Finally a little free time

29 agosto
Sorry about the long delay... what a few days. First of all, we are still full. That means breakfast takes me about 4 hours every day for 14 people as i start preparing about 7-730 for the 1st folks who want breakfast at 830. The other 12 come along over the next 2 hours and I am usually working around the kitchen while i am waiting with my 18000 song ipod, a gift from my friend Laurence, keeping me company. Tuesday, the container of my stuff from america arrived from the port of Napoli at what time???? 0821!!! the worst possible time. Raffaele had to get up way before his usual time (0900) to help out with breakfast while the 2 guys and I unloaded a full 20 foot container of bed, boxes and beyond. After breakfast and putting all the rooms in order after al the guests had l left for the mountains and the sea, we unloaded about 12 boxes of stuff for the kitchen. We then had the man who sells rootstock coming at 1530, badddd time!! to explain what clones would work best here and he was a typical Italian chatterer. I thought Raffaele would throttle him before he left. Meanwhile, one of the local agriturismo owners who I have met and developed a rapport with called to ask if we had room for a priest and a young girl. We had 2 rooms empty but not ready, so we hightailed it up to room 6 which has a loft as they couldn't afford 2 separate rooms and fixed it up. At this point I was dead tired, so we went off to the local restaurant to let someone else cook for a change. DAI!! Today I had it easy--only emptied 6 boxes of knickknacks and finished about 1300. We went out for lunch with a friend Jean Felice who helped out yesterday and today and then visited a nice winery called La Caniette, which I mentioned before because Jean F. wants to work there during the harvest. Back here and finally i have a few moments. We are full through the next weekend and then ??? things will get a bit quieter, maybe. The pictures are of my container arriving with the bed taking up all the space at the end; a bed the likes of which has never been seen in Italy before! Queen size is the largest they sell here and they don't know box springs. The first thing i found was an egg poacher , which made Raffaele laugh because they are available also in Italy, but noone uses them here either. Then you see some photos I took of a walk with Filu across the hill looking back tat N di Bacco and the part we will plant this year in brown. Then finally, pictures of the new moon here. Enjoy! dds