able to stay in touch. And happy to hear master sputnik has had a great year!

Rosa, that is lovely of you to also have your dn .

Sput you'll be soon heading towards croatia, vero?

Oh no Sput, I feel your pain. A/C makes a huge difference if you have to spend summer in the city (or at least a part of it). God, 30 degrees is a nightmare. Would an ice cold beer help? (momentarily)... <<passes a birra moretti, it's all I have I am afraid>>

Sput I feel for you I recall our old place which was high ish and well ventilated was just an oven... Even with a portable machine it couldn't cope but It was better than nothing. I adore my A\C at home just taking out the humidity makes a massive difference, and it means I can do things without just wanting to lie on the floor or stick my head in the fridge.... Nipote is nice but is at the stage where he asks things 10 times and never seems to absorb the answer...
What a shame re the children leaving especially as they were a help, we are loosing 1 good friend as she goes to an elementary on the other side of the canal and its a shame as dd1 and her met at 6 mths in the pool.....

sounds like my ds (the nipote, I mean)

fuck the rigore, btw

EVVVVVAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Franca I saw the fb pic, you look fab! Maybe I should consider that, I'm getting very grey!
So far we've avoided AC on the grounds we're not here all summer anyway, and I have an aesthetic objection to a huge unit in our living room (which is also kitchen and study). But really these last 2 weeks have been awful, it's very humid where we live too.
Anyway, we're off to Croatia tuesday, after which we're in the mountains as we're finally redoing our bathroom down here. It can get hot up there too but at least in the evening there's some relief.
Yes sad about school friends, and at some point it'll be us leaving, as DH will be forced to transfer at some point by his employers. I try not to think about it!

Thank you sputnik! I am very grey, I'd say that 85% of my hair is grey, and I am not yet ready to go grey... I think that by turning blonde I need less trips to the hairdresser... plus I am actually enjoying being a blond

I agree re a/c being aesthetically challenged... Thank goodness you are going in just a few days, nights aren't that hot in Croatia, if I remember well.

Oh gosh yes, saying goodbye is just awful, but I agree, don't think about it... where would he be transferred, UK or somewhere else, do you think?

It would never be UK, if he stays with his current employers it would be maybe somewhere in Africa, or possibly Thailand or Egypt. He might have a chance of a job with some other UN agency so you never know, New York could be a possibility. We are ambivalent about it tbh as if we moved the kid's school would be mostly paid for, as it's not right now and it's a struggle. On the other hand DH's family are here, and we'd like at least a year or 2 more here for DS to see how things pan out for him, and we'd need to go somewhere with good provision for him if he needs support in future.

Oh it is so difficult isn't it. I hope you manage to stay here for as long as you wish to, also, ime it might be exciting for us adults to move somewhere else, but I guess that for the children it is quite hard, when friendships and a sense of belonging become important for them.

I've spoken to several adults lately who moved around as kids and loved it, so that's not necessarily the case. But it would always take a while to adjust, and probably depends on personality too. For DS who is just getting to grips with the whole social skills side of things I think he really needs stability for the moment. Anyway, we definitely have another year, so we'll just take it as it comes for now.

I agree it depends on the personality of a child and also the age. It is good that your ds has def another yr at his school. And then whatver happens, we'll support you (and if you move to Thailand, we'll come over )

Thanks Franca!
When I was 10 we spent several months I Canada and I went to school there, I made friends and was even starting to talk with a Canadian accent by the time we left.
Poor DD seems to be ill again, hope we can shift it before leaving.

Hope she feels better soon, poor dd, it is horrible being ill in this heat.

Gorgeous pic franca, what a good looking family you are . Sput hope dd is ok. Sad re friends leaving. I find i embrace change like that far less as i get older. I want the staus quo to stay exactly as it is re friends, day to day life etc. Am i becoming middle aged ? Think kids adapt very quickly though. I moved a lot up to when i was 10 and wasnt a great issue at the time. I understand that now you are making progress with ds you not wanting to change that at the moment.
I am getting aircon next year.I cannot cope any longer without it. if i wasnt leaving on weds i would be on euronics site this minute ordering it. There is not one breath of air and it is so humid.
I want to be watching the Stone Roses in manchester (stamp feet emoticon). Have listened to their album all day in tribute and found myself getting very maudlin and nostalgic for my lost youth.....

Bloody awful isn't it Gio. Domenica it's set to hit 40, yikes!
Not sure what to do about DD, she's had a cough for a while so we took her to the docs the other day, he gave some cough syrup and said if it doesn't clear after 3 days give ABs. Then today she slept all morning and woke up with fever and looking really pale but it went away again, so wondering whether to start the ABs or not. Normally I take a wait and see approach but I want her to be well when we leave.
DS is asking me to turn the crickets off!

I wish I could. Skrk skrk skrk I hate the bastards.

Thanks Gio, all of us of Little Italy are fairly special

I know what you mean about getting nostalgic. It recently happened to me, rediscovering a song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers which I used to love when I was in my early 20s and hadn't listened to for ages. Ooooh being young again!

Sput, can you take her back to see the paed just to be on the safe side? Or tomorrow being saturday is a nono? Sorry to hear she is still unwell, there is still some viruses doing the rounds, I am told. Uffa!

Oh no Sput what a pain, do you have a continuita ped down there or has it been cut there as well?
Dd has earache, she was checked 2 weeks ago and said she had lots of cerume ( normale as she suffers from it) but with all the swimming it seems to have blown up , have given Auran and have been looking at guardia medicia etc. All I need is somebody to check for infection as if its red then Auran is ok but slightest infection needs to be stopped as if she has a wax block it gets messy......However had to laugh, despite the fact we are on hols and 1hrs drive from home or 1.5 hrs boat we are still in the territory off our USSL so we can't use the medica turistica open 7 days a week!!!!!! Will call them anyway and see what they say.
40deg blimey I feel for you all really. We got a good deal on our a/c as it is a low noise, low consumo, we waited until April to have the actual split and external thing fitted as the newest ones came in. If you are getting a portable get one with a small external thing or better a tube as lugging the 2 from room to room is a pain..I speak from experience , I had the external bit in the corridor once as I was pg and couldn't lift t to the window sil dh came home to a sauna in the hall.....

D&V doing rounds in Vce apparently lots of upset tums and bums...

Sorry GIO had to smile thinking if you ' stamping you foot' in a brace ..as for the stone roses never did anything for me..... Now Duran Duran is playing in Verona and I am tempted.

Ooh go and see Duran Duran Rosa. Saw them twice since they started retouring and were fab. Total nostalgia fest and filled with women in their late 30s/40s reliving their teen years and screaming for john taylor.
Hope dd's better this morn rosa and sput. Rosa that is ridiculous re medica turistica.
Those with aircon advise me. Bear in mind not the wealthiest at the moment but obviously dont want to buttare soldi by getting something useless. What do i need to look for and are these 300 euro deals in euronics worth it?
My very patriotic ds is going around the house singing l'inno at the top of his voice

awwww, he must be so excited for tomorrow's game

Wow, I am glad to hear Duran Duran are great on live shows, I have always feared they were a bit crap. I used to totally love them when I was a teen. Major crash on JT, of course, though he doesn't do anything for me now.
I wish I could have seen them when I was young (nostalgic again!!!)

No idea really re A/C. I think the best would find a specialist company for a good impianto, but that means £££. No idea re Euronics, though I find that Darty have good costumer service, boh!

Hope the little ones are both feeling better today.

We are child free today as the children have gone to the countryside with my parents, whereas we have a 40 birthday party tonight. This morning I visited my grandmother, bless her, she didn't recognize me at first, but she is still keen to look upbeat and cracks jokes in piemontese

Franca with all these changes of look you're confusing people!
We started DD with the ABS as she had fever again this morning, but they are really strong and making her feel sick, poor thing. Hope we make it through the night. It probably doesn't help that we just watched Star Wars and she maybe got a little space sick from all that speeding over the death star.

Asked dh if he wil be working over the concert as its in Verona he said vediamo no lo so..". Sput hope your dd is feeling better and not suffering from the abs. Dd1 I took to the medica turistica and they never even blinked when I filled the form with residence on. Charged me €21. Maybe on the next non Uk peps using the NHS I will post about it... as its a flat cost per visit any nationality ..... They gave me antibiotic ear drops but she is still on the tacchip as well and today doesn't look much better. am going to get more wax dissolving stuff and try and soften everything up. She hated bobbing up and down in the pool rather than sinking herself but looks like today is going to be like that as well, rather warmish here still.
Gio no idea re A/C we got ours via our plumber and it was more dh department. We have 3 splits and really we only needed 1 possibly 2 as they are pretty strong.i want to say we have Aeg or Lg but I can't remember.

Indeed Sputnik ... i have to say though that my nonna is now 97, and somedays she is more forgetful than others, but she is always in a lovely mood, bless her.
I hope your bambine are feeling better tonight.
I am hiding in a different room, as I get too apprehensive to watch the football.

97 wow, it is good that she has the happy side of things . I am guessing that Italia have lost as I haven't heard claxons, trombe etc etc I was at a friend and she made gelato with her 'Bimby' It seems a fantastic mixer thingy but I don't think I have the space or I could justify the cost. I think she is better overall today but not clear enough for her to start being a fish again....hard as she loves being under the water. I have had her bobbing in minirosas ciambella so she doesn't get water in her ear. The tappi we got keep coming out.....

Glad your DD is better Rosa, mine is too and seeming a bit more cheerful.
97 is pretty good going, my grandma is 94 and still cheerful too, maybe that is the secret!

Yes, my grandma has always been of a cheerful disposition, I guess this helps.

I hope your dds are both feeling much better now.

Everyone who owns it, raves about bimby, but v. Expensive and I wouldn't know where to store it.

Very windy here. Buon viaggio Sputnik!

Yes much better I think maybe domani I will let her swim. I ghink the tappo of cerume is moving out as the drops are taking ages to absorb in....meglio as I have to take her back on thurs possibly for a lavaggio.. I am also using the softening drops to help.
Sput have a fantastic holiday am green as Croatia is really beautiful and if you make it up the Pelisiac penninusla, the hotel Koruna at the start does yummy food and the right at the end literally the tip there is a small restaurant over the harbour that does the most fantastic lobster.... Mind you you could be going to Istria in which case that is totally useless
I have the same problem with a Bimby, my Kenwood which I do use lots needs replacing ( people keep telling me my 40 year old one is a relic ..) but I need a new one now. I have space for 1 itemonly unless I clear out the storage cupboard but I can't justify both.... It looked as if we were having a storm earlier but it passed....

I soooo would love one of those kenwood mixer thingies, I think they are around 300 euros on amazon.

Buon viaggio sputnik!
And rosa hope dd is fine now. Def less hot here, ds desperately waiting for his cousin to come and play...

I love my Kenwood, I really only use the K beater, whisk and rarelythe dough hook but I need a big bowl for a 10 egg mix sometimes and the Kitchen Aid are not big enough. I have a whizzer thing with loads of attachments and I have hardly used them...
Its still hot here but we are ventilated. Dh came back from work in citta he did sun, mon and he is physically exhausted from the heat....

Breezy here, luckily.
I am a bit bored, though.

Today ds turns 10! 10 already, I can't believe it. Such a shame his friends are already away, but we'll have a party en famille on sunday.

Crikey 10 hope he had a nice day and sunday the party is fun. Yesterday was also slightly breezy so a lovely day on the beach. Dh was here and we managed lots of swims all together. Dd lost another tooth so the fatina brought her a mask and snorkel....great success. Today feels a bit steamy no wind at all so best get moving so we get the cooler part of the day.
Gio hope the flight went ok and its not too wet and horrible in the UK. I so hope it improves for you and also for us when we go, I can't cope with a month of wet I will go nuts!!!!!

Yes, it looks rather dreadful in the uk at the moment, what a pain. I hope it gets better.

Uffa, i am getting bored here, the dc love it though. Oh well.

From 30 deg to 15 its going to be a shock. Doesn't seem like its going to improve in the UK either.....Dh is working in 40 deg and he says it is like a hairdryer blowing its so hot. I have said no to nipotina coming over with dh tom as he needs to switch off and relax. SIL has a bit of a hump but dh is shattered last week he came back tues and thurs he was normal only to go back fri!!!

Oh gosh, your poor dh, Venice must be unbearable in the heat!
I hope the weather will get better in the UK, it'd be nice if you could get sunny weather without it being too hot.
I have recently watched one of those property programs on SKy (the one with Jenny Falconer), a couple looking for a house in Cornwall... so nostalgic!

Hi all from the UK. Lovely and cool here but rain has been pretty much daily. Are you over yet Rosa? Dp struggling in Rome, said has hit 42 a couple of times.

Hi, no we come over next week. It looks as if it might improve a bit but will believe it whn it happens. Just have to clear apt here take home wash and dry then repack for the uk ...easy!!!!
It seems to be fresher here a bit now but still steamy in some places. Gio I feel for yr dp as its beena scorcher.
Am doing my sainsburys order on line as its easier than asking mum to get it all, crikey the crap they sell ...I have never wandered before just keyed in what I want. Dd1 is a bit rounded ( not really but paed said her % increase in peso was a bit high) so I was looking at healthy options / snacks to take out and about as well as normal. Was a bit surprised really . Also the tortellini fillings and sauces loads more than we get here. ( I know little things, little minds etc.....)
Good spiaggia this year have had fun.....

Hey I'm back everyone, Croatia was great, I would totally recommend it and the DCs loved the camping, and swimming everyday, DS has got over his fear of water and was even starting to "swim" with braccioli. We are now back in our mountain house, definitely a bit cooler than when we left, been doing a lot of cleaning as we've had various works done here recently, it's starting to look good :-) . We'll be here for 2 weeks fixed as we're having the bathroom redone in Rome so it's a no-go area.
I'm a bit sad at not going to the UK this year, then again I won't forget last august 12° and I was in sandals. Anyway, say hi from me.

Glad you have a wonderful time which part were you in ? Well done to DS and the swimming.
Hope you don't get too drowned out by the bad weather that is heading downwards. We only have had strong winds which has been great for me as have managed to get 8 loads of washing dry. Am only ironing what we need for the UK ( not much as taking winter stuff!!!!) the rest is being done for me ! But my beach towels are no longer filled with sand and salt and I all the dds summer dresses are away not taking them to the Uk ! Mind you my mum has said she has been in the garden twice this week so thats an improvement.
Minirosa has just put her shoes on and decided they are too tight - she is right actually , so am hoping to find a cheap pair next week that will get us to the Uk - even I refuse to do socks and sandals which are her only shoes that fit her right now !

Rosa I think you've guaranteed now there will me a major heatwave when you get to the UK
We took a ferry from Ancona to Split, then went to a camping an hour or so's drive north of Split, it was lovely, super clean and shady, we had the sea about 15m from our tent. Rocky beach but the sea was really clear, great for snorkelling. We were there 3 days, one of which we went to a national park inland - Krka - with lakes and waterfalls, lovely but it was really hot and quite crowded. Then we drove 4 hours north to Krk island, we didn't like the campsite there so much, our place had no shade at all so we left after 2 nights.
Then Istria, we went to a huge campsite, like a small town, but it was really great, there was a pool for kids, kid's club with activities, bars, playgrounds, restaurants and shops all over the place, I would definitely go back. Also good value, we spent about €50 a night, food and restaurants were cheaper than here. In general everything was cheaper relative to here compared to when we went in 2003, when it was about the same.
After that we drove back to Rome, it would've been 8 hours or so had we not got stuck at the border into Slovenia for over 2 hours, as it was Saturday.

Today more excitement, it was DD's birthday and we went to Rainbow Magicland, the new theme park near Rome, it's great, we all want to go back. No queues at all as it was supposed to rain today, it was cloudy but didn't actually rain so a definite win win :-)

Ciao ragazze, happy to hear you both had a lovely time. My kids want to go to Magicland too, Sput!

It looks like the uk is now basking in the sun, hope you get some of it Rosa!

We are going to salina on saturday, I cant wait. Sending you all a big hug!

You should come Franca, you could do Magicland, Zoomarine, then if you can handle the excitement, meet up with me and Gio :-)
Have a good time on Salina :-)

Oh, I would love to, and I would love to meet you and Gio.
Actually, I think the dc should really see the capital...

Sput it sounds great, I know some areas of Croatia and had been to Krk once, and agree with eating out its so much cheaper. We went to a snack kind of place in Venice 2 night s ago. 1 large toast so the dds divided it, 1 patatine. I had a burrito ( have cravings for spicy food...must be building up for UK!!) dh and MIL had a version of fajitas ( ok they were €15 each) but with 1 bibita each it was €75 FGS. We had a fish meal for 4 in a restaurant in vacanza for less......
Oh Magicland , dd1 knows the song and so wants to go!!!! Thanks to Cartonito and there was an advert on a cereal packet or something as well.
Weather in Uk due to break on friday..typical with 13deg temps!!! Also border control strikes on thurs but so far nobody is sayimg how bad things are expected to be. Today I amtaking dd1 to choose her cartella...... She is finding it hard to choose things at the mo so it might take a while!

Ooooh choosing the cartella, that is soooo sweet !

I am so proud she chose a multicoloured 'Seven' one pink, purple etc over Barbie, Winx,Cinderella etc and thak god Hello Kitty!,,,, no persuasion needed either all her choice .... It swamps her but she is happy it cost me a Macdonalds as well!!!!I am still recovering as hate the place!

Yay! You are seeing the light at the end of the pink tunnel. I think they grow out of these things sooner than we think.

Well done dd1 ... What about the astuccio? Have you got it?
Start saving for Friction erasable pens !

Oh yes we got a matching one !!! And 5 sticks of glue and extra 3 rubbers, 5 pencils and I saw those pens but diddn't think she needed them ...Wrong !!! However we did get 2 Hello Kitty quaderni but I can cope with that !
Grr hate packing as can't seem to get the kick to get going properly normally I lay it out and then do it in about 20 mins.....Oh well prima o poi devo !

Aha well done! The erasable pens you will need them at the end of prima elementare, but depends on the maestra. Start saving! Also keep vast amounts of glue sticks.

I have unpacked (just got back from inlaws) and will pack tomorrow, we are going sat morning, very early.

Here and have been on the beach once and the girls have been playing in the garden in pants .... MIL would not be amused.....weather is due to change however .......

Hello from steamy Puglia! Just wanted to check in after however many months.. hope you are all having a good summer.

We've been down in Taranto since late June staying with ILs, and likely to stay here until end of September.
I am still sane (just), alternating beach and work, being spoilt and cooked for with free childcare, which is all good although same old ishoos keep rearing their heads, including the increasing pressure to move down here for DP to take over family business. Anyone know of any expats in Martina Franca? Am worried about making like-minded friends down here (or any friends at all), among other things... but for financial reasons it appears I have little choice but to seriously consider moving down here in the next year or so.

Re. the Bimby, it seems to be one of the favourite topics of conversation among DPs female relatives, but I hear it's ridiculously expensive, as are spare parts! Can't see it would be that useful as I get along fine with a normal food mixer when I need it..

Looking forward to a cool break from the heat in the UK next week, at last - haven't been back since Easter! Rosa, how's the weather? LOL at MIL disapproving of playing in the garden in pants! I'm getting used to politely ignoring lovely FIL's concerns about DD getting a colpo d'aria in 40 degrees heat on the beach ;)

Hello everyone, hope you've all had/are still having a lovely time.
We came back from the Eolie on Monday and I am already missing the sea and the gorgeous views. We had a great time.

Hi Spaghettina, you really have a big choice to make. I have no idea what Martina Franca is like, other than that it is a beautiful town... I suppose that like any other small town it will be a bit difficult to break the ice at first, but i really hope you will find like minded people!
I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks Franca, I need it! I am coming round to the idea a bit more... di necessità virtù

I bet you're missing the Eolie, it must be beautiful there.

We had a pretty hot week in the UK, got there just in time for the long-awaited summer which was good, although we'd packed rather pessimistically, expecting autumnal temperatures. There was a real post-Olympic buzz in London too, everyone in a good mood for once!
It was also a well-timed trip because DD is picking up more English now, repeating things that I say - up until only 3 weeks ago she never did that and seemed only to be speaking new words in Italian, so I'm very happy she's finally ready to "embrace" my language too.

Good to hear that Spag
OK guys, it's September, can we officially reopen the thread now?
We were here all of august, bloody hell it was hot. I'm enjoying a bit of cool and rain, finally.
DCs back at school Thursday, not before time!

hi everyone! Yes let's reopen . Sput I cant begin to imagine how hot it must have been with that bastard Lucifer heatwave in Rome. For a week even by the sea we were dripping with sweat in the evening and the sea breeze was non existent. Was lovely though, had such a nice time. Met up with friends and DS had the time of his life. How was everyone elses summer?

Oh and Spag glad DD is speaking more English. DS's English is now definitely inferior to his Italian and it does upset me a bit. Just need to keep persevering I guess. Good to hear that you are coming round to the idea of moving a bit more

Hurrah!!!

Glad to hear you are all well... Lucifer has been a bloody nightmare here in northern Italy too. But it is now cold, windy and very wet, so, tbh... I kind of preferred it

Spaghettina, how old is your little one?

How long were you in the Eoile for Franca. Saw your pics - sea looks amazing!

For roughly 20 days, then stayed in the country, as our dear friends from the uk visited us . We got to the mainland/northern italy just in time to embrace Lucifer!

Yes, the sea is amazing, I am so in love with those islands.

Did you have a good time in tuscany? That is another area I love. Is mastergio excited about starting school?

Sounds lovely France, would love to go there sometime.
We stayed outside Rome the whole summer, normally we'd have gone back and forth a bit but it was just too hot. It was boiling there too but we have the swimming pool up, it's a godsend. Anyway, back to Rome today, the house seems tiny and dirty having not been cleaned properly for 2 months, we cleaned after the works in the bathroom but some escaped. Plus we're overhauling the DC's room, putting a bunk bed and desk for DD, everything is upside down.
The DCs have been driving me crazy the last couple of weeks, can't wait to get them back in school!
Gio how is your ankle?

Aargh sorry, Franca. This stupid tablet keeps auto-correcting. Please don't get offended if I call you France and Go.

No worries, I like France, makes me sound all sophisticated .

oh yes , flats tend to feel small and claustrophobic after a long holiday!

I also can't wait for the school to start, ds has been a bit overwhelming this summer , to be honest I am a bit at loss at how to handle him, one minute he is charming, the other a right pain.

Sounds like DD!
Tbh it can't be easy sometimes being DS's sister, he's fine most of the time but has his little fixations, upsets and can be controlling. But then she is continuously moaning at him, nagging or winding him up, then sometimes being really sweet, helping him make stuff etc. Oh well, overall we've had a good holiday, it just went on a bit too long and I regret now not going to the UK to break it up a bit.

I agree that visiting the UK in the summer is a good break from the heat and makes a nice change, I'd like to do that too.

How old is dd now, is she 7? We have a case of bad siblings rivalry here, in that ds is quite jealous of dd, and she seems to have lost the patience that she's shown for yrs . Plus some pre teen behaviour: answers back and he'd like to be independent, but is scared of becoming so. Lots of frustration and energy.

DD turned 8 in July, yes I'm already wondering how she'll be as a teen!
Absolute dilluvio here, DS had his meet the teacher morning, we got extremely wet. I only have sandals, supidly.

Teenage yrs are looming here, and I am not ready

8 then! Don't know why I thought she was 1 year younger than dd.

Where are you Rosa????

Kids returned to school yesterday, bliss! They both have really nice teachers this year, DS's teacher has a plan for getting him to eat at school, I wish her luck!
I just had a bath in our beautiful new bathroom, and heading off soon for some shopping

Oh that sounds blissful Sput!
Mine will start on Wednesday. But ds has decided to go to the oratorio where he usually plays football, as some of his friends are there attending the summer campus.
He had a lovely time yesterday. The only prob is that he now believes in the healing properties of the Madonna

But hei, what did I expect

Ha, this is the price you pay

Didn't get out for long in the end, I forgot my phone wasn't charged so hung around at home a bit waiting for it. No shopping done either, but I'm scouting out towels and accessories for the new bathroom. Exciting stuff!

Indeedy!!!

Oh, I love buying towels. Have I ever mentioned my towel feticism on here?

I seem to remember something about towel folding. Right, I will be back later to consult you about my towel dilema then

Please do

Oh yes, we have discussed towel folding, haven't we?

I also would love to discuss my new obsession with "Suri's burn book"...

Thanks Franca, I've just scrolled through more pages of Suri's burn book than I care to mention. Given that I haven't a clue who most of these people are it has an odd fascination.

Anyway, towels: the new bathroom has dark kind of lapis blue tiles on the floor and 1 tile up the wall, as we'll as on the colon a between bath and toilet, then a kind of jeans blue and then white from sink level upwards. The overall effect is a bit, erm, blue, so we want to introduce a bit of colour. I saw these http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomeit/it/zarahomeit/269520/1062708/Asciugamano%2BAdrian today that look just the thing but annoyingly there is no matching bath mat, I really want a stripy bathmat as the towels would mostly be out of sight, hanging on back of door.

Sorry I posted there as this tablet is really annoying and sometimes crashes randomly, generally when I'm about to post something it took me 10 minutes to write on its stupid keyboard. So anyway, johnlewis does have a stripy bathmat, here www.johnlewis.com/102614/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=RecentlyViewedList&img=230906441alt1 of the right size (has to be under 75 cm to fit under the thing the sink is on) but not really sure if it goes? They also have a bunch of stripy bathroom accessories, here: www.johnlewis.com/259887/Product.aspx which I'm tempted by, or would that be taking the whole'stripe'thing too far?
Just to complicate things, jl also'do'striped'towels, www.johnlewis.com/118149/Product.aspx and www.johnlewis.com/355562/Product.aspx, neither of which have matching bathmats either.
So what's a girl to do, please advise

Aargh zara link didn't convert: http://www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomeit/it/zarahomeit/269520/1062708/Asciugamano%2BAdrian
There you go

Oh ffs www.zarahome.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/zarahomeit/it/zarahomeit/269520/1062708/Asciugamano%2BAdrian

I very much approve of stripes. My fav are the last JL you linked to (the decKchair ones) and the zara's. Actually, usually zara is great for towels.
I really like the mat as well, I like bathrooms that are allegri, not taking themselves too seriously, iyswim.

How do you link with a tablet? I haven't figured it out yet.

I am totally taken by the Suri's blog. I want to be her friend.

My tablet has android, with a normalish browser, you just press on the URL in the address bar and a "copy" option comes up.

Yes those are my faves too, just still not sure about the bathmat.

Agree with you about bathrooms, in our other house we have one serious bathroom with travertino, the other is more fun: teal, aqua and seafoam with colourful accessories and a window in the shower. Here we have the new one and the windowless one which has a space theme: views form the space station, lamp that looks like Jupiter, silver toilet seat and Sputnik mirror (appropriately!)

Thinking about this: www.ikea.com/it/it/catalog/products/90225156/ with the deckchair towels, it's too big but looks like I could cut it down without problems.

I like the ikea mat, it is less fluffy than the other, I think it'd work better.

I want to see your space themed bathroom now!

Loving the stripes Sput. All gorgeous but john lewis stuff makes me want to re tile my bathroom so can get them.
Saw you on the boring rome thread franca
Ds starts prima on tuesday. He seems quite relaxed about it, i am less so as i dont think he quite gets the fact there will be none of his old friends in his class as they are all staying with tempo corto.
Am spending today gutting ds room, have my cousins coming to stay on thurs and they will be in his room which looks like a jumble sale. I need to be ruthless! What i really want to do is go to the pool for a day but must be good...

Having seen your ds most recent video on fb, I would say "he will be fine!!!!", Gio! But yes, I totally understand your anxieties, even if each child's reactions to the first yr in primary are unpredictable.
He looks so cheerful and happy, I find it difficult to believe he'd have probs in making new friends.
Anyways, buon primo giorno di scuola to mastergio, I really hope he will have fun and a good teacher!

That thread! I agree with your post. Also the ironic bit is that the places most found horrible are those that have been completely destryed by mass, cheap tourism...

Lol Franca. Think my biggest worry is the boys will all be Laziale and he refuses to associate with them....Totally agree re the places being mass tourism. Boh! Vai a capire la gente...

at all these laziali. Why would there be too many of yhem? I would have thought that in Rome there were more Roma supporters! Mind you, ds has survived being the only juventino in his class (and yes, , but what can I say dh is a piemontese and a gobbo...)

Sorry - my crap English. I meant to say my biggest worry is IF they are all laziali. I now speak imperfect English as well as imperfect Italian! I found myself correcting ds's English the other day, he was saying "when we there?" and I made him repeat "when ARE we there?" a few times before my friend coughed politely and said dont you mean "when will we be there?" ah yes.

Hi everybody,

Just a quick question, does anybody know what butter muslin is called in Italian ? And where I can get some ?

I waggled loads of pics of it at husband last night but all he is offering is blank looks.

Want to make paneer (for the first time, v. exciting, had no idea you could just make cheese at home) and it's not going to happen without muslin or a reasonable substitute.

Lol! When we were in the UK I noticed that my Italian was deteriorating (a more reduced vocabulary) and my English sort of reached a peak from where it was impossible to improve!!!
Actually, 2 weeks ago we had friends visiting from the UK, and I noticed that when I speak in English I sound like a French speaking English !

Suocerablues, love your name btw, a muslin is "mussola" in Italian. You could ask for a very sottile mussolina di cotone, I wonder if there are shops that sell it for the purpose of making cheese.

MIL moving in provoked a namechange.

<there is no emoticon to adequatly express my current facial expression>

Thanks for the info, I'm sure cheese making and jam straining must happen around here, just not by anybody I know.

Think I'll try the kitchen stuff shop again armed with the right term this time, and if they don't have it I'll try Brico (people use muslin in homemade wine and beer making so they must have somethng along those lines).

I've found some on amazon uk, but I'll have to bump my order up to get the free shipping and it means todays cheese making will have to be shunted.

I'm hopeful of sucess now I actually know what it's called, my explanations so far have not helped and you can't really mime muslin

Suocera maybe you could use an ordinary cloth bag or pillow case and just leave it longer?
Good luck to Mastergio for tomorrow, do you think they'll all state their alliegance from day 1? Probably so.

Yes, I am sure you'll find something similar in a good kitchen shop.

Sput have you made up your mid re the towels?
Are you posting pics of the bathroom (nosey)?

Suocera, now I think of it I knew people who made ricotta, they used the little plastic moulds, sometimes they have them in the supermarket or alimentari as the ricotta comes in that iyswim, they'd probably give you'one. Otherwise ask in an agricola if you're in a rural area.

Franca I will definitely post photos if you're interested, neither are quite finished yet though so don't hold your breath.

Oh please do!!!

will look into the riccotta moulds. Can I make that at home too?

Was a wash out muslin wise, the crisis crushed our small fabric shop over a year ago and the casalinga shop and Brico were both "no way no how, go to Pavia signora". Not flipping likely when the bus fare costs twice what what a big bit of muslin from amazon.uk costs.

Ok I had to add in twenty quid odd via two of wotsherface's book, (I love curry and easy curry or something) to get the freebie shipping....but that is not the POINT!

I also forgot to buy milk and a lemon so can't even try with a clean teatowel.

On a brighter note, after a year of searching I finally found soda solvay. Was so pleased I bought four boxes and then had to lug them around the fun fair in an inadequate placcy bag while trying to find my son.

It's wierd though. A year of looking for it, but nowI have it I can't remember what I so desperatly wanted it for. All bloody Pinterest's fault, I'm sure it was something on there that gave me washing soda envy.

Hmm, maybe you wanted to unblock a drain or make soap? Soda is still easy to find in Rome.
You can make ricotta at home, can't remember how though. DH makes yogurt sometimes, which he then hangs in a pillowcase over the sink to make lebneh, it's an Arabic dish, very nice with salt and oil.

blaming pinterest. At least you are being creative and productive making your own stuff. I blame Pinterest for making me spend £££ on bloody washi tape

Ooh do you have it stacked artistically somewhere?

Oh yeah, I have made city landscapes on my walls, used them to hang (artistically) the children's pictures, used them to wrap presents prettily.

Actually, no. I just keep them in a drawer and admire them at least once a day.

But oh god yes, I dream of owning hundreds and aaawwwwww

Careful, or you may end up here: ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2012/09/06/washi-tape-in-guangzhou-somitape/

Ohmygoodness!!!!!

at the tape. I came this close to ordering lots of it cos I was going to be oh so creative with it....but then DH busted a gut due to the Pinterest inspired growing craft pile...that stayed pile shaped rather than turning into anything pretty and started making a big fuss, so I held off.

I think I will clean some floors today with my washing soda hoard. Just to justify it's existance. I sort of want to go through my Pintrest boards to see if I can remember what inspired the lust for it. But am afraid I'll go all strange again in a lcalish hunt for that American waxed paper that you have to order from bleeding Lakeland (and is not cheap+postage).

That site is EVIL! It makes me want stuff I will never really need or use and it's full of stuff you can't get in Italy so I end up with "range of products in shops" envy.

Oh ...making yogurt at home ! Don't you need live yogurt for that...is that bog standard yogurt bianco intero, or one of the "biffidus" infested ones that cause women to be snippy with each other in adverts ?

Icalish...have no dea what I was trying to say there.

That is tragic. Five minutes after I write it I can no longer remember what concept was trying to escape my brain via uncooperative fingers.

Sorry can't help you with Icalish
You can use just about any plain yogurt. Heat some milk until you can stick your little finger in it and count up to 10 before it gets uncomfortable, wrap the pot in a blanket and leave overnight. That's it. After that you can use your own yogurt as a starter.

Is washing soda similar to bicarbonato? I accidentally spilled some water + bicarbonato I was using to clean the fridge and it corroded my much loved wooden floor.

Gio, how was ds first day at school?

Loved it Franca! Was a bit wobbly lipped when we left but by the end of the day when i picked him up he was full of it and told me he loved it! Phew! So have treated him to the Roma diary i refused to buy the other day as was overpriced . was also in til 4.20 whereas i thought they were going to stagger it and finish earlier for a few days but seemed fine.

Awwww, che bello! I am happy to hear he's enjoyed it.
Quite impressed that he has started full time already, the dc will finish at 12.30 for this first week.

That,s great Gio
So what's Roma/Lazio ratio in the class?

Hellllooooooo everybody, quick post to get me back on the thread again...well dd is in school , she seemed fine. Class is a buco as in its tiny all the others are 3 times the size with bigger desks etc.. Oh well better get used to it.
Have a meeting with teachers etc this afternoon so might know a bit more about what is going on, now aphave to tackle the exploded bomb in my house from washing, ironing and only getting back from the montagne last night...it was so lovely that we stayed tues as well!!!!!!!, really humid here as well I was hoping for the winds before the storm to dry my washing.......will read all yr news dopo when I get a sec...

Yay Rosa, good to have you back

Spoke too soon, floods of tears this morn when dp took him as he wanted to stay for 4 hrs not 8.....ah well guess that will take some getting used to. All i know re roma / lazio so far is one of the teachers is romanista and the boy who sits next to him is napoli.
Good to have you back rosa and glad dd seems ok

Awwww Gio, sorry to hear that. The beginning of prima elementare can be tricky, dd cried for months, despite her liking her teacher and being eith her best friend! Bless him, lots of cuddles and encouragement when he comes home!

Ciao Rosa, happy to see you back and here's to your dd starting school, evviva all the new beginnings!

Hope he felt better by pick up Gio

Only clicked yesterday that the reason that dd is in a cramoed room is that the whole school is cramped onto 1 floor until November as the restauri haven't finished... Apparently its the rest of the roof tiles - the terremoto ones, a fire staircase and other stuff. But the children don't have access to the library, palestra and the space outside ., bit of a shame but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.thankfully I can still take her for a run to release energy whilst the weather permits.....
Mini Rosa had a mini crisi apparently today mid morning but seems ok now.
How is Master Gio?

IOh dear. I hope the works finish on time and the children can have the whole school to themselves asap Rosa.

So, how's everyone doing? The dc are very happy to have re united with their friends. Today they are both having lunch at friends... their social life has been too hectic in the last 3 days, thank goodness tempo pieno starts on monday

8,15 Start for school is toooo early...poor things

he was ok for the rest of the week and then again this morn had to be peeled off me to be taken by dp. I could hear the sobs down the road. dp called me after and he ds said when dp went- give Mamma a kiss from me - as if he was going away for a week! Just went out and when I passed the fruit and veg man who always gives ds free fruit every morning on his way he stopped who he was serving to ask what was up with him this morning. As did the guy in the alimentari. And our neighbour...ah well pazienza, am sure he was fine after a while and his teacher was telling him how she went to the Stadio yesterday to watch Roma so that helped with the issues a bit methinks. How are all the other mini LI's today?

Oooh poor masterGio, I really hope he gets settled asap, it is hard, I know!

Rosa, does dd start at 8.15? Mine at 8.30, I agree, it is too early! Next year ds alle medie will start at 8.

My dc are fine, they had a lovely weekend in the countryside, we took dd horse riding, it's been her third time and she really likes it, but I can't really take her in Milan, as too expensive and too far from where we live.

Ds today has the "prove d'ingresso". Yesterday we revised the Italian verbs, shame that he confuses the congiuntivo with the passato remoto

Hope things improve Gio, I know how hard it is to leave them at school unhappy.
Mini sputniks are doing fine, school is good, and DD has taken up Aikido and DS had a trial lesson today too. The teacher said he's a little young still, but he followed pretty well so we'll do another trial lesson and decide. I hope he can do it, I'd love him to start a sport and I don't think he can handle swimming lessons yet, too much sensory input so a bit overwhelming for him.

Aikido sounds cool!

Gio any better ???
Yesterday was the first full day but seemed to go ok , and no tears here...But its early days. 8,15-16,15 is a long day IMO especially as the cortile is out of action so they can't run .. This pm I am taking them both to the park with scooters or bikes even if minirosa is shattered DD needs exercise ! Thurs she can have a prova of Hip Hop and friday ginnastica artistica ( avviamento ) . She is keen to do both but they clash on a MOnday so it might have to be one lesson a week of each. She is also keen for ballet but its a pain to get to , then there is no place where you can wait inside if its bad weather and I will have minirosa who will no doubt be bored! Plus that is also twice a week ...boh will do a few trials and see what she prefers. I went to my first gym lesson last night. It was prove but it was all my old class so the instructor basically picked up from June ....talk about tired!! Right have 5 hrs ahead to clean , tidy , throw out , etc etc

It is a long day, I agree. Luckily the dc's school has a wonderful garden, BUT the new Preside has just shortened the length of the intervallo lungo. We are not happy.

Ooooh activities, activities... Rosa, I always advise to choose the activities that are as near as possible (lazy emoticon).

Whoops, posted too soon. Impressed by your diligence at going to the gym. I haven't been swimming in months. I will start next week.

Sounds like you're getting back in the swing of things Rosa! Agree with Franca about going for the easiest option, waiting outside if its raining or whatever sounds a pain.

Re exercise, I started doing resistance training at home during the summer, as it was too hot to do the shred anymore, and I'm a total convert, I feel so much stronger, the last of my shoulder problem cleared up and I'm losing weight. It's not huge weights, I do easy version press ups, squats, and use 4kg dumbells, but I need a trip to decathlon now as those are getting too easy. Apparently you lose muscle as you get older, and this is my bid to combat that!

What is resistance training? I need to start thinking seriously about my muscle tone. I have lost a few kilos last year, and my arms are all floppy.

Resistance training is anything designed to build your muscles really, as opposed to cardio which is good for the heart etc but doesn't build much muscle. so it can be lifting weights but also body weight exercises, like push ups and squats. I can't do a pruper push up yet, but you can start doing them on a worktop or table and work down as it were. If you're interested all you need is a set of dumbells and maybe a mat.

ooh Sput that sounds good. I want to start again post broken ankle but am worried re the Shred being too much pressure on my ankle as still got slight limp and aches when been on it for a while. Do you follow a particular workout? Any useful links?
DS still a nightmare this morning. Fine when pick him up but hates length of the day. Hopefully wont go on for long like this ...
Agree Aikido looks good! Think we are going to do calcetto once a week and swimming once although am very as our pool has been closed down and is proving hard to find somewhere that isnt ridiculously priced.

Sounds good Sputnik, I really should stop being so bloody lazy.

Gio, sorry to hear your ankle hasn't healed 100%. I am sure ds will get used to it, as I said ime with both my children the first year can be a real rollercoaster... there are so many things they need to get adjusted to. But I am sure you will both find your way

Get used to school I meant. I've just re read my post, it didn't make much sense, it looked as if I was still talking about your ankle

Gio this would be perfect for you as there's no impact, another reason I started it was I was beginning to get a sore ankle from shredding, as well as getting too hot! Basically I use more or less the same strength moves as in the shred, but with heavier weights and I do 4 sets of 10. So eg 10 reps of squats or dumbell rows or whatever with 40 seconds rest in between. I have an ebook which explains why exactly this way of doing things is the key to eternal youth, it's quite hypey but honestly I've felt great since doing this. I can forward it to any of you if you like.

Yes, please do Sput!

please Sput. So how many exercises do you do then, how long for and how often? sounds ideal.
this morn was worst so far. ds flung himself on the floor and had to be pulled away from dp down the corridor screaming papà dont leave me. che palle ragazze! going to talk to maestre today as its there open day for parents after school

did you start off with 4kg from start sput?

Oh no! I am sure the teachers have seen this all before, and I hope they have good advise. Poor little boy. It is a big change.

BElieve me I have a long way to go , I must have put on about 5/6 kg this summer and I just have to get strict with myself but at the moment its not working!! I have the shred and the idea was to do it days I diddn't go to the gym but again its still in thepacket !
Gio , I hope you get some answers poor master Gio , it must be terrible for you all . DOes he calm down once he is there? what does he say when he comes home again? Yesterday DD1 did Geography for the first time - not sure what will see when she brings the cartella home on Friday. Tis chucking it down here right now, thankfully dh is at home so I can do the dds one after the other and not have to drag the other out! The schools are right next to one another yet dd1 comes out at 4 , will be 4.15 when the works are finished. Minirosa at 3.30 or 4.30 - 5 ...WOUld make life easier if they could just do it a bit earlier .....

Hurrah 2 mornings and no tears! Bribery works! We made a sticker chart and if we get 10 days of stickers with no tears his nonno is buying him biliardino table. I was all for something small and cheap but then thought for once if nonno wants to sweep in with his cash and be the saviour then so be it if it means he goes happily to school. And he got a oggi sono stato superbravo written in his agenda yesterday from his maestra so that pleased him. Long may it last....

Well done master gio.....we haven't got the agende yet so have no idea what is going on!!!!!! Lets hope tonight her zaino has more info in it and at least we can see what she has done thsi week. She leaves her cartella at school mon- fri and then takes a small bag for piatti and merenda daily.
Dh birthday today I have got all his friends to go to the restaurant first as a sopresa for him. Tell you I deserve a medal for sacrificing my precious evenings out da soli with him as there are so few. We have the ex maestra babysitting , my SIL will go mental when she finds out as she hates her with a passion ... So much so that she defriended me from FB for 2 weeks whilst a pic of this person with my dd was in circulation !!!!! Dd1 likes her though ! Vado because I must make the house presentable.......hard but dh says we can go to ikea next week on a go see trip for a new sofa and book shelves!

Glad it's going better with MasterGio, strategic bribery definitely has it's place in parenting!
Sorry to drop out the other day, DS was off a day sick so couldn't get to the computer. So weights... I was used to using 2kg for the shred but found going up to 4kg not a problem. Usually I work out 3 times a week, for 20-40 minutes, some of that is resting time. Today for eg I did press ups, calf raises, dumbell rows, squats, chest rises, those bicycle ab things then straight up rows, most of them you'll know already from the shred. All of them I do this 10 reps times 4 sets thing. First time I did it I got to the end and thought, oh, is that it? But you'll feel it the next day!
Anyway, this ebook I have gives details, including how to do the exercises, there are 3 levels and the first one is only 4 exercises, then basically you can add in as you choose. PM me with your emails and I'll send it, it's be sunday though as I'm about to leave and will only have the tablet with me.

Ciao ragazze,
Well done Mastergio, so pleased to hear he is more upbeat!
And well done rosa for organising dh's birthday! (cant believe sil defriended you, .

I am in Copenhagen, joined dh who has a conference and I have just met the actress who plays sarah lund in The Killing. So excited!!

How exciting franca! Loved loved the killing. Had a week of very late nights watching just another one on the ipad in bed.
Have pm'd you sput, thanks for that.
How did the surprise meal go Rosa? Was dh pleased?

Ooh Franca you jet setter you!
Would love to visit Copenhagen one day, BIL is from there.

Yes got your pm Gio, will email you tomorrow when I'm reunited with the laptop.

Dh was surprised and it went ok. Service in Hard Rock was a bit crap however but it was a good evening. Girls were ok with the babysitter which was good as we can use her agian. Just need to break it to SIL but no doubt Dd1 will spill it.
Erm in DD1 English week 1 at school. They have drawn a picture of themselves and the teacher has written I'm xxxxxxx (name) now surely it should be I am xxxxx and continue to be so until they understand what an ' stands for , and what it replaces. Am I being OTT here?
Then they drew a bear and written is I'm smile. I initially went ballistic , but dd told me that 'smile ' is the name of the bear that is the mascot in the english lessons!!!!
Oh her colouring pencils have been consumed to almost meta and she has finished a medium sized glue stick in 5 days......have yet to discover if it has been used by the entire class or just her.

Franca have a great time, have always wanted to visit but maybe one day it will be a city break....

Rosa, happy to hear it all went well, is there a Hard Rock cafe in Venice? I didn't know that!

And yes, brace yourselves, as english lessons are rather disappointing. In ds textbook, they kept going on about the colour "violet".
Be also prepared to vast consumption of pencils and glues. I have spent squillions on bloody glues. I now bulk buy them whenever i see an offer in esselunga.

I enthusiastically recommend a trip here, even with the children, very child friendly. I met sarah lund in a cafe, she was sitting outside drinking coffee, she was lovely (dh asked her if it was indeed her!)

would love to visit Copenhagen. Am a bit obsessed with all things Scandinavian since The Killing and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Ragazze help me. Is there anywhere you can suggest I can get storage vacuum bags from? Can find them anywhere on web (but may not be googling right thing) and cant find an Amazon company that will deliver. My flat is being taken over by clothes and crap in a way reminiscent of The Blob and my old vacuum bags will no longer keep their air

Ikea Gio, I have one sitting here . I got the girls lightweight puminos for the bed out and the blankets that they have on the sofa ( and make camps out of) and it was a cheap one and it had expanded , as had the other. I have yet to try the ikea one as dh got it for me.
I think I will order a box of 100 glue sticks from amazon and stand out side the school selling them.

I gave up on the vacuum bags as they hardly ever worked properly. Shame I didn't read this earlier though as I've just come back from the outlet village, where I definitely saw some foppa ones last time I was there, I could've picked some up. I went to diffusione tessile, do you have that up north? It's where all the unsold Max Mara group stuff goes, they remove the labels and mark it down. I spent hours in there trying stuff on, I got a long silk and cashmere mix cardigan in a beautiful berryish colour, 62 euros
Plus some other stuff, well I just had a tax rebate!

I get them from Ikea or Esselunga. But after a while they stop working!

Girls I ma back,, I want to emigrate to Denmark. Shame that the weather is severe. Not sure I could cope with that. The rest, is great.

Diffusione tessile, yes, I think we have it here, but I have never been yet.

The other day I bought a great pair of cords at Gap's, now I need a pair of lace up shoes.

Good riddance Polverini and take Batman and co with you! Sooooo angry although should be used to these scumbags in politics by now. What with that and the depths of the Hillsborough cover up over the last few weeks I am ready for a revolution! And breathe....
I ordered bags from Lakeland in the end as I have never seen any in Ikea. Whereabouts are they? I filled my basket full of tons of lakeland goodies then went through and systematically removed them all when saw the bill .
Weather is the big drawback of Scandinavia I guess Franca. Have got friends in Sweden and when they talk about the length of the winters etc I know I couldnt cope with it. Love their politics though in general.
Sput may have to check out that outlet. After I lose loads of weight and need a new wardrobe . Diet has restarted today and I have a madeira cake I made screaming at me in the kitchen.

Oh yes, good riddance to Polverini. Now it's Formigoni's turn, though not sure it will happen.
The ikea bags are somewhere in the area where they hav storage boxes and laundry things I think.
I am craving chocolate, need to buy some Novi tomorrow.

Its only the icing on the cake , they eliminate 1 or 2 but the rest are still at it....
Had a tromba di aria yesterday , we had just got in , in fact our shoes are still soaked , the sky went such a wierd colour before and after , never seen anything like it. I don't think it was as bad as the one in June but apparently things were flying a few streets over. Will buy a paper today!

A tromba d'aria! Wow Rosa! Let us know if all is ok in good old Venice.
I would love to go visit the Biennale this year (i say so every yr and then I never manage!). Also, I discovered that Ca Foscari is one of the few Universities teaching Danish!

It was a small one, diddn't do as much damage as June and it seems that the damage yesterday is pretty limited, fruit stalls that dinn't close in time lost all the stuff, chairs were flying from outside bars, some finished in the canal. We are going to Ca Foscari on friday for an art attack labatorio.....!!!! Its the architecture thingy this year isn't it? Next year its the arty one.....i can't understand either so don't go. I should be hitting Ikea in next few days as next week it looks as if I will be teaching..have 2 private students from 2/3 2 days . Then an association has asked me to do collective lessons for preschool but from tipo 5-6 ....vediamo what the dds are going to do after school and will see.
Feel a bit guilty..dh was in germany and so babysitter came and I went to the gym ... She was sick , but when I got home she was fine, asleep, she woke for a wee and I took her into my bed and she was fine all night. Ate breakfast , no probs. Just picked her up as there is a sciopero this pm and she has just done a 100% liquid poo. I was undecided about taking her to be on the safe side but I had promised a friend I would keep her dd this pm as she had a medical appt ...bloody H I hope I am not responsible for a virus breaking out....

How is she doing rosa?

I am impressed by your attendance at the gym. I haven't been back since the holidays !

Bizarre weather here in Milan. One minute it is sunny, the other it's grey with chilly wind. Boh!

She is fine ....we have collected dd1 and got her photo tessera for scuola and then headed home just incase....bugger spoke too soon she has just done another one.....she hasn't tummy ache oh well given her fermenti lattici and will be riso for cena then. Will probably keep her off tom. However last thurs there was a bimba who had a runny bum from her class .....so maybe I am not the guilty one...I just wouldn't have helped the siutation.

Thank goodness no tummy ache. It is probably just as small virus.

Kept her off today she is not really eating and things are not staying in long.. She is pretty much ok in herself , oh well , it happens. Just waiting for dd1 or us to get it. Dh went to work at some ungodly hour but is back now so I can go and shop.. Its humid though and I don't really want to!!!!!!

Poverina! I hate stomach bugs!

Cold wind herr, brrrr. And rain is expected. I should be meeting a friend of mine at the gym, but I am not that motivated.
Thankfully I went to the conorzio agrario after dropping the kids at school, and our fridge is now full of lovely stuff.

Hope minirosa is feeling a little better. Here it's still warm and incredibly humid, ugh. I wish it would do one thing or the other (preferably get colder as I have new boots I want to wear).

Ah new boots! Come sono?

Here it's humid too. It rained a bit. Not ready for winter, though, I would love to buy a new coat, but they are too £££.

Ok, well I have to preface this by saying I'm really not in the habit of spending so much on footwear, but am considering this as a lifetime investment, so my new DMs
Perhaps not the most feminine of boots, but I love them. It doesn't mention on the site though that they're sheepskin lined, so rather warm!
My Dsis is cycling in Lombardia this WE, I've warned her about thunder storms.

Oh Sputnik, I absolutely love them! Well done, and totally worth it imho.

I now feel rather tempted to buy a pair for myself, and a pair for dd!

Well they are extremely comfortable and should last a long time. I actually bought my DD some shoes in the sale section I thought would be good for school, they are size 37 and were too small, that's only 2 sizes down from me, and she is only 8! I do hope her feet stop growing so fast soon, and her body catches up.

37 ! Children nowadays have impressive feet. Many schoolmates of ds are already wearing 40 and they are 10!

She will get tall

I have my eyes ona pair of M&S boots that I tried on in the Uk. I really need to justify shoe buying so if the weather gets worse I can finish off my last boots and get them ! DD1 will probably need a new pair of winter boots as she has grown. Minirosa poor thing is getting DD1 cast offs. DD wore these Naturino about 3 times so they are hers this winter ! BOth have Clarks trainers for now and then minirosa will need a pair of winter shoes I expect as the Primigi ones I bought in a sale I bet won't fit as she has shot up 3 sizes since April ... They both want Lelli Kelly or whatever sparkly crap is being advertised.
DMs last for years and years they are like impossible to wreck - I remember from my youth !
Its so humid here as well its foul . If it would drop a couple of degrees it would help. If it does like last year drop to 10 degrees overnight I will not be amused as I bought an autum jacket in the Boden Sale ( yummy mummy alert) and I would like to wear it !

oh Sput I like!! Funny but I was thinking the other day that I might have to revisit DMs again.....
Whats your jacket like Rosa? Hows minirosa? Been horribly humid here as well. Got ds off with barking cough, squeaky voice and sore throat. Harsh mamma here was already to pack him off to school saying well he has no febbre and I got the are you mad or just cruel you weird foreigner look from DP so was overuled. Luckily he has been telling me he loves Prima the last few days so lets hope he doesnt regress...
Sput thanks for email- have messaged you back

Gio, your dh is a softie ! Hope master feels better asap.

Rosa, we want pics of your yummy mummy new coat!

Bloody shoes for children, I hate buying shoes for children, I always go wrong. Got dd a pair of ballerine from Zara, as I didn't want to spend too much on something she won't wear that often, and they hurt. She needs a pair of winter shoes, possibly impermeabili. She has a pair of New Balance we bought in the US.
Ds hates going shopping and only has a pair of trainers. Si arrangerà!

my dp is a sap Franca . Yes pics wanted Rosa

http://www.boden.co.uk/en-GB/Clearance/Womens-Coats-Jackets/Jackets/WE334/Womens-Pea-Coat.html# ....its navy and its a spring autum weight, bought when I was thinking on going smarter....however
I feel a bit of a casual phase coming on .....but must loose weight no more buying clothes for a while.
I hate ballerine as the either fall off or rub minirosa has redones from H&m but they gave her a blister... Dd2 actually she adores but her feet stink so am sure they are not good for her( they were €10 so shouldn't whinge.....)
Gio stand in the corner ....terrible mum you!!!
So minirosasa scuola have saidscipoero domani and we go at 13:30. Dd1 school said they can't tell us FGS and we have to take the kids at 8.15 and then at 12.15 at cambio maestri to see if there is cover. Are they serious????? Apparently the older classes say the teachers do hint telling us what to do but that is the official blurb from the web site. Is this normal????

www.boden.co.uk/en-GB/Clearance/Womens-Coats-Jackets/Jackets/WE334/Womens-Pea-Coat.html#

Franca keep your eye on Privalia web site ..we got dd1 a pair of Merrell solid black shiny waterproof well they look it shoes for peanuts they often have Keys, Primigi etc

Oh I love that coat Rosa, totally my style too!

Sciopero: we have it tomorrow as well, and have been asked to give the children a packet lunch. Yes, theoretically the teachers don't and won't tell you if they are going on strike, however ds's teachers don't strike and dd's don't as well.
Usually, I take them to school and ask the commesso: "c'é la II B?" etc.

I am not sure I can buy shoes online for the dc, their size seem to change the whole bloody time !

Ah, it is their right not to tell if they are adhering to the strike, apparently. Usually strikes called by minor organizations don't disrupt the activities that much.

My gap order has arrived in 2 days I am very impressed got 20% off the lot thx to a code on here...plus its reduced postage to Italy... Hope it all fits as I got a year bigger.....

Rosa, I am impressed by your online shopping, well done!

love the coat Rosa!

The Gap stuff is too big, ok I admit I did order the next size up but it is toooooo big....oh woe is me will just have to order some more.......sitting with legs up after a stressful gym session.... Next monday the teacher is doing fat burn...apparently we will all be drenched with sweat ..what more than I already am?????

Oh no, rosa! I find gap sizing quite big, perhaps because it is american...

I should have taken that into consideration, one item is out of stock in her size so I am keeping it for next year...
I have minirosas bug. Just feel nauseous, tired, off food....no energy. Better be a short one as i have the dds this weekend alone as dh is working....

Oh no, Rosa, not the bug!!!!

How are you feeling Rosa?
Took ds to ped yesterday and turns out he is astmatic. Ped reckons it is allergy based as this is the time of year he always had croup in past so must be something in atmosphere causing it. Anyway have to do allergy tests and i had the second time in 2 days of being made to feel llike shit mum of the year when he told me off for not having done aerosol and then not knowing immediately what aerosol treatment i had at home..... Oh and i gave him a cough medicine from farmacia which would have worsened it. Nient'altro?

No, don't feel bad Gio. I always tell the docs that the dc's have never done an aerosol ever before moving back to Italy, or that I've never cleaned their nose with those cannucce.

Poor master gio though, sorry to hear it's asthma. I am also taking ds for the allergy tests, on thursday.

Rosaaaaa? Hope you feel better.

Raining here, so I made myself a nice cuppa

I am feeling much better thanks. Dd1 vomited last night so we just need dh and thats the lot done for this bug! Dd1 seems fine but after a bit if toast this am , hasn't touched a thing...says he wants it but then no... She is drinking.
Gio you bad mum you!!! Poor master gio though, having a mum who doesn't know what drugs she forces on her son!!!! My SIL has an exercise book with everything listed, dates doses etc.... I do like aerosols when they are really blocked and full of cattarrah but I have never done a lavaggio as thats a no go. The saline drops when they were babes yes I reacall them well.amazing now in the Uk they are being used more.
Hope the allergies come up with a logical answer and suitable cures applied.

Glad you're feeling better Rosa, lol at sil's notebook, does she not have a spreadsheet fgs
Gio don't feel bad at least you are on to it now, hope you find out what's causing the allergy soon.
We finally finished plastering and painting the kids room, and put up the bunkbed, Monday I hit IKEA, then hopefully sometime this week our house will get back into some kind of order.

Rosa, glad to hear you are feeling better and hope dd1 is on the mend.

Sputnik, wow! You have been busy with the redecorating!

glad you're ok Rosa and hope rest of family are through it now. Hate sickness bugs with a passion.
ds seems better after a weekend of aerosol so he is back to school hurrah. Sput enjoy Ikea [jealous]

or even

e bravo Master Gio!

I need to go to IKEA too, as I need this

Thought we were through it but dd1 did runny poo last night then another this morning. She seems fine in herself though and eating bits ....not lots. Boh. I got this stuff from the chemist that helps to sort out the tum ....sounds like a eco friendly immodium!!!!!!
Dh suggested ikea domani but will see how dd is. She is almost bored at home - sign sheis well but she is not iykwim.... Time will tell. Mega storm last night a real window shaker.
Now on sofa with dd watching the Jungle Book!!!!!!

What's this thread about? Italians chatting or...what else?

It is a long going thread of English people living in Italy and Italian people living in the UK. We've been chatting for almost 5 yrs, possibly more.

we have been chatting for over 25,000 posts feel free to join us if you want !

Absolutely!

Actually, today is one of those days when I miss M&S as I am craving a carrot cake. Or something with lots of lovely, rich, (fat) English cream.

Parents have booked for the end of Nov so might ask for some clotted cream !!!
Mind you the British Corner shop have dropped the delivery price for Italy and I am so so so tempted but I know I will get too much crap and regret it as i eat it all !!!

Oh you are right, I always forget about the British Corner. Off to have a browse...

How's dd?

Ok I think...she has gone for a walk, will see what happens later. She was a bit airy IYKWIM !!!

I know

Oh wow the British Corner, I want everything!

So do I and thats only the biscuit section......then sauces, dressings, cooking, my ideal basket is about £200... I try to stick to £100 once a year when am in Italy for Xmas so my basket is growing.....

Well, yes, perhaps setting a budget is a good move...

Lol Franca I was about to link that carrello myself as it's on my wish list. I checked it out today and it is adorable in rl. Today I stuck strictly to my "need" list, but I'll be going back soon, there's a niche thing in our kitchen which is a mess and I've decided that's the perfect solution.
Hope your DD is feeling better soon Rosa.

That's awesome!! I'm an Italian living in Scotland, can I join then??

You're very welcome Merlin, where are you from?

Originally from Tuscany, now living in the north of Scotland.

Ciao Merlin. I am from Milan. I lived in Devon from 1999 to 2007. We live in Milan now.

Wow thats a change Merlin..I spent lots of time in Tuscany and know it pretty well. I am a brit married and living in Venice...where its still too humid for October !!!

Woah Rosa, I guess it's humid all the year around in Venice, been there few times... strangely, it's not so humid for me in Scotland, but maybe because I live indoors most of the time!!

Hello Franca, you spent a long time in U.K.!! I don't think I'll ever go back to Italy, I've always been more at ease abroad than where I was born.

The humididty is a pain in the summer as it adds like 10degrees onto the temp , but now it is so unusual as its still sticky. Just walking slowly its sticky , not hot and sticky just sticky ! The Venetians are determined its getting colder and are out in 'correct' clothing. I just want to stick to my 3/4 trousers and sandals thank you but they are falling to bits.
How far NOrth are you ? The furthest I have even been is Aviemore but have missed out bits in the middle !
I have just got the 2013 Ikea catalogue and so poor DH had no conversation over lunch .....

Really sticky in Rome too, Scotland sounds attractive tbh. We used to go there a lot as kids, I want to talk DH into a holiday in the Western Isles one of these days.

Still rather warm here too, but I won't complain as you all know how much I can't stand the cold.

Merlin, how long have you been in Scotland? Gorgeous place.
I am happy to be back, but I do miss our friends in the UK.

Rosa, north like "I see from my bedroom window the North Sea...." and also the Orkneys... so that's as northern as possible in Scotland!

Sputnik, Scotland is beautiful but I wouldn't mind to move to Inverness or Aberdeen in the next few years. Here it's really like being in the middle of nowhere.

Franca, I've been here for nearly 3 years now but I wasn't coming from Italy, I came from New Zealand.
Ouch I guess you were happy to leave the UK because of the weather?
It's funny, any time I visit my family I fall sick because of the climatic change between cold and warm weather, I must have been born Scottish in another life

Ciao Merlin and welcome. I'm a brit in rome with Roman dp and 5 year old ds. Love Scotland. My DF is a glaswegian, we lived in scotland for a while when I was younger and spent many a holiday on the north west coast behind a windbreak and telling ourselves the gulf stream meant the sea wasnt really freezing. Great days though and beautiful scenery that tugs on my heart still. Sput are you completely under attack from tiger mozzies at the moment in your part of Rome? We are being eaten alive by the vicious bastards.

Brrrr che freddo at swimming in the scottish sea ! You were brave Gio!

The most beautiful beach I remember was on the Scottish Island of Iona, it had cowrie shells. When I was little I would swim anywhere, no matter how cold!
Yes full of mozzies here Gio. We had zanzariere fitted and the work really well, but somehow they are getting in anyway. The lift is full of them, I think they follow us in through the door.

Brrr BananaGio, how could you swim in the sea there...

The most stunning beach on the west coast is Achmelvich in my opinion.. it's a pity I can't post pictures here... Oldmanshore is another one, near Kinlochbervie and I like the one near Strathy Point too..
They all seem tropical beaches... unless you're in the picture wearing a coat :D

Ouch, another kind of zanzara in Italy? Like we didn't have enough after the summers spent indoors because of zanzare tigre!!
Yes it's amazing, my mum has zanzariere installed too at home, no way, they find a way to get in!!

One day we cAn do a MN trip to the Scottish Isles ...would love to go, in fact I would love to tour Scotland...one day one day.
Dh just sprayed a mozzie. Beasties.. Today at 2 it was 26 degrees plus humidity but no the Venetians are in jeans, brogues or trendy trainers and jackets...boh. Went to a meeting at Dd1 school were they basically said the reforms have meant they have cut the hours and so we can do hardly any uscite, labatori etc as we don't have the staff. So the genitori asked what they could do to help - niente basically we can't volounteer to help with labatori or uscite. We can't help to escort the children to and from the play area - which it turns out the commune has put at the disposition of the school since theirs is closed for renovation. The teacher of the prima non si sente to walk 100m from the school to the play area with 21 bimbi da sola. Not even if 2 parents stood on the corner as they 'happened' to be passing.... So for me they were basically trying to scaricare the responsability saying there is not much they can do..... They did say they will do the best they can for the children whatever which was midly comforting!!! However as I abruptly put it' please tell us what you want to do to help? Anyway it seems in the future that most primi statate will be going modulare or semi modulare....

Think we were at the same meeting today Rosa. Same talk re cuts, giardino at the school been closed for lavori for 2 years with no idea when it will be done, teachers asking us to contribute with materials. I have offered to do something with English every so often. Felt sorry for teachers who were talking about how it was 7 years ago, with madre lingua english teacher, music teachers etc. but how can there be money when the likes of that bastard fiorito are examples of who we have in local government.
Looking back i was brave swimming . i remember being bundled up in a towel straight afterwards and being given flasks of heinz tomato soup to defrost me.....didnt realise it the time, would never do it now!

Rosa that sounds really frustrating that parents aren't able to help. Certainly the feeling of lack of motivation and sort of acquired helplessness was my experience of Italian teachers when DD was there, certainly I can understand why many of them were like that.

Merlin, the beaches sound amazing, I would love to do a MN tour of Scotland!

Sorry that you had such dispiriting (does this word actually exist) meetings Gio and Rosa, it is the bloody Gelmini reform, btw, the one I have been complaining about since more or less coming back

Btw there is plenty that genitori can do, apart from taking the children to outings. First of all check out your school's Associazione dei Genitori, attend the meetings etc. Here in Milan some schools have excellent associazioni dei genitori, which mainly find good ways of raising money to get - in agreement with the preside - stuff the school needs.
For instance our association kitted out a room with computers for informatica, and set up a library (we have a commissione biblioteca I am part of which keeps the library open 3 mornings a week), and even replaced some toilets

It is not true there is not enough staff to go to gite, my dc have always been on nice outings and last year ds even went to scuola natura for 5 days. But I am not sure how schools outisde Milan are doing in terms of personnel to be honest.
Keep in mind that hard working teachers and committed presidi manage to offer a variety of experiences to their pupils even with lack of money, but tend to be all doom and gloom at the beginning of the year.

Ah, and my last tip: take with a big pinch of salt the gossip you will hear in the playground.

And Gio at 2 yrs to re do the garden. It took our comune 5 months to re do ours. Write letters, bombard the fuckers with letters!!!

Sorry for the long rant, but I do feel for our school system, I am so sad to see it ruined by yrs of bad policies. There is a good number of committed, hard working teachers out there, such a shame that it is all going to waste.

and here for a good anno scolastico, it is an emotional roller coaster!

So sorry to hear what's going on in the schools now. But it's been like that for years. University was a shame even before Gelmini. I could never get a degree in Italy, it was always a matter of asking for money and more money (not just referring to tuition fees here). Now I'm getting one in Scotland, at 40.
It's even more hurtful to read that when it concerns primary schools. How can it take 2 years to re-do a garden?????
What I can't stand it's the policy behind these choices, there is such a lack of jobs that the contractors pretend to get long contracts even thought the work could be done in 2 months.

Sputnik, despite what I've been told about the Italian teachers, I think they're a lot more committed than in other countries. They've to face so many difficulties, problems, the disfunctional and corrupted political system... God bless them, sometimes to us pupils they seemed lights in the dark.
Of course, there are those who teach at school just to get a wage... but I think that's the same everywhere, it regards people and not just teachers....

Well, toast to a good anno scolastico!! (anche per me, all'uni )

Good luck with the Uni Merlin, how exciting!
I'm sure there are plenty of committed teachers out there, but my (albeit limited) experience was of the other kind. DD was bullied at scuola materna and only told us about it in the last year or so (she's 8), the teacher ignored it. In the end one of them hit her with a rolling pin, she had to have an ecografia. I can still remember the whiny teacher saying well she is "diversa" as if that was some kind of justification.
Aargh, sorry, it just really upsets me to think about it.

what a shit thing to say, at that teacher! I agree, there is a good number of bad apples.

Good luck with Uni Merlin, what are you studying? at being asked for money, where were you studying?

I have to say though that my yrs at University (in Milan) have been amazing. I've never been asked for money or harassed or anything, I actually I had some fantastic teachers and incredibly interesting compagni di studio, we had such a great time together.

Ah, today I took ds for prick tests for allergies as at the end of the summer he had a very bad rhinitis (for the 2nd year in a row) and it appears he is allergic to ambrosia and artemisia.

Sput that is terrible and for a materna teacher as well ! Franca what is artemisia? Ambrosia I am presuming its a kind of rice ( As I think back to my youth !)
I should study as I know I will regret it in the future but I don't seem mentally ready as yet.
Apparently in a few weeks we should have the class elections for rapprestante and I will put myself forward. I raised a fiar bit of money with the materna but will see about the elementare.
I raced to terraferma this morning to get a regalo for a teacher that has had a baby , she said she was coming over after lunch to get a load of stuff I have , she is now waiting for the baby to feed and then she is coming over , I could have had a quiet noodle wok lunch da sola with a book ...Never mind.
It was foggy fgs this morning as well....
Ikea next week dh has promised...

Rosa, bravissima for wanting to be elected rappresentante di classe! , well done!

artemisia
ambrosia is similar. The peak of allergy is Aug-sept- beg october

Sput that is horrendous. Poor DD. Bet you wanted to punch the teacher.

Well by that time it was nearly the end of the year and we had already organized the new school, otherwise not sure what we would have done.

Sputnik, so sorry to hear your story!! But in my days being bullied at scuola materna was the norm... maybe that teacher was an old-fashioned one? At that time, teachers were just dividing us when something bad had really happened, otherwise they considered the bullying as children's arguments and nothing more.. I remember I was a "diversa" too, not only because I was coming from a very poor family and didn't have expensive clothes (despite everything I was living in an area surrounded by rich people's villas, that was the time when rich people were starting to buy in the country), but I was also quite strongly opinionated since I had started talking...
Anyway, I got "stoned" several times for being a "diversa" , meaning that other children were punishing me throwing stones at me... .

I started having respect of teachers from primary school onwards. Maybe I was lucky but my teachers were all wonderful and respected too.

Franca, I'm studying towards a BA (Hons) in Scottish History. I actually started a module in January 2012 as a trial, meaning I wasn't sure if I was able to deal with the university workload. I had a chat with few wonderful, enthusiastic lecturers before applying for it and I said "I'm going for it". All the opposite of what had happened in Italy.
Everyone tries to discourage you from the beginning to apply for it, whether for a reason or another.
And I'm sure about it because I've a friend that applied for a degree in world economics (she has a triennale and wants a specialistica) who's attending this year 2012/2013 at Cagliari. She had a nervous breakdown even before starting the academic year!!

University environment is quite corrupt anywhere, although I wanted to study at Florence. I never started. First they asked for money to apply for. Then it came out a long list of taxes. Then, and that was me out of it, teachers of the course I had chosen being notoriously corrupted. It was "known" they asked for money to 'let' you pass the exams..no money, no pass mark, even if you had been superb!! I was utterly disgusted and never tried again to apply for a degree in Italy.

Merlin, I am sorry to hear this.

Merlin that is so sad. Kids can be such little sods!
Franca I see c'e il solito razzismo being spouted elsewhere.....

Indeed, Gio. I find it rather upsetting, to be honest.

It make me fume so it must do you. Was going to ignore but had to post. It was the same attitude that would me up with the Meredith case. This generalising of the entire country as village dwelling, wife dominating, arse touching, en masse daily mass attending mammone! Well may give them mammone - with my son as a prime candidate! . The thing that is ridiculous is that all the stereotypes they use are sooooo dated. Now if they wanted to talk about colpo d'aria obsessed hypochondriacs then I may have to take a step back...

Gio, I adore you! Yes, I feel the same.
Just sweeping judgements of people who have no idea as to how varied and different behaviours, attitudes, moral values are here. Plus our legislation in terms of parental rights is very much gear to protect the mother (thankfully).

Oh Banana and Franca, are you talking about another thread... I don't even care anymore... anytime I say I'm Italian the usual stereotype about spaghetti e mandolino comes out... shrugging my shoulders and leaving...
Not to talk about trying to make me meet with other Italians? "Or did you meet other Italians, there are many at the church!" - who gives a r*t's a*se!! I'm in Scotland, why can't I have people of any nationality as friends?
"Oh I thought that Italians are always in groups with families and same nationality friends" - WRONG, I've been here on my own for years so it's evident it isn't like that.
I hate stereotypes!!

When I graduated as a chef, an elderly lady told me "Hey, can you take a picture of me and my niece, then you can go back to your country" - I dropped everything and left, fuming of course!

Some people seem unable to see other countries as complete and diverse entities, they pick a few ideas from the odd film, advert, holiday, hearsay and create a country based on that! Having said that I have met the odd Italian who is disappointed to find I don't stop for tea at 5 every day and that my Mum isnt in her pinny waiting for her bowler hatted, umbrella carrying husband to come home from the city .

Merlin, have you judt said you are a chef????

Lol at wanting you to meet italians t the church!
yes, stereotypes aren't helpful.
Girls I am so tired I can barely express myself..
I am nodding in enthusiastic agreement of your posts.

am knackered as well. off to bed I think. Notte tutte

Notte! I am still here, I lost time sorting photos in on iphotos.
'Notte!

A ma tuo sei straniera - those words that permit me to look different, speak different, eat differently, behave different. SOmetimes it is to my advantage as I play like a loon in thepark with my dds ( whilst the other mothers sit and chat with the LV bags). Other times I feel like saying well so what?
Mind you Merlin you have escaped Italy and so embraced another life. It is bloomin hard to get into those little groups of friends and to be 'accepted' I speak from bitter experience . Now that I have children I am accepted more but before them it was very hard work.
NOw did I hear the words chef on this thread ... Merlin you are not permitted to abandon this thread now you have joined as we could certainly do with help when we have those what the cavolo do I do for dinner and we all lack inspiration.
I have made my hamburger cake and am very pleased. Thing is when the base is cut it will turn into a crumbled mess as I stupidly put a mixture of rice flour and normal flour to make it more leggera . But of course when I went to fill it it crumbled. SO stuck it together with cream and strawberries made a half hearted attempt to butter ice it - gave up and covered the whole lot in fondant.
Its for a friend so not making much money off it.

Hahaha BananaGio, I got used a lot and quickly to the Scottish lifestyle... my mum's neighbour, when I visit my mum, she never stops saying "why are you drinking tea if it's not 5 yet?" rolling eyes Yeah, stereotypes are always bad, everywhere!!
Yeah Franca and Rosa, I re-qualified as a chef after I became unemployed few years ago. I've to admit that's the best idea I had in my life. After I moved to Scotland, I decided to also learn everything about the English cooking and then I graduated!
You're welcome to ask me anything , recipes and such ;)
Previously I was working for the fashion designers companies, like Gucci. And Rosa, you'd be amazed what people had to do to keep their jobs and fit in such an environment. Beign part of a "group" was a must. As a result, in 2006 I ended up being deeply in debt because I had 3 loans and a mortgage, you know to fit in you the LV bag, the classy Mercedes and be a house owner!!
I was very lucky because when I became unemployed, I was able to sell everything, pay off the loans (only useful "to appear" instead of "being") and having some savings too.

Rosa, so sad to hear that too... some Italians never change. I never fitted in any of those groups either, I was a diversa and proud to be. So yeah I'm happy to have dumped my lifestyle and my ex fiancé too (who could never decide between me and his mother, after 10 years...) and embraced another life elsewhere.

I've more honest and real friends here than I ever had in Italy. Mind you, they probably cut me off from their friends' list when I also dumped that stupid lifestyle for a life of sacrifice but a lot more rewarding.

I'm too tired already, meant to say "to fit in you have to own a LV bag".... LOL

Oh yes, Merlin we WANT tips and recipes! And inspiration!

Well done for totally turn your life around, that is impressive and brave.

I must say that I have never had any problem in being a bit "different", but maybe in Milan it is easier, as you find all sorts of people from different walks of life, it is easier to find your niche.

Had to step away for a few days as had a heated agrument on here re JS. I had all of my posts withdrawn by my requaest as I couldn't give any more info on the web about what I knew .... Mind you I did get some supporting PMessages which was nice.....
Grey day here sort of trying to rain but its damp and sticky. I have a huge list of things to do but never seem to complete them.. Typical I guess. MIght have a sciopero on Friday but just elementary this time as the materna did it last week of course!!!!!
Tutto bene con voi ?

Qui tutto bene, grazie!! I restrained myself from posting anything about JS. I'm too disgusted. I'm an abuse survivor and I could tell people things they wouldn't like to hear and get in few heated arguments, which I don't need at the moment. What for, though? People like to live in their own bubbles, or better said piace loro vivere sotto una campana di vetro.

It seems so obvious what happened in JS case (maximum cover-up of his dirt because of his celebrity status), but I guess the prejudice surrounding such issues is still too strong everywhere to be discussed openly, even on the internet.

Beautiful day up here!! Mmm I hope it's not starting to pour rain at the end of this month...

Weather has just said it will change next week so better add cambio di stagione to the list of things to do ... ( pet hate ) I want a bigger house with bigger wardrobes....
I am disgusted by it all but the thing is one of the people who went on a tv program I know well and she is a compulsive liar - daignosed and all that , It is highly probable that she is lying as that is her 'profession' so I said don't believe all you see ... and oh boy did the sh*t hit the fan. The thing is if something did happen to her then it would be so hard to distinguish what is truth / fact and what isn't. Which in turn will harm maybe those that are 100% telling the truth IYKWIM. We will have to wait and see if she is contacted again ....
I really don't want to do any work.....And would rather be walking along your coastline I thinks....

Ooooh I haven't followed the JS debate, he looks like a dirty old pervert though, those poor girls.

Glad to see you back Rosa :-).

I have a terrible backache and feel a bit down because of it. I have also been so busy lately, and I hate that the backache makes me so tired.

I have started knitting a scarf for dd, but I am crap.

sorry to hear re your back Franca, whats caused it? How are you today?
Glad you are back Rosa. JS situation unbelievable. Think the fact that it is yet again seeming to be another cover up that makes it doubly depressing. In the last few years we have had the expenses scandals, the press, police etc stuff in Leveson, Hillsborough and now this apparent wide scale cover up of abuse. Agree with you that if that person is lying it is frustrating as anything which puts element of doubt into peoples minds re peoples stories is so damaging to all victims. The sheer scale of people involved, both victims and witnesses seems so huge that hopefully one possible fabricator wont derail what needs to happen.
DS is 6 today! Where did that go?? Started calcio training yesterday and he loved it. Was so pleased because normally he holds himself back from joining in with new things until he is sure but he threw himself in it from the start and had a great time.
And back to scandal and corruption what about Zambetti!!!Where the hell will this end?

Ciao Gio e buon compleanno a MiniGio, he looks radioso (how do you say radioso in english?) in the pics: so so happy of his Roma astuccio !

No idea exactly what causes it. I had severe scoliosis as a child/teenager, so my spine is a bit crap to start with. Then I started suffering with stiff neck after a bad fall from the stairs in Exeter 12 yrs ago. Then after having dd I also did my lower back in, and since then I've had periods of really bad back ache. I should see a proper doctor, but don't have the time! Today I feel better, thanks.

Oh dear, that Zambetti! ANd Formigoni? I mean what a bastard. Ciellini are just awful. No idea, I don't think it will end well.

Franca Franca Franca, do you have time for having a crappy back? Definitely you should see someone and get some physio, osteopathy or something, they can work wonders.
How's the 5:2 going Gio?

You had problems last year as well if I remember well. Yes maybe you should get it sorted out before it goes into blocco and you will be confined to bed in agony ( I hope not obviously!!!!!)
Master Gio looked so happy with his presents , hope he had a lovely day.
Getting cooler here maybe Autumn is coming.

Yes, you are absolutely right, but I seem unable to find the "right" physio, doctor etc! I have a good chiropractor, but I feel like I would like more a massaggio kind of thing.
Tomorrow I will ring friend's physio.

Me and dh started watching The Killing 2. It is great. Me and dd are now addicted to the great british bake off, are you watching it?

yes I remember now you had issues before. I hope you can find someone who manages to do something for you.
Master Gio had wonderful day. Now we just have the festa on Sunday to get through...Rosa if you have any hints on how to do white lines in a steady hand for my football pitch cake on sun then let me know! I did them in silver balls on yesterdays cake for ease but want to do it properly for the party.
Sput 5-2 was great last week. This week has been a disaster. Was going to fast on Mon but hadnt factored in getting my period and I get always dizzy fits if I dont eat (a lot) on the first 2 days. Then it was birthday cake making and celebrations and I know there is no chance I can fast at the weekend. So am feeling very crap but think only realistic way is to draw a line under this week and start afresh from Monday.

Yes hope you can sort it out Franca. Have you had an MRI or anything so they can see what might be the cause.
Happy birthday to Mastergio, hope the party goes well. Definitely take the week off 5:2 and get back to it next week.

Have read they have warned about heavy rains in Rome, hope all is well my dears!

I guess that whatever rain you'll have in Rome is far from what we're getting in Scotland.....
Franca, you should get an MRI, seriously, or a CAT scan at least. Did you ever have one?

Alarms still in Rome protezione civile alerted etc. we got the edge of the rain yesterday before it headed south , very heavy but not for long ...we are often lucky like that. Today looks mild, have almost finished the cambio stagione well at least getting out long sleeved stuff. K owing my luck it will get hot again and will have to dig out the t shirts!!!!!

No heavy rain here so far. Last year we had heavy flooding here though.

Sirens just gone off better dig out the boots then aqua alta is on its way.......

Raining here, but not heavy. I have heard that they have changed the alert status in Rome. Merlin, last year it rained heavily in Rome and they had lots of flooding (the city wasn't ready to cope with), unfortunately.

Gio, how did the party go?

No, never had a MRI or a CAT. Lots of x rays from when I was treated with scoliosis as a teenager.

We have had 2 drops of rain but aqua alta yes. I just stayed very local and diddn't even bother going further....

Maybe Franca you should insist for further investigations so at least you get some answers.

Yes, I will, I promise!

I am already fed up with the Autumn.

Raining hardish here now.....

Slowing down here...

No rain here except a drop this morning, so much for weather warnings!

They got it wrong this time, thank goodness, it appears.

Ah, my children are having their English lesson and dd has just said "Oh, dear"

It rained a lot up here LOL Weather forecasts are all messed up everywhere :D

I hope they get it right for next week though, because I don't believe at all "sposa bagnata sposa fortunata", I'd rather have a "dry" wedding instead of having the wedding dress trail full of mud!!

P.S: did it arrive in Italy the news about Cameron letting Salmond having his 'very important' independence referendum?

Mum didn't tell me anything so I suppose RAI didn't show it?

Merlin, are you getting married??? !!!!

I never watch Italian tv, let me have a look on the newspaper, hang on.

I saw it on the BBc website , I don't agree that the 16 /17 yr olds should be voting . I would have voted for anything anti govenrment at that age ....and so would most of my mates.
Oooh a wedding how lovely lets have some more details.......

Blazing sun here now after a bloody foul day yesterday we still have aqua alta up today and its forecasted domani as well...

Yes, it is gorgeous here today and Rosa, I can't wait for the Great British Bake off tonight!

Ooh are you getting married!
I was a sposa bagnata, then hailed upon then finally snowed upon. This was in Italy mind you.

Please don't tell me that you got married in AUgust Sputnik !!! Was it in your place in the mountains?

I will be watching on the Ipad.... I keep swinging as who I want to win though !!
I got married in Feb and we ahd blazing sun and people on the terrace at the hotel. 2 days later the airport was shut for snow...
In the Uk a week later it was a wonderful day as well.....

Me too Rosa, though at the moment I kind of want james to win. I am also addicted to 999 what's your emergency.

Did you get married in Venice rosa?

Both!! Ceremony in Venice and a week later a blessing in the Uk, got to wear the dress twice!

Oh yes, I remember now! How lovely !

Not august, end of february. Bit of a shotgun wedding as I was 3 months pg with DD. Yes we were in the mountains, we had our house full of my family and DH got stuck in the snow coming home from taking one of our friends back to where he was sleeping. So I spent a large part of my wedding night wondering where the hell my new husband was!

Haha Sputnik nice story!!! Getting a shotgun wedding as well, not because I'm pregnant though, only because at the moment I'm not working anyway so I could organise everything. I'm making my own wedding cake too and I'm writing this post in a break of my cake-decorating session LOL

Getting married on the 27th, north of Scotland. Italian mum and bro arriving to Glasgow on the 24th, me driving down so it would be horrible to find snow or ice on the A9.
Hope it won't snow on my wedding day, OMG, I'll wear sandals! Had few snow flakes already in the centre of Scotland.

Rosa, I don't agree with 16-17 yr olds voting either but mind you.. Salmond lets EEA nationals to vote, so I guess that he's aiming to get as more votes as possible, babies excluded LOL

Congratulations Merlin and fingers crossed for no snow . We of course will demand pics of the cake (at least!!!).

Wow Sputnik, that sounds lovely, even despite your dh going missing in action! I have to say that I find a snowy wedding very romantic.