Couple of horses loose in the top paddock

As Rachel went to warm up the company Fiat Panda this morning she was slightly taken aback to see these two fine lads (?) grazing nonchalantly under the washing line. They spent several hours grazing before wandering off.

Luckily our Westie, Winnie, has yet to find the couple of deposits they left behind - but she will!

Then to cap it off we found this poor mouse trapped in our bathroom lightwell. It fairly bounded out when we opened it.

The Christmas tree

There have been quite a number of robins around the house which is a traditional sign of a cold/harsh winter.

We also today decorated the Casa Margherita christmas tree and as traditional for us we have a robin atop it. The robin is fairly battered thanks to a run in with our much missed cat Polly but has pride of place on our tree.

Bananas

There I was preparing some brussel sprouts for dinner thinking I was lucky to be able to find them in our local supermarket.

This got me thinking. Why is it that the banana has been so successful and crossed every (I exaggerate) cultural boundary and are very commonly available. What marketing guru/trick led to the mass adoption of the banana?

Most probably the Caribbean trade routes/slave trade routes sadly enough.

We did plant some sprout plants in the veg garden but these have not done much as the soil is really not to their liking.

The mortadella dilemma

At lunch yesterday I had some very nice slices of mortadella cut through with pistachios. On other occasions I have enjoyed small pieces fried although these should come with a warning as to longer term heart problems/cholesterol levels.

However, if you buy a piece from your local butcher or deli then I often find it fatty and unpleasant and so it lurks in the fridge for a while before exiting the house.

What is the truth about mortadella?

Cold fingers

When I opened the door this morning the thermometre was reading -5 and I looked up the grove and saw a fire in the grove above mine as they are still picking and sio use the fire to warm up every so often.

I am glad that we have finished picking as it would be a pretty miserable experience.

Helpful neighbours

Like a lot of countries Italians are no longer that keen on doing some of the less paid work on offer. This drives the influx of legal and illegal workers to pick tomatoes and olives to cover but two.

There is a Romanian couple who are working for one of our neighbours. They, reputedly, earn ∊50 a day picking olives for him which contrasts well with the average salary of ∊250 a month back home in Romania. They have finished their work and so return home on the 15th to hopefully enjoy a good Christmas.

Spello gold

Sunday just passed we went to Spello to check out their olive oil festival.

If you have never been to Spello then it well worth a visit. It is extremely well kept and shows absolutely no signs of any damage from the '97 earthquake in much the same way that Assisi has been completely restored. However unlike Assisi it is not overrun with tourists.

The olive oil festival was interesting in that the producers there are paying much more attention to packaging than any from the Trevi area would. A fact reflected in the prices they charge but hey I like some nice packaging.