We were saddened to learn of Peppe's death yesterday. He was a well-known figure in town, out and about frequently but always with time to chew the fat. He entertained himself greatly by greeting us in English and trying to extend himself with "'ow areh yew?" when he was feeling particularly daring. I found out after his death that he was a sanitation worker (hence his knowing everyone!).
Ciao, Peppe.
Alexandra
So, a couple of weeks ago, we bought a farm. Okay, not really a farm farm. But a piece of land of about a hectare (2 1/2 acres) with some olive, cherry, and apple trees. It even has a small semi-detached house complete with exterior wood-fired oven and ground-floor stables/workshop area!
Guess where we're spending every weekend. Between blackberry picking and fig harvesting (and grapes and almonds!), I have been very happily employed. When that becomes too hot, I move into the house to do some work on that: it has the dilapidated chic aesthetic at the moment, with paint peeling off the ceiling in sheets. Since we intend to tear down several of the walls and the ceiling, I have no plans to repaint. However, we are working on scraping the paint to encourage it to come down before we put furniture in the place.
This is all going to be done on a shoestring. Since there is no heating in the house, I managed to score a wood-fired stove for free from someone who never used theirs. Cost: 20 euros for transportation. We got the kitchen cabinets and all appliances for very little. We have already been given several cast-off items of furniture, including some chests of drawers and armoires which came with the house. All in all, we are happy with how that element is going.
We are, however, dismayed by the current prices for basic construction items. There is a window in the master bedroom that has completely fallen apart, and is beyond repair. Replacement windows are currently going for about half the cost of a transatlantic flight. The chimney needs to be extended to improve the draw, and I shudder to contemplate the cost of the required scaffolding.
That said, there is very little we need to do on an urgent basis. We can do most of the work ourselves, and that certainly takes us back to our roots as a married couple!
Michael is currently focused on creating swales for water retention. Given the slope of the property, water is sure to run off in sheets. We live in a climate where that is something to be avoided; our goal is to keep as much water on the property as humanly possible.
Fun note: when a girl is born in a family, a walnut tree is planted with her name on it. When she gets married, that tree is felled in order to make the bedroom furniture! I don't think Claire will be getting bedroom furniture out of it, but there will definitely be "her" walnut tree here. That will be planted in October, most likely. In the meantime, I'm having fun sprouting all kinds of seeds: apricots, avocado, chick peas, beans, and so on. We'll see what takes!
Love,
Alexandra
Todi hosts an annual event which mostly consists of theatre productions. Due to language difficulties, we have written it off as something in which we could participate. This year, however, was different: I am now on the board of one of the supporting organizations, and the president was kind enough to comp Michael and me tickets for four separate events.
Even just getting into the theatre is always a thrill to me because it is so lovely. This time, though, we had an even bigger thrill: we both discovered that actually we understood a lot more than expected during the two plays! Most of the things we missed were simply because of mic issues or intense emotion being conveyed which rendered the voices/words difficult to understand -- which would have been the case had the production been in English. The other productions were a modern dance production of Pinocchio, which was so surreal we are scratching our heads days later, and a piano concert by a young, legally blind musician. The latter was quite unexpected: she was a lot soft-jazzier than expected (think Nina Simone, although I don't really know what to call that genre) and was very well received. It was a great concert.
It was a delight to have our dinner, then leave the house five minutes before the theatre doors opened and arrive in plenty of time. There were a lot of locals, but also a good proportion of visitors, providing a mix of faces. Most of all, it has been really lovely to participate more fully in community life. We'll definitely be back next year!
Love,
Alexandra
Since we have lived here, we have consumed a positively ridiculous quantity of capers. Some ideas? Put in tuna with dried tomatoes and mayo. Add to lemon chicken. Pasta with a tomato-based sauce containing tuna, onions, and capers. The list is quite long and I'm always happy to add to said list.
I have also heard rumors that caper plants grow all over the place here, but have never had the chance to follow it up. Happening to mention it to an acquaintance, she happily told me that not only did she know where to find the caper plants, but there were probably still some in season to be harvested! We agreed to meet the following day so she could show me where they were and proper harvesting techniques.
Come to find out that not only are the buds edible, but also the new leaves and the smaller fruits (seed pods). I happily collected as many as we could find; being at the end of the season, we only collected enough for a smallish jar, but my objective of learning location and technique was easily met. Joy!
Caper buds and leaves have to be soaked in salt, which can be the primary means of preservation. Having soaked them in salt, however, they can also be pickled or preserved in brine. The latter two are my preference, so after a few days' salt treatment I will be learning how to pickle capers.
Love,
Alexandra
