MN Little Italy 15

[francagoestohollywood]

welcome!

at pancera!!

not worried about the flu really, just hoping it won't affect the flight...

The weather forecast predicts light rain for tomorrow. Oh dear, oh dear.

told you you need wellies... and thinking that last sat I was melting trying to get through the pride parade in the scorching sun on my way to wembley.....

I don't have wellies ... I have winter wellies, which are a bit imbottiti, I don't think they are allowed in the UK

Shall I bring a giacca? Will jumper + kway be enough (not for the wedding... for the wedding I borrowed a smart summer coat from dear friend)

yes, that'll be enough, it's around 19-20 C, so that should be ok.

you lot
the name Fabio for a boy - what kind of connotations does it have please

Paint me a picture

I'm not Italian (DH is), but when I hear the name Fabio, I think of this, I'm afraid...

It's not a name I would go with...

me too I am afraid or a boring barrister (preferable to the first one) I guess.

see you tomorrow girls .

PMSL at that pic.
Sorry but sooooo true.

McL I'll be in there at 9.49 .

A barrister? lol....

In the south of Italy it is very fashionable to give kids English names. The name Dennis is very fashionable,I met a 5 year old Dennis who had a brother called Pasquale and little sister Peggy.

oh, i will be there at 946!

Have to leave the house at an unheard 730!
Ma saro SOOoOOOOOOlaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA and i don't have to bring bags and bags of stuff, phew.

fabio - have a couple of friends called fabio so I see them when I hear it (tall, blond, good looking both of them); and then I see that Fabio Penthe linked to...

quite traditional name, so guess it would depend what it has to go with

have a good time you all tomorrow!

Hope Franca packed a brolly. Hello from very wet Cornwall!!! We arrived in blazing sunshine and yesterday was ok. DD were knackered so we stayed local . Today DD1 is suffering from cabin fever so me thinks trip to library is in order later.
Journey was pretty smooth and minirosa behaved. DD1 was a bit excited at times but Grandma was fab.
Just catching up and wondering ho wet you all got today ...
A presto ...

how did meet up go? Did you decide on tights or wellies Franca? Meant to say- good news re gout or lack off- how is the strega?
Enjoy UK Rosa, we are off there on Friday for 2 weeks, then Follonica for 3 weeks. Went to Santa Marinella yesterday and gave me a real taste for being al mare for a few weeks. DP and me spent ages playing with DS in the water- he was in his element. Can't wait to have 3 weeks with no work, distractions etc-just the 3 of us
MM sorry to hear re your move. Did you work something out for you (studying or baby)? When are you going?
Sputnik when is your official move date? How is house coming on?
Questions-what factor sun cream do you use with dcs on the beach? And do you do the leave the beach for a few hours at lunchtime thing or is under the ombrellone ok? Oh and how long do you leave it after food before going in the water (can you tell me and dp had a few discussions yesterday )

Gio our DDs are not too fair skinned so we used to put 30 all over in the morning and re-apply in the aft for the first few days. Once they had a tan we only put once. We often stayed under the umbrella during lunch but it was June and not incredibily hot. When too hot we'd go in till 4 and then go again. I think this is sometimes better as otherwise by 4 everyone is fed up with the beach and wants to go home. If you avoid the hottest hours you do not have to be too paranoid about cream and 'oh is it getting burnt' 'shall we put some more cream' scenario which stresses everybody.
Re swimming after lunch I do not know. We used to go in sit on the sofas, children would have a nap and we would read a book, sleep, take in turns to sunbathe.
There was a big thread here once started by an italian married with an english and as you can imagine they had opposite views.
When I was a kid we did not apply the 'no swim' till 4 rule but we'd still wait a bit. Oddily my mum is terrified of the english was of giving children a bath after dinner . All I have heard from non italian is that there's no risk. I made the dd's wait if they ate a substantial lunch and nothing if they had sandwishes etc. But I have no idea. However this is so ingrained in italian culture that you'll struggle to have it your way and you'll be considered a child abuser if you let ds tounch the water before 3 hours after his meal .
All in all if you go back in for lunch hours you get 'due piccioni con una fava' and avoid arguments.

Meet up really good and we have decided the next one is in Roma in september.

ah re school we got a place in one I am not so keen but still praying for my 1st choice. so a bit better but not ideal.

glad meet up went well and re meet up in Roma! Who is coming?
Cheers for beach advice, is pretty much on lines I am thinking. If DS had a plate of pasta at lunch then would keep him out of sea til 4. If as is more normal for him with excitement of being at seaside he eats 3 bites of a bit of pizza bianca then I don't think a paddle and splash at 3.30 would be end of world . He's hardly going scuba diving! Ah well I think I should accept that this is a battle that am never going to win and if I try, DP will throw his "your parents allowed you to swim in freezing Scottish and Welsh sea an hour after eating" argument into the mix and I will lose at that point due to irresponsible upbringing. So I think afternoon at the Pineta is the way forward to avoid conflict and earn me brownie points for embracing the Italian way.
When should you hear re 1st choice school?
Lovely in Rome at the moment- hot but still not arrived at that no air in the evening point so just had a lovely walk, had huge limone gelato then ds let off steam running around Piazza San Pietro. Then stopped off for cocomero on way home. Having an "I love living in Italy" moment mumsnetting with crodino and cig on balcony now

well gio at risk of having my citizenship taken away from me I tell you this: sometimes dd1 was allowed to swim even though she had proper lunch. After all I read in these 'english' threads I'm thinking it must be a bit of an urban myth no? like the 'cervicale', or otherwise most of the british youngsters would not survive their first blackpool summer. boh. we are very relaxed with such things but do not take my word for it.
re suncream I have read that australia and america do not sell factor over 30 as it doesn't so much more and offers a false sense of safety.

Ciao a tutti!
It's been absolutely lovely to meet Pippi, Mc cloud, Penthe and her edible dd. I wish we all live closer!

Gio at strolling in piazza san pietro and crodino and fag! The weather is still quite pleasant in Milan as well... me, dh and my dad just went for a pizza (the dc are al mare with my mum) and I allowed myself a ciggie on the way back from pizzeria.
Tomorrow I have a morning train to join mum and the children al mare, so I will be internet less for a whole week (panicking emoticon).
Gio, I find that, at least among my friends, the rule of not bathing before 4 has relaxed a bit. I think it all depends on the temperature of the water, which is what can trigger the infamous congestione, being the mediterranean sea rather warm I think they can swim whenever they want, really. But generally it is advised to avoid staying on the beach in the hottest hrs, though I must shamefully admit that our family hasn't been that respectful of this rule since the dc dropped the afternoon nap. I'm also quite rubbish with the sun cream. We use it religiously the first few days and then I tend to forget .

Rosa, glad to hear you had a safe trip to cornwall! I hope the weather changes asap and you can enjoy lovely cornish beaches!

ciao a tutte!

lol at cervicale and bathing after eating! another one i heard is that the mercurio in the sea makes kids more tantrumy, wtf?

we normally went back to base for lunch and quiet time after 1230, it got so hot sometimes that there was no way you could stay on the beach infact. with suncream like franca, lots at the beginning and very little by the end purely because i got fed up with putting it on. with ds who is quiet fair, tshirt on a bit at the beg on the beach, as once it looked as if his shoulders were getting very red even though they were covered with cream, and i panicked and forced him for a couple of days to wear a t-shirt. remember that hiding under ombrellone does not stop sunburn. i would take it easy especially as you are going for a while. a burnt ds would completely have ruined my holiday, goodness all the moaning...

lovely to see the girls, all beautiful and interesting, can you ask for more?

enjoy your internetfree time, take lots of books with you franca.

hello everybody!! am going to try and catch up with the thread but can't promise i'll manage. so if there are big news such as pregnancies give me a heads up!

LOL at not swimming after lunch! i once went on holiday to Capri (whcih was way too posh btw, and not to be repeated!) and children were banned from the swimming pool until 4 pm.

i normally only go to the beach in the afternoon with kids as in the morning we never get organised early enough to get there at a decent, non sun-stroke inducing time. so usually we show up about 4.30 and stay until 7 or thereabouts. very mediterranean!

i am going in 2 weeks, to Saudi Calabria, and cannot wait!!! then back to London and have got to start planning the move... aaarrgghhh...

I have a James Cain giallo (he is the guy who wrote il postino suona sempre due volte. And if you haven't read his "Mildred Pierce" yet, do it, I loved it!)

Plus I have a fresh Living Etc and Vogue UK

ciao masseuse, good to see you!
No, no pregnancies, as far as I know
We can wave to each others from both sides of the stretto then, we are off to Sicily on the 25th!
When will you move? September?

hey Franca, no, i think DH will go in october and me and the girls in january. i think i need a therapy session with YOU about how to come to terms with my new life... we can rendez-vous in Messina

btw what was the book you recommended to me once, sort of high brow chicklit?