Today another busy day here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House in the glorious Umbrian countryside, and after a busy day a real treat; the first strawberries from our garden.

This evening I gathered strawberries warmed by the Italian sun and plump from the recent rains, and at dinner combined them with marscapone ice-cream, utterly indulgent and wicked for the waistline! – oh and on  the way to the strawberries I just had to stop at one of the young cherry trees and pluck a ripe cherry – delicious!

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These pics are for my Mum who sent me three wonderful Paeony Roses last year.  This one I planted in the rose bed above the Azure Suite here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House in Umbria and is the first to bloom this spring.

Thanks Mum, like you,  they are bloomin’ wonderful xx

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Well I finally seem to have cracked it.

For the past three days the wireless internet connection has been working at a fast speed.  I don’t want to tempt fate, but it looks very encouraging and so finally at Bellaugello Gay Bed and Breakfast in Umbria it seems as if our communications have reached the 21st century!

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Another sunny day dawned at Bellaugello Gay Guest House here in Umbria, an excuse to breakfast outside on the terrace.

To my delight I spotted an owl chick in one of the roosting boxes in the old stone walls of the main house.  I did not look too closely so as not to disturb mum and chick, but definitely saw a wee face peeking out, what a joy.  The hoopoe are nesting in an old wall behind the house, they too must have chicks as they are busy flying tothe nest with morsels.

The lavender I plante last year just keeps on growing and growing.  I thought it would make nice borders for the paths, but it seems determined to engulf them.  I am loathe to cut the plants back, but maybe today is the day I pluck up the courage to do so before I lose sight of the paths completely.

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After last night’s storm sunrise was early and very beautiful.  Mist hang in the Chiascio valley and as the sun rose the mist crept up the valley toward Bellaugello Gay Guest House which sits at 500 metres altitude facing south over the valley looking directly toward Monte Subasio the large hill behind the city of Assisi.

By nine o’clock there was a light mist but it quickly burnt off and now the sun is shining brightly.  This morning we finished the chimney for our ancient brick oven and I must say it looks rather splendid.  I decided to finish the top with a pyramid formation which is often seen in this part of Umbria.  However we need something to surmount the very top.  A discussion amongst those present came up with, pineapple, field stone, cockerel, and augello.  Well I have to decide, for now it will remain unadorned……..

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oggi è il terzo anniversario del mio arrivo qui in Italia.  Tre anni fa quando sono arrivato c’è stato un temporale tremendo.

Questi ultimi tre anni sono stati a volte tempestoso a volte difficile ma nel complesso assolutamente piacevole.

Ho incontrato molte persone e fatto molti amici ed è stato davvero fortunato qui a Gubbio.  Mi hanno accolto molti ospiti meraviglioso Bellaugello e insieme con i mei tre cani sono veramente contento di aver fatto la scelta di trasferirsi in Italia ed eseguire una guest house gay.

Oggi c’è stato un altro grande tempesta, ma un grande arcobaleno sbornia Bellaugello

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Today I have been in Italy exactly three years.  It has been a memorable, at times bumpy but overwhelmingly superb time.

I celebrated by watering the garden, only to be met by a torrential downpour reminiscent of the day I arrived three years ago at Pisa airport.  Then the flight landing was  delayed 45 minutes on account of an electrical storm over the airport.  I had left Scotland in sunshine, and had come to Italy for the same!  It then rained all the way to Gubbio.  I was in a hire car, and leaving the airport at 20.00 hrs meant driving at night in a Wagnerian storm.  Finally at half past midnight I turned into the drive of the Locanda Del Gallo at Santa Cristina, the wonderful country house hotel where Paola and Irish had thoughtfully left a chocolate on my pillow, it was a real welcome.

Today the storm is passing and there is a splendid rainbow over Bellaugello Gay Guest House, oh it is so good to be here in Umbria, I have made many many great friends, welcomed many charming guests to Bellaugello and Milo Edo and Jenny my three dogs, like me, are so very happy here in the Umbrian countryside it is an utterly beautiful place to live.

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Today there has been a tranquillity over Valdichiascio here in Umbria.  The sun continues to shine, although there are a few clouds scudding across the sky, it remains pleasantly warm.

At Bellaugello Gay Guest House work continues apace, with everybody lending a hand, tonight a relaxed supper is in order……

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Several abbeys stand on the track between Gubbio and Assisi, indeed the “Sentiero Francescana della Pace” hiking trail which runs from Gubbio to Assisi and passes through Valdichiascio not far from Bellaugello Gay Guest House, was designed to weave by these glorious old buildings.

The abbey of Valingeno is now in part an agriturismo, currently closed, however the chapel remains and is still consecrated.  This pic was snapped by me yesterday as I called to see friends who live in the part of Valdichiascio dominated by Valingeno and its bells seen on the horizon twizt blue skies and the verdant green of the Umbrian countryside.

The hiking trail is well marked as it winds its way through the tranquil scenery of northern Umbria, is easily accessed from Bellaugello Gay B&B offering guests a chance to retrace the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi.  Often we pack a picnic and head off along the trail rarely encountering anyone else, to one of the wayside chapels and sit under the shade of an ancient tree, in perfect peace disturbed only by birdsong, an utter delight, forget the modern world, de-stress, relax and drink in the wonders of nature.  A small side trail takes us to the Chiascio river and a wonderful bathing pool with waterfall,  seldom visited and an utterly beautiful spot to cool off before returning on another track to make the climb back up the valley to Bellaugello Gay Guesthouse.

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Doutbless I have blogged on the subject before, but this morning I was reading the Ikea newsletter where on page 37 I read: “Consigli Ecologici” the article comments on the savings made by installing thermal windows, throwing out your old machines and substituting them for new ‘A’ class domestic white goods, recycling used drinks tins, and repairing dripping taps.

Now I can go with the dripping taps bit.  One of our water sources here at Bellaugello Gay Guest House in the beautiful Umbrian countryside in central Italy is our own spring.  Water oozes out of the ground just above a layer of clay.  Last year we spent considerable time devising a system for collecting this water which now enters a settling tank before being pumped up the hill behind the main guest house to descend by gravity and be used for watering the garden, flushing the toilets and feeding the washing machines.  Yes water is precious and I assidiously close taps.  Repairing a dripping tap costs nothing and saves buckets and on the whole I do have a sensible ecological policy here at Bellaugello Gay B&B.

However I read a bit further on in the Ikea newsletter that “Da agosto, prima di quanto previsto dalle legge, IKEA non verdera piu lampadine a incandescenza.”  From august earlier than required by law IKEA will no longer sell incandescent lamps. and that makes me see red.

How dare the law prohibit us from using the good old fashioned incandescent lightbulb?  I have a wonderful antique French chandelier in my sitting room  and it uses the particularly small (and frighteningly expensive) E27 lighbulbs which sit in artificial candles, no longer will they be available.  How am I suposed to put ‘lampade fluorescenti compatte’ in my chandelier?  Have you seen just how large they are and all that electrical gizmo in the base, yeah will look really great.

Will somebody just tell me this; Why are the public letting themselves into being deceived that by installing these ‘low energy lamps’ as we are being forced to do is in anyway saving energy or being ecological.

These lamps are fluorescent tubes and require complicated starter motors and sophisticated electronics to get them to light.  Do not tell me that these parts do not cost, have environmental impact, are all resourced from everywhere on the planet and thus unlike a Coca Cola tin not shipped five times round the world at great environmental impact.

Some international company is making a fortune out of selling these.  How did they convince the EU to outlaw the competition?  It strikes me as unjust.

They weigh more than conventional incandecent bulbs so must have a phenomenal transport and logistical impact and they do not last.  Heed my advice buy all the incandescent lightbulbs you can before they disappear, in the long run they are the environmentally friendly alternative, I still have some burning merrily after twenty years continious use and house moves across continets and just think of the ‘Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles’ lit by fluorescent lightbulbs…….

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