The boys are very happy, Jayne is happy and so l am happy. It is lovely to look out some of the windows down onto a garden and trees, to hear the birds, and see the snow fall as we did last week.
On the sport front, the boys are getting better everytime at calcio (soccer) and thankfully with this new club (Bologna) they play every weekend. The only problem, l seem to every week make a mistake with the navigator, or the 24 hour clock system and arrive a bit close to time or like last week, thinking l was there 30 minutes before, finding out l was 30 minutes late. Though the boys do worry a bit that they wont be any good at aussie rules, l keep telling them they might play soccer when they get back instead, as they probably will be the best!
On the art front, l have been busy in the studio, with shows in Hong Kong, Australia, and Bologna booked for next year. The work is very clear and directional now, working in many mediums all in the one group of work, you will have to wait to see it , to believe it!!!
The New Zealanders left, which was a sudden change, as they were going back to NZ just for xmas, then off to Brussels, but business is business and it appears they may now stay in NZ. The boys and we were sad to see them leave as they were very helpful to us in the beginning and always good for a laugh, so fare well, Blair, Rachel, Ben, Josh and Brily.
I turned 50, and so much unlike my 40th, l celebrated with 50 close Italian friends, with a few outsiders thrown in. We had it at the new house, and ended up finding an Australian who has been here for 10 years to cater for it, everyone loved the food, and obviously the wine as we ran out. I made the big effort to get some grappa as the Italians like to drink it at the end of a meal, and it does make sense, as long as you only have one, it aides the digestion. But no one drank it, so l can only imagine there were some upset stomachs the next day. I got some lovely scarfs, hats and champagne. The family got me this terrific life size skull in Egyptian blue, l am not sure if it is meant to resemble me, but l have a hankering to rehearse the lines from Hamlet when l see it. A lovely surprise was Gitte was able to make it along and stayed with us for 3 days, she has not changed and it was great to catch up, also Diego who helped us settle in and give us a letter of recommendation to stay here came down from the north, very brave of him, but he must have felt something, as he went back on the last train that night.
We have done a lot of school searching in the past few weeks, as we thought of pulling the boys out of the International school, and moving them to a school that gave them more Italian. But as we knocked over the possibilities, firstly Italian schools were going to be way to hard for them to learn the language and do the subjects in Italian, especially entering middle school. We then looked at a school that is sort of International, it works on a Swiss method, a guess typically neither here nor there when it comes to picking a side! Much as we loved the grounds and many of the teachers and some of their thoughts, we could not help wonder why there were no kids in the classrooms!
So they stay were they are, and l think just finalizing that with them, has helped, the anguish of not knowing what was going to happen in January was making them act a bit weird, or in Hunters case weirder.
So Santa is coming, and Hunter made up a list, cool pants, cool sunglasses, cool hat, and a fridge, yes a fridge for his room to keep his drinks cool, l cant help think he may have some of my not so perfect habits in him.
Ewan still is with the robots, though thankfully meccano seems to work quite well instead, especially if it has a motor, and cash. He is the realistic one.
We leave soon to go skiing in the dolomites again, but this time to San Cassiano for a week with some good friends of ours, Andre and Bereniese and their son. We then come back for new years eve here.
Its obviously cold now, and everyone has got their big fur coats, or puff jackets out, Bologna does do a beautiful job on street decorations, and all the shops look so lovely, especially with everyone out and about in their winter cloths, all looking rather smart.
Had a wonderful meal last night Max, my art historian took me out to his favourite restaurant, an old flour mill, that happened to be at the end of the road we lived in for two months when we got here, Via Malvolta, it is called Osteria Satyricon al Mulino Parisio, one of the best places l have been. Not expensive, small and cosy. had the best lasagna l have ever had, horse meat which didn't taste like horse meat, mind you what does that taste like, just meat, uncooked with some tabasco and onion. finished the night with a licorice liquor which was rather yummy.
So tata for now.
View of garden below
Kids playroom ceiling
Close up of dining room ceiling
The loungeroom ceiling
50 th birthday gift
