Little Italy 23

[BananaGio]

Siamo qua!

Oh yes, I remember too well when ds did that too...

I'm off to bed now, still have to dry my hair, ciao!

Agree re: Italian airports - but then the old London airports are not great either (although the shopping at Heathrow is good).

Cannot wait to put tree up on sat!!!

I think the most beautiful airport I've ever been to is Madrid.
Paris CDG is a bit of a nightmare. And JFK is really shabby.

When I see dd fading its either bath or an early dinner that is if I catch her ..Otherwise she is bouncing off the walls until late !
I love Madrid airport as well but it can be a long hike from one end to the other. I also love SIngapore and HongKong makes travelling smoother ! Haven't been through Heathrow for a good few years now its always Gatwick. Venice airport has improved loads, Treviso , Bologna, Bergamo, Verona are alla bit naff and could do better.
Thankfully no rain this am bu mega high water thank heavens dh was with me as no way I could have done the 2 without going back and forth through it leaving one and getting the other! I took pics on my phone but I meeda cable to download them !

I have just looked and tom at 8.20 they are forecasting 1m35 that means that it will be over my boots so either day at home or I better go and buy some thigh high ones.....

Here it's grey and foggy and humid. And I have to take ds to football practice...
I'd love to go to Hong Kong.

so no snow with you then ....football practice I have just bought a box of hand warmers from Decathlon looked like a brill idea to me !

No, no snow. Rosa, I've been spending £££ at decathlon recently.

I went yesterday to get ds some new snow boots, and came back with 2 pantaloni da sci for the kids, 3 passamontagna (for the kids and myself) and those gloves you put under mittens when it's really cold (for skiing)

Hong Kong has an ace airport, by the way, really light and open.

ROsa is it true that you have 140cm of acqua alta today?

Oh yes it is it apparently reached 136cm but it was high - the maximum was 8.45 so we waited until 9 and checked that schools were open. Minirosa we were more concerned about the teachers getting there and dd1 it is a ground floor buthigh. Both were open so dh put minirosa in the zaino and I took dd1 piggy back to school. Wading through knee high water with 17kg on your back was not fun but we sang christmas songs and made it - late but nobody said a thing ! Thank heavens it wasn't raining or we would have abandoned 100% but today dd1 was doing pasta di sale tree decorations and she so wanted to do it !!!!

Bloody hell, the things we do for our children, eh! :o

at 136 cm of acqua alta!

I have a cold... I'm sipping a cuppa and wishing I could go to bed, instead, the children will be home soon.

I have a cold too, che palle.

Yes. It is getting worse. The good thing is that the children have gone to my parents.

www.gap.eu link won't work
I was lookiing for a code for mens boxers as a friend of mine is going domani ..Look delivery is only£6 no no no no no it will be divorce.
Sorry about teh colds I am coming out of No4 I think and sinus is blowing up again.. I have got a spray that was Eu16 so it better work. Happy weekend....

well it diddn't on the preview!!!!!!

Wow Gap finally woke up and are selling online, about time. Shame the stuff I like is mostly sold out (well probably good thing really).
Rosa I am not surprised all that acqua alta you are on cold #4. Are you doing aerosol for sinus? I swear by it.

I am but I find that Clenil , FLuibron and Aqua di Sirmione don't actually clear me but steaming sort of takes it off in layers but doesn't cure it so a combination of the two tends to work - However I have this spray that is actually very good it does help to clear it especially if you put in at night - it helps to eliminate the snot but not like a Vicks spray ( that it all comes back later !)but when its at its early stages if you are completeley head/cheek blocked then your stuffed!.
Well after that medical breakdown I wil go back to teh site I diddn't look at availability however ........
We only have 1m20 today but I have to take dd to palestra that is thankfully right next door and then minirosa and I will be staying at home !

Rosa, would you like me to go and see if they are now selling boxers at the Milan gap store? Mind you, I'm not sure how cheap the posta would be to send them on... but I can go and have a look for you on Friday...

I have dozed myself up on Actigrip, I hate colds.

Rosa, is the cold any better? I hate colds. Hope it clears up soon.

Has anyone ordered from Gap yet? I work near a gap so never though anything about their online store. But I'm very excited about amazon.it. If only for the free delivery.
The doll house arrived. I'm so looking forward to putting it together.
I notices the instructions are in englkish and italian. I was suprised by this because I search for a doll house in italy and couldn't find one. Which led me to the question, why are there no or not very many wooden toys in italy? Everyone comments on dc's toys and where we got them from. I always wonder why this is the case? If people can spend 400 euros on a child's coat that they will only wear one season why not spend the money on some quality toys? I fond that quite interesting. the only answer I get is children will not play with them. I personally don't buy it. Do you guys agree? Children will only play with plastic toys in italy?

how are the colds? and the acqua alta Rosa? Was watching on the news - looks a nightmare! Re wooden toys Euro, Citta del Sole has a lot if you want to take out a mortgage to buy them!DS has a wooden track and numerous wooden additions in the form of stations etc and he has had SO much use out of them. And they are still going strong. How are the cushions coming on Sput?
What are you guys making food wise at Christmas? I need inspiration! Will be the usual bollito etc on Christmas Day to please FIL (wont eat poultry since Bird Flu first surfaced....no I am not joking! And I know it was in Hong Kong and he never leaves Rome!) So it will be roast bird of some sort Boxing Day for me. Need some ideas for meals inbetween - am soooo bored of my cooking! Anyone got nice lasagne recipes other than the classic with ragu they would like to share???? Or anything else?? All suggestions welcome

I wonder about that, is it just that most of what's available is plastic stuff? There are some toy shops with "nice" stuff, like Città del Sole, but quite expensive so considered very upmarket I suppose. Outside of the big cities like where I used to live it was just very small toy shops or places that did toys as a sideline, or an aisle in the supermarket so very limited range.
Actually that reminds me of something that has always made me go , which is the amount of kids given clothes at birthdays, often more than half the presents are clothes which surely the children couldn't care less about? Never figured that one out tbh.
And another one, if I go anywhere with the DCs and I think we'll be waiting around I always bring small toys, sticker books, pens etc, Italians don't seem to do this.

X posted there with Città del Sole, that was another reason I like Cola di Rienzo.
I seem to remember Franca has a family recipie for lasagna involving raddichio, which sounds nice.
Not sold any more cushions yet but I think I was a bit late getting it up and running, as I think most users on there are in the US and it's a bit late now for posting. I have put more stuff up though, with a view to seeing what people like and maybe getting a bit more serious with the whole thing in the new year.

Cold is getting better but I'm feeling exhausted from coughing.

DS goes to Bambin Gesu for his assessment tomorrow, so we'll see what happens with that, I can't go as it clashes with DD's xmas play, she would be gutted if neither of us went as she already thinks DS gets more attention. I hope that was the right decision.

You can get wooden toys in lots of places in Milan, citta' del sole, imaginarium, la giocheria, fortura giocattoli etc etc. I just got dd a wooden bunk bed for her dollies!!!
Yes, wooden toys are more expensive, but it was the same in Exeter. There was only one shop selling "nice" toys there, the rest was plastic tat.
So, I think that getting wooden toys (or more creative toys) might be linked to the parents socio cultural conditions.

Yes, I agree that italians often aren't organized when out and about with their children. It seems like lots of Italians don't have a clue about what to do with their children. Not all, but lots.

Lasagne... I usually make lasagne with radicchio and pancetta.