Weekend collage

Traveling makes the familiar more dear; you miss your own piece of sky and it makes you more appreciative of your country after traipsing around where everything is taken for granted.


A quick trip up north where the kitchen is definitely the heart of the home. And someone is patiently waiting in case some little tidbit should fall on the floor.
The girls whipped up a light, sweet orange cake as a gift for their Nonna as they missed her birthday in August. Well this turned out to be the best-ever orange cake.
This cake is great on its own but Mom decided to make it a little more Italian. We doused all the layers with freshly brewed coffee. Then we cooked up a batch of chocolate and vanilla cream.
There was so much cream that it oozed out the sides. We waited until it cooled completely before we cut into this awesome cake.
With a cup of tea this was the perfect ending to dinner (rigatoni lasagna al forno) which I forgot to take a photo of because I was too busy eating.


Walking in the hills above Aberdeen (not Scotland) we stopped to breathe and enjoy the view.

New friends in Italia

Casperia
The 'basket thief' in Casperia
The pizzeria cat in Vernazza
The cat sleeping in a boat in Corniglio
Dog in a bag on the train, Cinque Terre
You can just see bad boy Ringo under the chair.
Convent cat in Orvieto.
Blackie from Civitta di Bagno Reggio
The twins in Civitta di Bagno Reggio.
Dolce far niente in Orvieto.

La bella Italia plus TO

With over 500 photos to organise, I decided to try and do some theme posts. My camera does not do justice to the plants and trees in Italy but I have posted them anyways. Above is a shot of Saint Michaels on St Clair in Toronto.
A pot of lantana near the end of the trail to Vernazza, Cinque Terre.
Huge agave on the Via del'Amore, Cinque Terre.
Olive tree gifted to Peggy Guggenheim by Yoko Ono, Venezia.
Chili pepper bouquets, Venezia.
Prickly pear in a pot, Caira.

Cyclamen along the road to Caira.
The stately umbrella pine, Roma.
Many chili pepper plants at the Botanical Gardens, Firenze.
I could not resist taking shots of pergolas. This one in Bagno Reggio.
Fancy hotel in Bagno Reggio.
The greenery in Civita di Bagno Reggio (the city that is dying) certainly looked alive and well to me.
Balconies are so romantic.
Even the simplest homes are decked out in pots and pots of flowers.
Olive tree in a pot at my favourite church - Sant'Angelo, Perugia.
Orvieto - what did I say about balconies?
Orvieto - this was a feast for the eyes on the way to the funiculare.
Casperia, Lazio - I walked by this house several times every day of our week long stay. I could not believe the size of these blooms. Guess what I'm going to try growing next year?

I'm back

We arrived late in the afternoon; most of the vendors were packing up and the pigeons were enjoying the scraps. This is one of my favourite spots in Roma.



This would be a great place to wake up in; you throw open the shutters and look down to a cornucopia of everything you can imagine from butter yellow sunflowers to red hot peppers to souvenir t-shirts.
And the aroma of espresso makes you glad to be alive. Yes it is a wonderful place but I am glad to be home.

New computer

It was the perfect day for a walk to my favourite hangout for lunch; a nice sunny day, the sidewalks carpeted with soft golden leaves. I could not resist doing one more post before we fly off tomorrow - the new computer is great.
And here is something else I could not resist - a stunning choker of potato pearls, crystals, and mother-of-pearl beads all in a smokey lavender hue. I found this at my junque store of choice and will be great for travelling when I need a little sparkle to go with my jeans.
Ciao.

My last post?

Have been quite preoccupied with other things so the blog suffers - no time for picture taking. But we always have time for the Farmers Market. This will be our last Saturday one before we leave so we stocked up on all sorts of goodies.
We have been enjoying melons from Armstrong, apples from Oliver, local swiss chard, blackberries and cucumbers.
Saturday night dinner with a dear friend (again no photos). Italian, lots of wine, and great conversation.
Sunday morning I tried a new pancake recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. As I mixed it all up I had my doubts because it just didn't look like my normal pancakes. Plus they were difficult to flip. But once they were done and they were drenched in hot maple syrup, they disappeared so fast that I didn't even have time to get my camera. Another keeper to add to my collection.

This might be my last post; our computer is on it's last legs and the new one will be here any day now. But hopefully I will try and blog from across the ocean. Ciao.