Lifestyle – Page 10 – slightly weird

15th September 201815th September 2018

The heat keeps me indoors – most of the time

Friday, 14 September, 2018 30C or so and humid

I say I’m happy to stay home but it would be nice to go out too, so that’s becoming a big issue for me right now. The heat continues and it’s humid, with no end in sight. Earlier forecasts had shown this coming week to be in the mid twenties but instead 29 is more the figure. Nothing I can do about the weather but I’m gathering ideas for hot weather and shut-in ideas.

Ideas? Here’s what I’ve done so far.

First hot weather idea. I made a doll! She's called Ciao so far — First hot weather idea. I made a doll! She’s called Ciao so far

Second idea - eat leftovers! Agnoletti and burata — Second idea – eat leftovers! Agnoletti and burata

Third idea - watch really cheesy (and unPC) Italian television — Third idea – watch really cheesy (and un-PC) Italian television

There’s also watching Amazon Prime and Netflix. I am following the new Better Call Saul series. I finished watching series 3 of Poldark and very ready for series 4 – that might have to wait till London since BBC probably won’t play for me here – we shall see. I’m also working my way through the quirky Halt and Catch Fire series 2. Very annoyed that I can’t see This is Us series 2 without purchasing a TV subscription – that is not going to happen!

We also spent time watching a rather spectacular lightning storm, which started in the clouds over the Alps and eventually reached us with some high winds and drenching rain. It sadly did nothing to abate the heat more than just for that evening.

Friday I planned to get out but again the heat stopped me. But I thought maybe we could go out later, for dinner. We were out of food. I booked a place that sells plates of local meats and cheeses but eventually Krish opted out and so we thought about what to do instead.

Krish suggested walking around Borgo Dora and see where we could eat, with a fallback for pizza nearby. Done!

I made a deal to look at restaurants and pick one for each week and actually go! Also I still plan to go alone when I can – for lunch.

First we did a big loop around the Galleria Umberto. Nothing to interest His Fussiness there. Then we headed into Borgo Dora ro see what we could see.

From Via Milano looking across Piazza della Repubblica to Borgo Dora

Borgo Dora was quiet at first and then it got livelier

But we ended up with local pizza anyway. It was as hot as the pizza oven in here so we took it home

Our pizzas - 4 Staggione an a gorgonzola and pear — Our pizzas – 4 Staggione an a gorgonzola and pear

A diversion. Pizza in Italy. So I always imagined I would come to Italy and think, well, this is what a pizza is supposed to taste like! But that has never happened. A good pizza anywhere is as good as a pizza in Italy. Yes! Disappointed? However, it’s hard to find a bad pizza in Italy. This pizza, from a local place called Saraceno, has a chewy and salty crust. It’s not bad.

Last year when we came here, we arrived on the night the neighbourhood was having a street party. Everyone was sitting at a long table on the street eating together. This year it’s happening again but seems to be somewhere else. I will investigate. Krish has suggested we could go and I’d make my pesto potato salad. We had some fun talking about how a curry might not go over so well. I wonder how the potato salad would be received?

7th September 20187th September 2018

Rainy days and Thursdays – why am I so tired?

Thursday, 6 September 2018

I am sleeping well. It’s a bloody miracle. Why, then, am I so tired all day? I’ve resolved to ignore it, go with the flow, and see where the day takes me.

We said we’d get to the Tabaccheria by 1, when all of Torino – well, Italy really – closes down for two or three hours, to top up our BIP cards – those are the monthly travel cards. It’s closer to 2 when we leave. And it’s raining.

My new raincoat is actually waterproof as promised but in 28 degree heat it’s also hot! We walked down the road, with overheated me taking photos but mostly in my imagination – too rainy! Past the Porta Palatina, past and through the Palazzo Reale and into the Piazza Castello to the tourist office.

Since July I’ve been trying to book a tour of the Guido Gobino chocolate factory but you need five people to do this. Emails have gone back and forth and I went from being ‘madam’ to ‘dear.’ I thought I might be able to hook up with others but so far I’ve had no luck. Then Cristina told us about the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2018 – it’s Torino’s food festival week starting the 20th September! Loads of food events around and during that time. And included is a Gobino tour. Finally!

But no, the tourist office tells us that there are no tours – until we explain that it’s part of the Gusto week. The light dawns! But no again! It’s fully booked. Disappointment doesn’t even describe it. Petulance is more like it. How could my now-buddy. Loredana, at Gobino not have mentioned this to me? We left.

Why do my legs hurt so much???

The rain hasn’t let up but we wander through the deserted porticoes and through the little streets checking out the shop windows. The system here seems to be throw a lot of stuff into the window, pretend this is artful, and stand back to admire. One butcher shop had a shop window full of a haphazard wooden buildings and some toys – I wasn’t quite sure what they were getting at but whatever… And the toy shop – they can arrange their windows however they like – those dolls are wonderful.

The porticoes are wet and deserted — The porticoes give shelter in the sun OR RAIN

Via Giuseppe Barbaroux. Little artisan and independent stores here

We stopped briefly in the market. The lazy mood hasn’t let up so tonight we’re trying readymade cotellette – one chicken, one veal.

At home and wrote to Loredana about the tour. I poured on the pleading – well, just a bit. What have I got to lose?

Aperitivo – homemade, followed by a bit of a failed cotelleta and salad. I LOVE the sesame grissini here

25th August 201826th August 2018

Pain! And Paddington

Saturday, 25 August, 2018

Wednesday we went to see my aunt in Leigh-on-Sea. She’d asked me to be sure to check with her first: ‘Would be pleased if you can confirm this with me some time beforehand. At my age, one is never sure one will still be around.’ I confirmed…and she was! Fish and chips lunch accomplished, flowers distributed, birthday cake deposited in the fridge – we were too full to eat it!

On the way home all was well until I got up from my seat and had to struggle to get off the train (such pain in my legs and almost impossible to bear weight), down a lot of stairs, along a long corridor, turned back at the next stairs, back halfway along the long corridor and up another flight of stairs, into the train, and a slow limp home. My hips seem to have seized up – never happened before. Hobbled my way through the rest of the evening, very painful. Ugh.

Thursday I decided to just relax, do some stretches, apply heat, and not venture anywhere. Stretching was a shock. One leg moved more than a foot away from my body, the more painful side only a few inches! However, this plan seemed to work since by evening I was walking fairly well again. And my day on the couch meant I did a lot of organising for going away. Yay!

Friday I’d arranged to meet a friend from Wyandotte, Michigan (near Detroit). She’s part of an email group I joined about twenty years ago. The group was an offshoot of a Coronation Street newsgroup back before the internet looked so pretty. We’ve all met over the years and now Kate was in the UK doing her annual Doc Martin fan trip in the Somerset area. I’d booked afternoon tea at The Hilton Paddington so she could easily bring her cases in on her way to Heathrow to go home.

And I was good to go! Walking easily too, but took some pills just in case. I’d read online about a great new transport app called City Mapper so installed it and explored. The app shows every single transport method in the area to get wherever you’re going. This includes public transport, Uber, bike stations…and I noticed a little green icon I’d never seen before. Looking further it was a new ride sharing system under the TFL network, Smart Ride. One of their stops was just across at the Little Local. To get to Paddington, I’d be sharing with up to seven more people, it would take an hour and my first fare would be a discounted £4 (usually £9). To compare this – if I were paying full fare on public transport, it would cost £4.90, and by mini cab £26. Deal!

I could track my ride, which arrived on time, a Mercedes Benz minivan and I was and remained the only passenger all the way. Comfortable, quiet, competent – yes! I love it. Duly shared with friends and maybe I’ll get some referral money.

I do not like Paddington station. It’s my least favourite. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the layout but it has a lot to do with how unsavoury I think this part of town is. If I were just arriving for the first time to London from Heathrow, I’d be more than a bit disheartened at my first view of this city. Continue reading “Pain! And Paddington”

21st August 20182nd September 2018

Liat’s visit

Tuesday, 21 August, 2018

Liat came to stay for about ten days. We looked about a bit other than our visit to the Tate Modern.

Not so many years since I could see the Gherkin on this skyline

What looks like a sponsored ad disguised as Street Art, Hanbury Street

5th August 201811th August 2018

A funeral, a birthday, and a bar mitzvah

July, 2018 various dates

I introduced you to my friend Julie not so long ago. Follow this – I have a friend Alistair, who I met back in the heady Usenet days. We became friends in real life. Through him, I met his mum, Juliet – she also became my friend. And then I met his wife, Julie – she’s from Montreal and lives in Suffolk so I don’t see her very often. Now, Juliet has recently had some health problems and was in and out of the hospital for a while so I messaged Al to ask how she was.

He responded saying that he was more worried about Julie than he was his mum. Julie’s son from a previous marriage had suddenly died. My heart really sank. Julie and I had chatted about her son, Olly, during her last visit. I was surprised to hear that he had similar mental health issues as (my son) Robin – both in their thirties. That Olly had died just hit me as if it had happened to me. I know better than anyone how difficult it is worrying about a child (no matter how old) when things are tough for them.

We got a bit of the lowdown from Al, when he came to visit a week or so later. To be honest, the story upset me enough that I won’t repeat it. I will say that Olly had had physical issues and that Al was the person to find him when Julie couldn’t reach him by phone. Tragic.

Krish’s birthday was on 10 July. It was also the day of Olly’s funeral. Krish let me know that he would come with me to support Julie and I was grateful for that.

We left from London Bridge to Tunbridge Wells, about an hour Southeast of London.

**The Shard behind London Bridge Station**

It seems that Oliver had joined the Mormon church, where he was admired and had many friends. This really softened the story for me. I was happy to hear that he’d found acceptance and happiness with this group. It made for a rather sombre service, though. There was one very nice tradition. After the eulogies, we were invited to come up and sign the coffin with messages for Olly. I hadn’t met him so I didn’t do this but I found it touching.

After that service we left for the crematorium, where there was another service. What was nice was the beautiful gardens surrounding the crematorium, so Krish and I sat and enjoyed it for a while.

**At the Mormon church where the service was held**

A rather predictable spread followed at the pub by the station and then it was home time!

I’d planned a birthday party for Krish and waited until his birthday to tell him about it. He was quite pleased. And then this very hot summer continued, making the preparations and shopping seem like crazy tasks!

Al and his son, James, came at first. They had been promised the football world cup final and so we sat and munched on snacks and tried not to sweat too much. Al left a little before James and, as James was leaving, Krish’s friend Mark arrived, followed an hour later by another friend, Rosie. And more snacks. The party had started at 3pm and we were finally done at 10pm. It all worked out very well! I hope the next party is in cooler weather!

Continue reading “A funeral, a birthday, and a bar mitzvah”