Little Italy 23

[BananaGio]

Siamo qua!

My goodness you all sound so busy.

Justfor - I think this thread is for anyone with an Italian connection - I find it difficult to sort out who is a brit married to an Italian and who is Italian but has lived in UK and who is UK who's lived in Italy - I think of Little Italy as a place for all people with an Italian connection really.

I'm in N. London (british married to a southern Italian). Nope Italian men are certainly not all like caligula (erm Berl) but you gotta find them.

My dh certainly not like caligula but certainly like Toto. Today - I'm up at 6am doing my thing and entertaining ds while dh sleeps - bloody washing machine is making a tremendous noise (but still not waking up dh but I wish he would) - it then packs in. I'm on the phone to Bosch and it doesn't sound like it's worth repairing it but I cannot get damned door open and it's full of clothes and water. DH wakes up - he says you dw go buy a new one (oh I have about an hour to go do that) but I do have instructions on how to repair it - he just forces the door open and pretty much the entire river bloody thames floods the flat - oh love - if you'd just given me a minute to get buckets to catch the water ( ie if you'd read the instructions). I then have to clean up the mess - he reckons he's fixed it and it's ALL MY FAULT FOR OVERLOADING IT AND IT'S FINE NOW DEAR WIFE - erm but I'm at the electrical shop just looking at new washing machines - I call him and he confirms the washing machine has broken down again (betters still if he'd actually called me)- ooooh gooooood - I'm in the shop and have credit card so order a new one and a (new) man to come and fit it monday. I get home and dh still in pjs.

Ohh - sorry for long winded bloody post but feel soooo much better for saying it.

I will ensure dh not here when (new) man comes to fit new machine and I very much hope he's fit?!? I'm a middle aged woman with fantasies so need fit (preferably looking like robert downey jr) guy to come and rescue me monday evening.

Ha ha.

But seriously even the BBC was reporting on B and they never bother with him usually so things must be hotting up in the Rome govt camp.

Oh and we're officially poor as I've booked BUTLINS for easter. LOL.

you have to laugh really don't you.

You sure do ....

Lovely day here - dd is shattered after playhouse disney show yesterday . DH shattered and he did manage to help me do some packing this am. I have to do a supermarket shop and I really don't want to go ... Lots of nasty bugs flying round in other asili here fingers crossed we miss it don't fancy moving with sick babes!

I did laugh (in the end).

We not coming to Italy this easter (shame as my favourite time there) but going in August - dh hoping three weeks (I'm saying two) and I'm looking forward to it.

DS is coming around to the idea of Italian lessons (the only way to go in our case) but I don't think he realises what it means (he thinks it will be like his after school swimming classes).

If anyone knows of anyone in N. London who can help or who goes to similar classes (ds is 4.5) please do let me know as I'm keen to progress this. If you think 4.5 is too young then also let me know. Many thanks.

If you get the right teacher then its never to old to start with language lessons. Talking of which I must prepare for domani...Think we will do transport !
MAdness this week with everything, plumbers, painters etc etc and I had to antenna men on my roof this morning at 9!Dds class is slowly going down with the flu- BUt I have signed minirosa up for some sat am labatori with me 1st one is cooking , then painting, smells (!!!),AM hoping that it might help her be nicer to me as she seems to go into foul mood challenge mode when I am around - POssibily as I am trying to get so much done that I don't dedicate enough time to her - boh understanding the mind of a tantruming 2 yr old is beyond me sometimes.
Franca how were the mountains?

Hello!
It was really sunny in the mountains, which was lovely after 2 weeks of fog and grey weather, but it was bitterly cold, especially on saturday. The children did very well on the slopes, and I have to say that it is really nice to ski en famille, if only a little exhausting

Giveitago, I agree with Rosa, it is never too early to start a new language! How about contacting the embassy and see if they have a list of Italians teaching Italian in London?

Rosa, ouch, tantruming 2 yrs old... yes, she be feeling the stress of the move... or she might just being a typical 2 yrs old. Trust me though, it is better than a tantrumming 8 yr old... ...

Have just been to the zara home sales, and I am pleased I managed to restrain myself...

Btw, if you have a window of 140 length and find a nice curtain which is exactly 140, do you get 1 curtain or 2? I am hopeless. Heeeeelp!!!!

If its a net style curtain and you only want it as a panel kind of thing then 140 is a ok but it will hang flat so any movement you will see the window. I would get 2 if it was me and then you can either join them in the middle if you want 1 tenda or just have 2 that meet in the middle. Then it will have a few folds and movement IYKWIM.
I have bought 140 for a 105 cm window for the net bit ( well to stop noisy neighbours looking in).
Glad you had a nice time. Re minirosa she has always been a challenge but its getting quite hard work now - draining which I don't need. ALso if dd1 has what she wants its a screaming teary tantrum - This morning over a pack of those elastic band bracelets. DD had a packet- She gave minrosa 2 but no she wanted the packet. So we took her2 and put in the packet. No not good enough either.She wanted the lot - went on for 10 mins. DD was going to give in but I wouldn't let her !!!!(nasty mum)

Oh balls you said length..... If its 140 length thne its ok if that what you want. SOme peolpe have tende to the floor . As I have underfloor heatin mine will be short and will hang approx 5cm below the window frame. ( also has I have odd height windows do the curtains will help to even them out)

No, you are right, I meant width . So yes, I think I will have to get 2. Zara home has some lovely curtains for the children's bedroom...

I know, 2 yrs old can be exhausting. And your dd1 sounds like she is being very tolerant, that's nice
I think, you know, the usual: be consistent, pick you battles, praise good behaviour etc etc. But it is draining, I agree. Is she now doing mornings at nursery? What do they say?

Toddlers.... well they get over it eventually is all I can say. Apart from that what Franca said, which I'm sure you're doing anyway.
I hit Zara home last week, got a couple of nice nesting basket things and a nice mat for the bathroom, so quite restrained really.

Oh yes, that's quite restrained. I have to admit that whenever I hit Zara home I could easily buy half the shop.

At nursery they laughed when I asked if she was aggresive to any children ! They said she knows how to defend herself but she is quite timid at times - Here it is the opposite. It also seems she talks less at school - BUt they are now getting her to choose the nappy to put on when its one to one ( Bl*dy Pampers ) I was going to go to Chicco brand that cost less but Oh no it has to be the animals. So they are starting to get more words out of her. SHe also loves to be cuddled and will be alluring (SP) when she wants to be ( Oh yeah !)

hi all, been mad busy with work so reading back to catch up. my eyes automatically went to zara home-very restrained Franca!

Hellooooo !!

(Waves madly)

Sarah, just outside (PV), working towards a move to (LE), one Milanese DH, with 10yo son.

Off to read the last couple of pages or so to bring self up to speed.

Banana, yes, I am at myself for having been so restrained! Mind you, I set my eyes on some curtains...

Sarah, hello! I think our paths have crossed already on MN.
I'm Italian, married to an Italian, we now live in MIlan, after yrs in the UK.

Welcome Sarah :)

Apropos of nothing, well of Zara home as I've just gone on their website with nothing better to do, these are cute (not in the sale though!). I personally am sick of grey and neutral.

I recognise your name Franca, but have been of something of a post frenzy and all my thread memories are fuzzy ( =

Oh no, I just clicked on Zara home...didn't even know that existed, must hide credit card !!

like those Sput, oh i would love to be in a position to revamp home. need curtains as well, they are one of the things I decided could wait when we moved and am still waiting...
off to UK tomorrow hurrah. M&S cakes and chippie here I come ! Diet can start when I get back. Its gone bloody cold here in Rome so wont feel am missing out too much when freezing in Manc.
Off to watch TG and see latest bunga bunga notizia. I see his approval rating has crashed by a resounding 1 point -mortacci lui!
welcome Sarah!

Remarking place......I will catch up lovelies.

Gio- have fun in the UK, how long are you going for?

Welcome Sarah (we don't always talk about MILs, though I do quite often as mine is the one who wrote the How to Be Evil to Your Daughter-in-Law rulebook. ) I've been here in A$$ End (Puglia) for 17 yrs (too long) Live in sin with dp and have dd aged 7.

How is everyone???

Euro- how is ds and school? Any joy?

I'm busy at school 2 days and still not really getting stuck into writing those materials for the UK company. Have been busy recently translating some rubbish about the composition of pants and vests for the firm dp works for. My cup runneth over.

Franca, Scammy apparently wee'd in my toilet (amongst other things) over Christmas.

Bucharest, we are moving to Puglia !!!

I'm looking around Lecce, v,.interested in Cutrofiano\Casarano at the moment.

I'm sick of long, cold winters and since Mario's dad was originally from Gallipoli, he fancies around that area if he has to satisfy my itchy feet.

We are bringing MIL with us, which is slightly taking the shine off things.

Does she live with you?

I'm in Trani, never been to Lecce

When are you moving? Do you work? Questions, questions!

God no, I'd kill her, or me if we lived together. We pay an extraordinary amount of money to have a couple of badante give 24\7 live in supervision, which means they call us ten times at least per 24 hours to come over, day and night, and we just go round to do what we have to do to care for her.

Which includes wrestling her into restraints when it all gets very, very bad and begging for a bed on the psych ward.

There is no way in hell my boy is growing up in that situation first hand, it had a bad enough impact on my husband's development during childhood. She only sees her grandchildren on the rare occasions when we get a period of calm.

We are hoping to move this year. We need to fly down to make sure that Mario's memories aren't being too romantic. I think I'll go first with my mate Rosie, she lives up the road from me here and wants to go back home to the area so we'll house hunt together cos she has a lot more knowledge of the area than Mario..

I think what will happen is we'll find something to rent down there, put this house on the market (cos it'll take a while to shift) and buy down there when we are sure it is where we want to be after say a year or so.

I'm a teacher, I work for myself and have built up a good, varied base of work up here, but it's not the end of the world if my income stream takes a hit after we move.

I just need to get away from the fog, mosquitoes (live in the middle of rice fields, cannot leave the house after dusk), 100% humidity summers and fecking freezing winters.

Even if it is just for a year to let me recharge my batteries while we mull over our options that'll do. I'd like Son of Thor to see what his father's roots are and I want to try the south on for size cos I am now officially board to the back teeth of the North. And if I don't like it we'll think again.

I'm going to be 43 in a few weeks and I think i may have some mid life crisis combining with my RAF baby background, conspiring together to give me wanderlust again ( =

Still, a change is as good as a rest, no ?

Trani is near Bari right ? How are you finding it ?

ah lucky you Sarah, I lived in Lecce for a year-gorgeous place. at taking MIL
off for 11 days Buch.

Oh I'm glad to hear people liked living in Lecce.

I'd leave MIL behind if I could...but no home will take her. We had her in one, paying for the home AND a personal badante 10 hours a day, plus their accommodation. But they still kicked her out for being uncontrollable..and to be honest we still had to deal with MIL to the same extent personally and just added calming down irate nursing home staff to the daily "to do" list.