Buon Compleanno Caro!

24 marzo - Santa Caterina di Svezia

Happy Anniversary P.

I know you will understand why I've used Josephine Baker singing this song back in 1974 - five years before we met.



From P.

23 novembre - nostro trentunesimo anniversario

Just Like the Real Thing... Only Smaller

Tuesday was a gorgeous day here - almost spring like, I noticed a few of the plants on the balcony are sending off new shoots. It was certainly too nice a day to sit around the house and I had to get down to a toy store at Piazza Navona before Laurent got back that afternoon from Greece.

And what does a toy store have to do with Laurent's return you may ask - or you may not but I have to work this in somehow. He collects lead soldiers which means he is the easiest person in the world to buy for - birthday, Christmas, anniversaries, welcome home I missed you cause nobody else would put up with my crap are occasions for adding to the collection. So what did I get him - something Italian? a Swiss Guard? A Carbineri? - nope if I were going to do that I'd try for the real thing!!!! I got him a Chairman Mao, little red book and all. Doesn't quite work with the 18th century French grenadiers but he can add it to his famous people grouping.

In honour of his time spent in China I have no problem giving him the Mao figure, however I refuse to be the one to add the Pope J2P2, Stalin, Mussolini or Hitler miniatures to his collection. And why exactly do they always group those figures together?

31 gennaio - San Giovanni Bosco

A Little Good News

Patricia Pearson, an author and contributor to op-ed pages of USA Today, NYTimes and the Guardian, offers "a gift basket" of the good news stories that go unreported on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) website. I love the comment about the FoxNews scroll.

I've been in a bit of a "I hate Rome" mood the past day or two so taking a page from Patricia's piece I'm going to start compiling a list of all the Good Things here.


Starting with Laurent and Reese.

17 decembre - San Lazzaro

Happy Anniversary

24 novembre - Santa Flora

Mi Sento Giu (Feeling Low)

I've posted this photo of the statues on top of San Giovanni in Laterano seen from outside the Walls, just to remind myself that I am living in a beautiful city.

Before coming on posting I attended an orientation day at Foreign Affairs. Much of the information was technical or old stuff but the session on adjusting to living at Post was invaluable. We talked about our fears, our concerns and a bit about the patterns that have emerged over the years. There are steps in that adjustment that I recall from my time in Warsaw.

1. The anticipation - I'm going to (France! Italy! Burkina Faso?) fill in the blank
2. The honeymoon - I'm in (France! Italy! Burkina Faso?)
3. The frustration - Why am I in (France? Italy? Burkina Faso?)
4. The depression - I'm in (France! Italy! Burkina Faso!)
5. The decision - I'm in (France. Italy. Burkina Faso.) so might as well get use to it
6. Numbers 2-5 can be repeated several times during a 4 year period

This week I think we both hit phase 4 with a resounding thud! As well as Reesie being ill - he couldn't tell us what was wrong, we had trouble telling the vets what was wrong - we had our first Roman fender bender as we pulled into our own driveway - we've only been driving here for three weeks - and one of our neighbours was less than welcoming and frankly abusive*. Plus Laurent is at the end of a four week language course which I know from experience is a draining and frustrating experience. Put it all together with the other little things - traffic, noise, crowds, language - and you've hit stage 4. Sadly some people never leave that stage and either spend the next 4 years cocooned from the world around them or go home before their time is up.

We have no intention of doing either. Laurent is off tomorrow on a walking tour of the Foro Romano, I'm off to the opera on Sunday - Wozzeck, which Laurent wouldn't go to if I paid him to - and we're heading to Parma next weekend for the Verdi Festival. We're in Italy (filled in the blank) and we are going to get use to and make use of it.

*Our neighbour from the second floor - Italian, 65-70ish, probably an unrepentent member of the Children of the She Wolf - has not been very friendly at the best of times. We were coming in from the vets the other evening and met him in the parking lot. He almost closed the lobby door in our face then when we went to get into the elevator with him, he push his way out and rudely told us that polite people waited outside until it was their turn to use the elevator. Wither his problem is that we are "straneri" (outsiders) "affittutario" (renters) or "omosessuale" (need I translate... thought not) or perhaps all three, we're not really sure. But for some reason it triggered this whole depression thing in us both.

19 ottobre - Santa Laura

Getting To (Re)Know You

Lynette was asking if Laurent (I thought I'd include a picture of my Lione with a Lione at Villa Borghese) and I were on our honeymoon here in Rome and as romantic as it would be to say yes, I’m afraid the answer is no.

There has just been too much going on over the past few weeks. We’ve been dealing with the following, in no particular order:

• A new dwelling – a very nice apartment in a lovely area but with its problems (more about that in another post.
• A new neighborhood – where do you find what?
• A new currency – those Euro coins are confusing as is any monetary system when you’re not use to it and we really have to stop thinking that 1 Euro = 1 CAD.
• New Kitchen appliances – as silly as it sounds European washers, dryers etc are very different from their North American counterparts. You have to remember to dump the water out of the dryer when a cycle has finished or it will overflow. It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to dry a small load and it’s often better to hang things out on the balcony to dry in the sun.
• Laurent is trying to adapt to a new work environment – office set-up, colleagues, system, type of cases etc. That has put a great deal of stress on him and he is handling it well but ultimately we are here because of his work.
• A very complex but efficient, public transportation system. We don’t have the car yet – and honestly the thought of driving in Rome has me a bit scared but we’ll leave that for another time. So far we’ve been able to get most places quickly – but then it is Ferragosto.
• Ferragosto! (see almost every previous posting)
• Language – see below
• Only part of our belongings are here – Laurent’s air shipment arrived from Beijing but the two sea shipments (including most of my clothes) won’t be here until some time in late September. However we seem to be able to survive on what we have. I do a bit more laundry than normal but still have a clean shirt every day so I suppose I really don’t need a two-week supply of Land’s End Polo Shirts. And we’ve had people over for dinner twice since we arrived so it is possible to cook without that set of graduated French White casseroles!
• A minor thing but a very different television system – did you know that out of 898 possible channels 1/3 are in Arabic, at least 150 are sex related – including 15 in Arabic! And I must do a post about Italian TV at some point – it’s hilarious.
• We are trying to get to know each other and live with each other after three years apart.

And it’s that last point that probably is the most demanding – all the rest is inconsequential. There have been no great spats – well okay one… alright two – just that we are both use to living on our own and having things our own way. After all, despite what Laurent says, I’m the one who knows the correct direction to insert the toilet paper roll! And toothpaste tubes where given lids for a purpose.

But Odd Couple comedy routines aside it’s the adapting to each other’s rhythm that is creating the greatest challenge. Knowing when a silence simply means there’s nothing to say and when it means there’s a problem. I’ve lost count of the number of times either one of us has said: Everything okay? And got the reply: Yeah, Why? But fortunately those episodes are becoming fewer and fewer as the days go by. We are still able to finish each others sentences and often requests only have to be half-voiced to be met. A few more weeks and we should be into the same routine as any old married couple.

As for a honeymoon, well we have two long weekends coming up – Labour Day in September and Canadian Thanksgiving in October – and maybe a weekend at an inn in Tuscany may not be a bad idea. We are heading to Parma for the Verdi Festival at the end of October. We’re planning to stay at an Inn run by the great – now retired – tenor Carlo Bergonzi and his son. Word has it that it is comfortable and has an extremely good restaurant. So we can mix music, food and a chance to see the countryside around Parma.

22 agosto – Santa Maria Regina

A Room with a View

We are spending our last few days in Canada in Montreal visiting Laurent's parents, family and a few old friends. Its been a confusing few days for Reesie - three homes in one week but he does have a proven way to cope! Maybe I should learn from him - there's been a few times this week when I would have loved to put my head in the sand and make the world go away.

We staying at the Omni Mount Royal - when it opened for the Olympics in 1976 it was Four Seasons and Laurent's father was the manager. The doorman recognized Laurent almost immediately - he really does look like his father. We have a nice room on the 28th floor with a great view of the McGill University ghetto and the Mountain and they accept pets. This was the area Bundnie, Reesie and I lived in, of and on, for five years back in the late '90s.

I was going to try and post more photos but time is running out - we have to get to the airport with six suitcases, 1 kennel, 2 computers, 2 briefcases and, most important, one dog for the the next chapter in our big move. Only 4 hours left before take-off. Arrivederci!

Done Deed - II

It's been a busy few days. After the events of the weekend - our wedding on Saturday, an Open House to say goodbye to friends on Sunday - we got into the serious business of moving on Monday. The past few days have been stressful and every so often Laurent and I have gone back to look at the photos from our wedding - just to stop each other from committing murder!

I thought we would share those photos with our friends and family, so just click on the picture above and it will lead you to the album.
Then its back to the move and mayhem and possible murder.

Done Deal*

Well I guess we in for the long term now. On Saturday past, after a 29 year "engagement", Laurent and I were married in a brief ceremony at our friend Joelle's home. I had hoped to get the vow exchange on video but that new camera would not cooperate. Stephanie, my niece, did manage to capture the last few seconds of the ring exchange.




Its been a busy time - Laurent coming home, getting last minute things arranged for the house sale, preparing for the move, the marriage ceremony, a "goodbye" open house yesterday - so it may be a few days before I have a picture album up for all to see.

*Apparently there was a problem with the video but I think I have it fixed now.

About Bloody TIme!

First follower: And will the veil of the temple be rent in twain?
Cult Leader: Well the veil of the temple is always dodgy.
The End is Nigh - Beyond the Fringe

Laurent and I will be exchanging our wedding vows at 1545 this afternoon in our friend Joelle's garden. And despite the warnings of various religious groups we hope that the veil of the temple will remain unrent and the family unit as we know it will not dissolve. That is not our intention - our intention is to consecrate our loving relationship of the past 29 years.

We decided that at this point we probably won't find anyone else to put up with us so why not make it legal. To be honest our original thoughts behind this step were based on legal and financial reasons; however as planning progressed the event has taken on a deeper meaning. We realize now that we are making a serious, spiritual commitment in the eyes of God, our family and our friends.

Many of our friends have sent good wishes via e-mail, snail-mail, blog comments and postings, flowers and telephone calls. It has been touching and both of us have found ourselves tearing up at the odd moment. A few have asked questions about the ceremony and a few have made lewd suggestions not appropriate to such a solemn occasion. So I thought I would post answers to some of them.

• The ceremony will be held in Joelle's garden - thank god its sunny and warm. Her son, our adopted nephew Andrew, suggested a lovely, shaded area surrounded by hedges - a perfect circle.


• We are a small group - Joelle, Blake - our oldest friend in Ottawa, our best friends Rick and John - who will be our witnesses, my niece Stephanie and Elaine, the Chaplain, make up the human contingent. The rest of the animal kingdom will be represented by our Reesie and Joelle's Riley, Tugger, the cat and two ferrets.


• Yes Reese will be there but not as a ring bearer, as evilganome suggested being a daschie he would probably eat the rings.


• The service is a short Unitarian ceremony Elaine, Laurent and I created and includes much from the Book of Common Prayer. Elaine is the daughter of a former colleague at Air Canada and her father was my Director at Transport Canada - the world is small.


• Our rings are the puzzle rings we bought in the Khan in Cairo in 1989 and have worn ever since. Laurent's is gold and mine is silver. They cleaned up real nice.


• Rick is reading the traditional passage from St Paul's letter to the Corinthians however as much as I love the language of the King James version the translation of caritas as charity rather than love has always bothered me so he will be reading a modern translation.


• Though we are not having flowers as such - no bouquets etc - we are bringing a beautiful arrangement Deb and James sent us from England and exquisite roses given to us by Molly and Dave over to adorn the table for the champagne after.


• We are having a small wedding cake after the service with champagne sent to us by Deb and James, Maria and Gordon and my colleagues at Transport Canada.


• There will be a small wedding supper at a local Bistro later this evening.


• And yes I did see my intended after midnight last night and in his usual spot - pillow on the right side.

At the beginning of the ceremony Laurent and I will be lighting a candle together. That candle is meant to represent our friends, family and colleagues who cannot be with us. To all of you who have sent us wishes in one form or another - you are part of that flame and you are very much with us in our hearts as we exchange our vows and make our commitment.

Spring Has Sprung - IV - May 4, 2007

Conversation the first spring we were in the house - April 2003:
Laurent: Oh look at those blue flowers. They've bloomed over night.
Me: Yeah, very pretty.
Laurent: What do you call them?
Me: Fred and Mildred.
Laurent: No seriously, they must have a name.
Me: Damned if I know.

And I call myself a Gardener!

You Should Wake Up In the Middle of the Night....

I only saw the great Yiddish actress/singer/composer/writer Molly Picon on TV. Back in the '60s, when stereotyping was a form of shorthand, she made guest appearances on Car 54, Where Are You? as Mrs. Bronson, the Yenta of Yentas. She was in her mature years but still had a pixie charm and a way with a raised eyebrow.

What made me think of her tonight? At a briefing for Foreign Service employees and spouses today the subject of our fears and concerns about our postings abroad came up. I mentioned that not only would Laurent and I have to learn to live together again after three years but we would be doing it in the foreign city. One of the participants, who will be leaving his wife behind as he heads out to Kabul, asked me what I was looking forward to most when we are reunited. I repeated a line of Mrs. Bronson's when she opened up a matchmaking service for older couples:

It's nice, you should wake up in the middle of the night and be thirsty, there's someone you can nudge , they should get up and get you a glass of water.

You got it Mrs Bronson!

Spring Has Sprung!

Springs has sprung!
The grass is ris!
I wonder where the birdies is?
They say the bird is on the wing.
But we all know that that's absurd.
Because the wing is on the bird!
George Burns - a strange but loveable former boss

Laurent arrived home from Beijing last night for a two week stay. And with him came the spring. Okay I'm being a bit romantic there but its been such a great weekend - weather-wise too: it was sunny all day, the first tulip bloomed, it was warm verging on hot and there was a nice breeze most of the day.

It was the perfect day to finally dismantle that hideous temporary garage - ugly as sin but welcome in the dead of winter, get the family room screens installed, put the deck furniture in place and sit out afterwards with a bottle of something wet, white and winish.

An added bonuses:
My pasty winter palor has become a brillant cardinal red- I really must learn to wear a hat to cover that bald spot. Yep it was a great spring day!

51 Years Ago ... and a bit

Happy Birthday Larry.

Love from Willy and Reesie