Whispering.

Whispering.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Rhosyn looked lovely in her new Spanish dress. We all went to Barry Island in the afternoon..... and then round to a neighbours BBQ in the evening.

Seaside fun.

Seaside fun.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Lizard

Lizard
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

He was just hanging around by the kitchen door. Pretty cool to see him.

Buddleia/ Butterfly Bush

Buddleia/ Butterfly Bush
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Pope in Sydney

Pope in Sydney
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

A good week for Auntie Angela.

Auntie Angela took part in a mass at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney today.... with a massive 350,000 catholics. It marked the end of a visit to Australia by the Pope, to mark World Youth Day. Auntie Angela has had 4 Croatian students staying with her as part of the celebrations. Last week she was chosen to sail on a boat in Sydney Harbour, as part of a "boat a cade" that followed the Pope on his journey by water from Rose Bay to Barangaroo. It sounds like a fantastic week for Auntie Angela.x

Olive Riley

Olive Riley died in Woy Woy last week, at the age of 108. She began her blog at the age of 107. With her death, the title of the worlds oldest blogger passes to 96 year old Maria Amelia Lopez.

Karl Pilkington at the Hayward (features Noel Fielding)

Deer and washing line.

Deer and washing line.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

There are lots of deer around at the moment...with their young. This is the time of year when the young are born and it is lovely to see them. Does this deer fancy a nibble on Tels wetsuit?
We have also seen a huge swarm of bees.... a dead rabbit....a blackbirds nest. The crows are still a problem.

Looking for slow worms in the compost bin.

Looking for slow worms in the compost bin.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Dave and his family came to visit yesterday...Lewis made a fire for us all in the fire basket on the patio. We went down to the Hog Roast in the village and had a drink in the pub. Ann gave us some amazing broccoli that they have grown at home and lots of colourful courgettes.
Later on, me and Tel went back down to watch the bands playing...we stayed till midnight despite the cold and drizzle.

Soggy wildlife.

Soggy wildlife.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Tescos

In Tescos today, I saw....
A baby in a trolley completely surrounded by beer and wine ...and being pushed by a frazzled looking mum.
Bags of carrots being sold as "crunchy carrots"....thats good news.
Lots of shoppers using their Bags for Life.

Teo

Teo
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

We took a break from the gardening last week, to go over to Bristol to visit Sophie and Mauri and their new arrival Teo. He s 4 weeks old now and a real cutie. His Italian grandparents have already been over to see him and they are all going over there for a 3 week holiday soon. Sophie is going to be off work for the next 12 months and is looking forward to it all.

Being in Italy..... we will remember....

the Renault 4's, the Fiat 500's and the Apes.
having lasagne in Siena.
getting in the car and the temperature reading was 47 degrees.
eating nutella.
spotting a policeman riding a segway in Sorrento.
talking to lady at farmhouse about Princess Diana.
the charm of Tuscany.
walking around the backstreets of Siena at night.

Sorrento.

Sorrento.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

We drove for most of the day....from Pienza to Sorrento...to meet Ros Roy Mike Catherine James Matthew and Jane for the last 2 nights of our holiday. Driving around Naples and into Sorrento was horrendous.... the traffic was terrible and the scooters and mopeds were on both sides of the road....it was very dangerous. We met them all at their hotel and had a meal. The next day we caught the ferry over to Capri with Ros and Roy....it was a very hot day.... Capri was very busy....the queue for the funicular railway was a bit of an ordeal. We had a meal in the evening and said our goodbyes.
The next day we flew home from Campino Airport in Rome. There was an evacuation as we arrived... but the flight was fine and we made it home in good time.

Tel and James.

Tel and James.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Day trip to Capri

Day trip to Capri
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Pienza

Pienza
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Pienza was a sleepy hamlet known as Corsignano until 1459, the year Pope Pius II decided to transform his birthplace into a model renaissance city. Pius died soon afterwards but not before creating a cathedral, papal residence and palace ringed central piazza.
We spent 3 nights in an Agritourismo just outside Pienza. Its a working farm that also has accommodation for tourists. We bought some olive oil from the owner of the farm...but unfortunately it was taken from us on the way home at Rome Airport....the lovely man at the baggage check said "I put it in the bin"!!!!! Pienza was a great base to visit other places.... we went to Montepulciano and Bagno Vignoni.

Fiat 500

Fiat 500
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

We landed at Pisa airport, picked up the hire car and drove for about an hour to San Gimignano. Its known as the "medieval Manhattan" as its skyline has many towers.The towers began to appear around 1150 and were built as status symbols and places of retreat during attacks.
We stayed one night in San Gimignano.....the night of the Italy v Spain football match. We watched it in a back street cafe with lots of unhappy Italians.We climbed one of the towers to get a fantastic view of the town and the countryside. There was a perfect black Fiat 500 whizzing around the streets....very cute.

San Gimignano

San Gimignano
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Loving Siena...a medieval jewel.

Loving Siena...a medieval jewel.
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

"Few Tuscan experiences are as memorable as the moment you first see the Campo"
We spent 2 nights in Siena last week...at the start of our weeks holiday in Italy. Today in the Campo is the Palio...a bareback horserace that has been run in Siena for over 700 years. Preparations were well underway last week...with flags everywhere and fences being put in place. You can watch last years Palio on Youtube.....its a fantastic spectacle.
We stayed in an old hotel, a 20 min walk from edge of the city. Breakfast was a croissant filled with custard and a capuccino. It was very hot in Siena....over 35 degrees. We loved it.

Il Campo

Il Campo
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon

Torre del Mangia

Torre del Mangia
Originally uploaded by terry Dixon