Umbria abounds in spendid hill-top towns, indeed they are one of the most characteristic traits of this beautiful region.

Monteleone d’Orvieto is one such town.  Founded in the 11th. century and owing to its strategic position fought over by the Papal States and the Grand Dukes of Tuscany  it is some 35km north of Orvieto and sits on a commanding bluff  looking westwards into southern Toscana.

Most ancient towns ‘centro storico’ are best expored on foot, and have parking nearby.  Monteleone’s three parallel streets are lined with a blend of houses, shops, enotecas, bars, and churches. Towards the cliff top they peter out in tiny piazzas with entrances some only wide enought to be negotiated by an “Api” or original Fiat cinquecento.

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Most normal people look forward to Fridays – last day of work before the weekend and party-time!

Fridays are good, today was good, started with a heavy frost; weeds in garden now struggling more, ground dried out, and just plain nice. Then sun peeking through clouds.  I love sun it recharges my batteries, warms me both outside and in.  Friends called by and chatted, a special mate called in, and the postman didn’t put any horrors in my letter box and I’ve been invited out for dinner.

Today work was inside on the computer, shame to miss the sun but needs must!  I was spurred up and eager to go and the jobs needed to be done.

But Fridays can be the same as any other day, the internet connection is soooooooo slow.  I have been linking to other websites, but it has been a tedious process, each link taking an eternity to go through, it’s more interesting watching paint dry.  Why oh why do I pay for 7mb service and receive less than 0.5mb?  There is currently no alternative  supplier, and TelecomItalia’s response…..  If you dont like it then you can cancel your subscription.  Tough.  What was it Henry II said? ” who will rid me of this turbulent…” and thereby hangs another potential rant..

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Whilst searching for photos for my last post I came across these taken when we took a motor-launch or ‘motoscafo’ out on lake Trasimeno.

It was an excellent fun day starting at Passignano where we picked up the launch.  Two or three hours in glorious sunshine interspersed with fleecy clouds saw us make a circuit of the lake, passing by the beautiful lake-side town of Castiglione del Lago and cruising past Isola Minore.

We tied up at the jetty on Isola Maggiore and went ashore for a delicious seafood lunch.  Strange to find good seafood in an island in the middle of a lake, but we sure did.  A great shady table, a chilled bottle of locally made d.o.c. Grechetto, a feast of seafood, and afterwards a stroll through the village for the obligatory gelato.  I understand there are only thirty permanent inhabitants of the island, including a very few actually born there, the village oozes history.

Bellaugello Gay B&B is less than one hour by car from  lake Trasimeno and we can organise the hire of a motor launch for you, and suggest a choice of good places to eat or even pack you a picnic… chic Italia!!

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Late last night when taking the dogs out before bed I heard the sound of a familiar visitor, a visitor who had been born here.

Why and who you may ask comes calling so late at night?

It was Wol-let our owl born here at Bellaugello in one of the pigeon holes in the winter of 2007/8  We christened him ‘Wollet’ or owl-let soon after his first escapade in fleeing the nest in May 2008

The pictures how him on his first outing – he spent the entire day motionless we think he could not fly back into his nest – that evening he did.

A couple of days later he and his mum and brother were confidently flying at night and roosting in the cherry tree close to the house, calling out to us.  We would approach with a torch to see them all sitting in a row on an upper branch, fly off to the next tree and call us from there.

They stayed for a month or so and then went off to pastures new, but one did return last winter. I don’t know if he will nest here as now there are dogs and cats.  I do hope he does, but if not at least he paid a return visit ‘to say hi – all is ok’

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It has been a very frustrating morning here.  I am trying to establish more links to my site for Bellaugello gay B&B especially LBGT sites but am really struggling with a very slow internet connection.  Don’t know if it is the fault of a little bit of snow that is currently falling or the ongoing saga with TelecomItalia.

It took over three hours to get a registration on one site………bring back dial-up!!

However  I have manged to link to sites in Sweden and the UK, what I am now looking for is good LGBT and gay oriented sites in the USA and Australia, any suggestions gratefully received.

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Tonight a big tidy up in all senses.  Earlier today I had been busy tidying round the garden, and in my mood of clearing up decided this evening to attack other aspects.  I set to with my computer and cleared out my email inboxes, my Skpe, iChat and MSN lists, all those contacts and email addresses of people I know longer know or perhaps no longer wish to know.

Next and not before time I set to and got right to the back of the store cupboards.  It is amazing just what rubbish accumulates. Boxes and boxes of odd cushions, horrendous shoes, skip-caps, broken light fittings, curtains kept that ‘might just fit a window’ – but never do, strange pictures and remnants of a former life.  Why oh why do I keep the old clothes that no longer fit or are not my style, and which surely cannot be mine?  Why did I ever ship some of the things over from Glasgow that were never liked or used there and have not seen the light of day for over a year and will serve no purpose here?

Dunno

But what I do know is that tomorrow there will be the most splendid bonfire!

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Parked up in Panicale, a very quaint hill-top Umbrian town just south of Lake Trasimeno was a group of yellow Vespas.

They belong to a company that offers tours through Umbria by Vespa.  What finer way to explore the countryside and quaint towns and villages than by the cute motor scooter..

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97 posts in the spam queue on my blog at Bellaugello gay guest house in Italy this morning, something of a record..  It never ceases to amaze me the rubbish that is sent over the internet.

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To me there is nothing quite like getting out of a cozy bed and stepping onto a warm floor.

Here at Bellaugello Gay B&B near Gubbio in Umbria, we have specified underfloor heating for all our suites, including their bathrooms and also the main dining room.  Over a layer of sound deadening we have laid panels which hold tubes which spiral round every room.  The tubes hold water which is heated in cooler months by our wood and pellet boiler.  Water circulates at no more than 34ºc  The floors which will be tiled using locally manufactured ceramic and cotto,  acts like a huge heat store keeping the rooms warm and as I said utterly delicious to step or lie on.

Yesterday the tubing was finished in the Mirror and Diva suites, and we have now moved downstairs to the dining room and kitchen.  On monday we start insulating the roof to keep our precious winter heat in and also to ensure that with the summer sun the two suites remain cool.

Progress here is constant and we fully expect to be on schedule with the remaining suites and dining room in time for Easter which is early this year falling on 4th. April.

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over 600 mostly hand-made cotto roof tiles now safely on the ground, beats a work-out at the gym

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