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!

Snow, Snow, Snow!

The locals try to tell us that it rarely snows in Varese - maybe four days a year. BUT! It has snowed twice this week.

Patch came and wakened me about 6.30 on Monday morning to tell me we were living in a 'winter wonderland'. Indeed it was! Of course I had to run around like an idiot in silk nightie and sheepskin boots, waking the kids to come and look... After dressing warmly they made the most of it all.

- at this point I retired to the diginity (and safety) of the lounge - just in time!

Alan made a great snowman and he lasted several days - after Caitlin headed to school, I arrived home to find the snowman somewhat anatomically altered - definitely a snowMAN.

Varese set out to outdo itself on Friday and after a clear start to the morning it began to snow about 8.30am. And it snowed and it snowed and it snowed! The place looked gorgeous and out came the camera - again!

Soon it became far too difficult to drive - the road was too slippery to negotiate and so we settled in for a long day at home. Luckily enough Caitlin was not at school (touch of appendicitis! - all clearing nicely now). Finally about 2pm the falling snow flurries turned to gentle rain and the snow on the roads became slushy enough for the tyres to get a grip. We now proudly possess ice scrapers for the windscreens and chains for the tyres and sometime - very soon - we'll be getting lessons on how to put them on the car...

Supporting Patch in Movember

Hi All,

During Movember (the month formerly known as November) I, Patch, am growing a Mo. That's right I'm bringing the Mo back because I'm passionate about tackling men's health issues and being proactive in the fight against men's depression and prostate cancer. To donate to my Mo you can either:

Click this link https://www.movember.com/nz/donate/donate-details.php?action=sponsorlink&rego=2154336&country=nz and donate online using your credit card, or

Write a cheque payable to 'Movember Donations Account', referencing my Registration Number 2154336 and mailing it to:
Movember
PO Box 12 708
Wellington 6144

Remember, all donations over $10 are tax deductible and you'll get a receipt.

The money raised by Movember is used to raise awareness of men's health issues and donated to the Cancer Society of New Zealand and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. These two charities will use the money raised to fund research and increase support networks for those affected with prostate cancer and experiencing depression.

Did you know:Depression affects 1 in 10 men....Most people who experience depression make a full recovery. The first step is seeking help. Last year in New Zealand 2,700 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 600 died of prostate cancer - (that's nearly two each day).

Photos of the team here in Italy will be forthcoming at the end of the month giving evidence that we did the hard yards here where the mighty manly Mo's aren't big in the fashion stakes!

Thanks for your support everyone.

Patch

Birthday Weeks

Patch and I have been having our birthday weeks just recently. As our birthdays are exactly a week apart we long ago decided to make the most of the intervening and following period.

My week started on Sunday with a trip to the (english speaking) All Saints Church in Milano for Remebrance Day services. This required an early start, paniced adjustments to jacket buttons and hairdos, and a couple of muesli bars grabbed on the run. The service was LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG and mostly sung. Instead of a sermon there was an address delivered by the second in command of the Brit contingent from the local NATO base. His name is Rupert - this appealed to me immensely - a rupert called Rupert! Most suitably named.

An aside - I love those names that match or are appropriate to peoples work - in Marton the local undertaker was named Death. A couple of days ago I read in a magazine about a woman called Sally Styles who is the registrar for the Hairdressing Council in England; Sally Styles the hairdresser!

From the service we drove out to the War graves at Treno where wreaths were laid by the Consul Generals of New Zealand, Britain, and India, also from South Africa. It was very moving to walk through the graave stones and read the names. Many were only in their early twenties. Sometimes whole crews were buried together when an aircraft had crashed. Most of those marked in the cemetry were prisoners of war. A very sombre and emotional visit.

We returned to the city for drinks and nibbles at the British Consul but by 3pm starvation was setting in and we made for the nearest restaurant. Hunger aleviated we next called to visit some American friends in the northern suburbs. We have hardly seen them since leaving the hotel where we all spent our first few months. One quick coffee turned into three hours and a couple of wines. Great time!

A final half hour drive home saw us arrive in time to open birthday cards, have a feed of smoked salmon and a celebratory glass of bubbles before birthday phone and skype calls. Lovely, lovely way to finish the day.



Piccie of my birthday presents still to arrive... Patch (and John and Les - thanks for the birthday money!!!) have bought me two of these candelabra. They are silverplated and 75cm tall, holding five candles. They will look stunning on the dining table - especially for Christmas.












The other purchase is a four poster wrought iron bedstead - hopefully it will arrive later this week. I've wanted one of these for years and years and this is the loveliest one I've seen - crisis measuring after ordering it to check that it would in fact fit in the room height... thanks to a sloping roof I'm okay.




One of the other Kiwi girls is having her birthday today - it must be the season! Happy birthday to all the scorpios out there.