oh my gourd

so the sunday after we arrived home from london, g and i set out on a adventure to a gourd festival that the guardian had pointed us to...
we drove for about 2 hours, about 30 miles into the mountains north of lucca, and after a few wrong turns we found the village, and went in search, after a while i ran off to see where it was and the accessibility, i found two old people gardening, so i asked them where was the gourd festival? their reply, la domenica scorza, last sunday....
but it wasn't all bad, it was beautiful, and although we only had a fairly dry sandwich of prosciutto and pecorino, we had a lovely drive around the mountains, and the air was so fresh and clean that it washes out all of those fumes from the city, so it was well worth it in the end...

went out for lunch last tuesday to this little italian (obviously!) bistro, with two old women, and two what seemed to be trucker men, and had a proper first and second course, i had tomato risotto, and then pork and chips.. it was cheap cheerful and tasty, and authentically italian...
we also snook in a pizza, a buffalo mozzarella for me, which was beautiful.. but i have mostly been cooking, lots of lentil curries, some tomato, some coconut, and i bought some more pulses too, black beans, chickpeas, mung beans..
g's mum arrived on monday, and the nurse zophie left to go to morocco for a holiday, we went out for din dins on monday, and i had a shin of pork, with roast potatoes, served, on a wooden plate! it was beautiful, but a whole lot of meat, and then had tiramisu to wash it down, i am on a hunt to find the most delectable tiramisu in the town, its quite a fun hunt...
I also got myself a new coat recently, and monday was cold, so it gave me the oppurtunity to take my new coat on its first outing, it, like my hat, is beautiful, and deserves a picture, which i will attempt soon, possibly incorporating the hat..
This week i have mostly been reading, the diceman, down and out in london and paris (orwell), i am currently reading ghandi, and i must recommend to everyone a book by tom robbins, called jitterbug perfume, it was one of the loveliest books i've ever read...

Oh my hat

So i've had an amazing couple of weeks, last weekend a few of graham's friends were over for their graduation, so we all to panzano on saturday, and had a thorouhly scrumptious lunch of burger and chips and the collienza, it was no less special than the last time, although the olive oil cake wasn't in her prime...
on the way back we went again to Volpaia the hill top village, and i met the honey lady and her husband, who were both lovely, and bought some delicious honey from them, they also make vin santo with honey, although i didn't try it...
on the friday, we went to rifaioli's, just north of the centre, with only space for about 20 people, went for lunch, but i didn't eat again that day, we had several types of pasta, focaccia and bread, chicken, beef and a massive slice of chocolate and pear cake to finish, the others finished it off with a glass of grappa with grapes soaked in them, even the smell gave me a headache...
and then on monday we toddled off to london for 4 days.. on tuesday we went to a traditional pie and mash shop, which was amazing, it is at 150 hoxton street, and it was beautiful, a lovely steak pie, mash and parsley liquor. If you live in london, or are ever in london, go there.. i finished off with a cheery cherry pie and ice cream, and then we had to stay sitting for an hour before we could move.. the best cherry pie i have ever had i might add... we went to tayabs in east london for dinner, and i ate a little too much, too much meat, too much rice, too much naan, but it was lovely, really spicy, really tasty, really scrumptious...
i went shopping the next day, to get some bits and bobs, and i bought myself the most beautiful hat you have ever seen, its a red fedora, and its got a feather in it...
i spent time looking for cowboy boots, but i found none that i liked, i think all cowboys have little feet....
apart from shopping and eating, i had a lovely time pottering, seeing a few friends and family, enjoying the change of scenery, reminding me how i wouldn't live in london again.. seeing all the sheep in their suits walking to work.. i wont ramble..
i had a lovely time, and although i had to fly, i managed to enjoy even that! i sat next to an italian couple on the way back, and chewed their ears off with my still rather basic italian, and of course i showed them my hat...