Thursday 30th May

Thursday 30th May

We awoke a bit later this morning after a late night the night before. When we went up to the porch, we found that Stefania had already gone shopping. We worked on some odd jobs, banking and transferring money, etc, for a while. Eventually, Bruno appeared and then, around midday Stefania arrived back and we helped unload the huge grocery shop that she had bought to cater for the party on Sunday which will be for 70+ people.

Then, we had lunch using up some of the remains of the dinner we had cooked for Stefania on Tuesday evening. After lunch we presented Stefania with the Sir Shadow line painting we had brought from New York. The huge amount of packing which entailed yards and yards of cling film cased much amusement. When we finally reached the painting, she seemed to like it.

During the morning, we found out that the spa where we had hoped to buy a voucher for Stefania to have a treatment may have gone into liquidation so we are trying to find an alternative. We presented her with a voucher for a ‘present to come’ last night and now we have to deliver on our promise!!

Also after dinner, Stefania looked her calendar and realized that she had a huge weekend next weekend. She has 100 people coming for a baby’s birthday party on Saturday 8th June and another large party for 50-60 people on Sunday 9th!!!! We will be here until p.m. on Sunday 9th. So we may be able to help her cope with some of this but it is a huge undertaking and the forecast is none too good so where she will house these people if it rains as it is forecast to do, we don’t know. It is obviously a worry for her.

The rain, which had started at lunch time just continued during the afternoon. This has been the most awful Italian spring that many have known both cold and wet. The beach at Pescara, which we saw last night from the apartment overlooking the beach, was deserted and although all the umbrellas are out, there are no takers during the day so I am sure that the economy of Pescara is suffering. Recalling when we were here in May in 2010 and when it was so hot on the beach we could hardly stand it, it is amazing that the weather can be so different. May is known by everyone here as the best month of the year but not so in 2019. This year we have only seen a few of the fireflies that were so numerous during the previous visits. 

The afternoon being a washout, we retired to our room and I had a nap.

Then we went up for dinner at 7.30 p.m. where Stefania had prepared a nice dish using the simple ingredients of old bread and fresh vegetables, such are the ways of simple cooking.

We managed to fix a date to take them for lunch at La Bandiera on Tuesday 4th June.

Then it was off to bed.