DogBlog February

Monte and Giorgio, the day we found them and brought them home.

Our two rescue pups. Abandoned in Montegiorgio, hence their names. We took them home to give them a bath, feed them and to decide what to do with them. This was in June 2007 when they were about 3 months old. They are still with us and weigh nearly 50 kgs each.

What is it about animals, not only do they steal your heart but ours are beginning to steal my blogspace. I’ve had a number of requests from friends and family for more pics of the dogs so this is a DogBlog for them.

Something you need to know about the boys, Monte and Giorgio, they may look cute and fetching but behind the big amber puppy eyes there lurks cunning Fagin would have been proud of. They’ve made off with numerous shoes, coasters, a pair of glasses, cushions, dvd’s, towels; the list is endless. It’s not that they’re silent or inconspicuous; they just know when the moment is right and then they move in for the swipe. Their cunning doesn’t extend to the getaway however, having won the prize they behave like rowdy teenagers, clattering around squabbling and fighting over it. It’s a dead giveaway boys.

One morning they made an escape. Nothing clever about it, they found a gate open and they simply wandered out into the outside world from whence they came. It’s in a dog’s nature to migrate and they can cover great distances in only a short time. It was 15 minutes before we realised that they’d gone and who knows how many migratory miles that converts to, bearing in mind that dogs have ‘4 leg drive’ and follow instinct rather than roads. The question was, where do we begin to look for them? The only thing to do in these situations is to drive in any and all directions with the windows open hollering their names into the countryside and hope that their acute hearing will pick up the signal, and it did. We found them about a mile away, way across the fields, two glittering white splashes in the sunshine against a verdant backdrop, tails held high and trotting with a purpose. They stopped when they heard us; transfixed, ears like radars tipped in our direction. Then they were off, sprung like greyhounds from a trap, hurtling down the valley towards us, across the stream and through the brambles to greet us, heads trimmed with burs, uncontrollable with excitement, tongues lolling and chests pounding. It was so good to see them. Back home for breakfast. No walk that morning.

Some of the boys' fans

They already have a growing fan base as you can see by the photos. New fans, would you like to have your photograph posted on the DogBlog? Just email us your favourite photo along with your first name to: kentreves@tiscali.it and we will publish it for you.

To Begin at the Beginning

My husband spent many long summers in Italy as a boy. Although he wasn't born with a silver olive oil drizzler in his mouth or even an olive complexion, (I think it was more than a mosquito that got under his skin during those idyllic holidays in Rimini), Italy became a passion for him and after a visit to Venice and Tuscany so it was for me.

So, growing ever greyer (complexion and hair, the weather goes without saying) in England, it's not surprising that we dreamed about a life less fraught, of long, warm summers and a more docile lifestyle in Italy. OK, that's enough of the flowery stuff, as I said 'we dreamed'. Cutting to the chase, here we are living in Le Marche, Italy. It will be four years in May 2008 since we relocated here and to say that we have never looked back doesn't necessarily mean that we don't miss certain aspects of our 'past' life in East Sussex, it just means that we haven't had much time to reflect ~ or to feel sorry for ourselves!

Impetuosity, they say, comes with youth, so there was none of that. It was a fairly meticulously (is fairly meticulous do-able?) planned relocation. Armed with the necessary tools to 'make it work' ~ enough money (a vast amount is better and then you don't need to work), a moderate knowledge of the language, a builder (my husband) and a TEFL certificate (mine), we felt that we were prepared to face the challenges of making a living in a foreign country.

I ought to have mentioned that we had already purchased two properties, both relatively cheaply and very run down. Having the necessary building expertise, the idea was to 'turn around' the smaller of the properties within a year or at most eighteen months and sell it on, thus making a profit to plough into the larger property, which is where we would live in the meantime and which would become a holiday-let eventually. Careful planning may be the best way forward so long as it includes more than a little something for contingency, no, make that 'disaster recovery'. Best laid plans etc. and really, if it were that simple then I wouldn't be writing this blog!!!

A Geometra is like a cross between a surveyor, an architect and a bandit. You have to employ one to manage any major renovation works on a property, primarily because someone has to sign off any electrical, plumbing and construction works as conforming to standard. What you are not familiar with at this stage is how sadly their standards fall behind British standards. Our bandit, for the smaller house, told us that my husband would not be allowed to do the renovation work himself because he was not registered for work in Italy and would not be allowed to register since he is not Italian. Baloney, we discovered later but too late to rescue our over spent budget. Not all was lost however, my husband took over after the Italian builders had done their worst. It took us seven months to repair and finish the works at the house which included addressing some major damp issues. The house is delightful now. (see it 'Casa Renzo' under Properties for Rent on our http://www.dreamitalia.co.uk/ site) We sold it in September this year but it has taken four years from the date of purchase to renovate and sell it.

And so we move on to another chapter, our main house 'Casa Antonio'. My husband is now registered for work and we have a new bandit, er Geometra. Nearly four years experience behind us and things are following a more controlled course. Casa Antonio when it is finished will consist of two houses, the main house which will be available for rent, a converted garage which will be our home, a pool house, swimming pool, terraces and landscaped gardens.

Our first blog is a potted history covering three and a half years of our life in Le Marche which brings us to where we are now. Follow us through the renovation of our next major project, Casa Antonio.

Contact us if you have any questions or advice about living in Italy.

December blog ~ Casa Antonio and progress to date and the new underground garage. The Commercialista (business accountant) what he can do for you.