Pheasants

I was walking to the veg patch....stop me if you've heard this one before... and my approach disturbed a male pheasant and his numerous chicks ( I reckon about 10) who had been shading themselves in the potato patch. It was quite a departure.

Taking a break from cutting the grass - bit dull every day and am building with carpenter's assistant, Rachel, a shady area in the garden. I will post a photo when we've finished.

Hail the asparagus pickers

The great benefit of the wild asparagus pickers roaming the olive groves in spring is that they prevent the asparagus growing into this wooden prickly weed that is difficult to clear.

Tomorrow is the monthly km 0 farmers market in Trevi so hopefully the weather pattern of the last few days will be followed. Very warm before lunch, thunderstorms after and then clearing up by early evening.

This means that there should be people at the market and then I can watch the Grand Prix without guilt after lunch - forza Ferrari.

Later on possible some light gardening interspersed with last day of the football season updates.

7.17

Another day starts to draw to a close.

Good day today. Delivered some fresh olive oil supplies to an enoteca in Montefalco and then spent the afternoon strimming the grass.

We have on our olive label the 5 key elements for good quality olive oil. They are sun, stones, stress, solitude and silence.

The later is really dealt a real blow as the machine I use to cut the grass puts out over 100db so Casa Margherita is not a tranquil place to be at the moment. Will also mean I will need a ear trumpet or two at some point like someone else I know.

Time to mow the grass

With the finishing of the pruning it's time to mow the grass. As you can see, if this were a lawn you'd say  it was out of hand but this is very normal.

I quite enjoy cutting it as it brings out my destructive/creative side.

Birra

At the Trevi cheese festival on Sunday I bought a bottle a beer from a micro brewery based in Montefalco.

I am sampling it now and it is very good. Called "copper" it is like an english ale to my palate.

Check them out at www.birracamiano.com

Trevi election update

We went to vote this morning. 

Strangely we were given a pencil to put a cross against the candidate we wanted as mayor and then you had to write the name of you choice for the council. I think I pen would be better as you can rub a pencil mark out!

Have just checked and the centre left candidate, Bernardino Sperandio, has won by just 12 votes. I think there might be a re-count. I would want one if I came second by that margin. 

Changeable

This was the view from our kitchen window not very long ago. May?

Today there was a cheese festival in Trevi. The Italian's like language and to play with language and so it was called Formaggio, Maggio meaning the month of May and formaggio meaning cheese. Sadly not a good day for the festival.

Some say it was a piece of electioneering by one of the mayoral candidates on voting weekend which is illegal...................

We went in early this morning to see what was going on but it was a bit too early as most stallholders were still setting up. However we did meet a couple from Montefalco who were selling beer from their micro brewery. I have to try it but will let you know.