Welcome to Nerdsville

Hi all you happy blog readers. You may have noticed some changes on this Blog page.The Followers section is not there anymore. I made the page wider by going into the HTML scary part and doing stuff- and it worked. Now the page is wider and not using up wasted virtual space. Then found that I could manipulate the little Reaction check boxes that no one has been using- and made a Weirdo box and a Nerd box. You could check the Funny box for that.

Was thrilled to find I had six comments on my last entry and then not so thrilled to find that Grace had made four of those, three being identical and one saying Oops. Thanks Grace, it's a boost to my morale, even if it is a false boost.But it was nice to get one from Todd and you too Grace, Big Sister.

Raffaella sent me this:
"hi cliff, I sent an email last week to one of your other email sites just to confuse you!! I admire your ability to do the blogging and thank you for doing it because I( and everyone else I would assume) are delighted to read your travel adventures. I look forward to these stories and the photos especially as I am a big fan of Italy. Anyway enjoy and fend off the pesky Italians and make friends with the rest...cheers, raffaella"

And I got a strange one from Steve, who turns out to be the Anonymous commentor. I think he's telling me to chill out, that everything is perfect in the Universe and that I should just enjoy myself. But I'm not turning Catholic and going to the confessional.

Thought about taking up drinking alcohol for my anxiety about life but somehow I don't think that would help. Don't worry, it was a brief thought that I'm used to dealing with. Just breathe.

Went to Carrara on Wednesday to meet Alison from Bondi. It was a really rainy day. I got soaked feet, socks and sandals. Went and had lunch at a restaurant where there were a couple of people to meet. Domonic is a sculptor from Antwerp who lives in Carrara. Lively conversationalist, passionate, intelligent, enthusiastic and loud. I was sitting next to him and he was thumping me with each gesture of his arms to make sure that I was paying full attenzione! That was fun. Oh and the other was a nice quiet old Italian who is a professional box maker for transporting marble sculptures.

Then we went back to Alison’s flat to meet the plumber who was to fix the blocked sink. Alison and Domonic (who is also her landlord, sort of) had a rather lively discussion in the doorway, (some might call it an argument) while all the neighbours watched from their doorways and windows with interest at the plumbing drama. I sat on the couch and tinkered with a ukulele.

The offending knife was removed from the pipe and peace was restored to the neighbourhood. Domonic mysteriously dissapeared, perhaps just a little surprised at the passion of his own outburst. Alison and I walked up the mountain to a sculptor’s studio and yard. Usama has a studio and marble yard where he works and teaches. Alison has recently done a workshop with him and here is her first ever sculpture in marble. Pretty good, eh?

I have left my smelly wet socks at Alison’s so she promised to visit me at Pietrasanta to return them in a couple of days. That’s today and I just got a call from her that she’s coming on the train. More later.

Alison came and we had lunch together. She wanted a look at Lea’s now famous kitchen and the rest of the house. She is also lining up to be Lea’s newest best friend.

The days are passing rapidly and the sun came out today, Saturday, for the first time in a week. Found the local Museum about a hundred meters from Lea's and the picture theatre is fifty meters from Lea's: I went and saw 'Up in the Air' in English the other night.

This morning I cleaned up the house, vacuumed floors, washed things and moved into the Cantina which is the flat downstairs, which is nice too, in time for Lea’s imminent arrival. Then found out that she’s not coming for a couple more days yet. This is the ceiling of the Canteena.

Marble sink, Canteena

In the afternoon the piazza was full of people sitting at the bars in the sun and on the steps of the cathedral. Drank my second San Pelligreno Aranchiata at the bar and then went for a bike ride down to the sea.

Sunday,

Mum rang thismorning from her cruise ship in the Greek Islands to remind me that it's Mother's day. Grace, I tried to ring Mum on her birthday but it didn't work so I sent her an email which she probably won't read until she get back to Oz.

It's weird that she went to Rome and the places I was in a week before, in Sicily. Mum is doing a luxury cruise ship thing. I can't wait till I'm old enough to justify going about in a group with walky talkie around my neck, obediently following the guide with the little red flag, no decisions to make. Maybe I am old enough.

interior Canteena

How lucky I am to have this place to stay in? The violinist I mentioned in the earlier post sleeps at the railway station on the ground near the ticket office. The homeless and the beggars are out there in the street. It's hard to ignore everyone who is asking me for money. The other day I asked a gypsy woman if I was at the right bus stop. She said I was (when I wasn't) and asked me for money. She was pretty and  I (lecherous old bastard) relented and gave her one euro. She wanted more, so I gave her another euro. That wasn't enough, she wanted 5 euro. I said no. Makes me wonder though, why? It could easily be me on the street.

Eventually I found the right bus stop.