Archive for 'Uncategorized'
The Pursuit of Happiness – Part 1. Posted by Geoff on Mar 17, 2014
I’m not generally a big tattoo fan, but every now and then I see one that I like. Yesterday morning was sunny and warm, my friend Luca had his shirt sleeves rolled up, and I noticed for the first time an intriguing tattoo on the inside of his right forearm: The Pursuit of Happiness I…
What Are You Reading? Posted by Geoff on Mar 13, 2014
Two for the price of one today … a short conversational blog which also doubles as a mini book review! Author Niccolò Ammaniti was born in Rome in 1966. He has written three novels and a collection of short stories. He won the prestigious Italian Viareggio-Repaci Prize for Fiction with his bestselling novel Io Non…
Come Pulire i Carciofi Posted by Serena on Mar 3, 2014
A couple of days ago on my cousin Federica’s Facebook I dropped in on this typically Italian chat about a photo of a box of globe artichokes: Federica: “Carciofi!!!” (Artichokes!!!) Silvia: “Nooo!!! Ma dove li hai trovati???” (Nooo!!! Where did you find them???) Federica: “Torino ” (Turin) Silvia: “Aaaahhhhh, mi hai illuso!!!!” (Aaaahhhhh, you got…
Diamo i Numeri Posted by Serena on Feb 21, 2014
There are many things that we take for granted in our mother tongue, and it’s not until someone actually points them out to you that you say to yourself “hmmm, that’s interesting”. This happens a lot with me and Geoff. As Italian is Geoff’s second language he tends to spot words and expressions that I…
A Prickly Encounter Posted by Serena on Feb 12, 2014
We live in the foothills of the Appennino Tosco Emiliano, an area full of an incredible variety of wildlife. Here the wild animals are really wild, and they don’t rely on humans for their survival like many of the animals which now live in parks and city suburbs. The wildlife around here prefers to avoid…
Pear and Chocolate Indulgence! Posted by Serena on Jan 31, 2014
Do any of you like chocolate? How about pears? If the answer to those two questions is yes then this is the perfect recipe for you. Preamble … Over the Christmas holidays we were inundated with chocolate: boxes and boxes of assorted pralines, and massive bars of the stuff, some of them weighing 500 grams…
Shake Rattle and Roll, Italian Style Posted by Geoff on Jan 13, 2014
No, it’s not another song translation, simply a little blog inspired by our old FIAT Punto. Anyone who has ever owned a Punto, Panda, Uno etc. will know that, whilst generally reliable, they tend to develop their own individual voice which is composed of a range of unidentifiable squeaks, creaks, rattles, and so on. We…