What a year! 2023 definitely had its ups and downs. Hubby and I worked hard. We built things, fixed things, replaced things and turned a rather neglected house into a beautiful home. It was a challenge, but one we enjoyed. Neighbours soon became friends, and stopped by to talk to us as we worked.
“You are bringing this house back to life.” They told us. That meant a lot to us. It made us feel accepted.
The house is warming to us, literally! Last winter we struggled with the big log fire and back boiler, but got used to it and now it works perfectly. It heats the whole house.
The area fits us like a glove. Its beautiful old towns, villages, and beach resorts are fun to explore. We’re settled and feel part of the local community. On her recent visit, our daughter was amazed at the diversity of the area, and friendliness of the locals. She can’t wait to come back.
This year I worked on the downstairs rooms, with a view to renting them out as an Airbnb! Then, when I’d finished, and saw how lovely they looked, I decided against it. The rooms are homely and inviting, and just the sort of place to welcome friends and family.
On Sunday December 31st I woke up feeling achy and tired…it seems hubby shared his cold/flu with me. I’m not coughing or sneezing, just achy. For lunch I cooked a hearty beef stew with lentils (Lenticchie). In Italy, eating lentils on New Years Eve is a tradition, and believed to bring good luck for the coming year. A little good luck never hurt anyone.
The last day of 2023 dawned beautiful and bright! What will next year bring? We’ll have to wait and see.
Our garden is starting to bloom. I’m planting things I know will come back every year and also trying to incorporate the wildflowers already growing there. It’s not a garden of neat borders and perfect grass, but a mountainside haven to be left as natural as possible.
Gabriela and her mum stopped by on Friday morning. It was good to see them both. Gabriela’s mum is in her mid eighties, but looks at least ten years younger than that. She is an amazing woman. They both inspected our garden, eager to see what we’d been up to. Like all Italians, they wanted to know how much we’d paid for everything, in particular our garden furniture, and approved my “Assassino” bargains. I was told I should plant some fruit trees. I like that idea. They approved the woodshed hubby built, and the flowers I’ve planted, asking if I’d used seeds or seedlings. They accepted my invitation to Lunch in July. I’ll cook English Cuisine. I wonder how they’ll react to Scotch Eggs and Cottage Pie! “È un giorno speciale, festeggi qualcosa?” Gabriela asked if we were celebrating something. “Sì, ti festeggiamo.” I replied we were celebrating her. Gabriela has helped us tremendously since we moved here. She has introduced us to other people, who in turn have helped us pull this house together. Changing the LPG gas to Metano, finding a reliable firewood supplier, introducing me to a good physiotherapist, to name but a few. As she left she said: “Questa casa era morta, l’hai riportata in vita!” (Before we moved into our house, it was dead and we’ve brought it back to life.) Those words touched me. Many locals have stopped by and chatted, watching us as we work, and I can tell they appreciate what we’ve done. It makes us feel part of the community. I think we belong here.
On Friday I decided to relax and do nothing…yeah, right!By 8:30 I’d already done laundry and hung it out to dry and practiced Italian for thirty minutes. The weather was a little unpredictable with thunder showers promised, so I enjoyed a morning walk for a change. I’m glad I did because the wind was ferocious in the afternoon, with heavy showers at times.
We first viewed this house a little over a year ago, and today I looked at the original photos we took. The bedrooms were full of furniture, way too much furniture in fact, but the living room was very bare and sad looking. It’s only contents, a very small sofa, a chair, a TV and a couple of cabinets. It wasn’t personalised at all. Granted, it was a vacation home and the previous owners only stayed here for a week during the summer, and then not every year. There were no window dressings anywhere. The views are gorgeous and I didn’t want to hide them, but those views did need to be framed. Cushions, throws, rugs, artwork and personal items (and our own furniture of course) help make this house ours. You can’t transform a house overnight, and we’re still working on it, but it does feel more like home now. Hopefully we have a lot of years ahead of us to finish the job.
I was good to my word today…relaxation all the way. I thought about baking, but it remained just that, a thought. The wind has calmed a little so I may go for another walk…or I may just stay home and enjoy the afternoon.
Have a lovely weekend everyone, and remember to relax!
The countryside around me definitely sets the mood for Thanksgiving. Persimmons, golden leaves, swirling mists. Its picture perfect. Will we celebrate Thanksgiving here in Abruzzo? I’m not too sure, but we will definitely celebrate hubby’s Birthday, which is the day after. The seasons are very distinct and beautiful here in Abruzzo.
Colorado could bring us temperatures in the upper seventies and eighties for Thanksgiving, followed by a blizzard the next day. You never knew what you were going to get. It was unpredictable and fun. I’ve seen Summer and Autumn here in Teramo Province, I can’t say I’m looking forward to winter because it’s my least favourite season, but I am looking forward to Spring.
On Wednesday I visited Prima Donna (hair salon/parrucchiere) for my second hair cut with Rosella, different style, but another great job. Afterwards, I found some lace curtains to frame the balcony door in our bedroom. I didn’t want to hide my morning view, but needed to soften the lines of the room. They look lovely. I’m finally slowing down a little and not setting out on a frantic search to find things. Just happening on them in the normal course of my travels. Perfection, after all takes time, and I have plenty of that.
I can’t resist a good sunrise, and the one above got me out of bed as soon as I opened my eyes this morning. Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve been lazy lately, and just taking photos with my iPhone, but I think this morning’s view has persuaded me to break out my camera again. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone takes great pics, but definitely doesn’t capture the sharpness and detail that my camera does.
Photos above are the church in Cerqueto, lunch (pranzo) room in Hotel Miami, shopping in Citta Delle Stelle and finally….home! Still a few hiccups to take care of, but it’s home! In Colledimezzo I became known for my afternoon walks. Almost every day on my way across the piazza, I’d stop and talk to the locals, who’d ask, “Stai andando a fare una passeggiata?” (are you going for a walk). Here there is no piazza to pass through on my way, but I’m greeted by others who enjoy walking too! It’s a wonderful way to get to know people. Now I alternate between walking with riding my bike, but I’m still greeted by everyone I pass. On Tuesday, after a busy day of chores, I went for a thirty minute ride, uphill towards the ski resort of Monte Piselli. I rode through the village of Cerqueto, where my friend Gabriella lives. On my way back I stopped and chatted with her and her 84 year old mum. I’m not fluent in Italian yet, so sometimes the conversation takes an interesting turn, but I’m getting there. Which ever way you take your outdoor exercise, it makes you feel good and gets you out of the house, it’s also a great way to meet people…well that and hanging out the washing. That seems to attract conversation from passers by too! I had a long chat with and elderly lady from Piano San Pietro on Monday morning. I told her I spoke very little Italian, but it didn’t seem to matter, she continued to talk, but very clearly. I understood most of her words. “Per quanto tempo si ferma?” She asked me (how long are you staying?). “Sono residente, vivo qui.” I replied (I live here). She liked that answer a lot. “Il tuo giardino è carino, mi piacciono i fiori.” She also liked we were making the garden pretty, and said the house looked clean. Little by little I’m getting to know the area and its characters, and enjoying every minute of it.
On Wednesday morning it was time to do a little shopping. We’ve been putting off shopping for furniture, not big furniture, just bits and bobs to accessorise rooms. A small bookshelf and a mirror were at the top of my list. We found them both in one of my favourite little stores (CASA) in Citta Delle Stelle. They were a bargain at less than €150 for both…and a set of cooling trays. All that shopping made us hungry so we stopped off at Hotel Miami in Villa Lempa for a “workers lunch.” Another bargain. €15 each for a delicious lunch of pasta, meat, wine and dessert. We’ll be back for sure.
The first photo above is my favourite walnut tree. This tree was being choked by a prickly blackberry bush. It took a great deal of work to get it free, but doesn’t it look happy now? I’ve transformed part of the grassed area into a rockery, using marble, travertine and granite that someone had dumped on the side of the road. Never has such fancy stones in a rockery. In October I’ll plant bulbs ready for the spring. There is no denying that I love this house, it’s garden and its amazing view, but it has really given us a work out. First we had gas, but no water, then we had water, but no gas. For some reason our boiler decides to switch itself off at the same time every single night. No one, including the boiler technician, could work out why it was happening… It is IMPOSSIBLE! Smart guy though, he thought it through and realised what the problem was, although he didn’t know how to fix it. When it gets dark and all the lights go on around us, the power supply to our sensitive boiler drops, causing it to switch off with an error that can’t be re-set. It switches itself on again the next morning when daylight returns. Electrician visiting today (we hope). Wednesday. morning turned into a flurry of activity for many reasons, but it was productive. I met my good friend Gabriella in the local hardware store and got the name tile ordered for our house. Villa Joanna My daughter now has a house named after her! I think she is slightly embarrassed, but allowing me to do it! Next year, if my B&B plans work, she’ll have a B&B named after her too! I think the name has a nice ring to it! Wednesday afternoon found me in Ascoli Piceno because we needed a strong table for our terrace. Brico has a great end of season sale, so I took advantage of it and bought a strong metal table for half price. Of course it was too big to get in the car, and I couldn’t unscrew the legs because I didn’t have an alum key. A nice young lady in Brico unscrewed the legs for me, and helped me carry it to the car. Brava signorina! I decided to take a different road home from Ascoli…the back way, and of course got lost. It’s not hard to do on the rambling country roads of Abruzzo. The road became very narrow, and turned into a gravel track. Done this before and know when its best to turn around. It was a pretty drive!
And now, here I am, on the terrace, glass of wine on the new table assembled by hubby. He’s downstairs organising the garage a bit with some hooks I bought for the garden tools, then we’ll relax and enjoy the view.
It’s been a while since I wandered the cobbled streets of Colledimezzo.
Three months in fact
So much has happened
The world has changed
Can’t wait to be back
It’s been a while since I gazed on the mountains and tree covered hills of Abruzzo
But the memory is so strong
I smell the scent of woodsmoke and fresh mountain air
And meatballs and spaghetti and lamb and sweet delights
Can’t wait to be back
It’s been a while since I hugged my friends in Colledimezzo
Enjoyed their laughter
Reveled in their kindness
Enjoyed their warm hospitality
I’ll be back as soon as I can
Had a small addition built onto our walk out basement. It’s almost done and going to be beautiful, but with any construction there comes mess. Hopefully after today the mess will be gone.
Can’t wait to landscape with rock, flat stones and Italian pots….photos to come.
Love doing things like this!
Wish I could say its been easy! I’ve learned a lot from this process. More than I ever wanted to know.
All I can think of now is……this mess will soon be gone!
Travel Tales and Mishaps 