Snowy Italy

I bet most people never think it is possible to see snow in Italy, at least away from the Alps, so that’s why I’ve decided to post these photos that I’ve just received from Italy. My little green town on the hills in Northern Italy is now covered with a thick blanket of soft white snow. At lunchtime they already had 30 cm of snow, but it is still snowing. End of November is a bit early for snow, but the summer and the autumn have been so dry that snow is a blessing now for all the farmers and vine-growers.

This is my town in Italy under the snow. As you can see, people don't mind facing the white slippery stuff!!!


And this is our river ...

Snow can be a nuisance, that’s true, especially if you need to travel, but I love it. Everything looks better and more beautiful in white, even the dullest places!!!

So let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

(A big thankyou and a huge hug to my friend Giusy who sent me the photos! What would I do without her!!!???)

A proud mum

As I have said many times before, I like York very much. I live far enough not to get stuck in its busy traffic and tourist invasions, but also near enough to be able to enjoy strolling through its ancient and beautiful streets and “gates” when I feel like it. And every single time I walk pass the York Minster I never fail from feeling overwhelmed by its majesty and beauty, even after 14 years!

So it was with great joy and pride that I entered the Minster yesterday for my daughter’s choir concert in the Minster. My daughter’s school choir was one of the only three schools in York invited by the “home” choir of the Minster School to perform Christmas Carols with them.

It was a beautiful concert and the kids, although nervous and a bit embarrassed, performed so well! My Vicky had been nervous since the weekend and she kept on rehearsing the songs all the time. By yesterday the whole family knew all the carols by heart!!!

I felt a very proud mum. These are the little joys of being a parent that compensate for tantrums, worries and lots and lots of sleepless nights.

Here is my "baby" girl after the concert. Tired but happy!

A Moose Life

A friend of a friend from Canada sent me these very sweet pictures and they are so good that I'd like to share them with you, animal lovers.

Apparently a baby moose was in distress in a creek. A very nice man got him out of the creek; tried to find the mother & send him on his way, but eventually the moose stumbled back into the creek & needed to be rescued again. The baby moose then followed the man home.

The man has only a very small cabin so he took the moose to another neighbour, who took these photos. The next day they took the moose to a lady who looks after wild animals. She put it in a pen with a rescued fawn.

Needless to say my daughter Vicky now wants to move to Canada. She wants to go around with a van and rescue animals! I wish it was so easy!!!

Isn't he absolutely cute???

The Promise

Sandra of Tales From Sandra`s Scribbles has asked in her latest entry:

"Do you have something unusual on your computer desk?"

I’ve taken inspiration from her and had a look at my desk. All I can see is an unbearable mess.

It is easier to say what’s usual rather than unusual! An old plastic duck dressed up as a policeman with motorbike next to it. A jar with pink-coloured salt (my daughter’s own Christmas present to me when she was six). Old mobile phone covers for a mobile phone I gave away months, if not years ago. A box of fluffy mini Easter chicks. An anti-stress ball (a freebie from Clinique). A dried-up nail polish bottle (French manicure, though). Castle Howard paper cups (an odd souvenir?). Hello Kitty purse with Ipod inside (I think...) And piles and piles of papers. What a mess.

The problem is that I’m always so busy finishing work, getting some new, running after kids and husband and tiding up the rest of the house that my desk is always like this. Also, everybody chucks anything on top of my desk! I sometimes wonder how I can work in this condition. The truth is - I block it out, I do not look on the right or on the left, just straight into my computer screen.

But now I've taken a decision. Too much is too much. This needs to end. That’s why I have published this photo, to exposed myself to public ridicule, public shame. I cannot go back now. So I have to find a remedy. It’s a promise. I will tidy up before Christmas, and in this year 2008. I will publish another photo when everything is spic&span. Brownie's honour!

Real People - Real Blogs Award

I was shocked and of course to read that the lovely Jeannette Outsidelookingin awarded my little blog the Marie Antoinette award for Real Blogs. I have just started blogging and I'm still very unsecure and I surely would have not managed without Jeannette's encouragement and support. She is a very special lady with a very special smile and it is such a pity that we cannot just sit together every now and then sipping a nice cup of tea and having a chat. Thank you, Jeannette!


Anyway, this is an award for those that write about real things and as this award needs to passed on to other people, I have to choose some more blogs to reward.


Here are the rules:-
1. Please put the logo on your journal - Real People - Real Blogs.
2. Place a link from the person, from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 if you can.
4. Put the links of those on your journal.
5. Leave a message on their journal to let them know.
6. Put the award on your sidebar/journal.


This is a very difficult task, as the blogs I'm following are all very good and very genuine and I wish I could award eveybody. Also, some of the people have already received it! Laine of Lainey's world (part two) has had the great idea of giving the award to everybody she's following (excellent Laine!), but that was her genuine idea and I do no want to be a copycat. So there are my choices and here is your award:-




To the great ladies of the following blogs:

Missie's Upside Down World

One Way Trip

Say What?!

Carpe Diem

Almost Paradise 3

York Daily Photo

(Ruby has a Daily Photo blog but with heart, soul and wit!)

Glasgow Daily Photo

(same for Jackie that can trasmit us her love for her city)

And last but not least, the lovely Hilda of

Happy at Home & My Manila

All the best to all of you!

A lovely little church

When I first moved to Britain I used to live in the centre of York, which was nice because it is lovely to be able to stroll along the centre without parking problems, but I could not really settle. I think that all in all I am a country girl and will always be. Since we moved into a village just a few miles outside my life has changed for the better. I love the small village life, the sense of community, walking around and meeting people you know at every corner. It looks like the typical English village, main little square, a couple of little shops, pubs, the local fish&chips (where my baby boy has his weekly shift), a small school with a fantastic little choir and above all a lovely little church. It looks even nice when the weather is so dark and gloomy like today!

I like strolling around the small cemetery reading the prayers on the graves, looking at old photos of people that used to live in the village. I like looking at the flowers around it and sometimes getting inside and light a candle. It gives me a sense of peace.

I might sound a bit weird but we do not have this kind of churches in Italy and most of our graveyards are big blocks of cement, whilst here everything is more subtle, peaceful and cosy, even the last place of rest.

Donate for Children In Need

BBC Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organized by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised £470 millions.

Each year since 1980, the BBC has set aside one evening of programming (in form of a Telethon) on BBC One, to show events aimed at raising money for charities working with children in the UK.

The mascot is called 'Pudsey', a yellow teddy bear with a bandage over one eye that represents children in need.

Please donate, every little helps.

www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey

034557 332233