Alvaro and his grandson Giordano dropped in at Bellaugello this afternoon with gifts of wild asparagus and fresh eggs. Only this morning Giordano had picked the asparagus which grows wild here in Valdichiascio, and the eggs are their own from free range hens.
The asparagus is cooked, the eggs are mixed and I am now away to combine the two and make myself an asparagus fritatta for supper. Fresh fresh food grown in the valley, what could be finer?
31 Mar 2010 Alec 0 comments
Today was a glorious spring day and the day the hay went away. Roberto had found a buyer and so the hay had to go. Secretly I think it was an excuse for him to use his new sleek sexy silver Lamborghini.
Yes it’s a tractor! 
31 Mar 2010 Alec 0 comments
Decision made:
1 Turf has a low success rate
2 Gel has not materialised
3 Seed is reccomended by my gardening friends
So the lawn is to be seeded at Bellaugello Gay B&B and April is the optimum spring month for sowing a lawn, please do not tell the ants!
30 Mar 2010 Alec 0 comments
This morning was the beginning of the end for my rants over TelecomItalia. I have finally found a company who can provide me with a fast internet connection.
A test was made and there is a strong signal, my new internet service at Bellaugello gay guest house will arrive over the airwaves. A small receiver mounted discretely on the roof of the house will receive a signal from a transmitter on Monte Villiano, the next hill to Monte Subasio the stupendous hill behind Assisi.
The company have contracted to provide me with 4Mb service, which is nearly ten times faster than my current provider! To you guys out there in the rest of the world that might not seem fast but to me it seems virtually unimaginable.
If all goes well the service should be up and running next week, I will report.
30 Mar 2010 Alec 2 comments
The whole world seems to be talking about Ricky Martin finally announcing that he is “PROUD TO BE GAY”
Great news eh guys!
Here as reported by the BBC in the UK Ricky Martin announces that he is Proud to be Gay from the BBC report
30 Mar 2010 Alec 0 comments
Although the garden is coming along quite nicely there are still large tracts of earth where there should be grass.
Friends told me of an innovative product – grass gel!! I am led to believe that you can now spray a lawn into existence!? The gel which is coloured green (better than purple I guess) has lawn seed, fertiliser, and water feed and one simply sprays a lawn into existence, ten days later up pops the grass…
Well it might just work, but remember this is Italy where tomorrow is the key word. Since last October we have been waiting for the guys to come and quote and to show us an exampe of their work, and I guess I would need a hairdresser to spray the gel (I’ve had a zero cut for years and have no idea how to use gel) and keep the grass cut nicely 
Last year I put down lawn seed and spent many riveting hours watching the ants carrying off the seed, much to their delight and my chagrin! Result baldy lawns. So I wanted to try the gell. Until very recently it has been too wet and cold to attempt a lawn, soon it will be too hot and dry and I need lawn urgently – I just love walking up and down, backwards and forwards behind the lawn-mower.
Seriously I looked into turf. Friends have had differing results. I guess it is all in the preparation of the soil and the aftercare. Turf here in Italy tends to be grown in the north of the country. In itself it is not toooo expensive, however the transport makes it plain costly. I was in the garden store in Gubbio and witnessed a delivery of guess what, not the flowering plants I need to put in the pots for Easter, but turves.
I enquired, they have 50mq as yet unsold. Ok, now do I spend an astonishing amount of money to turf the upper terrace, or try again with seed. Both need preparation with the rotovator, the turf will give instant gratification just what your average gay guy wants, but then there is the gel too… hum…
You would think the age I am I would know whether the clocks go forwards or backwards in the spring. Surely I have lived enough years to remember?
But NO I never remember. I returned home last night from a most pleasant evening and then began the discussion of the hour. I was in the minority, thinking the hour went forwards and thus I would lose one hour of my precious beauty sleep, the others said no it went back and what was eight o’clock became seven o’clock and hence an extra hour in bed.
Before going to bed I checked on the internet, I had remembered correctly, – minus one hour of sleep. It was important for me as the Vivaio had ‘phoned to say they would be delivering the next consigement of plants for the garden at seven thirty on Sunday morning.
The time here is now 08.30 (today time) I have been ups since seven. I just received a call from the vivaio they are five minutes away. My guests who normally breakfast at nine will not appear until sometime after ten thirty…. It is so confusing, but I must go as I hear the lorry approaching…..
28 Mar 2010 Alec 0 comments
A beautiful day here at Bellaugello gay bed and breakfast in Umbria. The guys are busy laying the flooring in the lower Garden Suite, which entails barrow-loads of sand and bags of cement being taken all the way down to the lowest level of the house. Progress is picking up a pace and it looks as if this great duplex suite will be ready for the end of May.
I am busy in the garden, cutting grass, weeding and general tidying ready for the next delivery of plants, schedued for Saturday. The garden furniture has come out of the store, it has been given a clean down but teak oil still needs to be applied. The dogs are lying on the gravel simply soaking up the sun’s rays and watching the rest of us busy at work… Oh it’s a dog’s life!
It was market day here in Gubbio, the main piazza was filled with an array of stalls with wonderous fruits and vegetables, cheeses and meats, cheap clothing and accessories, kitchen goods and household items, plants and trees, and tractors. The Eugubini moved slowly chatting animatedly from stall to stall warmed by the spring sunshine and the wafting fragrance of warm sliced porchetta, a glorious colourful harmonious sway.
Another day another queue, this time in the bank to organise a pre-pay credit card. I had to wait and then return later as the bank’s computers were down, and all I wanted was to move my money from one section of the bank to another! How can a bank have dicky computers, the bancomat machine also refused to print receipts for the second day in a row.
To the next bank, the documents are still not ready, I am waiting for the POS machine to be able to take credit cards, I guess it is being manufactured for Mercedes and subject to a quiet worldwide recall!
Meanwhile I went to the Tabaccheria to buy TEN marche di bollo. These are the stamps required here in Italy on official documents, in reality another tax scam. Finally the permissions have come through for the final phase of the development here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House in Umbria, and together with other documentation I required ten of these stamps. I left the tabaccheria €150.00 lighter, and just wondering how much a printing press costs, hmm…..
24 Mar 2010 Alec 0 comments
