Picking up the thread

Goodmorning world,

I have been absent from the blog that I only just started last year in January when I moved to Italy. Life took over the course of the days, nevertheless I kept making pictures of wherever we went or whatever caught my eye.

So from today I will share some of where we are now and compare it with where we were this time last year.
I looked back over all the pictures and realized how important photos are. My brain is better at remembering images than dates and facts and going over the ones from last year brought a smile to my face for all the beauty my eyes saw then and now, and all the progresswe made in and around our house, which has now become our home.

I hope you will enjoy reading and watching. Let me know what you think!

As september started the weather in Marradi changed from long hot summer days to warm days and cool nights. While it allows me to sleep better at night, I am amazed at how quickly after the sun disappears behind the mountain in front of us I have to go find a sweater if I still want to stay outside.

Our morning walks with our puppies Boris and Lola, who joined our family in May, are a lot less sweaty. Time to enjoy the last stages of maturation of the renowned 'Marron Buono' di Marradi. The chestnuts that grow here are of an exceptional quality. Hopefully they will be this year too.

View from the chestnut grove facing our house.

We do not have chestnut groves ourselves, but they are around us in abundance. Many of our morning walks take us through the neighbours' grove, from where we enjoy incredible views over the Apennines.

Chestnuts showing themselves in all their stingy beauty. 

In the meantime my eyes never stop wandering around. Some of these trees are hundreds of years old and the size of the trunks is impressive. 

How many mouths have they filled in the days when chestnuts were a staple food for the people in this area, where poverty was rampant. When for a long time it was considered cibo dei poveri, it now has become a delicacy from which lots of very tasty 'dolci' and 'torte', 'marrons glacè', liquors and honey are being prepared. It is recommended to anyone who has or has not ever visited Marradi to come and savour Torta di Marroni and lots of other regional goodies at the 'Sagra di Castagne' on four consecutive Sundays in October. 

Besides the fact of producing fruit for food, the trees inspire me to create images in my mind, so just for fun I am putting in here a picture of me in 'posa plastica' seeking support from a huge tree. 

Tomorrow I will look back at this week last year. Have a wonderful day, enjoy some nature if you can.