Wow, two posts in a row! As you can imagine, Kia is busy doing something else, otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to put my hands on our computer, ROTFL! Just kidding!

I just got home from work. A colleague of mine gave me a ride since it was raining cats and dogs. Today I brought in the office some sweets I purchased in Lübeck: little pieces of marzipan covered with dark chocolate. This kind of marzipan is not as sweet as the Italian one, and that's a good thing 'cos you can appreciate the almond taste. Also my lovely wife received her marzipan treat, but for her I got a special one: shaped into the symbol of the University of Lübeck.

It seems like the rain is calming down a little bit. That's a good thing because Kia and I are supposed to go out in an hour or so. We are going with our neighbor Dorothea to the Leisure Centre that is just 10-15 minute walk from our house. She is already a member there, we just wanna have a look around and see if we can find something nice to do. Yesterday Kia didn't feel very well and I have been teasing her saying that the mere idea of going to a gym and look around was giving her the fever. At first she gave me a bad look, but then we immediately burst into laughter.

Do you want to hear something curious?

If you go to a take-away here in this area and ask for sausages and chips, guess what you get?

Deep fried sausages! All covered with a crusty batter. They were not bad, but not exactly what we expected to get. Time to go! Kia is waving at y'all. Have a nice week ahead you all!

It's nice to be back home in my sweet wife arms.

My business trip to Germany has been pretty intense and exhausting, but also a nice experience, especially if you consider that the weather was nice. I didn't have the chance to see anything in Lübeck, but in Hamburg I could at least have a walk thru the city center in the evening after dinner. The Rathaus (city hall) is a very impressive building with beautiful architecture and sculptures. The two churches of St. Peter and St. Jacob were also nice, built in the typical local red brick, but unfortunately the façade of the former was covered with a scaffold for some restoration works. I didn't have my camera with me, so I have no pictures to share, but since it was already dark, I don't think they would have come out very well. My camera is not so good when it comes to situations of scarcity of light.

When I arrived at the Glasgow airport yesterday at 10:40, I have been welcomed by a windy but nice weather, which turned gray and rainy in the afternoon. Today is nice again with some clouds passing by. Better go now! Kia and I want to take advantage of the current weather and go out for a walk and some grocery shopping.

Howdy! This is gonna be a short post 'cos I'm quite tired and should go to bed soon. I've slept in this morning. Usually I got up at 6 AM in order to have breakfast with Zeno, but today I woke up at 9 AM and I've been dizzy all day. Hubby's arrived in Germany safe and sound yesterday around midnight. I'm sorry he probably won't be able to see anything 'cos his schedule is quite busy, but I'm sure he will enjoy being there. I miss him... already! I know, I know, I'm so pathetic! Anyway, he called a few minutes ago to wish me goodnight. He had a nice day in Lübeck and is currently in Hamburg. I'm relieved he is enjoying his new job, you know.

I've spent most of the day reading my new book: "Time after time" by Sue Haasler. It's quite intriguing, I must say. I cannot understand why some of my friends think that reading is boring.

This morning I went for a walk and I noticed how the trees and bushes are starting to change. Autumn can be so charming! It's almost time for roasted chestnuts (castagne).

On the way back I've spotted a young lady with short bright pink hair. She had a bag with "I'm not a plastic bag" printed on it. Horrible! I don't care if it's fashion or whatever, it was just awful. Anyway, pink reminds me that I wanted to share with you this photo I took a couple of days ago.

Fluffy pink clouds, like cotton candy. And a quick look at the pink roses hubby gave me.

They are actually more beautiful than they appear in this photo.

Oh, I almost forgot! Puffy Cheeks Think Pink is now available in different hair/skin choices. Just grab her in my Graphic Shoppe and link her to a Breast Cancer Awareness site of your choice. I'm on my way to bed, my eyes are getting heavy.

Will visit and check my e-mails tomorrow. Have a nice ZzzzzZzzzzzzz…..

Hubby will go to the airport directly from his office. He left 30 minutes ago, but I already miss him. I won't be totally alone, this evening after dinner I will meet Dorothea, and I've been invited by Sabine and Marco for dinner tomorrow. Plus, I've borrowed three books from the Library, so I won't get bored for sure. But it's the first time Zeno and I are not together to celebrate our love. It's a special day for us and I really wanted to spend it with him. He won't be home till Saturday and I am afraid he will be too tired to go somewhere. Maybe I will just cook something special and we will have a quiet Saturday night at home.

Yesterday hubby got home with beautiful pink roses to celebrate …. ehm, let's say Autumn, LOL! Because you are not supposed to celebrate "before" the special day. It's a superstition (scaramanzia), I know. But I'm Italian and as my Dad always says… you never know! My darling hubby and I have been married 7 years and a half! I can't believe that it's been that long actually, it still feels like yesterday! And to be honest I love him more deeply now than when we got married.

My coffee is ready, talk to you later. Huggles to all, enjoy your day.

It is so peaceful and quiet here this morning. I've just poured my second cup of coffee and I am enjoying having my windows open and getting the fresh air into the house.

I want to express my gratitude to all of you who stopped by in the past few days. I read all your comments, of course. Thank you for making blogging so much fun for me.
I've got lots of chores to catch up with today, so I really need to get busy. I will make a few visits first and see what is happening with my buddies. Have a wonderful afternoon.

Happy first day of Autumn! Summer has just flown by! I wish I could say that I have accomplished a whole lot but, alas, nope! The days have just gone by. I thought it could be fun starting (digital) scrapbooking, but I didn't do a single page. I had planned to doodle something special, but my Muse decided to abandon me. I wanted to re-open our Adoption Shoppe in order to share all our cuties with y'all… well, don't even let me start on this. I have a lot of projects going on in my head… they are just not getting out.

The sun is shining up in the sky and weather had warmed up a little (18°C). It's a lovely day and I wish it would never end. I have my windows open and the gentle breeze is so nice.

At noon I met my friend Sabine. I couldn't resist having a muffin along with my cup of tea. Not really a healthy lunch, but I will try to have a light dinner. Not sure what yet, maybe soup. I should just have veggies… or at least no more carbs. I got totally off the track of healthy eating lately.

We have been quite lucky, weather-wise, also yesterday. Zeno and I went to Duroon with Sandro and Dorothea, our neighbors. We went with their car. We went mushroom hunting and had a great day… even if we did not find anything, just poisonous mushrooms. I admit I don't mind 'cos I don't like eating mushrooms, anyway. But it's nice when you can spot them under a tree or behind a bush. All the places where Sandro and Dorothea took us were charming. I did not realize how much I miss my mountains before getting there! How peaceful and relaxing walking in the woods can be! And what a good smell! So refreshing! Sandro also invited us for dinner at his Mom's. We really enjoyed the (Italian style) dinner, even if we felt a little uncomfortable for showing up at his Mom's with our shoes and jeans all muddy.

A few photos from our day...

Leaves are changing their colors…

On the way back we had a quick stop on Loch Lomond.

More photos will come later. Hubby and I had a few problems transferring from our camera to our computer all the photos we took. Dunno why. Hope it was just a temporary problem. Please, keep your fingers crossed, guys!

Ooooh, what a great weekend! The more I visit Scotland, the more I like it. I know some of you (the ones who know how much I hate gyms) expect me to say it may take me a couple of days to recover. Na-ha, I'm not tired at all. It's just so great to stay into the open air. Plus, my allergies (hay fever) did not bother me this past weekend. Yay! That's it from me today, I am on my way to meet Zeno and then we'll go to the Library to borrow a few books and grocery shopping. Hope the start of your week is going well.

We got home one hour ago and are now relaxing on the sofa with a hot cup of tea. We couldn't go to bed without leaving a short note about today. The weather has been nice, and by "nice" we mean "Scottish nice", that is partly cloudy and temps around 18°C. It was also very humid (we checked on the net and the humidity was about 88%), but it was pleasant to enjoy some fresh air.

We had a really nice day out, the BBQ was fine and we did not eat too much 'cos the meat was mostly beef and we do not eat beef anymore. We walked a lot (more than 8 miles) around with our friends Marco and Sabine, but we could not visit the Castle 'cos it is still lived in by the present Earl and family. We did expect more of Zeno's colleagues to be there, but it was ok anyway.

We will be away from home all day tomorrow too. We are going "mushroom hunting" with our neighbors Sandro and Dorothea and then out for dinner. Ok, bed time now, have a blessed Sunday.

Howdy and G'day, maties! Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day! That makes me think of Johnny Depp, who knows why?! I should ask Erin and Susan, LOL! Guess everyone is glad it's Friday. I sure am! That means that a busy but hopefully lovely weekend is ahead of us. Tomorrow in the afternoon we'll go to a BBQ at Kelburn Castle (near Largs) that Zeno's company has organized for all the employees and their families. The place is gorgeous, Zeno and I have already been there at the beginning of August with Marco and Sabine. And I'm so curious to meet Zeno's colleagues! Hope the weather will be nice 'cos a BBQ under the rain is not funny, is it? Especially now that it's cold outside. I wonder why they didn't organize it in July or August.

Today I've been feeling better, but still tired. So I took it easy and looked after myself. I must admit that days seem to be getting away from me at the moment and I am being a very lazy blogger… again! Fall is almost here. Days are shorter, mornings and evenings are much cooler.

I've always loved Fall, with its scents, pumpkins, apples, colored falling leaves… We had a end-of-summer dish for dinner tonight.

Well, it's not a great photo so I better tell you it's an aspic (gelatine) with ham, russian salad and hard boiled eggs. YUMMY! And very tasty.

I'm wondering how AnnetteH., Kari, Nanou (Nanou's Country Home), Lucia (Little Dream), Luciana (Farfalles) and Pipa (Pippie's Premades) are doing. I miss them and hope everything is fine with them. Ok, I've got lots more to do before heading to bed, so I better get busy! Thanks for visiting and leaving sweet tags, Zeno and I appreciated that so much. Thanks for your friendship. Till we blog again…

Hello dear friends! A few days ago I received an e-mail from one of my former colleagues in Trieste. She told me that the manuscript of the article we wrote has been accepted for publication by the scientific journal we submitted it to. I'm so happy for me and all my former colleagues who were involved in it.

Talking about news, this week I've been told by my current boss that next week I have to go to Lübeck and Hamburg (Germany) for a business trip. I'm leaving on Wednesday the 24th and I'll be back on the 26th at night. This would be my first time in Germany ever. On the 24th Kia and I were supposed to celebrate the third anniversary of our second wedding (the one in church), but unfortunately we are forced to postpone the celebration. Kia is happy for me, but she's also a little sad 'cos probably she already had something special planned for that day.

A nice thing happened today: after work, I was waiting for the bus to go home and I saw two little wild bunnies hopping out of the bushes. I happened to see one also a month ago. This reminds me that Kia and I forgot to mention that last week we saw two red foxes coming out of the woods near Marco's house. It's nice to see wild animals, even though here we don't see so many as we were used to when we lived in the States.

I'm glad you liked our Photo Album. Looking at the photos of our trips is like travelling a second time to those nice places. In fact, when Kia and I were sorting out the photos we took in Oban in July, we both remembered how much fun we had there with my in-laws, how cold it was (12°C) and how good was the seafood we had at the EE-USK (it means fish in Gaelic) restaurant. We had the Grand Platter, a heavenly composition of fresh and smoked salmon, mussels, oysters, scallops, granseola (a crab), lobster, langoustines and spicy fish cakes. It was great and quite cheap. It was supposed to be for two, but the four of us ate it all and were completely full.

Too bad the photo I took doesn't give justice to it.
I wish you all a very good night by sharing with you a cotton candy sky (view from our lounge).

Finally all the food supplies (provviste) we brought from Italy have found a new home in our kitchen cabinets.

We have already enjoyed a few cookies made with melic (paste di meliga) with our coffee. They are also good dunked into sweet red wine. YUMMY!

Do you remember our little (and fragile!) hedgehog (riccio) we were afraid it could not survived the shipment to Scotland? Well, as you can see it has arrived safe and sound. It has been nominated the guardian of our new IKEA bookshelf.

We had the chance to enjoy a long walk on Friday evening. Luckily Kia's blister was a lot better thanks to a Band-Aid made of soft gel material that gave her pressure relief. When Zeno arrived home from work, he changed and then we went to discover a few roads of Paisley we had not seen yet. In particular, we wanted to see the Anchor thread mill. Around 7:30 PM the sky started turning to pink and we saw a beautiful sunset! And obviously, we couldn't resist taking a few photos.

When we woke up on Saturday morning it was raining and gray outside, so we just had breakfast and relaxed on the sofa. But when after lunch the rain stopped, we decided to go out for a walk. We took the train to Port Glasgow, where we got totally wet 'cos of the heavy rain. We decided to warm up having a quick visit at the big Tesco store there, where we bought a delicious pink grapefruit jam. Since it seemed like the rain did not want to stop and it was also foggy, we took the train to Wemyss Bay. The weather was nice there, and we could enjoy the sunset on the seashore. We also enjoyed a nice cup of coffee with a huge slice of apple pie and ice-cream at the Seaview Café. It's a cute place owned by our neighbor Sandro and his family.

Zeno took a photo of these beautiful red berries on the seashore of Wemyss Bay, but we have no idea of what they are.

In our Photo Album (see menu on the left) you can enjoy a few more photos we have taken during our weekend. You can also find a few snapshots of Torre Mondovì (Piemonte, Italy), the small village where we spent our vacation in August. The photo below is just a taste.

BTW, If you go with your mouse over the photos in our Blog, you may read little notes.

On Sunday the weather was much better than on Saturday. We went to church in the afternoon. Marco and Sabine invited us for dinner and prepared a tasty German dinner: roasted pork, Knödel, cabbage salad with bacon, homemade bread. We had a pleasant time together. Unfortunatelly Monday arrives always too soon. Nighty night!

Wow, I can't believe it has been a whole week since I've blogged last time! Some of you may have thought I dropped off the face of the earth... LOL! Here I am, at my surfing station.

I have just been feeling… grumpy! And it's better not being around me when I feel crabby, believe me. Especially if on the same day I'm also a whiner.

Lately I have been complaining first about the weather, then about my second cold in less than a month, and now 'cos I have a huge blister under my left foot that's killing me. I have it since yesterday late evening. Zeno and I took Sabine home after dinner at our house and while we were coming back my foot started hurting. Probably I've been walking to fast with shoes a bit too big for me. How goofy am I?!

As always when I'm moody, I have been wandering around the house longing for comfy food. I had so much sugar and carbohydrates today, you cannot even imagine: a huge (really huge!) slice of the luscious chocolate cake (tarte au chocolat, to be precise) hubby and I bought at Morrisons for yesterday evening dinner (both Zeno and Sabine are chocoholics); bread with cream cheese; a salad with cherry tomatoes; and smoked salmon on a big slice of buttered bread… ehm… also a delicious pain aux raisin… ohmigish! Instead of feeling satisfied for all the food I ate… I am thinking I'd like some more chocolate cake! Oooooh, what a pig I've been! I should be sooo ashamed of myself!

No wonder I already gained 5 or 6 kilos since we moved here. What's wrong with me?!! I should find some hobby OUTSIDE the house and far from the fridge. Surfing the net and housecleaning are not going to help me watching my weight, right? Too bad thou, because yesterday I run all morning from a room to the other and I accomplished to dust & vacuum the dining room and living room and clean the bathrooms. Zeno had already vacuumed the bedrooms and the hall, so less work for me to do. What a precious husband I have. He also did all the cleaning after dinner 'cos I went right to bed with tons of ointment on my blister. The dinner was light but good. I made penne with salmon (both fresh and smoked) and saved a portion for Zeno's lunch today.

Sabine arrived here at 5 PM so we managed to study a li'l bit of German-Italian before dinner time. I'm not so sure I will learn something, but it's nice at least trying. I'm glad she accepted our invitation. Marco, her husband, was in Germany for work and I thought she could enjoy some company. She moved here from Germany in April and being alone in a new city can be not really pleasant. Hubby and I will go to Sabine and Marco's on Sunday afternoon for a tea and a li'l more of German-Italian. But while Sabine, Zeno and I are TRULY beginners, Marco can understand a little Italian 'cos his Father is from Italy. He has quite an advantage! But we will try to catch up.

It's very cloudy and breezy outside this evening and I expect that we'll have some rain again soon. But I don't mind if we get rain during the night. Plus, around dinner time a beautiful rainbow (arcobaleno) showed up...

The photo did not turn out very well 'cos the sky was quite grey. I've also had a wee fun taking photos of the li'l drops of rain on my windows. In the first one you can spot the camera too, I was a bit too near the glass. This one is my fave, with the upside down house images...

And a closer view of a few big drops...

And what do I like as much as rainbows? Dawn (alba)! Look how colorful are these photos I took on Tuesday at 6:47 PM.

The weather has been very unstable lately, in the same day we had experienced sun, clouds, rain, more sun and rain again… but I guess this is normal here in Scotland. This morning I have even been enjoying the sun at the window. How nice is to feel its warm touch on my skin!

Our apartment inspection went well, last Friday. When the man showed up I was quite surprised. Dunno why I was pretty sure I was going to see a couple of ladies once opened the door… anyway, he said he will be back in three months. Yuck! He said he has to come and verify if the walls and furniture are ok, make sure no one is smoking and we are the only two persons living here. At least the rental agency could have sent a handsome young guy to do this stupid (just my two cents!) job… am I wrong?

Oh oh… I've been rambling on and on… are you still awake?! Ok, will end this post now. Hubby and I did not mean to "hide" our comments, you can find them clicking on the book at the bottom of the page. And thanks for all your messages!

Just wanted to remember 9-11. I think that we all will never forget where we were and what we were doing on this day, 7 years ago. Those images will always be impressed in our minds!

Typing a quick message under a pale sun. It's been very windy since yesterday. During the night we could hear the sound of the trees swaying.

Kia is feeling much better today, but we won't go outside this weekend because, being so cold and windy, we don't want to risk a relapse. She has to be careful since she cannot take any medication due to her allergy to aspirin and antibiotics. That's why any time she gets a cold or something like that she drags it for days. She is taking a long relaxing bath right now.

On Monday we will have our first apartment inspection. Somebody from our rental agency is coming anytime from 9 AM to 5 PM. Quite annoying, let me say it, even if I won't be at home.

My fave Italian singer/songwriter, Jovanotti (real name, Lorenzo Cherubini), has got married today with his partner Francesca after living together for 15 years (see photo). I would like to wish both of them all the best!

It's no secret that I love old stuff and while at my parents' I took a photo of one of my mom's silver mirrors. You can compare its dimensions to the ring I placed beside it.

I'm not the type of girl that lays out in the sun and gets a tan, but a sunny day once in a while wouldn't hurt, especially with my bad cold! So… who hided the sun?! At noon it was shining up in the sky, and know it's all gloomy. The weather in Scotland is not very predictable. You can have a warm sunny morning followed by a rainy afternoon. And then it changes again and the sun comes to say hello at dinner time before leaving room to a cold windy night. You never know what to expect! That's why hubby and I always go around with a k-way (a lightweight, completely waterproof jacket folded in a small hip bag). But now Zeno is exaggerating (as you can see from the photo below, taken in mid-August): he never opens his umbrella anymore!

Technically it will be Summer for a few more weeks, but the light is already changing and the sun is setting earlier. Right now the sun rises at 6:29 AM and sets at 8:02 PM. Autumn has always been my fave time of the year with its vibrant colors. But this year I am not ready for cooler weather (I had enough of it already!) and shorter days.

No special plans for the evening, I will probably go to bed early in order to recover quickly. Hubby and I have been invited to Marco and Sabine's house for next Sunday, and I don't want to miss it. Yesterday we had a light meal and then we just cuddled on the sofa and watched a few episodes of FRIENDS on DVD. It's my favorite series ever and it always cheers me up!

I really haven't done much around the house since we got back from our vacation. One of our suitcases is still laying in a corner. In my defense: cleaning and housework can be completely overwhelming when you don't feel well… so… who wants to come clean?! Don't be shy ladies, just raise your hand! I just need: floors mopped, laundry folded and ironed, windows cleaned...any one up for it?? … pretty please!?! …yes, I know you all have your own household tasks to do. But, please, just send some energy (or I should say willpower?) my way!

I do have a lot of projects and photos to share with you, but it seems I'm not in the mood to do anything at all right now. But I'm going to try and get back into posting everyday… or at least once in a while, LOL! And talking about "nothing", I've read this cool saying at Toni's: "The only thing wrong with doing nothing is that you never know when you're finished". LOL! Hope you're having a beautiful day. Oh, look! The sun is out again, smiling at me!

I can't believe it's September already! Summer is almost over, it just flew by! Only three months and we'll be decorating for Christmas holidays.

My beloved husband and I are back from our two-week vacation. We have been busy being lazy and enjoying the warm weather and sunny days. And now it's hard to start up with our daily routine again. Not to mention to get up early in the morning! And guess what?! In only 48 hours here… I got a cold! Again! While I'm typing I'm having a hot cup of tea with a spoonful of honey, hoping it will help. Unfortunately, today my nose is running like crazy, my eyes are wet with tears and my throat is on fire. I am pretty sure I look like this red sweet and juicy tomato (pomodoro):

It's cute, isn't it? It has grown in my daddy's garden in Piedmont and kindly decided to become part of the tomato sauce (conserva or salsa di pomodoro) we prepared to be stored in jars for wintertime:

We had a blast with our friends and my parents and as soon as I stop sneezing so much, I will share a few photos with you. Just let me say we had the chance to take long and relaxing walks in the woods, to go mushroom hunting (well, mostly Zeno with my parents)…

… and the chance to eat delicious tomatoes (pomodori), lettuce (lattuga), basil (basilico), fox grape (uva fragola), plums (prugne) and peaches (pesche) from my daddy's garden. So yummy! They taste so different from those we usually buy at the supermarket! I hope one day I could have a little garden where I can grow my own vegetables.

We also got the chance to go to the cinema twice to see Kung Fu Panda and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The 1st one is hilarious, everyone in the theater (mostly adults) was laughing all the time. The 2nd one is great, with more action than the previous Narnia movie. And even though there was action and fighting, I was glad there was not so much blood spread around. As soon as I get better, I want to go to the library and look for C.S. Lewis' seven Narnia books, coz I want to read them all. They are not very famous in Italy, so I never read them as a child. May I also say that Ben Barnes is a cutie pie? LOL!

Next movie I want to go and see is Wall·E, the computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios. The little robot designed to clean up a polluted Earth is just adorable! Just look at these:

The weather is a lot cooler here than in Italy. On Saturday we left a sunny day with temps around 35°C to land here at about 15°C. Brrr… no wonder I got a cold. And it's not winter yet! How will I survive, considering that I cannot take any medication, just lemon or grapefruit juice, Propolis, Echinacea or other herbal preparations?! Any suggestions?

Just a few days ago I was wearing flip flops and now I have warm socks and winter slippers instead. BTW, I noticed that the graphic community is all dressed up for Fall. Summer is almost over… well, who am I kidding?!? I'm not all that sure I can call "summer" the chilly, cloudy and rainy days we have experienced here since May! But at least I hope that here Fall is going to bring some vibrant colors… In fact, Mother Nature can be amazing sometimes, as you can see in the following photos:

Before I forget: while in Italy Zeno and I have deleted all the pages we had on Digilander. From now on, this will be our new web-home.
Better go now 'cos I want to see if I can find out what's happening with Hurricane Gustav and then take a li'l nap. Till we blog again…