We just made it out of Cortona by the skin of our teeth before The Beast From The East arrived!!
(Finland just call it Wednesday)!!
But we never have been prepared for snow in this country. Half the fun is grumbling about the inconvenience.
Snow had been forecast for the days ahead but nobody expected temperatures of minus 14C! London almost came to a standstill and life proved to be quite difficult as we had a raft of appointments set up for the days ahead.
I will never forget a trip to the doctors in a wool coat which is normally just a ten minute walk to Sloane Street which turned into being akin to an expedition to the North Pole. I arrived at my destination and asked to take off my boots in case I ruined their new carpets. As I sat in the waiting room I slowly became aware that I was not only cold but that I was getting colder! The heater in the corner was blowing freezing air at the patients.
Everyone's boilers burst, the main water pipes under the pavements were gushing thousands of gallons of water onto the roads and freezing instantly. We had freezing rain and very soon the country ground to a halt. The television told stories of people sleeping in their cars for up to twenty four hours with even helicopters were unable to help as the traffic jams were miles long. Some good hearted local farmers were helping out and taking blankets and hot drinks to the stranded drivers but I couldn't imagine sitting in a freezing car for that length of time without petrol or heating!
Our boiler did hang in there but started making extraordinary noises in the night and the flat took about ten days to heat up after a long stretch of being empty even though the heating had been on for a week before our arrival.
I don't remember a colder spell in London. As someone said to me, "Putin and his damned country never send us anything pleasant!"
My white camellias in the little garden in front of the house were just beginning to open and have now turned a nasty shade of brown. Ditto everything else with any bodily feelings!
All the snow has now disappeared and we are left with very dirty roads and pavements. Photos from Italy show that they faired somewhat less harshly but a couple of days ago they had a horrendous hail storm which has damaged the main road outside the gate and will have knocked seven bells of hell out of any blossom that had the temerity to appear. No almonds or apricots this year!!!
We have seen James and Jude a couple of times for lunch and although we are all very sad about James and Lisa's divorce the little boy appeared to be in good spirits and had grown about a foot in height. We ate a lot of chocolate in lieu of Easter and Shelley Anne, and Annie Cleland joined us. The rest of the party were either stuck in Scotland unable to fly due to the snow, or unable to stand up on the snow covered pavements.
IT'S AND ILL WIND!
The kids who have never seen snow in this country have had a ball.
Putin has sent us another sign that he is stalking us! For months now his jets have been flying over British territory and Russian ships have been using the English Channel. Now he is sending bunches of flowers laced with Sarin nerve gas to kill off his ex-spies and their relations. They are even boasting about it on Russian television.
The sleepy southern town of Salisbury has been turned upside down by the suspected gassing of Sergei Skripal and his daughter during or after a lunch they had a few days ago. The news is full of highly trained nerve gas specialists in amazing protective clothing and breathing apparatus and the policeman who went to their assistance who gave them CPR is now on the danger list in hospital.
My father hated the Russians and was always predicting the end of western civilisation during the Cold War years. We had a lot of tin mines on our property in Cornwall and I distinctly remember him often telling our mother that she ought to be storing tinned food in them to assist our survival when the Russians finally arrived! I think he was only half joking.
Lunch yesterday in Beckenham with Aziz' parents. They are nearly ninety years of age but still have more vigour and verve than a couple half their age. Long may it last.
Today we are taking our friend and partner of Mike Wilson for lunch. Mike died last week and will be sorely missed by his many friends.
Sophie lives a few doors down in Eaton Place and will need all the help she deserves to mitigate the loss of her partner of twenty years.
MOTHER'S DAY. And I still miss her!
My card from James. Quite beautiful and will last a lot longer than a bunch of flowers.
As seen on a trip to The Brompton Heart Hospital the other day!!! When I arrived two young nurses stood brazenly beneath this sign openly smoking. I didn't want to get into a fight so when I came out and they had gone I thought it worth a photograph!
One more week to go and then back to Italy and my kitchen garden. Spring is around the corner and I have bought hundreds of packets of seeds. Goodness knows who is going to eat all the produce but it's such fun I cannot resist the urge.
Putin has sent us another sign that he is stalking us! For months now his jets have been flying over British territory and Russian ships have been using the English Channel. Now he is sending bunches of flowers laced with Sarin nerve gas to kill off his ex-spies and their relations. They are even boasting about it on Russian television.
The sleepy southern town of Salisbury has been turned upside down by the suspected gassing of Sergei Skripal and his daughter during or after a lunch they had a few days ago. The news is full of highly trained nerve gas specialists in amazing protective clothing and breathing apparatus and the policeman who went to their assistance who gave them CPR is now on the danger list in hospital.
My father hated the Russians and was always predicting the end of western civilisation during the Cold War years. We had a lot of tin mines on our property in Cornwall and I distinctly remember him often telling our mother that she ought to be storing tinned food in them to assist our survival when the Russians finally arrived! I think he was only half joking.
Lunch yesterday in Beckenham with Aziz' parents. They are nearly ninety years of age but still have more vigour and verve than a couple half their age. Long may it last.
Today we are taking our friend and partner of Mike Wilson for lunch. Mike died last week and will be sorely missed by his many friends.
Sophie lives a few doors down in Eaton Place and will need all the help she deserves to mitigate the loss of her partner of twenty years.
MOTHER'S DAY. And I still miss her!
My card from James. Quite beautiful and will last a lot longer than a bunch of flowers.
As seen on a trip to The Brompton Heart Hospital the other day!!! When I arrived two young nurses stood brazenly beneath this sign openly smoking. I didn't want to get into a fight so when I came out and they had gone I thought it worth a photograph!
One more week to go and then back to Italy and my kitchen garden. Spring is around the corner and I have bought hundreds of packets of seeds. Goodness knows who is going to eat all the produce but it's such fun I cannot resist the urge.
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