The Dream City

It is said that Venice is a dead city or at least a dying city, as it is slowly sinking into the marshy ground of the Laguna and because there are less and less “true” Venetians living there and more and more tourists every year. But from the first time I set foot in Venice long time ago, for me it was, it is and it will always be my dream city.

For me going to Venice is like entering a giant theme park, it's the place to get hopelessly lost for a day. Through the mysterious alleyways leading off from the city, endless mazes of backstreets and deserted squares, on a Venice trip, you'll find that this city is a perfect place to walk for hours on end, pretending to know where you are.

When we want to celebrate something important or just forget our tedious lives for a while my best friend and I treat ourselves to a trip to Venice. We don’t even need to stay over night, just a few hours to enjoy together.

This time the weather was fantastic (we just missed the flooding a few days before) and although it was last Sunday of October it was rather crowded as the Venetian Marathon was on. But it was worth it. Just judge for yourselves!

Isn't this absolutely magnificent? I could spend hours and hours just watching gondole and vaporetti travelling up and down the Canal Grande...

The colours are incredible and even more sparkling on a sunny autumn day.

A hidden "canaletto" with the washing out to dry in the sunshine and boats "parked just outside the door!

And this is our own Gondolier! He didn't sing "O Sole Mio" or play the accordion to us, but what can you expect for only 50cents a ride??? Yes, a real bargain!

So happy to be there together!!!! When will you go next?

Gone away on a Gondola!

Back on?

I don't even dare to hope that all my Internet problems are sorted. I'm back on since yesterday night but I don't know for how long. I've been on and off, off an on for months now, so I really hope this is finally the end of my BT troubles. I'm totally drained from talking to BT Mumbai Technical Support and although I do not resent them (they need to earn their living after all!), I really think we should have some customer support in the UK too. How can someone miles and miles away sort out this kind of problems here in the UK? Anyway, let's hope they have succeeded in my case. For the rest, nothing new here. Apart from fighting BT and trying to keep on working (O2 mobile connection, friends and Pret-a-Manger), I've been enjoying watching the first season of Ugly Betty on dvd. As usual with this kind of popular shows, I was a bit skeptical but I have to say that I'm totally hooked.

Each episode is packed with well written stories and on top of all that the comedy comes fast and often. Betty is a girl with more inside beauty than out but but manages to make her way into the most superficial and beauty built industry in the world, Fashion. It makes you laught and cry and helps you to unwind totally, the right recipe for me!

In Limbo again!

Since last Thursday I cannot connect to the Internet again! I thought BT was the solution but clearly it isn't! I'm waiting for BT engineers to come and check my "physical" lines. A diversion after talking for hours with the lovely guys from Bangalore! The connection is here but I cannot get onto any websites! If anybody has an idea, pls let me know. I'd be foreI'm back to my usual hysterics as I've got deadlines and need to earn my livelihood and to do so I rely totally on emails etc. Not to mention my social life which (very sadly) depends on the Internet connection too! Well, I cannot survive much longer on the O2 (very slow) dongle! Until better news come up, ciao!!!

The Twilight Hype

So, my excuse for reading this book is that my daughter wanted to read it and I was a little reluctant. My thoughts of vampires involved darkness, blood, violence. I just couldn't imagine how it could be suitable for a 9 year old (now 10!). That’s why we agreed I would read it first and then decide whether she could read it. Maybe a little over-protective, some might say - my privilege!!

The plot is pretty simple. When Bella Swann leaves her mother's home in Phoenix to move in with her father in the small town of Forks, she is a bit apprehensive. This only gets worse on her first day at school when she meets the incredibly handsome, but stand-offish, Edward Cullen. There are rumors about the Cullen Family and they are considered outsiders, but when Edward rescues Bella from a freak accident they start to form a relationship. Edward is in fact a vampire, and Bella doesn't realize home much danger she is putting herself and her family in by starting this relationship!

I have to admit that I wasn't immediately hooked to this book, finding it somewhat boring and the storyline just a little too predictable. Having said that, by the time I'd got about a third of the way through, there was no chance I was going to put it down. This is mainly to do with the fact that Stephenie Meyer's creation of Edward is so brilliant that there is little most can do not to fall in love with him from the first page he enters Twilight, but also because (although she will never win the man-booker for her writings) she still produces a book that leaves you feeling warm and satisfied from head to toe. It's not the best thing that I've ever read, nor is it necessarily all that well written (getting somewhat repetitive in places), but all the same it is definitely worth reading if you're looking for something simple to leave you feeling stupidly happy.

Going back to my pathetic excuse to read this YA novel, I’m not sure if I’m going to allow my daughter to read it. All in all, I think it might be better for her to start with a book on first love without the added complication of a vampire...

Bye Bye Billy!

This was Billy, a beautiful and lovely kitten that belonged to my best friend. He was just a small bundle of fur but he gave us so much joy and ‘allegria’. Unfortunately Billy is no more. Some horrible car driver hit him and let him die on the small path near his house.

They do hit-and-run to people, so who would care about a little kitten?

40 but we don't show it!!!!

My “bestest” friend Giusy and I have known each other for 40 years today!!!! We were two little shy girls in reception class when we met and now we are almost old ladies but still young at heart. I’ve been so lucky to meet her and have her as a friend for all these years! Although we live in two different countries we couldn’t be closer. She’s always been there for me and I know she always will. We laugh so much together and have so many things in common that’s almost incredible! Together we’ve become so famous that we’ve even made it on the cover of Vogue!!!