Give me a BREAK!

Somebody mentioned yesterday that he was ‘psychologically’ tired at the moment, - must be that it is the time of the year. My auditor said this year she finds her fuse a bit short (& this is the most patient person I know) and cannot wait for middle December to close shop. I can only add and I don’t know if it indeed has anything to do with the time of the year or just my general frame of mind but I I subconsciously tend to avoid people that are negative, spreading doom and gloom. And often from a position of complete ignorance...

And complete ignorance spread fears....of course.

Now I can always hit ‘delete’ on my computer if I see it comes from X but I cannot put up a notice on my phone to say ‘don’t call me if you are going to complain, whine or sigh! GIVE ME A BREAK!’ And don’t talk politics to me!

This must be THE time of the year where people put up notices ‘Wipe your %$#@ feet!’, ‘Close the gate behind your &^#@!’

But then there is always somebody that goes one better.

Like the notice with a spelling error on the photocopier, followed with another notice saying ‘ If you are going to post notice, run spelllcheck first’.

The best one must be:-

(The original notice is on the left, the follow-up on the right.)

PassiveAgressiveNotices.com

A House in Umbria?

It is impossible to visit the whole country in under at least 2 months minimum and this just for an overview. Something is going to have to be given a miss. As we had been to Venice 2x before (I even have a coat to show but just too warm to wear here) , and we had never been to places South of Rome, we headed off South from Milan. It was difficult to decide where to stop over, so many choices, and just too many choices.

Do you remember the film ‘My House in Umbria’ with Maggi Smith? –
Umbria is just one of those regions (there are 20 ) that is a must for all travelers. Difficult to describe the full charm and intense almost dark beauty of this region, the hills, the mountains, the deep green lush of chestnut groves and elm forests, the river valleys and the Medieval character of the Dark Ages. The Italian for shadow is ombra. Umbria is right in the middle of Italy, East of Rome, and lies in the shadows of the beautiful Tuscany - So this gives you an idea. ‘This landlocked region's overwhelmingly medieval character harkens one back to the mysticism and mysteries of the Dark Ages’ somebody once described it. Umbria of the Umbrians 600 B C is lying there in the shadows of the ages.

We were booked into a ‘palace’ for a night in one of these Medieval Towns, Gubbio. You drive up to a certain point and then somebody from the hotel (in this case an American married to one of the wealthy heiresses) fetches you and shows you where to park. I found this description of Gubbio on the internet
Gubbio in Umbria region, central Italy, on a southwest slope of the Apennines 35 km/22 mi northeast of Perugia; population (1991) 30,500. Now estimated at 36 000. Gubbio was known in Renaissance times for its maiolica (white, tin-glazed earthenware), and this is still imitated in a few factories and workshops here. The town has retained its medieval character, and has a Gothic cathedral (partly 12th-century) and other ancient churches and fine palaces…

And yes, this was indeed where St Francis of Assisi was supposed to have tamed a fierce wolf.

I have made up my mind! Here I can live. For the rest of my days. If I had known what Gubbio had to offer, I would have sneaked in at least another day. Live now! Pay later! Gubbio would be worth every cent.