Be it leaves that need raking, the Chiascio river in the valley below still full after the recent storms, the earth that requires shifting, or doors that have to be varnished, every task on my agenda had the same colour, all be it different shades, today was a day of browns.
After the rains of two days ago the ground is well and truly sodden. I guess we have all seen the horrendous flooding in Genova and around the Como / Lugano area, well, somebody decided that Umbria was missing out, and so sent the rains this way too. A huge thunderstorm, valkyries flying, lightning, so dramatic, and with all the hullabaloo a significant amount of water. So today, in the weak but warm sunshine, I had to prioritise my tasks.
The doors won out. I had the sandpaper, and wire brush, I had even started the job at the end of last week, and now the doors would be dry enough for me to continue. So out I trotted and spent an entire day rubbing, smoothing, de-dusting and cleaning before giving the outside doors and windows their first coat of waterproofing. The doors here at Bellaugello are solid wood, heavy, real heavy, and beautifully made, but the wood preservative does tend to disappear in the high heat of the Italian summer. Worst affected are the south facing windows and doors, and they were not looking too clever, time for the maintenance man.
Bobby decided to keep me company, curled up at my feet, moving with me from window to window in the sunshine. A break for lunch, a warming bowl of home made soup full of vegetables, the last from our ‘orto’ here at Bellaugello and some from neighbours gardens, a liberal dousing of parmesan, together with homemade wholemeal bread, a great nourishing workies lunch.
Now it is dark, the tools put away, dogs walked, and I am drinking one of the last cups of my Marks and Spencer Earl Grey tea, yes, another brown, and this time a dwindling supply which sadly will not survive until Christmas.
This evening, a phone call, it seems we are off to the thermal springs in San Casciano, Pizza first in our local town of Gubbio, then drive through to Tuscany, it will be so good to relax in the hot sulphorous waters under the inky black sky, I adore the ancient Roman baths at San Casciano, this will be the first time I have been this autumn, and I cannot wait, enough browns for one day, time for some indulgence!