Today’s post was supposed to be something  Easter related, but … what happened to Spring? Winter is back in full swing! Rain, rain and more rain, all day long. Grey sky, and wind on and off. Temps stay low (around -4°C / 24°F). What a day today! The forecast for today was snow and sleet, but neither of them made their way to Glasgow, at least not so far. It has been snowing in the northern part of Scotland since early morning, and sleet showers occurred in Stirling, just one hour drive away from here.

Now that the temps are dropping down during the evening, we can see some snowflakes coming down mixed with the heavy rain. By tomorrow the sleet will be mud, yuck! We’d prefer the real thing: soft and white snow!

After dinner we decided to warm us up with a cup of coffee with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon and a Sicilian almond-paste cookie. A sip, anyone?

Oh, right now it’s really snowing! Yay, big soft flurries! There are already 2-3 cm (about one inch) of snow on the ground, wow!

We’ve translated the recipe for making yummy "tortini al cocco" and you can find it in our recipe corner, that’s finally back online. Nighty-night!

Zeno and I have a lot to do this coming week, I can't believe Easter is almost here! My plate and head are both full, which is probably the reason why I've had a bad headache yesterday. Hum… or maybe it was 'cos of the dull weather and the very strong wind. Or 'cos of the Internet woes we are experiencing, who knows, LOL!

Anyway, my sweetheart and I are trying to spend a bit of time each day with our friend who has been sick at home for a kidney stone problem. As you can easily imagine, he has been a bit under the weather. Most kidney stones can pass through the urinary system with plenty of water, but his stone has been quite stubborn, so he will need to go to the hospital tomorrow morning in order to surgically remove it. I'm sorry he has to go through all this here, so far away from his family (that lives in Greece). Also dealing with doctors in a foreign country with the uncertainty of the language makes things more difficult and the situation scarier. I made "tortini al cocco" (mini coconut cakes) for him this afternoon, hoping to cheer him up a bit.

In the next few days, I hope I manage to go through the photos I took while Italy, so that I will be able to share some with you. Wishing everyone an awesome Monday ahead. Sweet dreams! ZzzzZzzzZzzzzz.....

Brrr, I woke up at 6 to a chilly (1°C/35°C) and foggy morning. Around 8:30 an heavy rain started and the high today has been of 4°C / 40°F, unquestionably not spring-like. Rain, rain and more rain is predicted on our five-day forecast, sob! It would be so much better getting snow, days won't seems so dark and gloomy then.

The photo above has been taken on March 10th, in my parents' garden, in Italy. I like the way snow seems to mute sounds, as well as covering everything in its soft and peaceful white blanket.

Let me quote an old Italian saying: "Marzo è pazzerello, esce il sole e prendi l’ombrello" (March is crazy, the sun comes out and you grab your umbrella). This proverb owes its origin to the well known instability of this month which urges people not to trust the appearance of the sky. When it comes to March weather, you have probably heard the sayings: "If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb.", right? Anyone knows where does this saying come from?

Happy Spring / Felice Primavera!

This weekend Spring has kicked in, not very much, but slightly. Both Saturday and Sunday have been gray and rainy in the morning, but sunny in the afternoon, ending with a chilly evening. We have now about 12 hours of daylight, with sunrise at 6:13 AM and sunset at 6:36 PM.

Saturday afternoon, we really enjoyed walking around, the air was warm (11°C / 52°F) and many flowers were already peeking out. We saw different varieties of crocuses (blue, white and yellow)…

…and primulas. BTW, did you know that the word primula is the Latin feminine diminutive of primus, meaning first (prime), applied to flowers that are among the first to open in springtime?

And have you ever tried them in frittata? My grandma used to make a delicious frittata with 4 eggs and 3 handfuls of yellow and/or white primulas (mainly the flowers, but you can use the leaves as well if they are tender). YUM!

Since we came back from Italy, we have met some friends every day, and in particular we have spent a lot of time with one of Zeno's coworkers who has been sick at home for a kidney stone problem. On Wednesday we cooked some pasta and brought it at his place together with a fruit salad. On Saturday night we had dinner with him again and he made a delicious oven-baked chicken with potatoes and carrots, followed by a yummy lemon meringue pie.

Sunday afternoon we went to the cinema with our neighbors Ale and Dee and two of their friends. We've seen The Bounty Hunter, with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. We all really enjoyed this movie which had action, comedy and romance well balanced throughout the story. The male main actor is from Paisley, so this was one more reason to watch it.

I must dash now, as I have got to make dinner. I am still behind on blog reading/commenting, but I'm working on it. Keep smiling!

I hadn't plan to post today ‘cos I had quite a busy schedule, but I wanted to wish my dad and Zeno's: Happy Father's Day / Felice Festa del papà! Father's Day in Italy is celebrated on the Feast of St. Joseph (San Giuseppe), spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

While in Italy, I've helped my dad a little with the garden work. It has been a nice way to spend some time together, just the two of us.

We started with pruning the rose bushes and my mom's blue hortensia (hydrangea). My job wasn't perfect, but let's face it: becoming an accomplished pruner takes time and practice so I will do best next year, LOL!

Then we have cleaned the flowerbeds from all the weeds and we have planted more bulbs (tulips and narcissuses). In the end we have taken advantage of the sun and the mild temps and we have sown tomatoes, spinach, lettuce and radishes.

The day before our flight back to Scotland I was all excited ‘cos the radishes were already sprouting, yay!

My sweetheart and I are ready to jump into Spring...

I took the photo above on March 1st, the little crocuses are finally born and my parents' garden looks already beautiful. They are so tiny and so pretty! Crocus is one of the first flowers to bloom in Spring in Italy. Crocus flowers and leaves are protected from frost by a waxy cuticle; in areas where snow and frost occasionally occur in the early Spring it is not uncommon to see early-flowering crocus blooming through a light late snowfall.

In ancient Rome it was custom to decorate tombs with this flower as a wish for a life after death. Time for bed. Thanks for the visit, sweet dreams and have a blessed weekend ahead!

Hi, dear friends! My sweet hubby and I are back in the UK, safe and sound!

I have many photos to share with you…

…but I won't be back in full force before a week or so. Thanks for understanding that I needed to recharge my batteries and adjust once again to my Scottish routine. Alas, I am not so sure I will easily adjust to the weather, I didn't miss gray skies and rain - at all! LOL! Ta Ta For Now, hugs & smiles your way!

Time has been flying, my dear friends, and my stay in Italy is drawing to an end. Being back "home" has been lovely. I had a blast visiting friends and family, cooking with my mom and helping my dad a little with the garden work.

The weather has been totally crazy here, one day is warm and spring-like and the next one is cold and snowy. I was supposed to visit my friends Lucia and Sergio this weekend, but I couldn't because of 60 cm of snow on the roads. No snow yet in my little town, it seems my area has been spared.

Zeno will arrive on Wednesday evening and I really hope he will be able to enjoy a warm sunny day. I can't wait to hug my sweet hubby again, I really missed him! Sure, we have been able to chat on Skype every evening, but it's not the same. We have tons of things planned for the few days he will be here, but I will tell you more about it later. Zeno and I will be back home on Monday the 15th, late in the evening. I am looking forward to catching up with your blogs/lives, I missed you, guys! Big hugs & smiles your way.

 ...to moonrise.

I took these photos with our new Point&Shoot (Fuji Finepix S1500) that Kia does not like at all, but it's actually not that bad, in my opinion.

"To me, photography is an art of observation.
It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place...
I've found it has little to do with the things you see
and everything to do with the way you see them."

 .:: Elliott Erwitt ::.