The Lau Azure Door: October 2008

I was used to spend my summers abroad. I couldn't wait for the season coming so that i could stay away from everything for whole weeks. I've always hated the idea of being at home in the countryside in those hot and humid days, typical of this flat land where i've grown up.

Then i started to enjoy the loneliness of this place; the small village shops closed or almost empty, when everyone is gone.

Chilly nights in the porch haven't been that bad and hot afternoons inside my house everything, but boring.

I've spent my summer being in motion all the time, there was always something to do, even too much that i didn't even had time to go out with friends or simply reading a book.

When i wanted to be alone, i just needed to go out and walk or bike; when i wanted to get in connection with the land, i just had to plant new crops or pick those seeded previously; when i wanted to see people, i drove to the village bar and had a beer; when i wanted to talk to animals...there's plenty of them outside!!!

This is my summer in pictures...i've had a lot of company.

Blacky and me in one of my 4 vegetable gardens

The grandparents spent with us almost the entire summer. After the surgery of my granny, they both "moved" here in the countryside, so we had quite a lot of company.

Andrew came over all the time when he was done with work, and when he didn't work he worked here at the farm helping me out in the 4 gardens i still have.

We cut grass and weed...and every week it was a lot of work not using any kind of pesticides...then we had to hoe between one crop and the other...then we had to pick vegetables and...the most exciting part...we had to eat all those stuff!!

I can't count the number of corn on the cob we've had...dad often had them twice a day..one for lunch and one for dinner...we converted everyone around...nobody wanted to eat corn on the cob, they were kind of skeptikal...the only one who didn't not surrender was grandad, saying that corn is for cows and that he's not a goat.

Corn on the cob makes me think about american country fairs...sweet memories of past summers travelling...

Andrew with a lot of crops

Some of the pumpkins we've grown

A corn field before harvest time

Picking peppers...

We've also had people visiting us!
My dear friend Damiano came back to Italy to visit his family and to teach italian, so he couldn't leave without having a big pan of parmesan eggplants.
I was used to spend the 15th of August very far away from here, but this year...well....i spent the day here and i had fun. Mum and i prepared food a week in advance, so that we all enjoyed the day of the Feast eating together at a big table.
An Uruguayan friend of Damiano stayed with us too for some days and my sweet ex-colleague and friend Floriana also joined us.
We had a very good day, good food, good chats and a good ending. We sunk in the sand...close to the river banks, while we were romantically driving close to the water to see the sunset all together..we called dad who came with the pick up truck...to literally "pick us up"...obviously we didn't see nothing else than dust trying to get out from there...not even a ray of the sunset of this august 15th...