Fill your days with life, not your life with days
Photo: Crostuovo with truffle shavings is mandatory in the autumn at Antica Osteria Da Gustin If you search for 'SPN' in Google you get all sorts of results including Service Principal Name, a spinning class, an IATA airport code (Saipan International) and Scientific Pitch Notation (I have no idea either). What you won't find is …
End of term party at Renton, Fano For the second year running I've been teaching English to my Pansèr clubmates. I like to teach British culture as well as the language. To be fair, they really like to learn about our culture. This year they learnt how to fly the Union flag the right way …
Our friend Rita's cousin was playing a gig. Would you like to join us? asked Rita and Patrick. Sure, we said, having no idea what we were letting ourselves in for. A great time it turned out. Rita's cousin is the lead singer in an Italian band called CoverDrive (I wonder if they know about …
Photo: One final coffee at Arté Caffé before Gerard and Bernadette drove back to the Netherlands. For the second time in two years we've had to say goodbye to Dutch friends in Italy. After nearly 20 years Gerard and Bernadette sold their beautiful house in Cartoceto to live full time in The Hague. Over the …
When Jan and I retired in 2014 we received this very special gift from our Oracle colleagues. The oak milepost was to be put in the garden once we had built a garage and modifed the driveway. We applied for planning permission. It's more complicated here because we live next door to a cemetry. We're …
Photo: A complicated set of rules just to sing badly. If a joke needs explaining then it's not that funny, goes the conventional wisdom. When it comes to mixing three languages then maybe we can be forgiven, so here goes... The Pansèrs organised a dinner. The main course was to be goose. Post dinner 'entertainment' …
After nearly 20 years in Italy our friends Bernadette and Gerard are returning to The Netherlands. We reckon we've known them for about the last 14 of those years. Earlier this year they put their house on the market, expecting it might take a year or two to sell. After a week they had a …
Photo: Even our car got dressed up for the ocassion. The world converged on Cartoceto for Margherita and Gerhard's wedding. Family and friends gathered from around the globe. Our small contribution was to host Gerhard's parents, Fred and Rina, and his brother Chris. As they are South African they could at least stay in an …
Photo: Not a bad setting for a learning experience After nearly 16 years in Italy we finally had a pasta making lesson. It was part of Margherita and Gerhard's wedding celebrations. We were invited to join a few guests for the lesson a few days before the ceremony. Loretta at the Agriturismo Pozzuolo was our …
Photo: A Quooker bought directly in The Netherlands On return from London we had a couple of new toys to play with. Kitchen toys. Not only had the Quooker all in one (hot, cold and bioling water) tap been fitted but we brought this little beauty from London:
Colin and Jan Fisher 