FRIDAY FEAST

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?

Painting and sculptures, but I personally prefer to paint cats see Gattina's paintings.

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?

That's nonsense if it's free it's free, I don't count a lunch or breakfast free when someboday has to pay it ! Anyway my dinner (supper) was free as I was invited by friends and had a wonderful free Italian supper.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?

Pay attention ! I am over 10 !

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?

Depends on how many I get.

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

On 23°C sorry, can't convert in F because I have troubles with page loading. I am in Italy !

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

13 Things about northern Italy

1. If you like the George Clooney style come to Italy. You can find him in all editions. From small to tall, from 18 till 80, (then with white hair) S M L (XL not available) just as you like. You also have the choice between brown, blue or green eyes.

2. Italian girls are pretty in general, of course there are exceptions. Here too you have the choice between dyed blond or brown hairs in all shades same eyes as above

3. Old ladies are usually very white haired from light blue over silver to light violet. Usually very elegant on countrysides only sundays. The majority is very slim the other part fat big.

4. They haven't changed a lot since I saw them 20 years ago which means that they looked older when they were 20 years younger. They said the same of me, which I didn't take for a compliment for the above mentionned reason.

5. Men who used to pinch female bottoms have now to ask "May I" otherwise the woman is now allowed to prosecute them for "sexual harrassement" .

6. Italian men's look can be very "strip teasing" but there is nothing to do against it, there is no proof. They just have to close their eyes.

7. Italian men's tourist hunting is still very commun, no complaints from female tourists on that

8. Men I knew from age 25 who were terrible tourist hunters, boozers, big mouthes and machos are now brave family fathers doing everything what "La Mamma" says and have made their grandchildren to their hobbies.

9. Women who once had to worry about their husbands, for the above mentionned reasons, have become "La Mamma" once she became mother and is now family leader. Even in "The Godfather" family.

10. It is still use once families get together that women are in one part of the room, men on the other discussing different things, only at the arriving and when they go the two sexes have discussions together.

11. The famous southern hospitality hasn't changed a bit. You can arrive at whatever hour without "warning" and you are received as if you were the most important person in the whole world.

12. Italy is not a cheap country anymore. Since the introduction of the Euro, prices are almost the same as in northern countries

13. The beauty of landscapes or historical sites haven't changed a bit. But there are now a lot of rules and laws to be respected. If you break them fines are very expensive. People are a lot less free.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I am in Italy so please forgive if I can't comment to all of you, but the internet connection is as quick as a snail racing here in the mountains even with firefox and my own laptop ! I do my best in one hour !

COMPILED NEWS

EU wants to get rid of the Queen from British passports ! Current UK passports contain a traditional message from the British sovereign printed inside the front cover requesting 'assistance and protection' for the holder anywhere in the world 'in the Name of Her Majesty'.
This is a tragedy !! Who will protect them then ? Prime ministers come and go and are not very protective, poor britts !

The Prince of Wales and Gordon Brown have met secretly in Scotland and are determined to forge a close working relationship as the heir to the throne develops his role as "shadow king", The Sunday Telegraph can reveal. I admit, they make a nice pair, two very funny men are making a complot against the queen ?? Can anybody protect her ??

French prince to wed his Portuguese sweetheart .There couldn't have been a more appropriate setting for Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orleans and the Duchess of Cadaval, Diana Alvares Pereira de Melo, 29, to announce their plans to marry next summer. Very interesting ! I didn't even know them !

And nothing from Camilla and Charles or other royals !

Richard Gere declared that he finds it very embarassing to be considered a sex symbol at his age (he is 58) He also said that he is happily married and buddhist. I think not a lot of men would agree with that and in my innocence I thought buddhists could also be sex symbols

The governor of Ulyanovsk region in Russia is offering prizes to couples who have babies in exactly nine months - on Russia's national day on 12 June. Sergei Morozov wants couples to take the day off work to have sex. If a baby is born on national day, they will receive cars, TVs or other prizes. I only can advise them to make a good counting ! Maybe the governor should distribute some calculating machines to help them ?

After a cat-less decade the prime minister's official spokesman reveals Alistair Darling's cat Sybil is moving into No 10. Sybil the black and white moggie is much loved in the home of the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling. And that home is now the flat above the heart of Britain's government - 10 Downing Street. I am happy ! At least some positive news from Downings Street ! A cat at least is something cute and comfy, not at all like the human inhabitants !

WOMEN turn frisky once a month just like other animals “on heat”, a top biologist has claimed.Dr Randy Thornhill, of the University of New Mexico,said: “Women don’t miaow and they don’t scratch at the door — but they do have oestrus.” Ah ! finally even scientifics say that women are like cats ! Maybe not every woman wants to be one, but I like the idea. Yes, and it's true I never miaowed or scratched at a door ! Do you ??

In Italy a doctor had to examin the body of a dead young woman to find out the cause of her death. When he saw her laying there in all her beauty, he felt very attracted and started to make love to the dead body, when suddenly the girl opened her eyes and came back to life. She had only been in a deep coma because of an overdose. The parents, overhelmed with happiness thanked the doctor very much for having given back life to their daughter. Unfortunately it's not said if they married and had a lot of children.

While compose this I am sitting here in the shade on the reception's patio just with Cypresses around and people are looking at me as if I was an ET ! A woman (!!) with a computer during her holidays ?? never seen. As I found my internet connection just behind our appartment on a camping area, arriving guests even Cask me information, they think I am part of the reception staff !

Please forgive if I can't comment a lot, but the internet connection is as quick as a snail racing here in the mountains even with firefox and my own laptop ! I do my best in one hour !

MANIC MONDAY - CRISP

MANIC MONDAY LINK

I don't really wish to write about a crispy automn day, because I am sitting here in a beautiful summer day, very warm and with palm trees around me ! And as I only dispose of 1 h internet connection I just want to give some news to my regular readers and friends. The only thing I could write about would be the crispy fresh bread in Italy. I don't even dispose of some crispy news !


Finally I can reach my precious blogs again ! I already gave up hope to find an internet connection ! For one and a half day I was looking around in our rented apartment there was none, no Cyber Café in this small town apparently they are not there yet. The next Cyber Café was in the next city Riva. But then I found it, just behind our building on a camping place.

After a very smooth trip of 1200 km (746 miles) we arrived without any problem at the Garda lake. Curious to say but I thought I would have more emotions to see it again for the first time since exactly 20 years. But not at all, besides the fact that a lot of things had changed, that the area had modernized tremendously, that there were suddenly tunnels, round abouts, new buildings and streets, the lake itself hadn't changed a bit. It just looked like I had seen it for the first time when I was 24. It still has it's amazing beauty. The blue water and the high rocky mountains around, which seem to fall into the blue water.

First thing I did while Mr. Gattino took a little nap after this long trip, was sitting at the beach and looking over the lake. So many souvenirs came up but it seemed to me as if it was somebody else who had lived the past. I realized that I had changed. And a lot. The loud discussions where everybody talked at the same time and nobody listed to what the other said, instead of making me angry I found it funny and tried to listen. My italian came back surprisingly very quick.

I didn't have a little child anymore to protect against this rather invading family who wanted to spoil him to death. I don't want to stay alone anymore with my man without the family around now I appreciate company. The aunts and uncles passed away and my brother in law who was a loud annoying person, who drank a lot and always wanted to make me drunk, who pulled and pushed me around because he found it funny, is now an old skinny little man, who is full of health problems. I only recognized him at his face. He doesn't speak like a machine gun anymore, he sits there as a a decoration and has become a shadow of himself.

But my lake is still there unchanged and today I will look around for other new things.