And then there was Ruby..

She had us waiting until a few days before Christmas to come into heat. She was due at least 2 weeks earlier but Ruby wouldn’t be Ruby if she didn’t mix up and stir the feelings of those around her..

But it turned out to come as a pleasant reprise. For we had spent nearly 4 weeks freezing and working hard in Czech so hitting the road after this felt really good..

And then it got even better, turning from a hard winter to a deliciously warm, bright, magnificent summer. What a delight came over us as the snow melted under our winter tyres and we entered the coast of Italia via the hot tarmac that had been gently heated by the rays of the Mediterranean sun.. ahhhhh

And even better, the smell of fresh calamari frying, the fruits of the sea, the simple sumptuous pizza, and ohhh the Pinot Grigio..
And all this accompanied by the music of the waves gently tiding and caressing the curves of the west side of this beautiful boot, in Civitavecchia, explained to us by a very charming, handsome waiter to mean old city, and pronounced chi-vita-vekia.

The place is really alive, buzzing with life as a tourist resort, but in fact full of natives just enjoying their city, great wine, fantastic food, amazing climate.. indeed, why wouldn’t they.. We certainly did!

With 2 very large cars and 10 dogs on board trying to negotiate the small side streets in Italy would be a bit of a nightmare. But, to our very pleasant surprise we found a wonderful hotel with very good parking facilities, that accepted dogs, and moreover with good size terrace and sea views.. Christmas was sorted !

Just another example of how this magical creature always holds a trump card in our lives, making mayhem and stretching our boundaries only so that we can see what lies beyond them, that once we can see we can choose to embrace or not .. And more often than not we do, well at least I do..

Thank you Ruby and Merry Christmas!

It’s freezing, can’t feel my feet or my hands and getting bruised and beaten by my dobermann as I’m instructed to use her high, crazy (but beautiful) drives as the incentive for her lesson in obedience! Well sounds like a contradiction in terms, but strangely it seems to be working .. (more…)

Among God’s creatures two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes, in order not to be separated from the man.

Andres Segovia

When I came across this quote by Andres Segovia the other day, I could only sit back and smile in wonderment at its truth, well at least in relation to myself. As a child, up until late adulthood I could not be separated from my guitar. (more…)