Snow making space for Spring, finally! March 2018

February's snow doesn't budge immediately at the start of the new month. We have to bear with a few more white covered days, which I mainly see from my bedroom window. Unfortunately I slipped in the snow, nothing serious, it seemed, until my back totally blocked taking off my shoes. Bedridden for at least a week and worried about how to manage myself when Lex would leave soon.

After a long break Lex is ready to use his brains and skills again and has himself lined up for a project in Thailand. Putting all my efforts in the healing process, I manage to get back on my feet well enough to get around the house. Definitely will staying inside until the snow would be gone. I am still grateful for the time our friend Susie dedicated to me and the dogs while Lex was finding his groove again in a profession that he is passionate about. For two weeks he works his days away, reporting every day about life in Bangkok. Sushi, our Omani cat, spends her days curled up in the duvet, not at all interested in this white stuff out there. In the mean time I must admit I am contemplating on this beautiful spot that we chose as our homestead, but can be so harsh when it comes to winter. I listen to the villagers what they had to say. 'We have never seen this much snow in a lifetime', or 'it is all due to climate change'......I came to the conclusion that nobody really knows and as human beings we have a short memory, at least most of us, for how things were 'when we were young'. And weather is a great conversation piece in this sense. It rains too much or too little, it doesn't snow enough to supply water resources, it is too dry or too wet, too hot or too cold. I noticed that even though nobody had seen this much snow in a lifetime, older people told me that when they were young adults it snowed from October until April. I don't know, I just hope 2018 was an exception, however beautiful the landscape covered in a blanket of snow maybe. As long as I can move around......it is fine with me. Otherwise I will consider a warmer place to spend the winter 😀🌞.

Finally, after a week, the sky starts clearing up, the sun burns away the snow slowly, flowers are showing their colourful heads to let us know spring will come.....some day soon. The dogs are happy finding leftover deer bones and skulls that had been covered under the snow, or some fresh leftovers from the wolves, while I am taking in the first healing, warming rays of sun.

At the end of the month we still have to bear with one more bout of snow, fortunately it disappears soon and makes room for beautiful, although cool, spring weather. Excellent to celebrate the graduation of our lovely friend Mariaemilia in Bologna. I am still a bit invalid, but I would not have missed this opportunity to be part of an Italian graduation celebration. Well done carissima!

I have plenty of time to edit behind the scenes photos and portraits of my 'maiden studio' session with Chiara and Nadia, some of my hubby, cooking dinner for Susie and me every night and am waiting with excitement for Lex' return from Thailand, while Spring bloom is undeniable now.

Chiara doing her magic 

Someone has to do the hard work ;-)

Beautiful Nadia

Lex, always available to be my guinea pig and doing a great job at it

Fiori di San Giuseppe

Even though the evening skies are not entirely convincing, the flowers leave no doubt and our favourite trio spends the day outside most of the time. Lex arrives home safely and happy, enjoying the cooler sunny weather and fresh air that he lacked in Bangkok.