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Outdoor Quails

Quails at the treehouse

I have just been reading Quail Diary - and I thought it apt to rejuvinate this blog and share our stories once again. So much has happened since December 2008. The house is probably just the same as we left off back then... we never have finished painting our window ledges inside. It never pays to move in to a house until it is absolutely finished. Two dogs have graced us with their presence, and sleep contently on the bed beside me, while the sun plays with the shadows through the tree tops. Work obviously continues. The mortgage didn't disappear in that time. Various attempts of a vege garden have come and gone with varying success.

And now we have quails. They produced their first egg within hours of settling down in our bathroom for their first night. 

And today they have breathed the fresh air and sampled the fleeting sunlight in our still as yet undeveloped front courtyard. One has found the sheltered warmth of the laying box - the others huddle and sprint as they explore their run.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Love from Fiona and Beverly

Florentine Feast

Florentine Steaks - 1kg each Buffaloo Mozerella
Calamari
Incredibly expensive fresh fruit with deep fried pastry!
Porcini Mushrooms
It's all about atmosphere and good wine.

And a good steak to get your teeth into.

And all this in a Tuscan Home!

Florentine Market

$50 Euro at a market extravaganza! Our choice of anything to create the Tuscan feast of the century (for us anyway). The colours, sights, smells - and the smatterings of italian... what could we create?

Fruit Salad Magic Mushrooms - not quite but there seemed to be a magic quality about them.
A dedication to Olives
You name it - you can eat it!
Dry anything and have a feast.

Check out the sights of Florence and surrounding buildings, valleys, and community.

Details of Florence

Duomo

Florence Market

A Home in Tuscany

My space in a Tuscan Home

panarama - Florence

I will find the picture of the stairs that had to be climbed to capture this view... even Mathew thought it was worth the effort.

A Room with a View

Tuscan houses are made of brick, stone and huge beams of wood that traverses the ceiling tops. Small windows help to keep the house cool in the Tuscan sun. Shutters across the windows at night keep the warmth in, and the room remains dark as dark can be. The stairs leading up to our rooms seemed to be carved out of stone and narrow steal banisters held firm in the plaster covered walls. It seems dark from the photos, however the sun found it's way inside and added an amazing hue to the cool atmosphere. Grapes hung from the shed trellis, and could be picked and eaten at leisure. Ana and I would walk the 800m down to the goats, and wandered back up past the vineyards, clear stream, and stoney paths. A goose feather douvet ensured a cosey, warm and appreciated sleep.

Art, Food, Fashion - Italy

The last three days have been overflowing with Art, Food and a little fashion - This is Italy. The sun has been shining, and the food and chianti taking up most of our moments. Unfortunately my sister's computer won't read my memory stick so you will have to wait a day or two to see the evidence.

Mathew, Rachael and I spent Sunday in Florence. They had talked about going to the market, walking past the Duomo, and finding a couple of their favourite shops.

The markets - oh wow. First its the smell of leather - fine, soft, stylish leather adorning the stalls to the left and the right. Then the food market - the colour and the size of the vegetables, the fruit overflowing from the stalls. Photos can only begin to describe... alas you will have to wait. Then the meat stalls. If they don't put you off meat then they will at least intrigue. You definitely know where your meat comes from if you buy it from this market. The body of the animal is prepared for consumption, and the rest of it is left as attached with feathers, fur, claws!!!

We had decided that today, instead of hanging out in a Pizzeria, I will pay for a feast - bought at the Florence food market and cooked by my brother-in-law. Thus far he has rolled out the pizza's, stewed Goulash, and seared Florentine steaks. So tonight our feast, including deep-fried stuffed zucchini flowers... will be out of this world. Will blog about it when I have recovered!

Later that day in Florence, Mathew said - "the Duomo is around the corner". I had thought it a landmark we needed to pass to get to the resturant. The size, the size of it alone overwhelms your view. The square opens up, and then its all Duomo. And then the detail. Every creavas adorned with marble statues or sculpture.

In the meadows of Tuscany

Out in the meadows - beyond the house - a treehouse stands amoungst the foliage. Today it was time to fix the roof. Mathew and I went ambling across the feilds in search for the perfect branches - Ana in tow. The desired branch is one that has many sticks and few leaves - we liked the leaves. We snipped a bundle and carried it back to the hut - Ana in tow. Mathew skillfully climbed the swinging ladder. I gave it a bash - and for Ana we found a more stable climbing frame. Together we climbed carefully until we were on top of the world and looking out over the meadows of Tuscany.

In Reality

Who would choose to have a job, house, and life in one spot...? Traveling in Italy - Niente di meglio

Oh My Goodness

Life is great!

"A toast to Pizza"

Our first evening meal in Tuscany was Gulasch with bread dumplings, with Chianti on the side. Our next evening meal - Mathew's Dad prepared the dough and we spent the evening flattening, rolling, cutting, sprinkling our own personalised pizzas. Then they were gathered up and shoved into the pizza oven. Bottles and glasses of Chianti graced the dining table in the middle of this Tuscan villa, as pizza after pizza passed over our plates. We were even priviledged to have the youngest pizza chef create a Calzone to share. Mathew raised his glass as we began our feast "A toast to Pizza" - how appropriate. His little sister raised her glass and we all clinked glasses. A toast to pizza in this tuscan villa surrounded by family.

Canaling the Thames

Well after many days skyping my sister in Tuscany, after the rest of my extended family joined together in June for a Tuscan family reunion without me, after my eldest sister taught her youngest neice to blow kisses via the internet to me in NZ, after many discussions about celebrating my fathers' 70th in the UK or Tuscany, after my hair dresser said I was mad to not take the plunge - I finally booked a ticket to the UK and Tuscany!!

On the 13th of September, 2008, my eldest sister picked me up from a traumatic flight, and drove me to Goring - the place my father had moored his canal boat. When I knocked on the door of my father's canal boat, he opened the door - stunned. He did not know where he was, who I was, what I was doing there, and as he said later - his jaw fell into the thames and floated away. The surpise birthday present had worked its charm.

I spen the first week of my overseas holiday battling the strong current of the Thames with my parents in their canal boat. It was not the experience I or they had hoped I would one day have in their canal boat, but what I did have I loved. Canaling is me! Mooring one evening, after challenging the 'red boards' and motoring up the thames against the strong current, on the edge of the meadow with the cows munching the grass along the misty bank, I felt like I was in heaven. I awoke early the following morning, camera in hand, and shot the scene.

My extended family's adventures

Its been a long time since I blogged. I guess not much happening in the home life at present - yet. However we have been able to live vicariously through my nephew's and sister's blog as they have ventured to the other side of the world for at least 6months. They, with hubby and baby sister, have rented a Tuscan Villa for 6months before seeking their fortune in the UK for a year or so (or depending on the next plan). Check out their blogs - Mathew has a great writing style and is keeping a very memorable diary of his adventures.

Storm Front

Well - it was deemed the storm of the decade with disastrous south easterly winds and torrential rain. We were told to prepare for a battering and to ensure that we had our survival kits ready. Civil Defense rolled into action, ready for what might eventuate.

Having said that Fiona went into town for a workshop - only to be evacuated and told to go home at lunch time. Being high tide, Fiona still ventured homeward past the narrow ridges next to the rising sea. Fortunately she made it home in one piece. through out the early afternoon we had raincoats and boots handy as we rushed outside and rescued items that flew off our decks. Then a lull. What better time to get into the car and go and see the storms destruction and fury. We drove to Ocean Beach (we didn't take your car Dad - just in case). Wow!! Actually it wasn't as bad as we had anticipated. The harbour appeared ominously calm. Drains had morphed into rivers and whirl pools as they approached drains. Only when we turned onto the Ocean Beach straight did the extent of the storm begin to show its impact with a couple of enormous trees partially blocking the road. We were unperturbed - we wanted to see the waves. Ocean Beach did not disappoint!









Having said all that - on a west facing property the storm did not deliver the excitement that perhaps others enjoyed!