Countdown, can't believe it...

Can't believe we have been here a week already and that there are only 2 weeks and a bit to go until we leave Italy. Slow the time down please....

We are really enjoying it here in Loro. Went round the Chianti road yesterday, and although the chianti villages are nothing to write home about, although nice, the road is really worth the trip. Lovely vineyards and olive groves all round.

Today we went back to Siena after 4 years and it is still very beautiful and still packed with tourists, mostly Americans. Toscana is beautiful, but I can imagine that it must be quite something around July time when the sunflowers are out and all the fields planted with other crops. Now the majority are just plowed. Exception being the wine and olive areas. I don't get tired of it.

We have had a couple of very interesting experiences with the Italians. Twice now they rounded the bills down at restaurants! Have you ever heard of that? Nice surprise... bring it on I say.

Met a Brazilian family in Siena today, shame they were in a hurry as they were moving on and still had a couple of sites to see. It was nice to speak to somebody else rather than Alan, although it was only a 20 minutes conversation. We were trying to arrange lunch together, but our timings didn't coincide. Shame. I enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we are lazying around here. Our nice landlady brought me some fresh tomato sauce yesterday (still warm) that her Mama had made. So past it is tomorrow. She is so kind.

The old man across the yard has taken to talking to me, although I can hardly understand his Italian and he is deaf and doesn't understand me! We have some great conversations NOT. His daughter and family live in Birmingham and he has even been to Manchester...