There are lots of birds this year at Casa Debbio, which is lovely. We hear birdsong all day. Blackbirds and tiny finch like birds can be seen flitting around the garden. Owls can be heard at night. One family of blackbirds seems to be nesting under a sage bush near our little vegetable garden.
The downside of this is that all my ripening gooseberries have been eaten, along with raspberries and cherries. It would be nice if they left a few for me.
Our new road is a bit of a puzzle. We have lots of new retaining walls, some of which I doubt were needed. We have an excellent new crossing over the stream flowing down to the water mill below. This is the bit that was washed away in 2013, and the reason for road works. There are channels directing the flow of water from the springs on the side of the mountain, new pipes to take the water below the road.
But work has stopped. The equipment is still there but nothing is happening. The road was to be surfaced but there is no sign of that. Ho hum…what next?
For the first time I am at Casa Debbio to see my lavender flowers open. I usually have to leave just as it is about to happen. Some of the plants are almost as tall as me…I love it.
We were invited to attend the birthday party of a good friend on the weekend. You hear about wonderful long lunches with far too much food and wine in Italy. This was one such event.
We drove high up into the mountains of the Garfagnana, a wild, largely untouched area of Tuscany near where we live. The old farmhouse has a pizza oven built onto the side of the house. It was built long before pizzas were eaten in this part of Italy so it would have been where bread was baked and much of the cooking was done for the family who lived there.
The fire had been lit days before the party to allow it to reach the required heat. Just a few logs were added on the day. From the oven came the most delicious foccacia, some plain with salt on top, some with sesame seeds and, my favourite, with zucchini and cheese. I ate far too much…knowing that more heavenly food was to come.
There was bruschetta with those tomatoes you hear about that seem to grow only in Italy. The cheese was from a friend who keeps goats and sheep.
This was followed by freshly made pasta with a sausage and tomato sauce, then sausages and ribs with roasted vegetables. Everything except the pasta was cooked in the oven.
Then there was dessert.
When lunch was cooked loaves of bread were loaded into the oven, one for each of us to take home.
This is Lucia who did most of the cooking, she was also a lot of fun.
There were too many cakes, all of which had to be tried and lots of wine was poured. Then there was home made limoncello and cherry liquor, grappa and more.
Here is the Alfredo whose birthday we celebrated.
My lovely friend Rina is hiding behind him, reluctant to be photographed. I met Rina shortly after I arrived in Bagni di Lucca and we have been friends ever since. Life here in Italy would not be the same without her and Alfredo.
Thank you for a wonderful day. We felt very lucky to be invited to the celebration.
I went home and fell asleep for hours.