A winter in Tuscany (Part 2)

Monday

February 17th

Montevarchi; February 2025

TIME for myself

So the (let’s call it) assignment overall was by far not as physical as the job I usually do. But therefore constant…early mornings up and feed, lunchtime out and feed and late afternoon/evening back to feed.

Yes there was time in-between but really who wants to go and explore Siena on a two hour break. Would not even get there before I had to be back.

Seriously the one word I could not hear no more by the end of the 1st month was flexibility and being told repeatedly I was just exactly not that: …flexible enough!.

Well no of course I was not. Who wants to hear on a Thursday afternoon that they can take Friday off. With nothing sorted, planned or organised. I wanted to enjoy my last few weeks in Italy and not just constantly argue….Though I came to believe that is very much the Italian way. 

More and more I felt like I really needed some proper ME-TIME.

And if that made me again anxious, complicated, childish and now too inflexible on top….well guess what… I do like myself exactly like that. 

When finally the hot water quit …actually not because of a crabby boiler that should have been replaced centuries ago (very much the London way)…or some futile attempt at keeping the bills down ( a very poorly attempted way of my landlord who seems to/must have a secret fetish or obsession with fiddling the settings of the hot water supply from constant to eventually/hopefully still hot) no... simply because they forgot to order gas!!! (Nice twist to the constant s(h)ituation)... I got to the point where enough is enough.

I did start to suspect I am the sought after victim of a, now proven, very real,  cold water conspiracy (ah….never give away your pressure points!! ).

People… what the heck?… Are you literally all in on it!!! 

3 days of washing over a salad bowl and I was out….

I found a brilliant place in one of the near by towns on very short notice…let by a rather handsome Psychiatrist for (compared to London prices) very reasonable rates.

Perfect I thought because I caught myself considering to start taking pictures of functioning boiler appliances…Well had I really, I would have (!) right away gone and booked a session with him next door.

And no this was not really planned and I would have preferred to save my money, but it was the best thing to do in a long time.  No more pushing things up a hill or through the mud.

No more getting up before sunrise, space on my desk…high ceilings and the walk to the kitchen was endless and straight. 

All felt so perfect and privileged …. No flexibility issues at all…..just me and all I craved to be….BECAUSE I AM WORTH IT (and deserve it too!).

Actually was reminded of my time and place in Palma…..so long ago.

TIME with Dad

Simply never wanted to leave, though I was also quite looking forward to the last leg of my Tuscany/Italy winter escape.

My Dad's arrival and the time we wanted to spend to explore Florence together.

Funnily (well actually really not funny no more) the final good byes to this beautiful me-time and space were made easy by the unbelieveable fact that yeah right the hot water quit again...so the conspiracy continued...What can I possibly say and who would even believe me.

Great.... Saladbowl out again and off to Florence I went...smelly as I was.

1st thing of interest in this great city would be the bathroom in my Dad's hotel!!!

Dad and me in Arezzo

Dad and me in Florence