and the bricks go down!
Abruzzo is a wonderful region full of natural beauty and history. I hope my pictures and thoughts here will help everyone to appreciate it!
Sunday, 26 June 2011
cooking by candlelight
When the electricity is needed somewhere else i have to light a candle!
and the bricks go down!
and the bricks go down!
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Embercombe,Devon
Yesterday me and a friend went over to Embercome in Devon to take part in their midsummer fair.It was not a great sucess for us finacially - too many creative types making their own stuff and not wanting to buy it off us!
As the sales weren't exactly overwhelming we both had plenty of time to wander around and take in the other stalls and events.
My favourite was the sycthing demonstrations as our 1 year old strimmer has just broken wand will probably end up 'scrapped' I was impressesd on how easy the cutting seemed to be.Apparently its all in the knee action!
Embercome is an education center and smallholding with space for meetings and events think I they also welcome volunteers to help them.
As the sales weren't exactly overwhelming we both had plenty of time to wander around and take in the other stalls and events.
My favourite was the sycthing demonstrations as our 1 year old strimmer has just broken wand will probably end up 'scrapped' I was impressesd on how easy the cutting seemed to be.Apparently its all in the knee action!
Embercome is an education center and smallholding with space for meetings and events think I they also welcome volunteers to help them.
Abruzzo Trip
It's over a week now since we got back and I'm still feeling tired!But that could be connected to the Craft Fair yesterday at Embercombe in Devon.More on that later.
The journey out in our van was as usual pretty tedious but we were lucky to have glorious weather and we stopped for our picnic lunch in Gurtnellen in Switzerland. The town is just off the autostrada for St Gotthard and is in a truly stunning poistion by a river.This was probably the high point of the journey with the low point following the next morning at 5am when we got diverted into Ancona when the motorway suddendly closed!No diversion route of course.
At the house nothing seemed too wrong -it's been a long winter and I was so pleased to be able to buy the bricks or mattone for our living room floor.
It took three trips in the Berlingo to bring them all back but seeing the floor actually laid before we came back to England was a huge thrill!
Of course I can't forget that it was my 50th birthday in May. We spent the day in Rome and had a picnic in the Forum followed by an afternoon on the Palantine Hill.
That evening we went to have a Pizza at one of Rome's 'best' Pizzerias:Da Baffetto.
Let's just say the staff there arent 100% customer centered (an American couple decided they couldn't cope and walked out)and it was a long wait but we enjoyed a totally different experience from eating in other Rome restaurants.I'd go again but early because its packed out after 8pm.
photos Simon Read
The journey out in our van was as usual pretty tedious but we were lucky to have glorious weather and we stopped for our picnic lunch in Gurtnellen in Switzerland. The town is just off the autostrada for St Gotthard and is in a truly stunning poistion by a river.This was probably the high point of the journey with the low point following the next morning at 5am when we got diverted into Ancona when the motorway suddendly closed!No diversion route of course.
At the house nothing seemed too wrong -it's been a long winter and I was so pleased to be able to buy the bricks or mattone for our living room floor.
It took three trips in the Berlingo to bring them all back but seeing the floor actually laid before we came back to England was a huge thrill!
Of course I can't forget that it was my 50th birthday in May. We spent the day in Rome and had a picnic in the Forum followed by an afternoon on the Palantine Hill.
That evening we went to have a Pizza at one of Rome's 'best' Pizzerias:Da Baffetto.
photos Simon Read
Monday, 16 May 2011
Great blog
Hellish Customer
Its been really stressful this weekend as I've had the customer from Hell right in the middle of sorting out the house and loading the van up for Italy!
I do lots of restringing work for people including a customer who regularly sends £800 necklaces for me to string and although there can be problems with things I've always been able to sort it out with the customer.I also offer the service of restringing the piece for free if it breaks in 6 months or half price after that!Thats more than any high street chain will do.
This customer got her necklace back but the Royal Mail had managed to chip a bead - at least that's the report but I've not had anything like this happen with a wrapped necklace inside a padded envelope - and a photo shows not damage to the out casing!So the whole thing looks a bit fishy.
She chose a cheaper postal service rather than one that offers compensation so I've now had the amount I charged her 'taken' from my Paypal account even though I offered to have the necklace back and restring it replacing the bead that was broken.seems theres not much I can do.
Sometimes working on your own can be really hard work -its so much easier when you are in an office and can share frustrations with your colleagues.
I do lots of restringing work for people including a customer who regularly sends £800 necklaces for me to string and although there can be problems with things I've always been able to sort it out with the customer.I also offer the service of restringing the piece for free if it breaks in 6 months or half price after that!Thats more than any high street chain will do.
This customer got her necklace back but the Royal Mail had managed to chip a bead - at least that's the report but I've not had anything like this happen with a wrapped necklace inside a padded envelope - and a photo shows not damage to the out casing!So the whole thing looks a bit fishy.
She chose a cheaper postal service rather than one that offers compensation so I've now had the amount I charged her 'taken' from my Paypal account even though I offered to have the necklace back and restring it replacing the bead that was broken.seems theres not much I can do.
Sometimes working on your own can be really hard work -its so much easier when you are in an office and can share frustrations with your colleagues.
Friday, 29 April 2011
Now for some abruzzo images!
Cachi Trees in October with the fruits getting ripe -they'll be ready in December
The olives needed lots of pruning and really some need a chainsaw to take off most of the branches.It does mean quite a few years without fruit but once they make new branches the crop is much heavier.
This gnarled olive tree must be 100's of years old and it's home to a variety of insects and reptiles including snakes! I did once hear about someone who was bitten in the neck by a snake in an olive trees so I usually keep a look out whenever I'm walking or sitting underneath one. So far the most serious 'attack' I've been subject to was when a lizard leapt off a tree onto my head!It did give me a shock but I think the lizard was the more surprised.They can get very aggressive early in the summer and guard their territories ferociously.
For more about Abruzzo
Cachi Trees in October with the fruits getting ripe -they'll be ready in December
The olives needed lots of pruning and really some need a chainsaw to take off most of the branches.It does mean quite a few years without fruit but once they make new branches the crop is much heavier.
This gnarled olive tree must be 100's of years old and it's home to a variety of insects and reptiles including snakes! I did once hear about someone who was bitten in the neck by a snake in an olive trees so I usually keep a look out whenever I'm walking or sitting underneath one. So far the most serious 'attack' I've been subject to was when a lizard leapt off a tree onto my head!It did give me a shock but I think the lizard was the more surprised.They can get very aggressive early in the summer and guard their territories ferociously.
For more about Abruzzo
Flickr: My Web Address
Flickr: Your Flickr Web Address: "com/photos/italianflowers/"
Its been a struggle but I've finally found a way to do a link to my account on flickr where I've saved some beautiful images of upcycled fabric jewellery as well as other interesting crafts and a Bird gallery!
Its been a struggle but I've finally found a way to do a link to my account on flickr where I've saved some beautiful images of upcycled fabric jewellery as well as other interesting crafts and a Bird gallery!
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