Little Italy 24

[BananaGio]

Ciao tutte!

FFS indeed. Must be great to live in a country where miscarriages of justice birmingham six , police corruption News of the world scandal, bungled police investigations stephen lawrence etc etc never happen. And dont start me on the death penalty in the US. Still have no opinion on guilt or not, will be interested to read the report. I understand the evidence was seen as not safe which is why they were freed? Would be interested to know explanations for their behaviour and reactions as still dont understand that and the fact that AK was found guilty of slander of police surely removes the explanation of police brutality from the mix? boh! Did think that while totally understand the euphoria AK family must have felt that the whooping and cheering in court when MK's family were sitting there could have been reigned in.
Just been to take a plant to placate my neighbour. Here's hoping for a quiet few days!

Indeed Gio!

Argh, I think I am in the middle of a terrible bout of cystitis. Thankfully a nice farmacista gave me Monuril... I hope it goes asap.

Thank heavens I missed those threads or I too could have been held up by the MN panel....But well said Gio ..... Thing is that if you read the articles in the vaious websites in English and Italian they all give a different story quoting the odd bits of evidence ,the odd police reports etc nobody gives the full one so no wonder the readers in the Uk are not getting it all ..I for sure don't !
Franca what a pain hope that it all works SOON !
Buch no sorry I can't get used to China yet ..LOved your pics on FB - she is getting big and I hope her few friends party was a success !

It seems it is getting a bit better... lets hope Monuril is working!

this is the best I found re the process

Hope your nethers feel better soon Franca!
Dd's birthday was fine, although him indoors until the last moment kept suggesting alternative arrangements, gah!
MN has gone insane the last few days, there are people who must have spent as much time on the case (solving it of course ) as the bloomin' lawyers. It is actually quite scary how obsessed a few of them are, IMO it goes far beyond normal interest in current affairs. And the same people working for the defence in their amateur sleuthing are highly accusatory of anyone who dares to say anything different. All very Twilight Zone.
What with Bisceglie (Sollecito's family's new house) 8 minutes to my right, and Barletta (crollo) 8 minutes to my left, I'm pretty much the centre of the known universe at the moment. Only need Bunga to visit and dance on a few tables and we're sorted.

China! And totally agree, where do they find the time?

I am feeling a bit better, but still under the weather, thanks

I am now going to peruse the internet in the vain search for a tavolino...

hate cystitis! glad you are a bit better though Franca.
I have no idea where they find the time. Or the inclination. La gente è pazza!!
What kind of tavolino are you after Franca?

I am looking for a tavolino to put near/in between my two sofas... but they are quite "particolari" and I am not sure what should I go for... Oh god now I am hating my sofas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Franca - drink a glass of water followed by a cup of tea followed by a glass of cranberry juice. HOrrible (you'll be up all night on the loo) but works. Cranberry basically lines the bladder so nasty bacteria can't attach. The rest just stimulates bladder to flush everything out.

I was in Italy in august - gotta say twas interesting.

Wow - took me ages to get ds settled into new school year and it's all a bit fraught but (I think) we're getting there. This year's school resolution is not to bother about the mummy gangs and just spend my 'free' time (I'm working full time these days) to get my flabby arse to gym and loose 5 kilos really fast.

DS seems to understand more italian now and that's really cool.

Hope everyone doing OK.

Buch is back!

I rather embarassingly noticed (on the languages thread you are on Franca) that there is someone with a user name almost identical to my namechange, but when I searched her name, she has had it for ages, so I thought I ought to change in case she starts talking rubbish and people think it's my rubbish!

Hello giveitago! I saw you bravely entering the lions den over yonder on the Amanda Knox thread...

Hello Giveitago, nice to see you! Thanks for the advise, yes, I am drinking loads and I am taking also a cranberry supplement (it is difficult to find cranberry juice here). But you are right, I am gonna make myself a cuppa now!

I am just a bit worried that my lower belly feels sore too, a bit like when I had a pelvic infection pre kids. I just hope my medico della mutua rings me back

Oh Franca how are you ? Hope the doc got back to you and you are on the mend now. Hi Givitago and welcome back Buch !!!!
I have ignored the ignorance of the Amanda Knox threads as the media have been so biased in the UK its stupid they really know how to twist the minds of people - I suppose that is what it is all about what happened to unbiased journalism then?? My mother did not know half the ( other side of the arguments as it hasn't been in the papers or on the news.......)
BLAH .
Its chucking it down here...and the water is rising.........Here we go again ,
I have been and bought the Echancea for the bimbi.. No idea if it works but makes me feel better !!!!

Hi Rosa, I am not feeling 100% mostly becuase my belly feels very sore, but better than yesterday.
As predicted my gp didn't get back to me, so I phoned again half an hr to ask if at least I should do an esame delle urine... the secretary told me to call back in 1 hr

I am now really starting to think about changing doctor. I mean my doctor is very nice and she seems quite competent, but it is virtually impossible to see her.
First of all because I think the secretary is rubbish and second she has too many old patients who are always there. People our age basically aren't expected to get unwell.
Grrrr.

Oh is it raining there then? Still no rain here, but it is a bit colder.
Rosa, a friend of mine swears on Oscillococcinum to prevent colds... but I gather it is very expensive!

Pouring down here too... At this rate I will need a canoe to get home tonight...

Franca, I am sorry to hear about your problem. GPs in big cities seem far busier than here (mind you my GP is very available but rubbish anyway... Luckly Dbil is a doctor so I normally have the chance to get a second opinion). Definitely do a test - I have been given the wrong antibiotic for cystitis before. I hope it's not the pelvic infection again!

I have noticed all your comments on the education abroad thread - good to see that overall you seem happy enough about the education your DC are receiving in Italy (despite the shortcomings mentioned)...

Hi Minerva, I phoned again, but the secretary hadn't passed my message to the doc yet... I think this secretary is useless!

Well, yes, I am happy enough at the moment. We did have a wonderful experience with scuola materna, and up until now the teachers my dc have had have been good ones.

Ideally, I'd love the Italian system to encourage creativity and critical thinking a bit more than it does on average (unless you have the right teacher of course, there are some amazing ones scattered around!). And it'd be great if they did more hrs of foreign language, ideally with a mother tongue teachers. But schools don't even have the money to buy their own toilet paper, let alone to pay a mother tongue teacher

What I really don't like is this, the political choice to disempower state education. It drives me mad.

I volunteer in my dc school library once a week, and yes I can see that there are ways to improve the relationship between students/teachers (Italians seem to be or stupidly authoritative or totally without a backbone), but I also see that there are some very hard working and committed teachers. Still.

I am only a bit worried about Medie, that will be a difficult choice. Also because children seem to grow faster than we did and that means trouble

Oh she's phoned me back... I have a prescription for ab and esame delle urine. Evviva!

Well done franca - I remember I had a year of seemingly constant urinary tract infections. Hope the ABs kick in pronto and just keep drinking and drinking (water) for ages after to ensure it doesn't come back.

Franca - depends on how much 'creativity' you want. Ds's school is full of it and I am meant to support ds in this and I struggle (I proudly have no creative bone in my body). And I've heard that at ds's school they take whichever language teacher they can get so one year it might be spanish the next it might be mandarin. I don't care what it is as long as it's the same language year on year.

My dh's aunts and uncles are teachers (primary) in Italy and they seem content with the system but this might be that they are in the countryside and are not yet touched by the politics and funding cuts.

We've had a chat with ds's teacher and have now booked him in for schools lucnhes. Yes, british school lunches (poor thing) - however, as much as he protests it's having a great impact on his fussiness at home He just grabbed some of dh's pesto and is loving it. But I doubt he'll ever love school quiche with chips and beans. But I don't care as it's making him more adventurous in the food area. Plus it means I can get up later as I don't have to make him a packed lunch before running off to work. So everyone's a winner.

Hi giveitago, I feel a bit better today, though I am taking antibiotics that are knocking me for six!

Good idea re school lunches. When my ds was at primary in the UK he had them everyday, as he wasn't keen on sandwiches (wanted hot food) and I have to say that they were actually quite nice.

glad you are on the mend Franca. Are you feeling better again today?

Hi, feeling a bit better thank you Gio , I hope to be on the mend now.

How are you, are you in the UK?

all fine, no went back for a week but back in Rome now

Good morning! I hope you had a good weekend.

DD at home with cough and cold today, but as a precautionary measure as no fever so hopefully she will be back at school tomorrow! This time we did aerosol as soon as we heard a HINT of a cough and it seems to have worked.
We just received a letter from school saying that the "certificato medico" after 5 days of illness is not required any more. Another great step forward for humanity...

Went to Ferrara on sat to see cousin; her LO started nido in mid-september (he is two). Her LO seems to be happy enough, but my cousin's DH has already been in the asilo to complain twice, and everyone in the family (but my cousin) is only seeing the negatives (the child is more advanced than the others who cannot even speak and they are not catering from him, too many children in the class blah blah blah). My poor cousin is stuck in the middle trying to be positive, but I would have told anyone to bugger off long time ago...

Hello,
Minerva hope your dd's cold is already clearing with the aerosol!

Oh wow, that much angst for nursery, what will they do for the elementari?? Maybe they should post on the G&T threads here on MN...

We had an OK weekend, the weather was lovely and on Sunday I started to feel a bit better, also there was a traffic ban so we walked all the way from our house to my parent's, the children riding their scooters etc. Lovely.

And on Saturday I managed to take them to buy new shoes and they both got a pair of New Balance with straps. Result!!!