Category Archives: Other

Families…

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Scan

On June 13th 2013 my brother, Tony Hatch, was in New York where he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. When I was a very young girl we would have regular family evenings with Tony playing the piano and the rest of us singing. (That’s me on top of the piano in the photo above.) Often on a Sunday we would travel to Bedforshire to my mother’s sister where other aunts, uncles and cousins would arrive and we would all sit round a huge dining room table (it was a full size snooker table with a cover on it) and eat roast dinner cooked on her Aga. I remember the delicious sticky meringues she made for dessert. Of course we were lucky to have a relation with a large enough room to accommodate us all. After lunch all the kids would pile out into the garden to play. I lost contact with my cousins for some years but I’m glad to report that more recently we have been in touch again.

I think the Italian family is still a very strong unit. I was chatting the other day to an English friend and we commented on the style of housing here where there are many large properties, old and new, divided into two or three apartments. Instead of being occupied by different families these apartments house different generations of the same family; ground floor grandparents, first floor parents and younger children, top floor married son/daughter and their family. I haven’t researched this but I don’t think families in the UK would take to this mode of living but here it works very well. Babysitters are on hand and there is always help for the older generation without having to call in too much in the way of home help or putting older relations into homes unless absolutely necessary. Of course, they don’t always live together in harmony!

The typical Italian family here in Le Marche live a very close knit life, coming together on Sundays for church and massive family meals in large restaurants or each others houses. Many Italians don’t move far from home, particularly in the rural areas, although that could be changing as these days there is a need to travel further afield for work. In my capacity as English teacher I am always amazed at how many cousins are at school together, sometimes six or seven in the same class of twenty students. This reinforces my belief that Italian families stay close together.

Our family are now spread all over the world, New York, Singapore, Wales, England and extended family in New Zealand and other far flung places, but I’m pleased to say that when we get together there’s always someone to pick up a guitar, play the piano or the harmonica and everyone joins in with a song or two. We enjoy big family meals too! Haven’t quite mastered the technique for the meringues though.

Telling a Story and Being a Tourist…

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On Friday 8th June we went to Rome for the night, specifically, so that I could be one of the storytellers at a storytelling event. We’d never attended anything like it before and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I looked on The Moth website and I tried to follow the advice they gave. There were ten storytellers and each one recounted an incident (or two) that had happened to them during their lifetime.

I was nervous but once I got started I found it easy to do and thoroughly enjoyed it. The knack I think is to ‘act’ out your story, it keeps the audience interested. You should also have a bit of a surprise element in there somewhere, a bit of drama, some comedy, throw a bit of everything into the pot and finally, don’t let it go on too long. Thanks to the Beehive Hotel for setting up the evening, I’m pretty sure it will become a regular event.

pillars

Every time we drive to Rome we say we’re going to go to the Tivoli Gardens on the way home and then we don’t do it. This time we had decided that we would leave early on the Saturday morning to make our way back to Le Marche and definitely stop at Hadrian’s Villa and then the Tivoli Gardens.

pillars2 Hadriantree

Hadrian’s Villa was easy to find and the parking was good. We paid €11 each for a ticket which entitled us to go through the turnstile and wander around the ruins. We weren’t given a plan of the area, I think that was only handed out if you ordered an audio guide, but there were plenty of ‘you are here’ maps dotted about.

I had imagined the ruins of a big Roman House, what I didn’t expect was that Hadrian’s Villa was actually the size of a village. It took a couple of hours walking to see as much as we could. I loved the lake, which had fish and turtles moving lazily in the warm water. The wall, which I think was the boundary of the estate, is a magnificent piece of architecture. Hadrian certainly knew how to build a good wall.

wall

There were the baths, always a feature in any Roman ruin. It was possible to see from the remains, the extent of the massive buildings, the areas of beautiful gardens, the library, the guest apartments. I love visiting these places and imagining children running around the streets, shop keepers busy selling their wares and the rich Roman men and women strolling along the cobbled paths or sitting in the shade under the olive trees sipping red wine and eating, well, olives I suppose. Life must have been pretty tough for most of the population but I get an overwhelming sense of closeness to history when I touch the old stones and know for sure that another person has been in that very place well over a thousand years before me. It’s the old ‘shivers down the spine’ syndrome.

lake

We left Hadrian’s Villa behind us and went in search of the Tivoli Gardens. Our first mistake was in calling them the Tivoli Gardens, which is in fact an amusement park in Copenhagen Denmark. The Villa D’Este is the place one should be heading for, but even then it is not easy to find. We had to ask at least three times and drove around in circles for about half an hour. The site is smack in the centre of Tivoli but the signs run out and there simply isn’t anything to show you where to park or where the entrance to the house and garden is. It was pure luck that I saw a little arrow indicating a pedestrian walkway to Villa D’Este.

The Entrance to Villa D'Este

The Entrance to Villa D’Este

By this time my husband was becoming a little frustrated to say the least, then he couldn’t find a ticket machine that was working, so by the time we found the entrance his mood was less than amenable. We’d had a good weekend so far but the cash was low, another €11 each to get in and he only had €15. ‘Do you take cards’ he asked.
‘Yes, we take Bancomat, only Bancomat.’
My dear husband had a bit of a hissy fit about the fact that, ‘not only is one of the most well known tourist attractions in Italy virtually impossible to find, you only take Italian bank cards when surely a good majority of your clients come from all over the world!’ the voice was rising and so was the temperature.
I saved the day by finding €10 cash in my purse. Phew!

Eagle Fountain

Eagle Fountain

fountaingreen2

I’m beginning to bore myself with this blog so I’m going to wind it up by saying that even though we did have enormous difficulty in locating the Villa D’Este, with its wonderful gardens it was definitely worth it. The fountains are amazing and the gardens beautifully laid out. The terraces are steep but it’s easy to walk back up to the top as they have gentle slopes and many steps and if you follow the plan you won’t miss a single fountain.

fountainbig fountain tivoli1

Piles of Clothing…

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clothes
June is here and it’s time for the summer clothes and beachwear to come out. Most of the time in Italy, the temperatures remain pretty warm from now on, late 20’s and low 30’s, last year it hit 40 quite a few times. I find wearing something soft, long and floaty is comfortable, topped off with a large straw hat. Then I can imagine I’m Maggie Smith in My House in Umbria, she was only a little older than I am now when she made the film in 2003. She is not a great deal taller than me, 1.64.m and I’m 1.57, but there the similarity ends, she is slim and I am not, so she gives the impression of being tall and slender. I’m not sure exactly what impression I give but it aint tall and slender.

I sorted through my clothing to put away the winter things and find some summer stuff and there were three categories,

1. Keep,
2. Throw
3. Should throw but can’t so ends up in the keep pile.

The last on the list is interesting and I’m sure we all have this problem. I actually stood holding a couple of items knowing that I would never wear them again but just couldn’t bring myself to put them in the ‘throw pile’. One was a black, low cut top made from sheer material, very sexy, (for anyone under forty). The other is the dress/top that I got married in a couple of years ago, I loved it when I bought it, the shape was/is good but the pattern horrendous. When I saw the photographs afterwards I thought, ‘oh dear, not the right choice’, but, obviously I couldn’t put it in the throw pile.

I wasn’t the only one throwing out items, my husband was also sorting through his clothes and he was very bad…T shirts, shirts, trousers all well past their sell by date and ALL of them were in the ‘keep pile’ and they clearly belonged the third option. One summer shirt has been in the wardrobe for well over twenty years, its a favourite and comes out for birthdays.

I have never been able to make up my mind which style of dress is for me. I fancy being young and punk but it’s beginning to look a bit ‘naff’ I’d like to be classical and ‘arty’ but the shape can’t really carry it off. I can’t be bothered with ‘designer’ stuff because it’s far too expensive and frankly, who cares? I’m happy in jeans or jeggings and a sloppy top but I do like the opportunity to dress up. I’m more comfortable in trousers these days but if I could I would love to wear a slinky dress,(there are a couple of those in the should throw but can’t pile). I’m not keen on the more mature woman wearing strappy tops or strapless so all those items have hit the throw heap. Bikinis are a definite no-no, I’m sure my new granddaughter will not want to see Nonna on the beach baring all!

I love the idea of wearing jeans, doc martins, a baggy T-shirt with a punky slogan and a denim jacket. I also like the idea of wearing a smart tailored suit, but the need never arises these days. My daughter is very good at styling and she is extremely helpful but lives over 4,000 miles away and I look different on Skype! She did however give me a red top recently and when I wear it people make flattering comments, ‘you look nice today,’ ‘I like that top on you!’ I think red must be my colour. Pity I’ve only got the one item then – oh apart from the M&S cardigan.

I think I’m going to sum this up by saying I have an eclectic taste in clothing and that I try to dress to fit the occasion. I am a chameleon though not one that wants to fade into the background. I think that’s the actress in me.

Have you got a favourite item of clothing you can’t part with?

Now then, where is that sexy black top, it might just go with my white leggings and stilettos for this weekend…ONLY JOKING!

P.S. We’re off to Rome for the evening tomorrow for a story telling evening at the Beehive Hotel I’m one of the storytellers (Yikes). I’ll let you know how it goes and what I wear.
What does a storyteller wear?

A Couple of Gripes…

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nicecuppa

Yes, a couple of gripes this week, probably because I’m fed up as it’s been raining and last week I thought Summer had arrived…wrong…I keep waking up and thinking I’ve been transported back to the UK.

So, on with the moaning…you can stop reading now if you like…

We have paid Enel plenty of dosh, to ‘up’ the amount of voltage that can be consumed at the same time (don’t ask me the figures, I really don’t get how they measure Gas and Electricity) BUT it hasn’t made a lot of difference We cannot have the oven, the kettle and the water heater on simultaneously, never mind, the washing machine, vacuum cleaner and iron. It’s part of the charm of living in Italy. So a regular cry of, ‘Don’t put the kettle on, I’m baking a cake!’ or ‘Switch off the washing machine, I want a cup of tea!’ can be heard ringing around the happy home. When we do forget to shout instructions then there is immediate black out (if it’s at night) and one has to negotiate the stairs, find something to stand on and a stick, in order to flick up the switch. Of course, the meter couldn’t possibly be positioned anywhere convenient because that would spoil the fun and be very un-Italian. Even in the daylight it is not amusing, especially if I’m in the middle of creating a literary masterpiece, the moment can be lost forever…well, half an hour anyway.

The Offending Electricity Box, High above my Head!

The Offending Electricity Box, High above my Head!

 

My second gripe this week is Microsoft Office. In the summer of 2011 I bought a new MacBook computer and I love it. I loved my old MacBook too and although it was getting a bit sluggish in it’s old age (4 years) it was still working so, I donated it to my husband whose own computer had come to a sad end when thrown down in a fit of pique, it missed the soft landing of the armchair and ended up on the floor…dead, it was no more, It had ceased to be – expired and gone to the big Mac in the sky…

When I loaded Office onto my new computer a problem occurred. My husband and I (don’t I sound posh) could not use Word or Entourage or any other office programme at the same time! Even though it said on the box I could have three burns of the CD. Even though both computers are technically mine. Even though… I can’t think of another one but all the same it is the most frustrating thing. We have learned to live with it, we tolerate these little hiccups of life that are sent to try us and concentrate on dealing with the more important things.

What are the more important things? Ah yes, tea, the answer to everything.

‘Switch off the boiler, I need a cuppa!’

 

Roses to make me feel better

Roses to make me feel better

Summer’s Arrived in Le Marche

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Beautiful Rose (Peace)

Beautiful Rose (Peace)

The roses are blooming the grass is growing faster than we can cut it. Summer has definitely arrived in Le Marche. It did have to be dragged out of hiding this year though, April and the beginning of May were very changeable. The kind of weather where you have to prepare for anything and everything before you go out for the day, taking with you, raincoat, umbrella, wellies, cardigan, T-shirt, sandals, suncream and sunhat. Get the idea?

Last week I mentioned the growth in the orto (vegetable garden) and it hasn’t slowed down. Today we’re going to pick most of the peas and broad beans, although the beans don’t look too healthy, some of them have black leaves and inside the pods is a sticky black substance…anyone enlighten me?

Peas...as if you didn't know

Peas…as if you didn’t know

In 2012 the apricots were prolific but, this year, two of the trees appear to be yielding nothing and the other tree just a few. I managed to make over thirty pots of chutney and several jars of jam last summer but this year there will be very few. Pity I gave so many away. Looks like there’s only one of each left in the larder.

One Jar Apricot Chutney One Jar Apricot Jam

One Jar Apricot Chutney
One Jar Apricot Jam

The cherries are looking good though so we’ll be harvesting them this afternoon too before the birds get them. So cherry jam will be on the boil later this evening. Such a fag taking out all those stones though.

cherries2

 

cherries1

 

May is a very beautiful time here, it’s warm enough to eat breakfast outside on the terrace but not so hot during the day to be unbearable. The mosquitoes are still sleeping so we don’t have to cover ourselves in deet. The evenings are drawing out and only goes a little chilly after the sun has completely gone, which, at the moment is around 20.45.

redrose

If you fancy trying out Le Marche there are some lovely places to visit and to stay. You could check out this link Marcheholidayaparts.com. If you decide to try them then mention olivespastavino blog when you book, you will be sure to get a favourable rate!

The Bougainvillea has survived the winter and is blooming!

The Bougainvillea has survived the winter and is blooming!

From Garden to Plate…is it worth it?

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Delish...Fresh Tuna Salad...oh with a little bit of fresh Wild Rocket

Delish…Fresh Tuna Salad…oh with a little bit of fresh Wild Rocket

One week back in Italy after three weeks in Brooklyn NYC and I’m just about over the jetlag. However, it wasn’t just my sleep pattern that was affected; it was eating, drinking and bodily functions that all went skew-whiff! Back on track now you’ll be pleased to know.

The result of three weeks absence meant that the orto (vegetable garden) had gone completely bonkers. Whilst away, the weather here in Italy had been sunny, warm and interspersed with lots of rain. Heaven for plants. It was impossible to see the paths separating the beds or to sort the weeds from the growing vegetables and I actually thought in one area that I must have cultivated some strain of triffid. Fortunately not.

My husband played hunt the strawberries and kindly cleared the bed of all but the said strawberries which, now having been shown the light, will hopefully plump up and ripen before June.

I tried, (honestly) to weed some of the beds but ended up just picking peas, fava beans (broad beans) and a lettuce for lunch. I know, I should have done more but it really is hard work and I don’t think I’m dedicated enough. I mean, it’s fantastic to pick something from the garden, carry it into the house, prepare and eat it all within half an hour. But, honestly, the work that you have to put in to get to the harvesting stage is possibly not my bag. I have friends who are devoted to their vegetable gardens, (and I do admire them) up at the crack of dawn, which here means 05.30am or it’s too hot, then toiling for three hours or more, virtually every day. Then you have to set up the irrigation system, the plants need water morning and night here in Italy from June/July through to October. Last year was so hot that even with watering the poor little veggies needed umbrellas to keep the sun off during the day or they dehydrated within minutes.

Fresh Picked, Lettuce, Peas and Beans

Fresh Picked, Lettuce, Peas and Beans

So I ask myself, is it better to just go to the market and buy fresh local produce or should I continue to try, against all the odds, to plod on with ‘grow your own’ method? The peas and beans were planted in November, as were the lettuce and they have all come through beautifully, from now on though, it’s all downhill.

Final thought. Who remembers shelling peas with their mum when they were a kid? I do and today I was reminded of that. It took me twenty minutes to shell a small bowlful of peas. They were delicious, but were they better than the frozen? The vote in this household is yes! But he would say that, he didn’t shell the peas nor did he pick them!

The Little Bowl of Peas from the Bundle of Shells.

The Little Bowl of Peas from the Bundle of Shells.

Eating Out in Brooklyn

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pasta

‘You can eat out every day in Brooklyn for a year and still have plenty of places left to go…  some of the best restaurants in New York are here.’ that’s what one taxi driver told me. During my stay in Park Slope I did my best to try as many of the restaurants as I could. It’s common to eat out and popular to have a take-out. My daughter told me that home cooking is not a priority in New York.

This blog isn’t about reviewing restaurants but I just wanted to give you a little taste (excuse the pun) of my gastronomic experiences. I have included links to some of the cafés, bars and restaurants I enjoyed.

Roasted Carrot Salad

Roasted Carrot Salad

I had some wonderful pasta with rocket pesto, fresh tomatoes and zucchini at Rucola, a fabulous Italian restaurant on the corner of Dean Street and Bond, to start we had roasted carrot salad, unusual and delizioso (delicious obvs). Slow cooked barbecue pork is popular on many of the menus, often served in a sandwich and of course all sandwiches come with fries, and the fries are fantastic, there are mostly roughly cut and thin, perhaps a little heavy on the salt but I don’t mind that. Salads are abundant and you can mostly get a base variety of lettuce and then add what you like to the top, Building on Bond made a mean salad, Bob’s Cob being one of them.

Of course, hamburgers are plentiful and there are $5 hot-dog stands on every corner of Manhattan. Food from street vendors is popular and people pick up a pretzel or a doughnut on their way to work. Speaking of doughnuts I had them twice for breakfast, best  I’ve ever tasted, honestly…

Delicious caramelized onion soup at Café Colette in Williamsburg, an area of Brooklyn. This café was buzzing one Monday lunchtime. Alchemy bar and restaurant in Park Slope Brooklyn was just round the corner from our house so a favourite haunt with the family. Roast chicken was a popular choice for us but also the mussels went down pretty well!

It was wonderful to stroll down 5th avenue Brooklyn, (not to be confused with 5th Avenue Manhattan) and stop at one of several coffee shops to choose a coffee from the enormous list of options. Straight coffee, soya latte, cappuccino, mocha, espresso, skinny latte, chai latte, etc., and of course everything comes in small, regular or large AND you can have any of them iced! Best to make up your mind before you get to the shop then you don’t stand staring at the menu boards for ages. Of course, coffee must be accompanied by a little something; croissant, muffin, Danish, cookie, turnover…oh it goes on and on and so have the pounds! Mercifully, as I also did a lot of walking whilst staying in America I have managed not to pile on too much weight.

One more little point…Before leaving I did have to pay a visit to the amazing deli, Sahadi’s on Atlantic Avenue to purchase a few double choc malt balls to bring back to Italy…didn’t buy nearly enough though…
choc balls

Next time I visit NYC, first thing on my list is a trip to the famous deli Dean & Deluca’s in Manhattan …I just don’t know how I managed to miss it this time round. Guess I was a little busy becoming a Nonna (Grandmother) and that truly was the best experience for me during my stay.

Book for a menu..great idea

Book for a menu..great idea

Coffee and Pecan Bun ...yum!

Coffee and Pecan Bun …yum!

Rucola

Rucola

Cafe Colette

Cafe Colette

Sitting on the Stoop (The steps up to the front door)

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joenwills

Not long left for me now in Brooklyn but there is still time to do the New York thing.

Sit on the stoop. It’s cool to sit on the stoop when the weather is good. Some read the paper in the sun, drink coffee, play guitar or just chill out and watch the people on the sidewalk strolling around the neighbourhood or hurrying to work.  There’s a buzz in the atmosphere and the wonderful warm April weather causes everyone to be friendly and chatty.  White and pink blossoms are out on all the trees and the new leaves are shooting, I think this is possibly one of the best times of year to be here so aren’t I lucky?

stoopguitar

People have Stoop Sales, where they put items out on the steps and either sit there all day trying to sell them or they put out an honesty box. Occasionally, items are just left

Stoopsale

for people to help themselves, a charity begins at home situation. There are signs on some of the stoops…NO SITTING…NO SMOKING… NO ALCOHOL. In fact it’s illegal in America to drink alcohol in the streets or parks so no champagne picnic for us in Prospect Park!stoopsignstoopclad

stoopB

365stoopempty

Anyone for Walkies? Brooklynites Love Pooches

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Walkies?

Walkies?

It seems to me that in Brooklyn one in ten people own a dog. This means that walking down the street you meet every known variety of pooch. Little ones, medium size and great big things, hairy mutts, smooth coated, well behaved, bouncy, aggressive and passive. The varieties of breed, character, size and shape are endless.

Waiting on the Stoop

Waiting on the Stoop

We have a dog in this house and she needs her walkies like every other four-legged friend. So off we go in the mornings, poop bag (or three) in the pocket and walk 20 minutes to the park. You have to be in the park between seven and nine in the morning if you want to let your dog off the leash, notice the American leash… not lead, I’m getting very good at the local lingo. On the way to the park we meet other people walking or jogging with their little canine companions by their sides and then once we arrive, well, it’s doggy mayhem! There are hundreds of dogs, honestly! Well fifty at least at one time. There is one area in the park which is big, square and sandy, it looks like a doggy football pitch with no goals. Dog owners stand around here with coffee ‘to go’ in their fists chatting to other doggie owners about, dog behaviour, dog habits, dog excrement, dog foibles, etc., (May be I’m being harsh, perhaps they’re discussing politics and world news). Meanwhile, the dogs race around, sniff each other (as they do) charge at each other, bark, howl and go about their daily business and have the occasional scrap. I hurry quickly past this area, slalom around the joggers and head for a quieter corner if I can find one.

Big Dog

Big Dog

Little Dog

Little Dog

Tree Meeting

Tree Meeting

Our dog likes us to throw a ball for her, which she returns to our feet, when she feels like it and allows us to throw it again. Lots of the other owners throw balls for their dogs too and the most amazing thing is, that on the whole, the dogs stick to their own balls, if you get my meaning! There is no doggy thieving or attempt to score or take possession of a different ball, not so far as I’ve witnessed.

It is not unusual to hire a dog-walker. You can see them everywhere, walking the dogs (obviously). You just know they are dog-walkers and not owners because often they hold a big bunch of keys and sometimes the dogs are a little reluctant to walk. We saw a bull dog living up to his name, sitting stubbornly on the pavement and refusing to move at all. It’s a serious business dog walking, financially rewarding and there are plenty of punters here in Brooklyn who make use of the service. The duty walker comes in, takes your dog out for half an hour, and leaves them back home again. They write a little report for the owner with the time of the walk and any relevant information, for example: –

‘1.30pm. We had a lovely happy walk for half an hour. Five pees and a poop. She picked up a piece of bread on the road and ate it, (naughty thing!) but otherwise she walked well on the leash and was very well behaved. One treat given.’

Gotta go, it’s time to take the dog around a block or two. We have to stop at every tree and every earthy, interesting patch, so it takes a while.

Whoops, don’t forget the poop bag!

Okay, this is MY tree guys.

Okay, this is MY tree guys.

An Unusually Quiet Corner of Prospect Park

An Unusually Quiet Corner of Prospect Park

Brooklyn New York

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Matches

Olivespastavino is on holiday. I’m taking a break, how lucky am I? I’m in New York for three weeks, blogging from the other side of the Atlantic, how cool is that?
I was able to fly direct from Rome to JFK with Alitalia and the experience wasn’t too bad. I have to admit that I was a little concerned, knowing that Alitalia have been in a bit of financial trouble in the last few years but generally it was all good. The aeroplane was modern and comfortable, the food was passable and the crew, although not falling over themselves to help, were polite. I was in the happy situation of having three seats to myself even though the plane was pretty full.

The weather here was not kind to me on arrival, windy, wet, misty and miserable, but I’ve been promised a good weekend. As I’m staying with family the initial impact of a cold miserable day in Brooklyn wasn’t so bad. Seeing my daughter and son-in-law for the first time in several months was far more important to me.

No sightseeing has been possible yet but we’ve been out to DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Close to the river and tantalisingly within reach of Manhattan, sadly the mist took away the expected view of the city but the excitement and buzz of this magnificent place was tangible. Cobbled streets by the waterfront, conjure up images of an old New York I have only seen in films. We took coffee in West Elm Market, a fabulous home and garden shop full of items created from recycled materials. I loved everything.  I wanted to buy it all! Thankfully the size of my purse and my suitcase restricted me from being over indulgent in this respect so I had to be satisfied with a box of matches. Strange but practical purchase. Must be something to do with jet lag.

There is a big Italian influence in New York, I’ve been here for less than two days but already I can sense it in the coffee shops, the streets and the ice-cream! I’m staying in Brooklyn and Little Italy is a thirty-minute train ride from here so I’m planning a visit soon, unless the imminent arrival of my first grandchild interferes with arrangements!

Saturday morning. Brooklyn NYC 13th April 2013.