News from monte san martinoJan/Feb

Weather

News January 2003

_{Well another year is here and we are really looking forward to the challenge of our expanding business in this beautiful country we are proud to now call home.
We have had great guests staying with us through the past year, and although it was not our first choice in ways to make a living it has become our favourite. So much so that we are just about to start on an expansion of our accommodation capabilities in the form of a self contained apartment on the ground floor, in an area that has not yet been used. If all goes well the apartment will be a two roomed dwelling for two to four people, and should be ready by the end of March we will keep you up to date on our progress.
This months update has been a little slow in being put on line as family and friends have only just departed, so we are now starting to get back to normal, and it always seems to be an anticlimax when the house empties out and day to day living takes over again.
We are putting in a new vineyard this year with the help of our friends, and if the weather is kind to us we should start at the end of this month. The work started last October with the ground being ploughed to a depth of two meters, then worked regularly to have the area ready for planting. It is more for planning on putting something back than for the immediate future, as the vines will take some years before they will make a good quality wine, it goes with us planting more Olive trees which also will takes years to mature. We take a pride in thinking that we are in some small way adding rather than taking from what seems to be a land that has been here forever and is really only being “lent” to us for a short time so we will endeavour to use the land in a traditional and time honoured way
Our two new puppies are now almost young dogs, and will soon be fully fledged “fearless guardians” if you are new to our site you will need to follow our earlier news pages from the month links above to fully understand some of the news items}

News February 2003

_{Another month and life moves on, winter came a bit later this year and as I sit here and look out of the window I can see a winter wonderland of snow. Work has slowed a little due to the weather as some of the materials for the apartment have not been delivered as the roads have been difficult, so it means I will have to up the pace to keep to my self imposed schedule. But hopefully the weather will improve soon, and we will have some warmer temperatures which will make working outside much more pleasant. Still our young dogs have had a great time exploring that strange “white stuff” and showing how brave they are now as you can see.

One high spot for us recently was having friends over for the new year, we went to an Italian new years function at one of our favourite local restaurants and it was so enjoyable. We had stopped going to any thing in England as it was no longer a pleasure, and it was much better to do something at home, so it came as a real surprise to us and our friends.
The cold weather had my feet starting to itch for somewhere warmer but Liz caught me browsing the web for a house in warmer countries, and put the brakes on that. She told me in no uncertain terms that Italy was where she was staying and life as a whole was plenty warm enough for her, so that was the end of that passing thought. Still roll on spring as the snow looks great but I am the original whimp, so bring on the warmth as soon as possible. One plus to having “real”seasons is going out for a drive, and with each season our surrounding countryside always breathtakingly beautiful in so many different ways.
Our guests suprise us by arriving all through the year, but that just means we always seem to have good company here. The only problem for them at this time of the year is the bad weather and slippery roads, so it is just as well we have our little 4x4 to make sure they can keep their early appointments by acting as a “taxi” if they are nervous of the conditions.
Anyway I am closing this update for this month as my computer is in a draughty spot or it may just be all this writing about snow and cold is getting to me, so I am now off to the roaring log fire in the dining room and sit round it keeping warm while having a nice meal with wine.}