This morning I went downstairs for a shower. Hardly headline news you might think, but having waited a year for a set of stairs, and after yesterday having the skeleton of stairs in situ, it felt pretty good to be padding down the stairs in my slippers to have a shower.
The guys came yesterday to install the frame of the stairs and made more mess than would seem humanely possible for 2 individuals (I am not counting the third guy who just stood there in the doorway, planning the weekend's social calendar). But having spent 4 hours or so cleaning up, it is now looking squeeky clean again downstairs, and the stairs are getting a good polish from my slippers as I gingerly make my way up and down them.
I had planned to go to Macerata today and pick up someof the documents that I need, but there is a fog so thick it is impossible to see the trees at the end of the road, so I am choosing instead to update this blog, and then to go back and light another fire... When the weather gets better I want to take my new camera for a test drive to the mountains, but for now it is the indoor settings that are getting more of a dry run.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Lessons in Firestarting
Today the wood came for the fire. In a masterpiece of driving Andrea, my neighbour, backed his enormous tractor straight into the garage and me and him and his Dad spent the enext 2 hours unloading the wood and restacking it in the corner of the garage where it lives waiting to be burnt. I had bought the minimum order of 20 quintales - not entirely sure what that measurement relates to in a language that anyone else would understand, but the fact that it took 3 of us working non-stop for 2 hours to unload and stack it should give an idea of the amount of wood I now have.
The 2 hours passed quite quickly though. Used to office work or being on the computer, there is something rather wonderful about working with my hands when I am here inSarnano, whether that is happily muddling around in the garden or stacking wood in the garage. It surely makes a change.
I am onlysorry that I do not understand more dialect - Andrea's Dad had a sparkle in his eye and from what I understood was telling me no end of salatious gossip about people I don't know - but I was missing the crucial words. He laughed a lot though!
Andrea also gave me a lesson in wood. I am burning mainly Acacia and Oak, and another pale wood that I don't know the word for in English. But he warned me of the perils of lighting chestnut, which apparantly spews streams of hot rocks all over the place in little explosions - they told me a metre of spitting embers was very possible and that you should only burn chestnut if you want speckled curtains! (I don't!)
The 2 hours passed quite quickly though. Used to office work or being on the computer, there is something rather wonderful about working with my hands when I am here inSarnano, whether that is happily muddling around in the garden or stacking wood in the garage. It surely makes a change.
I am onlysorry that I do not understand more dialect - Andrea's Dad had a sparkle in his eye and from what I understood was telling me no end of salatious gossip about people I don't know - but I was missing the crucial words. He laughed a lot though!
Andrea also gave me a lesson in wood. I am burning mainly Acacia and Oak, and another pale wood that I don't know the word for in English. But he warned me of the perils of lighting chestnut, which apparantly spews streams of hot rocks all over the place in little explosions - they told me a metre of spitting embers was very possible and that you should only burn chestnut if you want speckled curtains! (I don't!)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Holding my breath...
Allegedly many things will happen this week.
A man popped around yesterday with an electronic tape measure to take the dimensions of the stairs. He says they will be fitted tomorrow..... I can't believe its really true, but lets see...
The documents I need from the tribunale in Macerata are all supposed to be ready to collect on Friday - 3 days processing which is a bureaucratic record!
I hope that the wood I ordered for the fire will arrive - its pretty chilly without it!
But at the same time the weather is supposed to warm up a bit, so maybe by the time it arrives I won't need it!
And someone is coming to talk to me about doing the garden, that they volunteered for!
All very strange, and I am still a little doubtful that so much progress can be made in a week. If the internet is really connected on Tuesday then I might just have to sit down from the shock of it all!
On the culinary front it is also an interesting week. On Sunday I bought a fresh truffle from the market here in Sarnano - I am planning to call around my friends for some recipes later on. And this Sunday I have been invited to a restaurant outside of Communanza which is run by two English guys for a roast dinner.
There is also another culinary experience planned. If the stairs are really installed I plan to invite people round, roast some chestnuts on the fire and hold a stair party! Watch this space!
A man popped around yesterday with an electronic tape measure to take the dimensions of the stairs. He says they will be fitted tomorrow..... I can't believe its really true, but lets see...
The documents I need from the tribunale in Macerata are all supposed to be ready to collect on Friday - 3 days processing which is a bureaucratic record!
I hope that the wood I ordered for the fire will arrive - its pretty chilly without it!
But at the same time the weather is supposed to warm up a bit, so maybe by the time it arrives I won't need it!
And someone is coming to talk to me about doing the garden, that they volunteered for!
All very strange, and I am still a little doubtful that so much progress can be made in a week. If the internet is really connected on Tuesday then I might just have to sit down from the shock of it all!
On the culinary front it is also an interesting week. On Sunday I bought a fresh truffle from the market here in Sarnano - I am planning to call around my friends for some recipes later on. And this Sunday I have been invited to a restaurant outside of Communanza which is run by two English guys for a roast dinner.
There is also another culinary experience planned. If the stairs are really installed I plan to invite people round, roast some chestnuts on the fire and hold a stair party! Watch this space!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Snowy Sarnano
I have been looking all week for excuses to escape unpacking the bags at my house. These have been many and varied, from lunch by the lake, to horseriding. The weather has been gorgeous and I have been able to get out and about in the fresh mountain air.
All week though, people have been telling me that the weather would change, so I was not exactly suirprised when, at lunchtime today the rain turned to hail and then to snow. Now recovering from horseriding and keeping the fire going as the snow and hail are coming down are on the list.
Slowly slowly I am working my way through the bags too, and doing other useful things to get organised - the internet should be available at my house from the 30th of October, so the revenue of the internet point in Sarnano will go through the floor! I will also have a home telephone apparantly... The stairs which are currently a year late will be in place by the end of next week according to the mysetery carpenter who rang me the other day. I'll believe it when I see it and not before!! The lawn is cut, and I have planted flowers. There is more wood for the fire on the way. Its amazing how fast the days seem to fly by, with so little things done frommy to do list. Goodness only knows what I am going to do when I get back to work!
On today's list, my biggest challenge is to beg and plead with the proprietors of Sticky Fingers, our local pub, to show the Rugby World Cup Final at 9pm, instead of having the Inter football game on all three of their tellies.... And to find a way to keep warm with the temperatures continuing to plummet. I did have a help on this last point, when Fabrizio, who delivered my new washing machine yesterday, gave me a few hot roasted chestnuts as I walked past him on the street. If the temperatures did not give it away the chestnuts are a sure sign that the winter is here.
All week though, people have been telling me that the weather would change, so I was not exactly suirprised when, at lunchtime today the rain turned to hail and then to snow. Now recovering from horseriding and keeping the fire going as the snow and hail are coming down are on the list.
Slowly slowly I am working my way through the bags too, and doing other useful things to get organised - the internet should be available at my house from the 30th of October, so the revenue of the internet point in Sarnano will go through the floor! I will also have a home telephone apparantly... The stairs which are currently a year late will be in place by the end of next week according to the mysetery carpenter who rang me the other day. I'll believe it when I see it and not before!! The lawn is cut, and I have planted flowers. There is more wood for the fire on the way. Its amazing how fast the days seem to fly by, with so little things done frommy to do list. Goodness only knows what I am going to do when I get back to work!
On today's list, my biggest challenge is to beg and plead with the proprietors of Sticky Fingers, our local pub, to show the Rugby World Cup Final at 9pm, instead of having the Inter football game on all three of their tellies.... And to find a way to keep warm with the temperatures continuing to plummet. I did have a help on this last point, when Fabrizio, who delivered my new washing machine yesterday, gave me a few hot roasted chestnuts as I walked past him on the street. If the temperatures did not give it away the chestnuts are a sure sign that the winter is here.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Together again in Trieste
After a great vacation in Hong Kong, time for yet another get-together - this time back in Trieste for Barcolana, the yacht race.
Trieste seemed quiet when we arrived on Saturday afternoon from Udine, but by the evening the town was packed solid with those who were to take part in the race, and those who were just there to join the party. Not even the arrival of the Bora which whipped through Piazza Unita bringing freezing cold winds could spoil the party - although it did mean that we had to shelter in Mandracchio until the early hours of Sunday morning!
With huge thanks to Dodi who put us all up at her house, we woke on Sunday morning and got as far as the garden to drink coffee and watch the boats. Trieste is a beautiful city at any time, but for Barcolana, when the sun is shining and all of the bay is filled with yachts - this year 1400 registered for the race - it is more special than ever. Even more so when it gives us another excuse to get together!
The journey back to Marche was pretty horrendous - partly because I was so tired and partly as the traffic near the Padova roadworks meant that I was stuck in solid traffic for 2 hours more or less, but it was still worth it.
The next few weeks are destined to be fairly dull - I need to organise the house - but one of the main jobs on the list is to try to get an internet line, so that, with any luck, I can stop having to come to the internet cafe!
Trieste seemed quiet when we arrived on Saturday afternoon from Udine, but by the evening the town was packed solid with those who were to take part in the race, and those who were just there to join the party. Not even the arrival of the Bora which whipped through Piazza Unita bringing freezing cold winds could spoil the party - although it did mean that we had to shelter in Mandracchio until the early hours of Sunday morning!
With huge thanks to Dodi who put us all up at her house, we woke on Sunday morning and got as far as the garden to drink coffee and watch the boats. Trieste is a beautiful city at any time, but for Barcolana, when the sun is shining and all of the bay is filled with yachts - this year 1400 registered for the race - it is more special than ever. Even more so when it gives us another excuse to get together!
The journey back to Marche was pretty horrendous - partly because I was so tired and partly as the traffic near the Padova roadworks meant that I was stuck in solid traffic for 2 hours more or less, but it was still worth it.
The next few weeks are destined to be fairly dull - I need to organise the house - but one of the main jobs on the list is to try to get an internet line, so that, with any luck, I can stop having to come to the internet cafe!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Juxtaposition Again
The smaller domed building is our legislative council HQ - like the parliament - and one of the oldest buildings now still standing - as it was built in 1912 as the Supreme Court, by the architect who also worked on the V&A museum in London, and on a part of the facade of Buckingham Palace.
Slightly to the left, and the water, is the famous Mandarin Oriental, which has just been overhauled, and the truly sky-scraping International Finance Centre - home to banks, offices, luxury shops, restaurants and bars, and the very swanky Four Seasons hotel.
The contrast continues with the pint-sized ex-Bank of China HQ - now home to David Tang's China Club - nestling next to the HSBC Headquarters - my first experience of Sir Norman Foster's design capabilities and which caused quite a stir when it opened in the 80s.
Inside the bank, another relationship of close proximity that caught my eye. Presumably for National Day (October 1st), the bank had hung China and Hong Kong flags side by side across the entrance way. This serves to highlight the planned similarities between the 2 emblems, the colours, the stars, as well as the marked difference. Not the bauhinia, but the size of the HK flag, which must, by law, be smaller that the one of the Mainland.
Florence in Hong Kong
This image of the Fleur-de-Lys on the gates of the HK Scout Association premises reminded me straight away of the Residence Il Giglio in Florence, with coffee at Villani and the roar of the purple and gold-clad crowd when Fiorentina are playing at home.....
Contrasts in Central Hong Kong
The image that people see of Hong Kong internationally is that of the high rises in the heart of the city centre. Many friends to whom I have shown my pics of Hong Kong in the past are surprised by the amount of greenery on the island, and certainly by the beaches and hills. 
To me the side by side relationship between old and new, man-made and constructed is one of the things that makes Hong Kong special. Even in the heart of the city you can find old buildings, not many - but they are there, and the majestic Banyan Trees with their weeping roots that passers-by touch for luck, meaning that sometimes they have the look of split ends before a good trim!
The lady in the picture is one of the fairly recent stained glass windows inside of St John's Cathedral in Central. An old cathedral, in a truly modern city needs to be a bit different. In addition to having the stained glass Hakka woman you see in the picture, the cathedral is also being used by the people of Hong Kong for various functions. In addition to the normal weddings etc, there was recently a U2 cover band concert.
Only in Hong Kong!
To me the side by side relationship between old and new, man-made and constructed is one of the things that makes Hong Kong special. Even in the heart of the city you can find old buildings, not many - but they are there, and the majestic Banyan Trees with their weeping roots that passers-by touch for luck, meaning that sometimes they have the look of split ends before a good trim!
The lady in the picture is one of the fairly recent stained glass windows inside of St John's Cathedral in Central. An old cathedral, in a truly modern city needs to be a bit different. In addition to having the stained glass Hakka woman you see in the picture, the cathedral is also being used by the people of Hong Kong for various functions. In addition to the normal weddings etc, there was recently a U2 cover band concert.
Only in Hong Kong!
Wanchai sights
Wanchai is Hong Kong Island's red light district, but also full of every other kind of drinking and dancing establishment you can think of.
In the day it is great for the market, and the restaurants and tea places work 24/7. The tea place in the pic here was a favourite on the Chris Patten circuit when he was Governor, and the faded South China Morning Post pictures of him still adorn the walls.
The wider variety in Wanchai's nighttime appeal however is hinted at by the sign boards. Club Show Biz has been a long time institution that was famously dubbed Club Show-Your-Bits when I was at school here, on the account of the fact that one night when the US Navy were in town, the Military Police went in for a check on the crew and left the curtain open. Meaning those of us in the street over the road were able to have a clear view of the bits on show inside!
Talking of Hong Kong institutions, I was surprised to see that the famous Ricky and Pinky tattoo parlour is now called Ricky Tattoo.... If anyone knows what happened to Pinky, please let me know!
Friday, October 05, 2007
Winter is here
In Hong Kong winter starts after Mid Autumn Lantern Festival.
The festival was last week and there are a few unmistakeable signs that the season has changed.
Certainly the weather is not one of them.. As I am typing this, the sun is shining and the sky would be blue except for the haze. Yesterday it was 32 degrees.
But the air conditioning system on the MTR (our underground trains) is off.
And yesterday, the most obvious sign of all.
The first roasted chestnut and sweet potato seller of the year.
Conservation at last
Hong Kong is great at building new buildings - mega structures in glass and steel, with awe-inspiring views and spectacular light displays as soon as the sun sets.
This often means however that the traditional architecture is trashed.
Before I left for Italy, I was horrified to see the familiar relocation notices stapled onto the side of my favourite old Chinese building in Wanchai. Opposite the Southern Playground rubbish dump (ugh) this pawn shop and collection of random small shops had nothing special about it before, other than that it was old, and I always thought it had wonderful potential. My poor Mum had to listen to the 15 minute version of what they could do with the building other than knock it down - with a restaurant being my favourite choice.
I was absoultely thrilled to see yesterday that someone has in fact taken the time to restore this building. No longer nestled in next to the bird shop, so missing the tweeting and squawking that has been its soundtrack for years, it is somehow even more endearing as it is juxtaposed next to a steel and glass skyscraper.
Whoever listened to the pleas and saved it - thank you.
Pics of Hong Kong
When you feel at home in a place you tend to look at it and not see it. This is one of the reasons that I have always loved taking pictures, looking out for something interesting to shoot keeps your perspective fresh, and you continue to seethings that otherwise you would miss out on.
Here are some of the results of me having a proper look at Wanchai yesterday...
This sign in the market made me smile. The meat may be fresh, but somehow didn't look very appetising!
These shoes are a familiar sight to any long-term Hong Konger. They used to be easy to find, in China Products, in the days before everything became a China product making the store superfluous. I have never seen this particular brand name before though!
The barbecued meat stalls are ever popular, and although I am not a huge fan (unless it is in the middle of Dim Sum - Char Sui Bao - BBQ pork buns - are divine!) the colours, smells and queues at these shops are always a sight to see.
The ubiquitous Chinese medicine shop in Wanchai - also getting less and less in number. This one has a bone setter, or Chinese herbalist, running a clinic at the back, past the dried antlers and sea horses, the seaweed and pulses, and the sharks fins in the window. What I really need to capture though is the smell - and I can't do that here, even in words! It's a particular earthy, herby, flowery, musky combination - that I don't think any Parisian perfumer would chose to bottle!
In the middle of the market we spotted the scaffolding going up on this building the old fashioned way - bamboo and raffia string. The men that do this work are amazing - climbing like acrobats without safety harnesses, swinging through the bamboo and hauling up the next piece for their mate to tie on above. Cirque de Soleil is nothing compared to these guys!
The freshness of the things in the market always impresses me, the veg are wonderfully bright green, and the poultry so fresh it is still alive in many cases! These birds hanging up looked comical though, like some kind of avian judging panel! If you peer between the dried salted fish, the stall holder is using the old catty weighing scales. And as for the 'one only' sign on the 1000 year old eggs - what surprises me is that anyone would want even one of these - certainly the number of people buying two would be limited enough that I would have thought the sign unnecessary! (For the uninitiated, these eggs are not 1000 years old, but certainly many days. The fresh eggs are taken, packed in mud, then eaten once the yolk has set to the consistency of a jelly bean. Not my thing!)
In this old shop house in Wanchai, the proprietor lives upstairs (you can see the tip of the bamboo ladder in the top left of the picture) - it like the house equivalent of a bunk bed - shop downstairs, living up. Hanging up are Dim Sum baskets, ready for a myriad of uses from steaming breakfast buns in Hong Kong, to holding chocolates at Christmas for Hong Kongers in Italy! The one I bought (for a bred basket) needs to be sanded down as the bamboo is fraying, but the lady running the shop dismissed my concerns instantly, telling me that even if I ate the bits fraying off the side, there was no problem.
The fact that this man's hand is blurred as he chops the sugar cane does nothing to indicate the speed at which the knife was flying. I loved the stacks of eggs behind him too!
At the exit of the market, and currently covered by bamboo scaffolding, is the stall where people buy incense and offerings to burn at temples. The head of the lion above the stall is a new feature, and seemed a fitting marker for the beginning of the market.
Here are some of the results of me having a proper look at Wanchai yesterday...
This sign in the market made me smile. The meat may be fresh, but somehow didn't look very appetising!
These shoes are a familiar sight to any long-term Hong Konger. They used to be easy to find, in China Products, in the days before everything became a China product making the store superfluous. I have never seen this particular brand name before though!
The barbecued meat stalls are ever popular, and although I am not a huge fan (unless it is in the middle of Dim Sum - Char Sui Bao - BBQ pork buns - are divine!) the colours, smells and queues at these shops are always a sight to see.
The ubiquitous Chinese medicine shop in Wanchai - also getting less and less in number. This one has a bone setter, or Chinese herbalist, running a clinic at the back, past the dried antlers and sea horses, the seaweed and pulses, and the sharks fins in the window. What I really need to capture though is the smell - and I can't do that here, even in words! It's a particular earthy, herby, flowery, musky combination - that I don't think any Parisian perfumer would chose to bottle!
In the middle of the market we spotted the scaffolding going up on this building the old fashioned way - bamboo and raffia string. The men that do this work are amazing - climbing like acrobats without safety harnesses, swinging through the bamboo and hauling up the next piece for their mate to tie on above. Cirque de Soleil is nothing compared to these guys!
The freshness of the things in the market always impresses me, the veg are wonderfully bright green, and the poultry so fresh it is still alive in many cases! These birds hanging up looked comical though, like some kind of avian judging panel! If you peer between the dried salted fish, the stall holder is using the old catty weighing scales. And as for the 'one only' sign on the 1000 year old eggs - what surprises me is that anyone would want even one of these - certainly the number of people buying two would be limited enough that I would have thought the sign unnecessary! (For the uninitiated, these eggs are not 1000 years old, but certainly many days. The fresh eggs are taken, packed in mud, then eaten once the yolk has set to the consistency of a jelly bean. Not my thing!)
In this old shop house in Wanchai, the proprietor lives upstairs (you can see the tip of the bamboo ladder in the top left of the picture) - it like the house equivalent of a bunk bed - shop downstairs, living up. Hanging up are Dim Sum baskets, ready for a myriad of uses from steaming breakfast buns in Hong Kong, to holding chocolates at Christmas for Hong Kongers in Italy! The one I bought (for a bred basket) needs to be sanded down as the bamboo is fraying, but the lady running the shop dismissed my concerns instantly, telling me that even if I ate the bits fraying off the side, there was no problem.
The fact that this man's hand is blurred as he chops the sugar cane does nothing to indicate the speed at which the knife was flying. I loved the stacks of eggs behind him too!
At the exit of the market, and currently covered by bamboo scaffolding, is the stall where people buy incense and offerings to burn at temples. The head of the lion above the stall is a new feature, and seemed a fitting marker for the beginning of the market.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
At Home in Hong Kong
I'm back in Hong Kong - and feeling in a way like I have never been away. I should start making a list of the things that I want to do here when I am away in Italy. Because when I come back, I slot right back into the old routine, and am sure that on my return to Italy once more I will be thinking about all the things I forgot to do!
One thing I always remember, because its one thing I really miss, is the sampling of various gastronomic delights that you simply can't get in Europe. In the first few days since Cathay Business Class dropped me safely off at Chek Lap Kok (and for free - brilliant!) my culinary safari has included Thai curry, Singapore noodles, Egyptian mezze, Cantonese Dim Sum, Japanese everything (the new Zuma - wow! - for the food, the location, the people AND the prices!) and a wonderful biryani at my favourite Indian restaurant.
I have seen a load of friends, and am meeting more still at the weekend. Yesterday I played the crocodile game with my lovely goddaughter Samantha, and Josh her gorgeous big brother, up at the Cricket Club, running around on the grass. Monday, National Day, Dad and I went for a walk in the country park, hills, reservoirs and birdsong - just lovely.
I have also done a huge list of things from my to-do list - and being in Italy makes me fully appreciate once again how easy life can be here in Asia - and especially in Hong Kong. I have put my laptop in for some love and attention (a full service and repair), replaced my lost sim card, ordered new glasses, solved banking issues and reactivated my club membership. All in the space of about 2 days! Hong Kong is wonderful for this stuff, life is so easy to organise!
The food, the shopping, the ease of life, and especially the friends are all things that I pine for. But overall, life in Italy is pretty great. And I am lucky enough to call Hong Kong home, so feel like I can always come back....
Another note for today as its Becky's birthday. I am very lucky as she flew down from Beijing to see me when I arrived a few days ago, so I had a chance to wish her a wonderful day
Which is lucky, because triestetrasmissione is banned in China!
One thing I always remember, because its one thing I really miss, is the sampling of various gastronomic delights that you simply can't get in Europe. In the first few days since Cathay Business Class dropped me safely off at Chek Lap Kok (and for free - brilliant!) my culinary safari has included Thai curry, Singapore noodles, Egyptian mezze, Cantonese Dim Sum, Japanese everything (the new Zuma - wow! - for the food, the location, the people AND the prices!) and a wonderful biryani at my favourite Indian restaurant.
I have seen a load of friends, and am meeting more still at the weekend. Yesterday I played the crocodile game with my lovely goddaughter Samantha, and Josh her gorgeous big brother, up at the Cricket Club, running around on the grass. Monday, National Day, Dad and I went for a walk in the country park, hills, reservoirs and birdsong - just lovely.
I have also done a huge list of things from my to-do list - and being in Italy makes me fully appreciate once again how easy life can be here in Asia - and especially in Hong Kong. I have put my laptop in for some love and attention (a full service and repair), replaced my lost sim card, ordered new glasses, solved banking issues and reactivated my club membership. All in the space of about 2 days! Hong Kong is wonderful for this stuff, life is so easy to organise!
The food, the shopping, the ease of life, and especially the friends are all things that I pine for. But overall, life in Italy is pretty great. And I am lucky enough to call Hong Kong home, so feel like I can always come back....
Another note for today as its Becky's birthday. I am very lucky as she flew down from Beijing to see me when I arrived a few days ago, so I had a chance to wish her a wonderful day
Which is lucky, because triestetrasmissione is banned in China!
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