Lager, lager, lager

Earlier in the year Rachel designed a set of labels for a start-up brewery based in Spoleto. The beer is now on the shelves and hopefully will sell well.

You can see the labels Rachel designed here at http://artedellabirra.weebly.com/

Very lucky indeed

On Sunday our Westie, Winnie, suffered a snakebite from a viper. We did not see the event itself but saw her lying down and shaking. This was familiar from when she was bitten three years previously. We tried to find the two distinctive puncture marks but couldn't and so called the vet and met her at the surgery.

The vet prepared to inject the serum into Winnie and you could tell that she worried that Winnie would not be able to withstand the anaphylactic shock should one occur. As it turned out there was no shock and so Winnie spent the rest of the day on a drip and returned home on the Monday. She is exhausted from the event and is recovering slowly. She is one very lucky dog however.

Pickling and preserving

As well as making jars and jars of passata, this is the time of the year for some serious pickling here at Casa Margherita HQ. We are pickling onions, chillies and garlic.

Can't wait for the taste of the pickled onions with some porchetta. Wow. Luckily our friends brought us some mature cheddar which will be very nice as well.

Riprendiamo il ritmo

We recently celebrated the birthday of L'Artista with some lovely peach blinis.

This week has seen Italy return to work after the traditional two week summer break. We too are getting back to work after taking time off whilst we had some friends to stay. Rachel is back in the studio and I am working to publicise the cookbook - Cuoco.

The rural life

Leaving the house last night to see a choir in Trevi in the trusty Panda and got beached on our very rutted track about 20 metros from the house.

Few choice words and then back to the house to change, and get the other car and tow/prise free the Panda free.

Job done. As you were. It was never like this in London.

A sounder of wild boars (cinghiali)

We have seen wild boar here before but not for some time. So it was a shock this morning to see a large group (sounder) of wild boars walking in file down the track passing below through the groves below the house. It was even odder it that there was a large number and it was broad daylight (09:00) and  they are nocturnal animals.

Luckily our dogs decided not to chase them.

A palindromic day

The 12.8.12. But the big done will be 20.12.2012 and the last of the century.

Today we went to Bevagna to have a stroll , take some photos and sell in the recipe book.  A couple of shops took it which was great. On leaving we bought a loaf of bread and without doubt it was the tastiest loaf we have had since moving here. So tasty I just had to have a slice of toast and marmite. How English.