biscuits part 2!

Tarà! Orange and lemon flavoured, they were easy to do, but again, recipe totally wrong! I had to double the flour and they were supposed to stay 10 minutes at 190°C!!!! Definately too much heat, so I sticked to 150°C and they came out perfect!

biscuits!

How come I cannot publish another picture on the same post?
Well, anyway, this was the first try with the 2-colours rings... As for the recipe they needed to stay 20 minutes in the oven at 180°C... of course they got burnt! So, these were in the oven for 10 minutes at 150°C! Much better!

Xmas is coming

Christmas. Am not a big fan. And this year is going to be weird. I love giving presents, but unfortunately I am not sure I'll be able to buy them this year. I have a job, but I will not get paid till January, as the company is having some problems, and so thinking of not being able to give my family the presents I would like to give them, makes me even less keen than usual to Christmas. Plus, I usually give some money to charity this year and the thought I cannot even spare 10 euros...
Blimey. The spirit of Christmas. Plus I'll be 31 in less than a month and I'm honestly starting to feel old... old and tired!
Any suggestions to help me feel more useful to the world???

Another dog?

Honestly, I am not adopting another dog. But I keep checking blogs and website about rescued dogs and my heart is breaking. I wish I could adopt another dog. I wish I had the space, the time, the money to give him/her a beautiful life. But I have not and it hurts me. And so I turn to lucky Batman, we might not be the best owners ever, but still, we saved him from what could be a very awful life... we were very lucky to have him too. He is just the perfect dog. Love him to bits. Love him, love him, love him.
Anyway, have put on my links a couple of blogs of people devoting their life to saving animals, just in case anyone wants to give it a go...

E vale la pena in italiano. Ho linkato dei blogs di persone che si occupano di animali randagi e/o abbandonati, magari qualcuno è interessato a dare una mano!!! E' linkato, ovviamente, anche il canile di Desenzano, dove abbiamo adottato Batman. Pensateci!!!

English Class

Almost everyone we met in Egypt spoke English. And of course I am not a mother tongue either, but I find extremely funny these kind of spelling mistakes... am not taking the piss, honestly, I think it's a natural development of a language (English) that is spoken worldwide, with loads of different accents. But unfortunately, and surely due to my academic education, I am a strong supporter of words like colOUr, theatRE, organiSe and similar (so I guess Americans would not love me very much) and do find these mispellings hilarious.
And now, everyone please be free to underline all the mistakes I made in this post... ;)

BATMAN!

Here's lovely (and crazy) Batman! He's been with us for more than a year now and we love him to bits. Neither of us had ever had a dog before, so it was a real Adventure!
Batman is a rescued strayed dog. He was found on a street aged more or less one and brought to a Dog Rescue Center, from where we got him. Either he is very very clever, which we know he is anyway, or he was living in a family before, as he had to undergo very little training with us: he did not need anything to be told twice! For sure he was beaten, probably with a stick, as he is still very scared of the broom and the mop. He is also quite scared of wind and we cannot actually make out why. He loves human contact and running! He is very good at retrieving objects, again it wasn't much effort to teach him. All in all, he is the perfect dog, does not bark (I swear, he probably does it once in a month or so...), does not chew things in the house, is very clean, loves all other dogs and is particularly fond of cats (but they do not usually return his love...), is terrific, very tender and affectionate, with children.
With this post we want to thank again the fabulous pepole at the canile Intercomunale di Desenzano del Garda (BS), where we adopted him.

Tiny me in Abu Simbel

Most breathtaking place I've ever been in my life. Surronded by the beautiful Lake Nasser... and the thought of the brilliant people who built Ramses's temple and of the brilliant people who moved it there... absolute genius. And so, tiny me, in every sense, in Abu Simbel.

One year after

And so, one year after my last post, on October, 3rd 2009, we finally got married!!!
The happiest day of my life??? Well, I think I could say it. The people I REALLY wanted to be there, were there and so I felt loved, happy and beautiful. And blessed. And lucky.

So many beautiful things happended to me this year, together with some pretty awful ones and I have to admit I felt really overwhelmed at times.
But I am starting feeling better and hope this will be a new start for us, I mean I hope life will bring us something new!

soooo, feeling weird....

So. Not sure there's still someone checking on this, as I disappeared for some time... well, on the picture there's the new little one, Giorgia, with 2 1/2 years old Elena and my mum holding them.

Of course you may also see that mum doesn't look exactly in great shape (especially if you've known her before) and that may also explain why I didn't have much of a life in the past few months. She is starting to feel a little better now, but there's still a long way to go and we still have very fresh memories of last time and are not exactly looking forward to what is coming, none of us.
Anyway, the wedding has also been postponed to when she'll be able to attend and enjoy the event, so, we'll see...

Funny how now that I started writing I feel I could keep going and going... How is it in English? "Writer's block"???? I bet not....

Sorry this is just for the Italian speakers! It gives an idea of whom we have to deal with at work!!!! We are talking Alitalia, here... not all captains are like that!

new computer

Sooooo, at last, here I am, back to anyone interested... we bought a new computer, and this time there's an apple on it. I'm sure Luca will put it at the best use, as for me, as long as I can use the Internet again, I'm happy!!! 

Many news in the meanwhile... first of all: we are getting married! Nothing planned yet, apart from the fact that it is going to be in October, so not that far away.... but more news will come on the subject.

Second: I'm going to be an auntie again! My brother and sister- in-law are expecting another baby, a girl again and we are over the moon with the excitement! On the left, Elena a couple of weeks ago.

Third: have started going to the gym... very very boring, but hopefully it'll help me losing a few extra kilos! And looking gorgeous on my wedding day!

Quite enough for you to to comment on the post for today and I'll talk to you all very soon...

Book of the day: Mary Queen of Scots, by Antonia Fraser.

Scary

I honestly think this is scary.

OCTOBER

Best day: at Linderhof Castle.

Worst day: under the rain in Herrenchiemsee.

Silliest sentence (mine): se non ti sbrighi a chiedermi di sposarti, non ti sposo più.
Silliest sentence (someone's else):
Most repeated sentence: "excuse me, do you speak English?"
Most heard sentence: "A bit".
Music:Guitar Concerts by Vivaldi.
Movie: i Magnifici 4 e Silver Surfer.
Book: an author, Jennifer Donnelly and three of her novels. Brilliant.
Someone said: it's going to be cold in Germany! (everyone who knew we were going there on holiday).

Jude the Obscure and The Pillars of the Earth

I was editing my Myspace profile, when it suddenly came to my mind the following episode:

I happened to meet Ken Follett a few years ago. We were sitting at the same table, so I couldn't avoid one simple question, one that probably anyone who'd read Jude the Obscure (by T. Hardy) AND The Pillars of the Earth (by K. Follett) would have felt the urge to ask: did he feel obliged to T. Hardy? Actually, I was a bit bolder and asked him if he got the inspiration from Jude... it was quite a funny moment. All the "brains" at the tables, book industry brains, editors, translator (but I did not use him, I asked the question myself!) looked at me in horror (once the translator had done his job and translated the question in Italian: they probably thought I was accusing him of plagiarism in writing his most succesfull book...), but Sir (if I am not mistaken) Follett smiled at me and I could see recognition in his eyes. I am sure I was not the first person in the world asking him such a question, but he probably would not expect it in Italy, where T. Hardy is quite unknown. But he just smiled, and admitted T. Hardy was his favourite author and that he had a picture of him just behind his desk, to remind him every day of his life how much he owed him. And the we went on sharing thoughts on Hardy for a while, while the others looked at us and did not know what to say.
So, I don't really like Ken Follett as a writer, but I think he's a great guy.

Book of the day: The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett.
Libro del giorno: I pilastri della Terra, di Ken Follett.

Beppe Grillo

Ok, I don't like speaking of politics. I don't like politics. Sorry to all the English speaking, but I have to link this, from Beppe Grillo's blog.
Ciao a tutti. Io non mi interesso di politica e non ne voglio neppure parlare qui. Ma questo ci coinvolge tutti e come al solito ne veniamo a conoscienza solo grazie a Beppe Grillo.
Cito un suo post sul sito:

"La legge Levi-Prodi e la fine della Rete

Ricardo Franco Levi, braccio destro di Prodi, sottosegretario alla Presidenza del Consiglio, ha scritto un testo per tappare la bocca a Internet.

Il disegno di legge è stato approvato in Consiglio dei ministri il 12 ottobre. Nessun ministro si è dissociato. Sul bavaglio all’informazione sotto sotto questi sono tutti d’accordo.

La legge Levi-Prodi prevede che chiunque abbia un blog o un sito debba registrarlo al ROC, un registro dell’Autorità delle Comunicazioni, produrre dei certificati, pagare un bollo, anche se fa informazione senza fini di lucro.

I blog nascono ogni secondo, chiunque può aprirne uno senza problemi e scrivere i suoi pensieri, pubblicare foto e video.

L’iter proposto da Levi limita, di fatto, l’accesso alla Rete.
Quale ragazzo si sottoporrebbe a questo iter per creare un blog?
La legge Levi-Prodi obbliga chiunque abbia un sito o un blog a dotarsi di una società editrice e ad avere un giornalista iscritto all’albo come direttore responsabile.
Il 99% chiuderebbe.

Il fortunato 1% della Rete rimasto in vita, per la legge Levi-Prodi, risponderebbe in caso di reato di omesso controllo su contenuti diffamatori ai sensi degli articoli 57 e 57 bis del codice penale. In pratica galera quasi sicura.

Il disegno di legge Levi-Prodi deve essere approvato dal Parlamento. Levi interrogato su che fine farà il blog di Beppe Grillo risponde da perfetto paraculo prodiano: “Non spetta al governo stabilirlo. Sarà l’Autorità per le Comunicazioni a indicare, con un suo regolamento, quali soggetti e quali imprese siano tenute alla registrazione. E il regolamento arriverà solo dopo che la legge sarà discussa e approvata dalle Camere”.

Prodi e Levi si riparano dietro a Parlamento e Autorità per le Comunicazioni, ma sono loro, e i ministri presenti al Consiglio dei ministri, i responsabili.

Se passa la legge sarà la fine della Rete in Italia.
Il mio blog non chiuderà, se sarò costretto mi trasferirò armi, bagagli e server in uno Stato democratico.

Ps: Chi volesse esprimere la sua opinione a Ricardo Franco Levi può inviargli una mail a : levi_r@camera.

www.beppegrillo.it


Diffondete e inoltrate qualche "omaggio" a Ricardo Franco Levi"

Vi prego, mobilitiamoci.

Crazy stuff...

We had some problems while on holiday in Germany, trying to figure out what the following might mean.... I go with "It is forbidden to wear shoes on these grounds" for the one on the left; and "It is forbidden to fall" for the one on the right... up to you!

SETTEMBRE

Bellissima idea presa dal sito di Dory...
Ovviamente cominciamo con

SETTEMBRE

Il giorno più bello: il primo giorno a casa con Luca...

Il giorno più brutto: la sinusite due giorni prima di partire per le prime ferie in 3 anni!

La frase più stupida (mia): "visto che non riesci a capire che se guidi così mi viene la nausea, non te lo dico più e la prossima volta ti vomito addosso"

La frase più stupida (di qualcun' altro): "ma perchè tu hai fatto la stronza?!?" (spiegazione del perchè qualcuno è dimagrito solo di 1/2 kg all'ultimo controllo dalla dietista... significa "ma è perchè non hai seguito la dieta?")

La frase più detta: "sono i miei ultimi giorni"

La frase più sentita: "Non ti lasciano a casa 25 giorni..." (vedremo!)

Colonna sonora: Tutto Tiziano Ferro

Film: FUR, con l'inegaugliabile Robert Downey Jr.

Libro: poche soddisfazioni questo mese...mi tocca dire la guida blu del Touring della Germania...

Citazione: Non può piovere per sempre. (The Crow)

what is it?

Ok what is it in your opinion??? It was on a wedding menu and I had never seen anything like this in my life...

Cos'è? Ci è stato servito ad un matrimonio, ma ovviamente molti non si sono azzardati a mangiarlo... Avete mai visto qualcosa del genere?

Cheesecake!

This was my first attempt at cheesecake! My auntie gave a me a great recipe book: just follow the instructions and you'll have great results!
It was delicious! Will try the Chocolate marble next!

Yes!

Ghost Stories by MR James!! And thank god I did found it on the bookshelves. Anyone into thriller and horror books, DO read this. It's in Penguin Popular Classics.