United Colors

Operation "new pullover" has been a complete success. I am writing this in a busy cafe in a studenty part of L'Aquila. The top in qustion is green with a zip.

We are staying with Gemma's grandmother who has no English and doesn't understand my version of Italian. She always has a glass of wine with her lunch and dinner; I don't tend to drink wine. On Saturday morning we announced that we were going out. "What about lunch?" she apparently asked. When it was explained that we were going out for lunch she fell about laughing. The following day a few people came round to the house and I showed them some of the photos I had taken so far on Nonna's 80's tv in the kitchen. These included a photo of lunch the previous day. Nonna made a comment looking at me and nodding which I am told roughly translates as "so you have wine when you go out but you won't drink mine". There was a bottle of wine on the restaurant table.

Later I offered to help out if there was something needed doing round the house or in the garden, she lives alone. When my offer had been translated there was more laughter. She took me round the garden and showed me that "tutt' a posto", everything was in it's place, she had stacked all the wood for the winter etc. I headed back for the house and she turned to Gemma and asked "what did he think he could do anyway"? She's rock hard Nonna Felicia.