After much thought I have decided not to fly back to Australia soon. My original flight home was to be on 20th June. That flight was cancelled by the airline and there was confusion over subsequent bookings. If I go home now I will have to isolate in a hotel room for 2 weeks, which holds no appeal at all.
My appointment at the Questura to renew my Permesso di Soggiorno is in mid August and I need to do that. There is also the possibility I might not be able to return to Italy in autumn as I planned to do. I am happy with my decision to stay in Italy, especially now that restrictions have loosened a bit.
We have guests arriving at Casa Debbio shortly and I will be moving down to our apartment in Bagni di Lucca. I am going to miss my garden. It has been wonderful to watch it grow this spring even though some days were very long indeed during the lockdown.
The garden looking better than ever with all the love and attention it has had from Filippo and me. We have planted some new things including more annuals than usual. We have big plans for some new garden beds in autumn…a garden is never finished.
I am delighted that both pergolas are now covered by wisteria. The one at the front of the house is a great place to enjoy meals, even better now with shade.
The views of the side garden from the pergola are lovely.
Grass is growing on the path up to the house…slowly.
The lavender on top of the rock wall is the first we planted and I am hoping the flowers will open soon.
There is a tiny daphne tucked in beside the first lavender. It has dozens of flowers opening now. The fragrance is delicious.
What began as a difficult area behind the house is now looking wonderful. I remember digging the holes above the wall to plant the bay trees. I think people from the village may have heard me every time I hit a rock. We have many rocks at Casa Debbio. The pink roses are gorgeous and peonies and hydrangeas are flowering together right now.
I’m sorry if you are sick of seeing my peonies, but I can’t get enough of them. I am thrilled that that they grow well here at Casa Debbio. Having lots of varieties means I have them for about 6 weeks.
I prefer to leave the flowers growing, but there are so many now I bring some inside. I like to put them at the sink to improve the job of washing up. They look great for at least a week.
Hydrangeas last well inside too.
Aquilegias are flowering in the garden behind the house too. These clever little things that look like pretty bonnets come up all by themselves every year with no help at all from me, just like the hydrangeas and peonies…perfect plants.
After many years of producing 1 or 2 flowers acanthus are blooming all over the garden.
I am delighted that the black walnut that was chewed to bits by a wild goat has grown some new tiny branches. We have it well protected now. I hear the goats at night and sometimes go out and turn lights on and make noise, but they are undeterred.
The weather has been mixed. Most days have been sunny and not too hot yet. The occasional foggy morning makes for some pretty views from my bedroom window.
I haven’t been doing as much cooking lately as I have a freezer full of food cooked on wet days during lockdown, but I did make ricotta gnocchi with peas for lunch yesterday.
I had a happy surprise this week. The local paper published a story about my other blog, Bella Bagni di Lucca, and the flowers I plant on the bridge at Ponte a Serraglio. The mayor publicly thanked me for my contribution to the village. Now when I water the flowers people stop in their cars to have a chat. This summer I will be here to take care of the flowers.