Gianfranco ~ 'The Bulldozer'. Actually, the digger man. (Someone taught him the word 'Bulldozer' which he applies to any big earth-moving machinery.) Everybody thinks of him as a loveable rogue, loveable he is but rogue he isn't, well only in the mischievous sense. His prices beat anyone else's hands down ~ he just doesn't turn up!!! 
There are a number of things I would like to own, not desperately-above-all-else sort of like to own (otherwise I would have it) more like a power and pride sort of ownership. One of them is a digger. What a wondrous piece of machinery it is. I could trundle it up the road turning over cars and knocking down houses, so much power controlled by a couple of levers. I wonder if you have to apply for a 'responsible person' licence before you can buy one of these clanking great monsters! I watched from a window while Gianfranco toppled the old garage, jabbing and teasing the walls and roof until it gave up its strength. The great iron jaw bit into the roof, again and again until the concrete and steel, fused together for decades, groaned and bowed into submission. In the end the digger won easily. Gianfranco treats his metal destroyer like a pet and leaves it to sit atop the debris like a victor with his prize.
This is exciting news of course; it means that the demolition of the old garage is done, which in turn means that the building of the new house can begin. In fact it already has; I fratelli Memedaj are the chosen builders, the five brothers from Kosovo, and in just two days the fantastic five have completed all of the steelwork and concrete for the new foundations. This is a huge achievement by anyone’s standards and by Italian standards, unheard of.
It rained one of those days but the five arrived at 7.15am to take a delivery of steel and left, after a full day’s work, at 7.00pm having had only half an hour for lunch, which they brought with them. Don’t they know that siesta is sacrosanct and that if you work within 30 minutes drive from home then you are expected to take lunch at home with your family, all five courses of it. But that’s the Italian way. Maybe the Kosovans understand the principle of ‘working to make money’. Day 2, the same. So far so good.Days 7 - 10 (to date) ~ no sign of them! Oops, maybe Rystem the 'Capo' who learned his trade here went to the 'Gianfranco' school of ruse.
Not ONE but TWO new balconies.
To be more precise, a couple of concrete projections facing south and west; all the better for the sun my dear. The shuttering hasn't even been taken away yet but, in true Clampett style we've made one our sunset viewing platform. Couple of chairs, Blacky the cat (he's in the pic, by the way if you can spot him), a couple of glasses of wine; watching the sun set over the Monti Sibillini. Heaven!!! Suitable only for non or moderate drinkers on account of there being no hand rail.
Look what spring has brought; pretty as a peach or even a bunch, our first home-grown fruit. There’s a long way to go between now and the eating but I’m fussing over them like the passionate gardener I’ve become. At the same time learning about Peach Leaf
Curl, Brown Rot, Scab and a host of other equally foul sounding blights. I’m sure they'll be fine until one of them strikes and then ....................... I’ll get in a professional!Spring is just divine. Just look at our Poplars? Tall and straight like proud soldiers.
Who built the log pile ~ March blog? Answer: Nos. 1, 2 and 7 were built by stranieri, the rest are the real thing – Italian. I won’t name the other constructors but log pile No. 2 is ours and whilst it looks like it can hold its own with the rest this pic shows what happened after a high wind. I was reminded by my husband that the side which collapsed was erected by me! If the wood hadn't have been so green I would have tried to pass it off as a nasty accelerated case of 'Death Watch' beetle!!!
Next month ~ persistance pays; self-employment and how to make money even if you don't speak Italian fluently.
Hopefully ~ progress on the build works.
2 comments:
Hi,
I've bumped into your blog casually, after i've clicked on the "next blog" button on the Blooger toolbar.
I don't really understand, (i've really read all the posts) if you are italian or, an eglish one that is trying to settle down here in italy (but considering how you write in english I presume this second one).
Any way, reading your intro, i felt so ashamed to be italian....I'm sorry, this place is a complete mess...nothing working....and now, after last election, i really don't know were we are going.
Anyway I see that you've deeply understood how things work in my country. The thing on "il commercialista" it's too much true. So if you really want come to live here, i don't know what suggest or say....maybe that there are a lot of italians that hate this situation....so look for them!
Finally, if you are italian too..."abbi pazienza" sooner or later i think that something would change.
ah, wonderful dogs!
bye
S.
-sorry for my english-
Sara, I'm English, live in Italy and would never dream of living anywhere else. Every country in the world has its own set of problems. The best we can do as individuals is to be responsible for ourselves. Sadly, my blog doesn't say enough about the dozens of helpful Italians we've met since we came here. Perhaps I'll redress the balance in the next one. Lynne
Post a Comment