Yes guys it’s almost upon us again, the last day of the year.  Us Scots celebrate hogmanay in style as do the Italians, so with a full house it will be quite a party here.

At Bellaugello gay guest house we are preparing for what will be a spectacular evening, starting with cocktails, and a grand dinner with everyone sittting round my family’s antique table,  and just before midnight, champagne to toast in the new year as fireworks explode over the world’s largest Christmas Tree above Gubbio, and I dare say the party will continue into the wee smaa ours!!!

I must admit I can’t wait!!

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Following the recent bombing attempt on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit there is talk of further increase in airport security.  This morning I learnt that there are calls for full body scanners to be brought into use.

According to a British news report these scanners can see and display the body in its entirety, its form and shape.

I conclude two things:

1   The applications to work in Airport security will increase exponentially….

2  The first gay club to install and advertise one of these machines will be mobbed…..

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A lovely Christmas present wasa a copy of the winter addition of an Italian regional magazine which has included my post on the subject of figs written way back in july.  Boy do I feel proud!

For you newcomers to my blog the post desctibed the inherent sensuousness of figs as described by a good friend.  For my Italian friends I am pasting a copy of the published article in Italian, for you non-Italian readers the post apeared on 11th July.

Internet dictionary gives choices of the translation of ‘fico’ as ‘fig tree,  cool,  hunky and sexy’ scope for another article?

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To everyone, Best Wishes for a wonderful Christmas from all of us here at Bellaugello gay country house, may your day be filled with Joy.

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Some viscous white liquids are a delight, to my mind thick creamy, sticky and warm ones are the best, and no I am not thinking of condensed milk something far more natural!

But I do abhorr one sticky white thing. The glue the international food manufacturers use to stick their labels to their jars is an utterly annoying product that should never have been invented. We make our own jams and preserves here at Bellaugello.  I buy new jars at the molino in Gubbio, but like to re-cycle other food jars.  But I often wonder if the effort, hot water, time, swearing, stress, and chemicals needed to remove the glue from the jar is worth the effort.  Jam-jar glue used to be water soluble, eco-friendly and easy to remove.  Manufacturers must have traded products with  the motor manufacturing industries as cars now seem to fall apart at the slightest touch and jars refuse to be parted from the white sticky stuff.

Action please!

oh! and whilst on the subject of glue.. Why is it that so called ‘super glue’ tubes now stick to themselves?  They used to stick fingers together but never the tubes.  Now they no longer stick the broken Meissen Figurines but their tubes slowly fuse together.  Might it be because they read of Coleman’s Mustard who made their money by the product not being eaten.  I now regularly throw away stuck tubes that are over half full with nozzles and caps firmly stuck to each other. Aargh!     Enough rants for one day I’m off to cook something nice

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The weather turned warm here two days ago at Bellaugello gay guest house in Umbria and the sun is shining.

No more snow, the warm southerly sirocco brought milder conditions and washed away the snow, no more white Christmas!  I have been speaking to friends round the world on facebook and am amazed to learn of the attrocious weather in northern europe and the attendant travel problems.  People booked on flights had them cancelled, and are now frantically trying train connections.   I had two friends affected by the breakdown in the channel tunnel between France and England, which meant one friend travelling by ferry across the channel and complaining at the 16 hour journey to Paris – is that not the way we all used to travel?  Friends leaving London for Rome were re-routed via Frankfurt and then Zurich (where I learn they had fun!) and a friend trying to get by plane from London to Scotland had their flight re-routed to Bristol (south west England) and then a bus ride to Edinburgh, oh dear!  Friends leaving Umbria for Milano two days ago were turned back at Sansepolcro in southern Tuscany as the main road had turned to sheet ice.  I am luck in not having to travel and admire all my guests who have battled valliantly to get here.  Fortunately everyone has now arrived here safely for Christmas, we are set to have a lot of fun.

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I heard it first on the BBC then read it in several articles on the web.  The news that Welsh Rugby Union player Gareth Thomas has come out as being gay.

I was delighted to read the positive encouraging articles from all sections of the press.  It must have been a very difficult and brave decision for a leading sportsman, in such a ‘macho’ sport to come out.  I am proud of Mr Thomas.  I wanted to share some of the articles with you and went to the share buttons on the posts.

Unfortunately there is no button for sharing with WorldPress, the system I use for this blog on any of the British or American newsfeeds and blogs.  I can twitter, facebook, delicious, bleetbox, blogspot, bebo, clickaview, digg, floss, hackernews, reddit, and lots more but not world press.

If you are interested you can read an article on my facebook page or else read the article written in Italian I found and posted on my blog before this rant…

Anyway congratulations Gareth, I’m proud of you, and if you need a holiday you know that Bellaugello is the gay and heterofriendly place to stay in Umbria…

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Gayburg: Gareth Thomas fà coming out.

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Ski-ing possibilities in Umbria, after a mega-dump of powdery snow last night.

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The world is white……   Overnight there has been a light dusting of snow here in Valdichiascio, turning the valley into a scene worthy of the finest Christmas Card.

The dogs awoke early and have been gamboling, they just love playing in the snow.

Inside we have crackling log fires lit, it’s warm and cosy, breakfast is on the way, and then a good walk in a snowy valley, before returning home to cosy up with our loved ones….

It’s going to be aa magical Christmas here at Bellaugello gay b&b

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