"Slowly but surely," is the answer. At the beginning stages of a house renovation, it's completely linear. Just bricks and mortar; walls and a roof. There's nothing else. It becomes frustrating because you can't say "well, these guys for X have been held up on another project so let's do Y, while we're waiting..." Now … Continue reading “How’s The House Coming Along?”
Since my last blog post just short of three weeks ago, I've barely been home. I've been to Florence, London, Milan and today I'm packing my bag again for a whirlwind weekend to Piedmont. I don't mean to show-off; I know I'm lucky to travel so much but when you're in a place for a … Continue reading Playing With Porridge Oats
Just one quick look at the calendar and you know this week is going to be amazing. I mean, it's not even once every hundred years that Valentine's Day and Pancake Day/Mardi Gras land on the very same day. I could have gone full out on the heart-shaped American style pancakes with maple syrup and … Continue reading “The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray”
It's now February. February! How did that happen? We're already a good chunk into what I still think of as the new year. I think it's because I am starting to feel increasingly settled here in Italy, the days are going faster, the evenings are getting longer but I sometimes feel that I let days slip … Continue reading How Is It February Already?
Yesterday was a beautiful, bright sunny day that had me thinking that spring might be just around the corner. It was one of those days when being outside in the sunshine was a million times better than being inside, stuck in front of a computer.
After the month-long festivities to celebrate Santa Lucia, then Christmas, New Year's Eve and finally la Befana (don't know who La Befana is? click here and read my last blog post) you would probably expect me to say that things were starting to quieten down and for this frigid winter to be tightening its icy grip. … Continue reading Frittelle for Carnevale
It's been a little while since my last update on the building works. Unfortunately, the reason largely lies in the fact that, through no fault of our own, we've been at a standstill throughout most of November and December. On the plus side, we ran into our team of builders at the Befana bonfire in … Continue reading Update on the Renovations
One of the things that I try really hard to impress upon visitors is how divided Italy is. Until very recently it was not one country and mobility between towns, cities and across mountain ranges was limited. As a result, regional traditions are more localised than you may have first imagined and remain very much … Continue reading Burning “La Befana” – Very Much A Local Tradition
Happy New Year's Eve! Or "la notte di San Silvestro" in Italian. Whether it's out partying or staying in wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa, I hope you're spending the last few hours of 2017 exactly as you want to spend them. I'm personally not much of a fan of New Year's Eve. … Continue reading New Year’s Eve in Italy… and the importance of lentils!
The final days of November always feel strange to me. It's this weird time of year when you're in limbo. My American friends have already made me hungry for turkey but yet it's still too early to really start the Christmas countdown: mince pies, festive music and twinkling lights. I don't recognise the Thanksgiving holiday … Continue reading Waiting for Advent
The Burnt Cream Blog 