Adopt a gargoyle

The gargoyles on the facade of the Milan cathedral are available to be adopted for a mere €80,000.

With the government cuts to spending the restoration budgets for Italy's litany of historical buildings is under massive pressure. The Milan council has chosen this method to try and raise €25 million for essential restoration.

For rather less, in fact only €71.50, you can adopt an olive tree from Casa Margherita. which makes for a great Christmas gift. Find out more at www.casa-margherita.com

Have a good weekend

An ascendancy of ladders?

Porca miseria madonna mia

Whilst I am a fluent swearer in English I have thankfully not learn't any Italian swear words.

This was our car this morning after a night of torrential rain which has caused flooding in various parts of Umbria. The jeep was beached as the gullies caused by the rain were so deep.

I had unwisely left it there overnight having got stuck coming back from a social event - had you been drinking Sir - yes of course I had. Alcohol had no bearing on the matter as the L'Artista will vouch.

Anyway, a kind neighbour came down and dragged the jeep out with his tractor.

Olio nuovo arriva

Lovely. Vibrant green and at this point unfiltered. None of your anaemic supermarket rubbish here.

Windmills of my mind

One of the many advantages of picking olives is that you have plenty of time to think as the actual task is very easy. So your mind is able to wonder and you can ruminate on all things great and small. The banal, the personal, the rude, the crude. The big ones - love and death. As George W Bush fabulously said the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns.

Good job you cannot pick olives all the time............

Tough picking

Our dogs Winnie and Ugo love the olive harvest. They get to spend all day in the grove watching, guarding, getting in the way, biting the net, chasing birds and generally having a fantastic time.

Now its dark and having been fed they are tucked up in small balls trying to get to sleep while I play loud music. Povera loro!