sunday at school

Last week was full of events, dramas, accomplishments, decisions, a really full life!

So on sunday there was much need of a break, of staying with good friends, and giving some origins to thoughts, leaving all those "difficult" things away for a day.



we visited friends, had a great lunch which, amongst other delicious things, involved home-made gnocchi



and I had a course on how to make pasta, all for myself. I actually helped in the process, learnt the recipe (easy peasy, 1 kg flour, 3 eggs, water (and, in this case, some borragine)).

Everything was ready:



so my 87 years old teacher, which was patient and precise, showed me what and how to do:



you put the eggs with the flour,



add the herbs, and start mixing from the center







when the pasta is ready, you make the sheets, starting with having them thicker, and going down thickness when they are ready,



(and I dutifuly operated the pasta machine). Then it's time to cut the tagliatelle and the spaghetti!





Let them dry suspended for a day or two. It is surely going to be delicious!

In the afternoon we chatted a lot with visiting relatives and friends, spent some time in the garden, enjoying the first sun. Even the dog had a lot of fun!

last week in Catania

Last week we were in Sicily.
I love Sicily, it is so varied, rich of history and landscapes, friendly people and good food: what do you want more.
We were in Catania to work with great people.



The symbol of Catania is the Liotru, this nice elephant

The town is great, by night



and day



Full of pictoresque and interesting views





and churches



people



life!



there were huge murals





and views



and the Etna smoking in the background!!!

we are back

We have been away to the field


(fiumara in Calabria, near Bianco)

and to a wonderful place


(Catania, Via dei Crociferi by night)

meeting great friends, working hard, having fun and surviving accidents.....



All is well, life is varied, as usual.

2012 review

Well, a little post, as many others around, to close with 2012. Many people, including me, like to make end-of the year reports, to put in perspective what they did and amke resolutions to prepare for a new start. It is not really all about the new year, which is just a convenient point in time, as it could be our birthday (another big day for projects and thinking), or whatever date. The important bit is to evaluate what we do, not in a competing way, but just as a nice pause to reflect. I find this very useful, and reassuring.

Some people even make lists of accomplishments, but to me the real point is to think back to what I did and plan to what to do in order to go where I would like to be next.

This year confirmed me that all this is possible only when life does not place itself in the middle, and forces you to adapt to situations, and reassess all your priorities and beliefs. And as hard this can be, it ended up being a beautiful journey! I did have to change plans and directions, but I feel stronger and more determined. I had to let go of beliefs I now wonder how could I have attached myself to for so long. And I'm preparing for the next difficutlies, that I see near the horizon, with much more humility but also with more wisdom (and wonder if I'm going to laugh at this post in retrospective in a few years).



But as a friend recently wrote, the important thing is to live in the moment, rather than waiting for a dream future (which, from experience, is never the answer) or hold on to a dreamy past.

Anyhow, to give farewell to 2012, is here, in random order, some of the accomplished of 2012:
- I was able to celebrate my brother's 50th birthday with him and his family;
- I spend good time with my parents;



- I went to exhibition and concerts;
- I spent good time with friends;



- I travelled to various destinations;
- I managed a very hard situation at work with not too much damage (talking of psychological effects here);



- I achieved good results at work and published several papers;
- I collaborated with fantastic people;



- I read more than two books a month;
- I knitted a lot;



- I tried to help others and causes I felt drawn to;



- I invested in my education;
- I finished another 365 project;
- I walked a lot;



- I taught with pleasure and good results;
- I celebrated life daily;



- I invested in my spiritual and physical well being



It would be possible to go on and on (and I could add also the scary, sad, frightening and disappointing parts), but you get the picture (even without the details), and the thing I note most is that even though the list is a sequence of I, it would be more correct to change those into we.

Thanks to all friends and family for this great year.

Now to move on to 2013, with DARE as a word to guide it, I'm curious to see what is ahead!

it's finished

So it's finished, bye bye 2012, you were quite demanding, but all you can do always is to get what comes with as much grace as possible, solve the problems or digest them, and try to go on. Which we all did, and in the end it was quite a lucky year, all considered.

But I'm happy it is finished, I'm happy to close it, and say adieu. No much blogging lately, nothing about our travels, it was simply too much to be handled, but plans are, as always, to be back to good habits. So in the next days I'll try to trace a summary of 2012, to let all of this go, and try to start anew with 2013. After all everything is up to us.

The last day of 2012 has been excellent! I went to swim, I had a great coffee and pleasantly chatted about interesting things, I worked a bit, I baked a cake



We ate it at lunch with a good friend.
The afternoon was spent resting and planning and doing the things I love



In the evening we had a great time with dear friends



eating



and laughing and...



feeling loved, and happy, and relaxed, and trusting, and cared of, and caring for



Hallo 2013, hope we will get well together, and I think my little word for you will be along the lines of "dare"! More soon....
yours

G.

another month

I can't believe another month has passed since my last post!
How is that possible? But then I think to all what happened, and I understand why it flew s fast.
It's almost Christmas, I'm back to Australia, it's summer, and I'm working hard AND enjoying myself with friends! And what an year.

But to come back to the last months, we have been traveling quite a bit.
We were in Paris, to catch up with dear friends and with the city, that I always miss....





And I was in the mountains, and back and forth to Milano, in the day or night





I went to meetings



I worked so hard, and was often very tired, so that I wore mismatched socks



but still had the energy to note the small beautiful details



We had great family meetings, a bit of sadness and great joys.
The computer died



but now I have a new one!

And I'm more than ready to keep on going, and, possibly, chronicle the journey a bit more regularly!



Oh, I was forgetting, I also knitted a ton of things!

And we have arrived safely!!!!!

a.b. 18 - reflections and family life

a. b. 10 - meeting and chatting with god friends

A. B. 05

spending time with loved ones

bird - day

Some weeks ago I was at my mum's and it was a wonderful day!



I decided for a walk along the lake side



life was buzzling



and I made many encounters



mainly of the flying type!



but not only!







Just a free hour and so many things to see!