Update prior to 2003
Another few exhausting months and now Christmas is nearly here. I only really know that because we have just made a quick trip to the UK to deliver some olive oil to our new outlets (Caffe Caldesi, Marylebone Lane, London & The Rocky Valley Deli, Grove Promenade, Ilkley, Yorkshire) and was bombarded with all things glittery & Christmassy. Here in Italy things are far more understated - the decorations don't go up until about now and there's none of the jingly carol music (the only thing I miss).
GUEST ACCOMMODATION
Well, we've made a start on the old Barn Conversion (shhhh... don't tell the planning people - shouldn't really be doing it until February!) How we have accumulated so much junk in 18 months I don't know. In fact I do... Richard has bought every bit of useless second hand machinery possible and it is now cluttering up the place. Onto the list of things to do now add 'shelter for all Richards junk'!
We are now firmly ensconced in the Farmhouse now that the last guests have gone (except for the ones in the Chestnut House) and it is BLISSFUL to have a bathroom with a door & central heating. You'll have to prise me out of here next spring with a shoe-horn!
'So where are you going to live in summer?' I hear you wonder. Well, I'm wondering too! Richard promised me a 'Lodge' in the Olive grove to start with... struggling finances and picky planners have diminished this to a small hut, something like your common garden shed. Worse - we could be back to an earth closet unless I really scream & scream & scream!
SAD NEWS:
Unfortunately our beloved dog 'Brook' has passed away. She was the best natured dog I have ever known and she did sterling work on the farm chasing away all the nasty night-time beasties (we are now overrun with porcupines & wild boar!) We miss her terribly but console ourselves that she had a wonderful final year here at Casa del Sole.
HAPPIER NEWS:
We have fairies living in our woods!
Many thanks to Connie, Verity & Charlotte - three delightful girls who visited us this summer - who showed us how to tempt them out by leaving notes & gifts. We now have an official 'Fairy Tree' where you can leave a note & be sure that they will reply (unless they are sulking).
WEATHER:
It's flipping cold! However, before I start moaning I should remember that it's not as cold as England so I'll shut up. Although an interesting fact is that we get the same amount of rainfall as Glasgow - except it all usually comes between October & March.
MERRY CHRISTMAS from the gang at Casa del Sole
UPDATE: July & August 2003
I thought we'd left the UK for a quiet life! Not to worry - we'd be bored if it wasn't for all the exciting things happening...
NEW ARRIVAL:
Introducing Marco, born on the 31st July 2003 in Pescia Hospital - all safe & sound. Gregory adores his little brother (phew!) who looks very Italian with his dark hair and dark skin.
GUEST ACCOMMODATION:
We are three quarters of the way through our holiday season here and have enjoyed welcoming people to Casa del Sole for their holidays. We have been blessed with some wonderful visitors (mostly!) and hopefully we have improved our service throughout the season.
We are now offering food on three nights of the week so guests don't need to worry about cooking. The Pizza Parties are a huge success (a bit better than the one on TV - we've had a bit of practice!), the 'Tuscan Night' and Barbeques are equally well met.
We are getting very booked up for 2004 after the broadcast of 'A Year In Tuscany' so if you were thinking of holidaying with us you'd better get booking soon!
BUILDERS AGAIN:
Hooray.... Dante the trusty builder will be making a repeat appearance at the farm - and I'm sure I'll find plenty of plumbing for Alfonso to do!!!
Over the Winter we will be converting the 'Barn' - where we were living during summer - into a 3 bedroomed rental house for next season. "Where will you live?" I hear you ask... Well, never ones to take it easy, we are building a log cabin in the olive groves for us to stay in during the Summer months... moving out is the only way to pay the mortgage and fund the renovations!
TV - 'A Year In Tuscany':
Wow, wasn't it great - we were riveted to our seats wondering what would happen in the end!
All I can say is that for us it's just a big laugh. Because we don't see the series on 'real' telly, in between Brookside & the news (or whatever) it is just like watching a good home video. And we do know what happens in the end... we are still living happily (hopefully ever after). What I'm trying to say is that we don't feel special because of it - we're still just us.
BOOK:
My book 'Tuscan Living' was published on the 1st August and is selling well. It's very exciting to know that people can read about our life & hopefully be encouraged to follow.their own dreams too. You can buy the book via our website at Amazon or find it in the major book stores.
WEATHER:
July & August were killer months - I know it's been hot in the UK but here it has stuck in the high 30's all the time (even at night) It was enough to make a pregnant woman weep. No rain for 3 months meant that our water supply was close to drying up and a decision had to be made to stop watering the garden as this would have meant water rationing for the guests. So all the hard work I put into preparing the garden , growing seedlings and planting went to waste - my garden, along with everyone elses in the area shrivelled up and died.
UPDATE: June 2003
My goodness! We certainly have had a busy few months. Having a baby should be a breeze compared to all this...
GUEST ACCOMMODATION
First of all there was some really hard, last minute preparations to ready the guest houses for visitors. All the work was finally completed a few days before the first people arrived - although there are still things which need attention so we look on the house as a 'work in progress'. Still to do is the flagging outside the main farmhouse and we are STILL waiting for the road men to make our drive a little more... drivable!
Despite all this the house looks a different place from only six months ago and we are proud to say that we have had no complaints about the accommodation barring the odd request for a cheese grater etc.
OUR HOUSE
Our side of the house is a different matter - unrenovated, outdoor kitchen, bathroom only accessible via 2 staircases and going outside... it's enough to make an eight month pregnant woman cry! Fortunately though the view makes up for it all.
WEATHER
Phew! It's mighty hot. Again we have had 'freak' weather conditions for June and the temperature has hit 40oc. There has been little rain and the ground is very dry. The only thing for it is to head for the beach or the pool. My poor garden is gasping - I know how it feels!
FILMING
On top of all this we are mid-way through filming for our new series Tuscan Living. It's hard work, especially in the heat but I hope it will be worth it in the end. We have about 6 weeks to go and I'd like to thank all our patient guests who have taken the presence of a camera crew completely in their stride.
BOOK
The book is officially finished and printed! The release date is yet to be confirmed but it will probably be around the middle of July. I will keep you posted as to stockists. It looks good, even if I do say so myself!
March 2003 Update
GENERAL: February was a busy time for us with lots happening on the renovation front. We have also been taking some time to enjoy ourselves. We have been skiing & sledging in Abetone (only an hour & a half away) which was glorious.
We have also enjoyed learning about the culture of 'carnivale'. In Itlay, February is the month of dressing up (you can imagine that this suited Richard down to the ground!).
There are street parties, school parties & whole festivals where everyone gets dressed up & enjoys themselves. Gregory has had a wonderful time dressing as a chicken/parrot; he has never been to so many parties in his life!
We are also learning more about our land. A friend showed us how to find wild asparagus & it turns out that we have loads of it at Casa del Sole. However, next to every clump is a mouse hole & no new asparagus shoots - it seems the mice are far more knowledgeable about what to eat than we are!
The chickens (Daphne in particular) are excelling themselves in their egg production... we are dreaming up new recipes to use up our surplus, although our best idea yet is to try to pay the builders in eggs! I have started to write a book (in my spare time!), Gregory is still loving school & Richard is working hard labouring for the builders so we are all working hard.
I must give my thanks to Maria at BUMPS MATERNITY shop ( mail order www.bumpsmaternity.com for taking pity on a fat lady who can't afford Italian maternity wear. They have sent me some lovely clothes & their kindness is very touching.
BUILDING: Our builders are still working hard & we are beginning to see what we had hitherto only imagined... a finished house. Watch out on the website for the new, improved accommodation photo's. Dante (our resident super-star builder) has implemented so many of his good ideas that it would take too long to list them but the best being an outside staircase for the Chestnut House to allow more room inside - it looks great!
We had our first indoor shower (and the rest) in our brand new bathroom... It looks fantastic. Having an indoor bathroom really is one of the best things in the world! I hope we never take it for granted.
WEATHER: I hate to go on about it but the weather is fantastic. Spring arrived on the 20th February in the form of the wild birds flocking back from wherever they had been for the last 3 months. They knew what they were doing because from that day on the temperature jumped a good 5 degrees; now we no longer get a frost & the sun gets warm during the day. In fact, for us English, it's 'shorts weather' although, if we tried to wear shorts the builders would have a fit & lecture us on the likelihood of our catching pneumonia; a national preoccupation & constant fear. They should try living in Yorkshire!
We're on the telly - AGAIN!: Yes, it's true - Channel 4 have commissioned a 6 part 'follow up', probably to be called something like 'Tuscan Living' and broadcasting around the end of June this year. It means lots of hard work filming (and for all those who ask - NO, we don't get paid! We just get expenses and the free advertising) but we are sure the program will be well worth it. We'll let you know how the 'shooting' goes in next months instalment!
UPDATE: February 2003
THANK YOU: First of all I'd like to thank everyone for their wonderful support - we are so touched that so many people have emailed and written to send us their goodwill (over 2000 emails to date!) - I'm only sorry that I haven't managed to reply to everyone yet - I promise I will as soon as I can.
WEATHER: The weather here at the moment is beautiful (I don't mean to rub it in!). It is very cold (has been down to -2 C) but almost every day the sun is out making up for all the rain we have had over the last 2 months. Our daffodils are blooming. We are off to the local ski resort tomorrow to play in the snow …We love it here!
BUILDERS: Finally the Italian builders have arrived; I am told that this could mean that we'll have a bathroom in 2 weeks! However, I have become slightly sceptical of Italian timescales and am not holding my breath (or crossing my legs!).
Fortunately we had central heating & hot water put in at the beginning of November so I no longer have to struggle with that dratted wood burning water heater (although it still lurks in one of our spare rooms as a monument 'how we used to live'!).
When we first had the radiators installed we couldn't help but touch them all the time! Gregory still gets excited & shouts 'Mummy - it's HOT!!!' Having hot water is great too - even if we do still have to have a bath in front of the fire in the lounge.
BABY: I am still only 3 months pregnant - the filming was done in the summer last year so was quite up to date. As long as everything goes to plan I'll be having the baby in Italy at the end of July.
INCOME: Because the holiday lets have done so well this season Richard only has to go back to the UK once a month to keep the Disco business ticking over. This is wonderful for us as we are really working together as a family & Gregory is much happier to have his Daddy around full time - no more tear-jerking moments!
The olive harvest was quite successful too but this year we are only selling privately in Yorkshire - next year we are thinking about exporting properly.
GENERAL: Our language skills are certainly improving & Gregory is learning lots at 'Scuola'. Apart from a few tangles with our resident porcupines the dogs are doing well. The chickens are super stars, producing more eggs than we can consume - there's no way any of them are going in the pot - they are all such characters. The garden is having a well-earned rest: it's been a bit destroyed by the poultry too! We will have to extend the fences in a few weeks time to keep those cheeky chicks out.
We are still very happy & have no real yearning for England. Although sometimes things have been hard, we are much closer as a family & all the rewards far outweigh any difficulties we have had. No Going Back - ever.