The school Summer Fair was due to take place on the last Saturday in May. I’m always happy to donate something fatto in casa (homemade) to these things, so the day before I baked my favourite Banana & Chocolate loaf and rustled up 40 Marshmallow Rice Krispie cakes. An hour later, the Fair was postponed for… Continue reading The Fair Weather Fair
Category: Living
Reading Ban = Limoncello Curd
So I’m following The Artist’s Way: a 12-week course to discover and free your creativity. Obviously, that sounds like a right load of New Age tosh but it’s an interesting read and has lots of exercises to get you started on writing, painting or whatever floats your creative boat. But last… Continue reading Reading Ban = Limoncello Curd
Sunday lunch Italiano style
A long, lazy Sunday lunch is a great tradition in Italy, a time to relax and catch up with friends or family, either at home or in a restaurant. We were feeling exceptionally Italiano yesterday so we headed out for lunch at Fregene, a small seaside resort about 25 miles west of Rome. Italian beaches… Continue reading Sunday lunch Italiano style
Marmite Spaghetti – perfect comfort food
We had a huge thunderstorm here a couple of nights ago with the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard crashing over our heads for what felt like hours. I’ve been surprised at just how many thunderstorms we get in Rome – more in the last six months than I experienced in the last six years… Continue reading Marmite Spaghetti – perfect comfort food
Strong stuff
Every time I start to think my Italian is improving, I’m reminded of why it’s really not. This morning after a cappuccino in my favourite bar, I said goodbye with a casual ‘ci vediamo dopo’ (‘see you later’). The barista responded by laughing and wobbling about pretending to be drunk. I then realised I’d said… Continue reading Strong stuff
Fragolo Cupcakes
I managed to lock myself out of the apartment yesterday, taking my carefully sorted recycling down to the bins. Major panic as I'd left a pan of home-made carrot soup bubbling on the hob. It was molto fun trying to ask for help from the old nonna downstairs, who doesn't speak a word of English… Continue reading Fragolo Cupcakes
Caffè time
One of the best things about living in Italy is the great coffee. I'm a cappuccino girl all the way and I go against the grain by having it 'molto caldo' ('very hot' - not luke warm like the Italians do) and I drink it in the afternoon which is also a no-no, as Italians… Continue reading Caffè time
Italian living and writing (or not)
Italian writing: living in a new country should provide the perfect inspiration to writing - yes? New experiences, new people, new language, new food. However, it doesn't seem to be working and I'm still halfway through the novel I started as part of NaNoWriMo...in 2011. Bought Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way' and have started writing… Continue reading Italian living and writing (or not)
