Christmas - With a Kiwi/Italian/Irish/Greek/South African Spin

~The family with the addition of 'Lucky'~

We had Christmas - it wasn't at home and it wasn't the same but it was Christmas none the less...

~The cutest Christmas Pixie ever~

Things we missed

• family - we missed you Les, John, Karen, Iris, Rory and Tottie.
• old friends - and you all know who you are {{{{{big hugs}}}}}
• ham - at between 18 and 30 euro (NZ$45-75) a kilo we gave the big chunk on the bone a miss this year
• sunshine warmth and the thought of summer holiday
• traveling to Kinloch
• Santa - he's got a different name in Italy

Things we got instead

• a cuzzie! - one of my Irish cousins Stephanie was hee with us
• Greeks bearing gifts - Stephie's husband Yiorgos and her youngest daughter Haroula
• new friends - Penny (a kiwi woman I met in Milan) and her husband Clinton (from South Africa) with their two girls aged 6 and 8 joined us for Christmas dinner and stayed the night before heading to France on Boxing Day.
• SNOW! but not until Christmas night.
• Babbo Natale - ie Santa in Italian

~Steph, Yiorgos and the Christmas table~

Santa was very good to us all (regardless of Poste Italiana's efforts) and we are all now outfitted in trousers and jackets for the snow. Alan is getting a pistol for Airsoft which should arrive within the week and Caitlin got a new set of professional stilts by Voltige. The adults got a home theatre surround sound system that makes movie watching quite an experience - we watched a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon (Boxing Day) and I really jumped!

~Keep unwrapping - only six layers more to go~

It has been a peculiar Christmas. The city lights and Santa are much the same as at home except that the lights spell out 'Auguri' and Santa is called 'Babbo Natale'. The carols are the same and even if the words sound a little different the sentiment's the same.

This year I wasn't rushing around organising heaps of stuff at school and going brain crazy in the process - this year I was rushing around doctors and hospitals and worrying about Caitlin's health. Caitlin's appendicitis/peritonitis lead on to a bout of low blood pressure that saw her passing out with little or no warning resulting in a few bumps to her head. Blood tests revealed anemia and and unusual thyroid readings - leading to more blood tests - this time at the hospital (I'm not going over that story - suffice it to say that tantrums and tears work wonders in achieving service) and ultrasound scans of her throat area. We go back to the doctor next week to assess the results - however all looks mostly okay. Not sure about Caitlin but my stress levels are certainly more comfortable now.

Boxing Day was very quiet and so is today, as Caitlin went to the hotel with her new cousin Haroula on Christmas night and hasn't been seen since. The 'Greeks' are off to Foxtown (http://www.foxtown.ch/info.php?lingua=en&centro=mendrisio) again today and we'll see them later this afternoon. The shopping is just too good up there - especially now the sales are on.

~One pooped Christmas pooch~

Really Big Snow Day - Work and School Closed

Just a quick post to show you what we wakened up to this morning and - now at 2.30pm - it is still snowing.

Wow - It Really is Breath Taking Here

One from Patch and Alan this evening ...

Today it was necessary to drag Alan out of his dumgeon (spelling mistake intended!). Dad decided that fresh air was in order - so off the boys went on an adventure - with camera in hand. The two headed up Campo Dei Fiori - the local national park beside Varese. For those in the know this is above Sacro Monte, the small village nestled on the side of the cliff.




Here is Alan in about four foot of snow - the day or two before we go and buy snow boots, proper coats, hats and gloves! This is six days since the last snow fall. The view is due west; the mountain/peak/hill to the left is hiding the sun.

This is a small village - still to be identified - to the north of Campo dei Fiori - suspected to be 'Castello Cabiagliano'.

And beautifully caputured in the setting sun is Sacro Monte itself... isn't it stunning.

Another Stitch - or three - in Life's Rich Tapestry

I grew up with LOTS of sayings which usually began with "as my mother/sister/grandmother would have said...". One of my favourites sayings has always been "another stitch in life's rich tapestry" which I believe is attributable to my Aunty Betty. On occasion I have wished for a slightly less brightly coloured and complicated pattern in the tapestry of my life!

This week Caitlin added a few more stitches to her own life tapestry and to her tummy. She'll be bringing home an Italian appendectomy scar. What started out on Tuesday as a dose of the cold the family were all sharing turned into appendicitis by Thursday evening. Antibiotics from the doctor seemed to settle everything down and after another visit to the doctor on Saturday morning (not an emergency visit - they just work weird hours here) she seemed to be well on the mend. The doc said she could return to school but to go to the hospital if the pain got any worse ...

So, Monday morning 8am off to school (no breakfast)...

Monday morning 9.30 I get a phone call to say Caitlin is in pain. I rush up to school and collect her.

"Hospital?"
"Mmm."

We made a quick stop home for directions to the hospital and to pack a bag on the off chance things would not go well. And then we got to experience A and E in Italy... Because Caitlin wasn't rolling around in agony they didn't seem too concerned with her - more concerned about who and how the account was to be paid... Still - after 7 hours, blood tests, poking, prodding, watching the italian world go by, getting lost, and doing it all in Italian - a surgeon decided it might be best to just take the appendix out. By 5pm we were on our way to a local private hospital set in a beautiful villa, surrounded by snow. 'La Quiete' - quite a picture.

A meeting at 7pm with the head of surgery resulted in a theatre booking for 1pm Tuesday afternoon... drips, intravenous antibiotics and still no food. Turned out Caitlin actually had peritonitis - and a high threshold of pain.

Two more days in hospital and finally Thursday morning she got to eat real food - dry bread - tasted like nectar of the gods to her! Then a visit from the Professor Thursday afternoon and we got to go home about 4.30pm. Happy, happy, happy dance - well - slow shuffle really.

We are now safely home, ensconced in our own beds once more and looking forward to finally getting the christmas tree up for 2008. We're a long way from Christmas '07 and the tapestry is much richer and more vibrant for the experience.

Cheers all!