Figs and Lemons

pizza lessons

2012-01-30T21:29:00.003+01:00

A little video of my first pizza lesson!

Taking a walk with 20 dogs

2012-01-23T11:56:00.000+01:00

One Sunday morning in November I was asked to be the tail end of a group excursion to the beautiful nature reserve Valle delle Ferriere, above Amalfi. With 50 people and 20 dogs from the local dog club a guide was needed to lead the gropu and also one to tail the group and encourage the slow walkers to keep up.We drove in a convoy from Positano to Pontone where we gathered and surely annoyed the hell out of anyone who was trying to have a Sunday morning lie in:Here we reached the first waterfall:

Some of the gothic remains of the old papermill factories hidden in the valley:

A moment of confusion, sorting dogs and people into two groups. Part of the Reserve is protected adn dogs are not allowed in so we divided into two groups, one waited behind with the dogs while the other group went on ahead, before swapping roles.

Two dogs show their characters!

Spectacular waterfalls in the hidden valley:

Has it really been so long that I've blogged that I can't get my photos and text to line up nicely anymore?

Make up review- Benefit Mascara

2012-01-20T13:06:00.000+01:00

I hadn't ever really been a big mascara user. I obviously use it on others but not often on myself. I definately wouldn't choose it to be my 'one make up product to take to a desert island' as many of my friends would. But I do like trying out new products, especially when they get such rave reviews.So when I recently came across the new Benefit They're Real mascara in Sephora I decided to try it myself and see what it was like.

The reviews I had read all agreed that the mascara really made your lashes look longer and thicker. Now, my eyelashes are actually pretty long and thick already, so I was extra curious to see how they turned out!Here are my eyelashes NAKED!!!

And here you can see what 2 coats of They're Real mascara does to them. It doesnt clump up and it doesn't flake or rub off. I've enjoyed the difference it makes so much that I am now a total mascara convert and have been wearing it every day.

Soap Sale!

2012-01-16T11:12:00.002+01:00

arancia limone, a photo by nickiposi on Flickr.

All soaps by Saponissimo (that's me) now ON SALE! I lost my soap mojo for a while but during a wander round Naples one day I came across a handmade soap shop. Everything in it was like my products and it all looked so lovely displayed there that I suddenly got my mojo back! Now I am busy reformulating, redesigning and talking to possible stockists. I am so excited! So to celeberate all soaps are now on sale!
http://www.etsyonsale.com/shop/saponissimo

San Domenico

2012-01-10T14:41:00.000+01:00

Once the season finished and I had five empty months stretching out in front of me I had to find something to do while the weather was still good. I discovered Geocaching, a sort of treasure hunt played worldwide using a GPS, in my case my android phone.There are only a few caches hidden in this area, they are normally hidden in places of interest, or places with great views. This was the second one we found, in Praiano. I can't show you what we found or where exactly it was, but I can show you where the hunt took us:

waves

2012-01-08T19:19:00.003+01:00

Rough sea on Friday took me down to the beach to photograph the waves. THis sequence made me laugh!

And later on in the day when the sunlight hit the seaspray just righ to create this magical effect:

Cartoon life

2012-01-06T20:53:00.000+01:00

Today everybody looked like cartoon characters. They were EVERYWHERE!

It was to celebrate the Epiphany, the day the Befana visits the children and leaves them a stocking (yes, another one, yes, so soon after Christmas. Although this is a bit more lighthearted...at least in my household. What the stockings are filled with depends on how good teh child has been in teh last year. Once Skye had gone to bed we spent the night wrapping up onions, potatoes and empty sweet cartons to fill her stocking with. Lumps of coal are good too, but I didnt have any on hand. We did throw in a few chocolates and mandarins, as she hadn't been THAT bad, but the look on her face when she unwrappe potato after potato was priceless!

shadow dance

2011-11-17T23:28:00.001+01:00

I sent her to her room to study and all was quiet...but then I turned on some music...she didnt realise that I could see her shadow...she certainly wasn't doing her homework!

gelli bath review

2011-10-08T20:57:00.004+02:00

So finally the temperature dropped and we decided to celebrate with a bath...after months of showers. But not just any bath, a gelli baff bath! Stuff that turns the bathwater to green goo sounded like fun so I took advantage when a friend made an order from Hawkins and we got ourselves a gelli baff.

Inside the box are 2 sachets. One to make the goo and one to dissolve it afterwards. Following the instructions I ran 6 centimetres of warm water into the tub and evenly sprinkled the powder onto the surface. Then you leave it to work its magic for 5 minutes and when you come back you have a tub full of surprisingly thick green goo.

The best way to describe it is like a tub full of warm semolina or polenta. It was fun. Yes, I paddled for a bit too. Skye fully immersed herself and played happily for about 20 minutes.

Then the kids from upstairs came to see what the shrieks were all about, and of course promptly stripped off and got into the tub too. As you do.

Finally we made the kids stand up, sprinkled in the dissolving powder and they all melted into a puddle of water...

OK, the kids didn't melt but the goo just slowly got runnier and runnier, eventually turning into green water that washed down the drain. Good clean fun for eveyone, highly recommended, unless you're the person that has to hose down the bathroom afterwards....you really thought that all the goo remained INSIDE the tub?

3 things

2011-10-03T15:35:00.002+02:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do with Italy, and it is a very girly post but I thought I'd show you three things I love at the moment...and see if it gets me back into the swing of things! Let me know what you think...

1. This nail varnish, 'Jermyn Street' by Nails Inc was a free sample that came with UK Glamour magazine last December. At first I wasn't sure about the colour but now I absolutely love it. It's a lovely autumny colour and goes so well with all the greys and taupe colours that I tend to wear in winter. Even though it is still hot and sunny here, it is October, so I've just started using it again.

2. My party shoes! Totally impractical for Positano, I cannot walk down a slope in them unless I have someone very solid to hold onto. I am actually considering not keeping them in a box, they really should be on display somewhere for everyone to see! These shoes are still available to buy in Positano at Barocco, via Pasitea 94.

3. The Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette. I ran out of personal eyeshadows a while ago and had started using ones from my professional make up kit. Then I saw a few reviews on this palette and decided it was just what I needed for me and not my brides. I ordered it from HQHair in the UK.
The colours are all lovely, I don't have a favourite and I try out different looks and combinations every morning. I've actually given up sitting down to eat breakfast in the morning in favour of having a playaround with the palette . It would have been nice to have a couple more matt colours as there are only two, but this was such good value at £35 for 12 colours that I couldn't say no.
That's it for now. It is still beautifully warm and summery here, I've only got a few weeks of work left until the season is over and I can't wait to be free again!

O Pazzariello

2011-09-25T11:10:00.003+02:00

The Fish Festival is held on the last Saturday of September every year. Earlier in the day the festival is 'announced' by O'Pazzariello, a man who dances through the streets followed by sailors banging drums.

Here is a post from the Fish Festival a couple of years ago: Festa del Pesce.

Summer sangria.

2011-08-11T12:41:00.003+02:00

Peaches and wine on the beach.

OK, so I uploaded this photo from my phone, if anyone knows how to make it bigger (change the size of it) please let me know!

2011-08-02T12:19:00.004+02:00

I'm working hard, trapped in an office for the summer so haven't been writing much here...For now I'm posting a photo a day at:

http://positanodailyphoto.blogspot.com

And eventually after the summer I'll be moving EVERYTHING all to a new site...if I can ever figure out why it's not quite working properly! So for now, enjoy your summer and check out my daily photos!

2011-05-05T16:49:00.001+02:00

For anyone who was wondering where the tennis court is situated!

2011-04-22T11:28:00.001+02:00

What could this stack of dishes mean? Just sitting there waiting to be filled...
And here on the stove..a huge pot of cooked wheat, just sitting waiting...
And all those eggs, and candied fruit. and whole bottles of cinnamon and vanilla...what is Nonno up to?
It's pastiera time! This yeaer nonno is making 20 pastiere, all at once! Here's a bucket of sweet ricotta ready and waiting.
And here on the table are the ingredients for the pastry. We like watching Nonno make pastry..
He makes two huge piles of flour, sugar, butter, eggs right in the middle of the table and the slowly, just using one hand, squeezes it all together, mixing it slowly and precisely...
Until he has two big rolls of pastry which he wraps gently in teacloths and leaves in the fridge overnight.

2011-04-21T15:48:00.003+02:00

Here's a few shots of wisteria that I've been meaning to put up for a while now.

On the way to Piano di Sorrento there is this beautiful vine of white wisteria, that distracts me form driving every morning!

2011-03-17T22:04:00.001+01:00

A walk around town on the 150th anniversary of Italian Unificaton:

St Patricks day was largely ignored here.

Positano Carnevale 2011

2011-03-13T15:49:00.001+01:00

And here's my video! I risksed my life standing on a wall to film the first part, with a very long drop over the other side, but I wrapped my arm around a roadsign to stop myself from losing balance!

2011-03-13T10:24:00.002+01:00

Some photos from Carnevale:

A very calm carneval dog, happy to be covered with confetti and silly string:

The sound of drums echoed around the town all morning, before the parade even started. Thes guys played and played, even when I left at 7.30pm they were still playing:

This NASA float won the best float award. They even threw confetti with 'Apollo 11' printed on it.

The pasta boys, note the 'piccolino' at the back:

M&M boy, won the best costume:

Noahs ark came runner up with real rabbits and parrots on board the ark:

The party started in Piazza Mulini, after the parade, with a little performance from the kids:

2011-03-08T20:11:00.004+01:00

Coriandoli, in English known as confetti, are a major part of the Italian carnevale festivities. Every Italian buys bagfuls of the colourful paper confetti to throw in the air, at friends, at passers-by and at the carneval floats during the parade. For days afterwards you find coriandoli in your hair, in your shoes, pockets, bags and all sorts of unlikely places.

The tradition of throwing coriandoli seems to have originated in Milan, where many years ago all sorts of objects like flowers, fruit and worse were thrown at the masked revellers. The Milanese then got into the habit of throwing small pieces of chalk, often launched with a sling which turned the pieces of chalk into dangerous projectiles. Obviously after a few years of horrible accidents the chalk confetti was banned and the search was on for something lighter.

Coriander seeds were easy to find, the plant was common in the Lombardia countryside. The seeds were dried and dipped in chalk or flour before being thrown at Carnevale. Eventually the seeds were replaced by paper confetti, which today is bought in big bagfuls from the local tabacchi, newsagent or even supermarket.

The Carneval was postponed today, it will now take place on Saturday 12th March.

2011-03-06T11:56:00.001+01:00

Heres a short clip from the kids party at Carnevale. The parade through town with the floats is on Tuesday.

2011-03-03T21:09:00.003+01:00

Drafts on Sunday afternoon

I know it's a little quiet around here, but bear with me, it's raining loads at the moment and there's not too much going on!
Carnevale is coming soon, so lots of fun photos coming up!

Walking home from the palestra (gym), Tuesday

Finding Positano: book review

2011-02-26T21:44:00.005+01:00

I have just spent the last day reading a new book I found by chance on Amazon. Imagine reading a novel that is based in the small town that you live in. A love story, based here in Positano that made me read faster than I wanted to, made me laugh, made me wonder and made me shout at it at certain points!

It was easy to read, the detail was good and the storyline was very fitting for lots of single women who travel here. There were a few points where I got frustrated and shouted at the book due to something that didn't exist (like the view of Mulini which you definately cannot see from the terrace of the Hotel Vittoria) or one phrase in Italian that was so wrong and surely could have been checked and corrected by someone, and the spelling of a name...Geno, surely should have been Gino?

All in all I admired the principal character's amazzing stamina when it came to drinking wine...four glasses before dinner and after a long flight? Wow!

The best thing of all is that the author (who I am not convinced is a man) has set up a website with a photo gallery of all the places mentioned in the book, so if you haven't been to visit Pos you can go online and check out where the action happened!

The book is only available to download for now for kindle devices (iphone/ipod included) or using a desktop app. Via Amazon
Enjoy!

2011-02-21T14:14:00.003+01:00

When you have the whole town to yourself you can do what you want.. Go fishing, catch prawns, cook them and take them into the square to share with friends. You can take up all the space on all the benches, drink wine and be rowdy if you like. You can invite whoever passes by to join you if you like and you can stay as long as you like.

You can even order ten pizzas and be sure of getting the best table with the best view. If the table is not big enough for ten pizzas you can overflow to the steps and take up as much room as you want to. It's winter and there's nobody around, the town is our to do what we want with!

2011-01-27T19:17:00.003+01:00

This made me smile the other day, on the Circumvesuviana, the train from Sorrento to Naples I saw this sign above a seat:
"Reserved for the mutilated or invalided from work or war."

So I take it if you're just old, heavily pregnant or even horribly mutilated from a non-work accident you just have to stand!

2011-01-25T20:08:00.004+01:00

We've been having all sorts of weather here lately. Laura from Ciao Amalfi (just down the road) posted on how humid it was on Friday, here's my version of her photo to show that she wasn't exaggerating! We currently have towels placed under every window to mop up the puddles of condensation.
Then just by chance the other day I spotted this whirlwind, known as a tromba d'aria or a tromba marina. A few hours later there were rainbows in the sky!
The temperature dropped overnight and suddenly there was snow crowning all the peaks. Here's Vesuvius doing a great impression of Mount Fiji:
And here is Positano, looking very alpine like. I was very lazy and took this photo from the car this morning. I didn't even get out of the car, it was so cozy inside!

Video tour

2011-01-12T19:23:00.003+01:00

For years and years while heading down the coast by boat towards Capri I have always noticed this little church balanced on top of a triangular mountqain peak way up high on the Sorrento peninsular. Today I climbed up to see the view from the church, it was well worth the climb!

To get there you need to drive to a small town called Termini and then it's best to ask directions. Be prepared for lots of steps!

2011-01-11T17:15:00.004+01:00

On the way home from school,as I drove along the coast road, the sun setting spectacularly behind us, Skye sat quietly and contemplated. Eventually she leaned over to turn the music down and ask me a question, which made me laugh out loud:

"Mummy? If someone had their ear cut off and, well, you know, went to hospital to get it sewed up and everything, but not have the ear put back on, well, if the person left the ear in one place and then went to another place would they be able to hear what was happening in the place where the ear was?"

2010-12-23T22:01:00.002+01:00

On Monday we went for a wander around Sorrento. Although it was quite warm, a balmy 17C it looked very Christmassy and festive. And then, even better, we found a ski slope! I haven't skiied for about 16 years, but decided to give it a go. Watch me wobble and fall!

2010-12-17T13:52:00.005+01:00

Even though we'll be spending Christmas in England I felt that we should have some decorations here before we leave. Our trusty live Christmas tree which we have dragged inside for the last 4 years is now a bit too tall, a bit too large and a bit too bedraggled to be dressed up and put in the corner of the room so it was time to improvise.

I wento up into the woods, along the stone pathway on which you have to concentrate on where you put your feet. There's a very sheer drop off the side:
The town sat placidly below, appearing every now and then through the trees:
Eventually I found the perfect branch:
Back home, I sprayed it gold, put it in a flowerpot, wrapped it in fairy lights and let Skye hang the decorations on the branches, e voila! My instant cheap Christmas tree!

2010-12-14T20:29:00.004+01:00

I must admit that I get a kick out of purposely not buying lemons. I love that fact that while I am cooking I can just yell, "lemons!" over my shoulder and Skye scrambles to put her shoes on, grabs a small swagbag and a torch and goes scrumping or lemon-hunting. Ten minutes later she's back, her bag bulging with lemons from nearby trees, leaves sticking out of her hair, bright red cheeks and sparkly eyes. I feel like she is continuing on a family tradition as her Grandad used to go scrumping for apples as a child during the war.
She loves the thrill of it too, especially at night. She's just come in now with four lemons, leaves attached, just in time for dinner.

2010-12-12T19:01:00.005+01:00

A lazy, rainy sunday on the sofa with the fluffballs. Winter is here and their fur has quadrupled in thickness and length. Lily looks a bit like a cotton wool ball:
Tiger really does not want to be disturbed whilst displaying her pure white underside:
But how can we resist running our hands through that luxurious tail-fur? Lily is by now so used to being caressed and stroked that she sleeps through it all, undisturbed:
Tiger prefers to make herself as small as possible, she haughtily gets up and goes if you dare to disturb her dreams:
Hmmm, looking at this photo you wouldn't believe that this beautiful cat is actually as clumsy as an elephant, has a meow that sounds like a sheep bleating and scoffs down her food like a starving gannet...

2010-12-10T11:36:00.005+01:00

Every year on the 8th December we take a walk up to the village at the top of the mountain and across and back down again. You can see the photos I uploaded on Flickr.

lunch at Il Sorgente del Melo

2010-12-08T22:15:00.004+01:00

Today we climbed up the mountain to the village at the top. And we ate. A lot.
I'm too full to show you the walk (tomorrow, although facebook friends get a little preview) so here's what we ate:

2010-12-07T10:46:00.004+01:00

I've been making some earrings and necklaces using sea glass and silver. I actually got the idea from a dream..I dreamt that I was selling necklaces with silver pendants with Italian words stamped onto them, and when I woke I realised that it might actually be a good idea. Here are my first few attempts. What do you think? I'd really like some feedback!
This year we have a real Christmas tree in the piazza, it has been planted with its roots so that after Christmas it can be replanted somewhere and not wasted. I think it is much prettier than the fake tree we've had the last few years.
Absolute silence on a Saturday evening in winter. At this time in the summer it would be crowded with people going out for the evening.

Positano rainbow: video

2010-12-02T20:45:00.003+01:00

On the way home from school we spotted a rainbow that seemed to be the wrong way round. So we stopped to have a closer look and realised after a while that it was almost a whole circle. It was easier to see by eye but I tried to capture it on video:

2010-12-01T19:00:00.006+01:00

Humid, misty and unusually warm:
So I got back from the UK just in time to miss the snow. Although snow might be preferable to the monsoon season here in Italy. It hasn't stopped raining since I left for London nearly four weeks ago.
At least it it fairly warm outside due to the scirocco wind blowing over from Africa and bringing with it heaps of red sand which cover everthing in sight.
Although from afar the coast looks grey and drained of colour, if you get up close and personal there are bright splashes of colour everywhere.
I've noticed that every time I go out in normal shoes or boots it pours with rains and everything everthing gets soaked. But if I go out with my wellies on it immediatly stops raining and I just look stupid. Today I went out in my wellies and it didn't rain all morning, so I went home and changed to normal boots, went out again and of course it poured. I already have 2 drowned pairs of shoes at home so Sksye and I ended up walking up the steps ( for steps read: waterfall) home barefoot with our trousers rolled up.
"This is fun!" said Skye.
"This is not normal" I thought.
This is Italy though.
Keep warm and dry wherever you are!

2010-11-22T00:29:00.008+01:00

While I was away...
The rough seas made a good job of wrecking the pier:
It has now been closed and fenced off. Obviously nothing can be done to fix it until the sea calms down. It was still rough this morning:
Here you can just see the remains of the circle where the helicopters could land, and a huge chunk missing from the front of the pier where the ferries dock:
And a big piece of wall, hanging by a thread:
It's quite sad to see the place that I worked in for the last few years destroyed like this.

Marc Bolan Tree

2010-11-22T00:28:00.015+01:00

It was almost dark as Dad and I drove home from London, but I still noticed the ribbons tied to the tree branches waving in the cold wind. "Dad, pull over a minute please, I want to see something." He pulled over and I ran back towards the tree. I remembered something tragic about it, something to do with the colour purple maybe...
Aah, of course, this is the tree that was hit by the purple mini in 1977. The passenger was killed. He was Marc Bolan from T-Rex and the tree had become what is known as one of Englands Rock Shrines.
I stood there for a few minutes, reading the notes left by fans. It was cold and a few flakes of snow drifted down from the sky. I pulled my collar up and ran back to the car...
"That's where Marc Bolan died," I told Dad.
"Oh,Marc Bolan? I worked with him." (This is a pretty standard answer from my Dad whenever anybody famous is mentioned, especially from the 60's and 70's!)
"Yeah? What was he like?" I asked.
" Oh, he wasn't in a good mood, I was supposed to be directing him but he said to me, "stop telling me what to do you motherf***er." I can tell you, he's the only person that ever told me I was a motherf***er to my face and got away with it!"
And so away we drove.

2010-11-22T00:28:00.013+01:00

Yummy things to eat at the weekend markets:
Eating Singapore noodles outside with freezing hands whilst exploring Camden Lock:
Endless walks along the River Thames:
And more walks through the parks and woods in and around London:
Feeding the fox who sits and waits outside the door every day:
Whiling away spare time,discovering things at all the museums, zoos and attractions around town:
Oh yes, I certainly will...

2010-11-22T00:01:00.004+01:00

I like walking around London in the early winter evenings. It gets dark so fast and always seems so much later than it really is. I love walking around in the cold air until my hands are stiff with cold, then ducking into a coffeeshop or a pub to warm up and have a drink.
One evening I caught the tube to Tower Hill and walked across Tower Bridge as the moon rose. I walked along the river for an hour and then jumped onto a warm, bright red bus where I sat on the top deck reading someone elses discarded newspaper until I was in walking distance of home.
Another cold evening I walked around Soho, Covent Garden and Chinatown, through the seedy sex shop area, the trendy boutiques and the vivacious gay are of Old Brompton Street. I ducked into an old tudor pub to warm my hands with a glass of Christmassy mulled wine.
Another evening while exploring the Christmas market on Southbank I decided at the last second to go for a ride on the London Eye. Twenty minutes of peace in a slow moving capsule with a captivating view acrosss the city. Last time I went for a ride on the London Eye was years ago, there was just the two of us in the capsule and another couple. As soon as the doors closed the couple opened a rucksack and spread out a picnic to die for...Crusty french baguette, creamy brie, pate', olives and champagne. I recommend this as a must do for anybody visiting London!

Spaghetti allo Scoglio

2010-11-17T21:37:00.005+01:00

10 days without pasta! 10 days without an Italian meal!But there's a great food market just outside my brother's place and finally I gave in to the temptation. Can an Italian meal taste the same as it does in Italy when all the ingredients are bought and cooked in England?
Example No.1: Spaghetti allo Scoglio:

Ingredients for 2 people (bought fresh at the market):
2 smashed garlic cloves
extra virgin olive oil
200g cherry tomatos
300g clams and mussels
1 medium calamaro (squid)
200g prawns
a handful of chopped parsley
200g spaghetti
a splash of white wine

Chuck the squashed garlic in a big pan, add some olive oil (and a bit of salt and pepper too if you like) and put it on the hob.
When the garlic has a light suntan throw in the shellfish then the squid (cleaned and cut into rings}, the prawns, the parsley and everything else on the list..
Give it all a stir and watch as the shellfish start popping open. When they are all open the sauce is ready.

Do make sure you remember to boil a pan of salted water to cook the spaghetti in. When the pasta is cooked (al dente please, not limp and soggy) strain it and add to the sauce. Give it all a good stir over the hob so that it mixes well...
Stick it all on a couple of plates and eat..just make sure you have some nice crusty bread on hand to mop up the sauce afterwards. Buon appetito!
By the way, this tasted just right, just as it would do back in Italy!

Brighton again

2010-11-16T00:15:00.005+01:00

I drove down to Brighton because the sun was shining and I hadn't seen the sea for a week. I have a new camera and I wanted to play. I wandered along the promenade, the beach and the pier and could feel the ghosts of the past whispering to me. I saw the helter skelter at the end of the pier and remembered the excitement of sliding down it in a scrathy potato sack when I was young.
I walked through the Lanes, past people with pink and blue hair, dreadlocks and piercings. I rummaged through vintage shops, bead shops and sweet shops and stopped for lunch in an old old pub. Scampi and chips with tartare sauce, another blast from the past, followed by soft whip ice-cream form a kiosk outside the pier.
Walking along the seafront I found a beach shop that was almost identical to the tabacchi on the beach back in Positano. Fishing nets for kids, flip flops, beach balls and fridge magnets, maybe not the Union Jack!
I nearly bought a punnet of whelks but it was so soon after lunch that I really wasn't hungry. On the way home the fields were full of low hanging mist and the temperature started dropping. The sunset was spectacular, the countryside turned orange for a while, but I got the distinct impression that here winter is about to arrive.

Painshill Park

2010-11-10T20:08:00.002+01:00

This is what I have been craving, the English countryside! Let's go for a walk with Dad in Painshill Park it's not far at all from home.
The sun is shining, the air is crisp and pure, the leaves are glowing and the lake sparkles. First thing you come to in the park is a walled garden full of medicinal herbs and plants. The entrance is a little door in the wall, just like in the book 'The Secret Garden'.

Piles and piles of red, orange and yellow leaves all over the ground, just waiting to be waded through and kicked up into the air!(When I knelt down to take this photo I wasn't looking and kneeled on a chestnut shell, ouch!)

We wander up to the vineyards overlooking the lake then through the evergreen garden until we come to the Gothic Temple with its spectacular view across the lake:

Then we walk down a little pathway that leads to a folly know as the Ruined Abbey. It appears suddenly before us through the trees and as we step through the arched doorway we come out onto a warm sun-soaked lawn in front of the lake. The temperature must have risen by about 5 degrees as we stepped into the sunlight.

Mushrooms growing on the shore of the lake! Look, there's Dad in the background!

Back up along a zigzag path and we find a berry garden hidden away amongst the trees:

The Chinese bridge has been totally restored (it was originally built in the 1700's. We cross over and find ourselves on a small peninsular where the famous Grotto is.

The Grotto is a 40 suare foot, beautiful cave, actually designed by a professional Grotto Designer. It was finished in about 1765 and is made of limestone. In December you can even visit Father Christmas here!

This tree was such a bright shade of orange, the photo does not do it justice. There are two of them and they were imported from Senegal.

We've nearly looped our way all around the lake and a few swans have come to greet us. You can see the Gothic Temple in the background. I hope you've enjoyed our walk, now it's time to go home for a warming cup of tea!

Coccobello body balm

2010-11-08T21:09:00.007+01:00

Fresh batch of Coccobello body balms just made!

Messy! Trying to put together an order of half sized soaps to be sent to MOUNT EVEREST in Kathmandu!! I kid you not, I am going global! Other orders this week from Sweden, Canada and Japan!
Anyway I am now in cold rainy England and have plenty of time to make soaps and creams, bearing in mind that I have to re-find all my equipment, jars, bottles, labels etc as every time I go away my Dad tidies all of my things away into the most unlikely places!

Kayaking video

2010-11-07T19:42:00.007+01:00

On Saturday morning we woke up and it was another beautiful day. Later on I had a plane to catch, but rather than stay in and pack bags I decided to make the most of the weather. So we went kayaking!

I started talking in the first video and soon my little koala who was balanced behind me with her arms and legs wrapped around me, started to join in too. In the end I let her record and explain a few things too...let me know what you think of her English, it's not perfect but it's kinda cute!

It's a shame my camera was playing up a lot, it kept stopping recording, wouldn't focus etc so we lost the best part when Skye very seriously explained about the rock that was bombed in "the war of Positano" and I fell about laughing (she meant the Second World War!)
It comes to rather an abrupt end because the memory card was full too, then the film format wasn't accepted by my editing programme so I had to use somebody elses which I was unfamiliar with..but anyway here it is:
(By the way as soon as we came back to shore we had to leg it home to shower and change and dash off to the airport so I didn't miss my flight!)

2010-11-05T13:38:00.005+01:00

I go for a walk on the beach, the sun is shining and it is still lovely and warm, not very appropriate weather for Bonfire Night, but I'm not in the right country to celebrate that anyway. The seaglass glistens, nestled amongst the stones. Ideas are forming in my head. I collect a handful of glass jewels and rush home

I miss Bonfire Night. Wrapping up warm with scarves and gloves, walking along a frosty woodland pathway lured by the crackling bonfire up ahead. Children shrieking and running around in excitement. The silhouette of the Guy Fawkes on the bonfire as flames creep closer. Marshmallows toasted on sticks, potates cooked in the embers, hot chocolate grasped betwen gloved fingers, and then the fireworks...
I play with the seaglass for a while and eventually know what I want to do.
But aren't I silly! I could have organised a bonfire night here, on the beach! I could have invited all the expats and anyone else who wanted to come. We could have had marshmallows and sausages on sticks, potatoes cooked in foil and fireworks and even sparklers if I'd thought about it in time.
I know why it didn't occur to me though, it's the weather! Bonfire Night has to be on a cold frosty evening when you can see your breath in clouds in front of you and your feet go numb with cold even though you have two pairs of socks on..Here on the Coast there is hardly a need for a coat in the evening, yesterday we ate dinner outside and nobody had coats on...
I sit back and look at what I've made. Not bad for a first go, but lacking in beads I decide to wait..in a few days time I'll visit the bead shop in Brighton and then we'll see what I can do!Have fun if you're in the UK and going to a Bonfire Night party tonight, eat a marshmallow on a stick for me!

2010-11-04T14:29:00.004+01:00

There is so much RED around at the moment, when the sun is out the whole town glows:

The weather is always spectacular just before I am about to leave for England, It's like it is trying to show me what I will miss and convince me to stay, just a little bit longer...

2010-11-03T17:31:00.004+01:00

It was a lovely sunny day today, still no need for coats or sweaters so I went for a little walk this morning and loved seeing these polka dot sheets flapping on the line with the sea in the background:
Can you imagine my horror this morning when I realised that I had only ONE proper teabag left? (The weak stuff you can buy here just will not do, I have to have 'real' English teabags)
Luckily my Uncle arrived in town this afternoon and brought me a lovely big box with 240 teabags inside. It's amazing how happy I feel just because of a box of teabags!

2010-11-02T13:41:00.004+01:00

Virgin coconut oil and black cocoa butter silky smooth lip balms.

By Saponissimo

Yesterday's strong winds and rough seas have calmed down, today it is very quiet and still. The town is officially in mourning for Giovanna who should have been celebrating her 16th birthday today and the flags at the town hall have been lowered.

The season is officially ending, restaurants and shops are starting to close. The boats are being pulled from the sea and the pomegranate trees are heavy with fruit. Every now and then a waft of fragrant woodsmoke drifts through the air evoking wintery thoughts. At home I've filled the fireplace with a pile of twinkling fairly lights to give an impression of warmth and cosiness. I switch it on in the evenings and it glows and flickers prettily in the corner of the room.

2010-11-01T16:04:00.004+01:00

End of season:

The leaves on the vines turn a glorious red, the clouds settle down low and darken the skies. By the way, this is the view from the (very small) childrens park. Most of the mothers sit with their backs to the view, facing the road. I always sit with my back to the road facing the view!

Happy Halloween! This little witch insisted on very unappropriate and unwitchlike hair, but earned a load of treats anyhow:

And Happy All Saints and Souls day from possibly the most colourful cemetary in the world:

2010-09-10T18:32:00.004+02:00

After the storm passed last night we heard the rescue trucks, sirens blazing on their way to Atrani. More passed by this afternoon, pausing to ask for directions at the crossroads.

We were at home, watching the waterfalls outside the windows:

seagull

2010-08-25T11:54:00.005+02:00

I watched two local teenage girls walking along the pier, arm in arm as the sky turned milky pink early one evening. Nearby on the beach a young speckled seagull strutted around, drinking from a small stream that trickled into the sea.

" Look, it's a duck!" said one girl to the other, pointing at the seagull.
" Ma quanto sei scema, how stupid you are!" replied the other girl, "that's not a duck, it's a turkey!"
" Aaah, va bene", the first girl stood corrected, accepting her friends superior knowledge.

They stood for a while and watched the turkey-duck that was actually a seagull, and eventually strolled off happily,

Hawaian beach party

2010-08-25T11:52:00.001+02:00

There has been a sucession of events and parties organised on the beach this summer. The big kids enjoyed the happy hour dance party a few weeks ago and the little kids enjoyed the Hawaian party:

july

2010-08-19T11:57:00.004+02:00

No, really ragazzi, you must listen to me! Jumping off the pier is forbidden!:

Balmy evenings, drinks and nibbles after work:

Night jasmine perfumes the evening air. Desiderio jasmine soap is made with 25% shea butter and lashings of rich avocado oil. Buy some here!

Canoeing through the natural arch near Amalfi:

Little wooden boat:

june

2010-08-19T11:37:00.004+02:00

Pink sky at night, sailors delight:

One of many weddings pass by on the pier:

'Octopus' Paul Allen from Microsoft's superyacht pulls into the harbour:

Sudden June rainstorm. The girls dress up and splash around outside:

View from work 1. They are probably posing for their pre-wedding photo album, a popular tradition in these parts:

View from work 2. A bit much dontya think? In front of the children and all that:

may

2010-08-19T11:26:00.006+02:00

First day out this summer on a boat:

Mummy duck shows off baby duckling:

Rough sea causes havoc as all boats and cabins are in danger of being washed away:

Mummy duck comes to visit twice a day, we feed her seeds from a duck cup:

On my way to work, 8am and all is calm:

The last day of May seems like winter never left:

april

2010-08-19T11:11:00.004+02:00

Early april strawberries on the terrace:

A huge cake on the pier, enough to feed the whole town, to celebrate the election of a new mayor:

Thad, Jen and Leigh, three temporary springtime residents tuck in:

Flowers on their way to a new home:

2010-03-21T19:08:00.003+01:00

Spring Festival on the beach:
Kite making and flying, games and races, picnics and pizzas, scattered petals and spring costumes, dancing and songs, proper spring weather and bunting, everybody came out to play...

For more photos of the day visit Massimo's blog here.

Scirocco honey soap

2010-03-15T21:23:00.003+01:00

In stock now: Scirocco

Honey and goats milk soap made with lashings of black cocoa butter and shea butter. Yes, I took my soaps for another little outing to the beach today for a photoshoot! It was lovely and sunny but just as cold as it is in London at the moment. You can just see my daughter running past in the background.
Saponissimo

New Video: Gianni Menichetti

2010-02-24T09:32:00.003+01:00

You may remember me occasionally writing about my lovely friend Gianni who lives in a magic valley alone with all his animal friends. Well finally someone has made a short film about him and it it a beautiful, very well made piece. Lina Eve has given me permission to post it here so please take a few minutes and watch it:

Gianni Menichetti is an Italian poet, artist and activist. He lives near Positano on the Amalfi coast in a wild valley with his large family of animals. Gianni was the long time lover of the fabulous Vali Myers, the stunningly talented Australian artist who discovered the Moorish pavilion many decades ago and made the valley her home. Gianni has been living alone in the valley for many years now and fights to keep this rare jewel of nature safe from developers. Gianni creates beautiful, delicate artwork, and booklets of poetry, which he sells to make his living and feed his animals. He has also written the definitive biography of Vali Myers. "Vali Myers, a memoir" which includes the classic love story of their long time relationship. Music by the Gaia Choir & Officina Zoe & Filmed on location by Danny Fitzgerald and Lina Eve. Produced and edited by Lina Eve. copyright 2010. Still photos by Marco Bakker & Lina Eve

Gianni Menichetti's website: http://www.giannimenichetti.com

Lina Eve's website: http://www.linaeve.com

Marco's website: http://www.marcobakker.com

2010-01-28T09:06:00.001+01:00

Back in stock now on Etsy...everything!

2010-01-27T16:36:00.003+01:00

Sometimes I despair. I really wonder what goes through the heads of some people.... My daughter has just come home from school (she is a few days shy of her 7th birthday).

"Mummy, we watched a film!"
"Ooh, that's nice, what film was it?"
"Um, it was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas..."
"WHAT?" I replied, thinking I must have been confused with another film, for surely they wouldn't show a 12-15 rated film about the Holocaust to a bunch of six and seven year olds...But...

"Mummy, they had to take all their clothes off...and there was a sort of rain...and a gas...I think it was like a fire..."

Gee, thanks teachers for that one...I'll put it right up there with the instructions not to speak to my daughter in English because she'll be taught by you, and the time you presumed I couldn't read because I am foreign...

2010-01-10T17:50:00.002+01:00

It seems like it is snowing everywhere else in the world but here. Here it rains. And it rains and it rains, I don't think there has been a dry day since I returned from the UK. We decided to go for a drive anyway, just to get out for a while, and at one point it actually stopped raining.

Vesuvius was practically invisible across the Bay of Naples, hidden by clouds and a rainbow:
Look! It did snow here too, just a sprinkling on the top of the mountains:
And the rough sea didn't stop the beach football tournament from continuing on the main beach:Thats all for now, it's raining again...

Perugia

2010-01-05T18:03:00.003+01:00

How not to spend a last-minute trip to Perugia…or anywhere:

1. Don’t bother checking the weather report for where you are going, it’s sunny and clear at home…why would it be different anywhere else? Don’t even imagine that it might be snowing in another part of the country.

2. Ignore those weird stomach cramps that you’ve been feeling, it surely won’t get worse and interfere with your trip. (Although in the end one only one bowl of soup in two days can do wonders for the after-Chrismas diet.)

3. Don’t leave it until the last minute to call any friends that live where you are going. They probably won’t be sitting around waiting for you to summon them. (Tina, am so sorry, hope to meet you soon!)

4. And please don’t leave the lights on in the car overnight, draining the battery and causing the extremely complicated anti-theft device to kick into action, immobilizing your car in a freezing carpark for a whole day because nobody can figure out how to disactivate the damm thing…culminating in the car being towed away to the local dealership so that the anti-theft device can be dismantled, therefore wasting a whole day.

Here's a quick video of the view (what you could see of it, there was thick fog too most of the time!)

Back home now.

Trip to Perugia

2010-01-04T10:32:00.002+01:00

We woke up, the sky was clear and the sun was shining down.
"let's go to the beach," yelled Skye.
" No, let's go to Rome," said CArlo.
"Let's go somewhere new," I replied.
So we packed a bag and set off. Just like that.
Now we are in Perugia...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2009-12-25T12:37:00.005+01:00

Last day in England, well for a few weeks anyway. We packed our bags early, just to make sure we could fit everything in them and then headed down to the park for a walk at sunset.
The ice on the ponds was slowly breaking up and melting away, the sun was golden as it glinted through the trees and we passed two deer close by as we made our way through the parkland.
Dusk crept up on us fast and the air grew colder. We ran briskly across the uneven grasslands, back to the car and home to warm up with crumpets and tea. Before we knew it we were on an early morning plane and then in the blink of an eye, back in Positano..

2009-12-25T12:32:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas and please dont get the reindeer drunk..

2009-12-17T18:57:00.006+01:00

Another quick hop across the alps and we're back in England again for a couple of weeks. It's bitterly cold outside, has been snowing on and off and we might even get a white Christmas. We've got a full house, friends from Positano have come to stay too, and inspired by the TV series 'The Tudors' we decide to visit Hampton Court Palace for the day. We even bumped into the King himself as he walked through the Clock courtyard. He invited us to join him for a drink before he prepared himself for his sixth marriage to Katherine Parr, we were given velvet Tudor cloaks to wear and listened, fascinated as the King told us all about his previous wives.
The corridors around the palace were icy cold and draughty, but the windowsills had been decorated for Christmas and the smell of dried oranges and cinnamon wafted enticingly through the walkways. There were red-coated attendants in every room that were incredibly heplful and eager to share their knowledge with us. We had a particularly interesting conversation with one attendant who told us about the various hauntings and paranormal events that people had experienced.
There were various different bedrooms, used for different purposes; some for sleeping in, some for receiving visitors and rituals. Can you imagine waking up here in the morning, having your bed-curtains drawn, and having to be washed and dressed in front of a crowd of invited onlookers?Outside the Palace in winter there is an open-air ice-rink, bordering onto the River Thames. We skated round and round, the Palace lit up in front of us with coloured floodlights, the snow falling all around us and the river glistening nearby. It was beautiful and freezing and oh-so-worth doing!

sunsets in Positano

2009-12-12T17:31:00.004+01:00

There has been some spectacular sunsets over the last few days. Here's todays:

2009-12-09T20:50:00.003+01:00

This summer Skye spent a lot of time feeding the ducks on the beach. You know, grabbing handfuls of breadcrumbs and scattering them around the floor for the ducks to peck at...
Tonight I asked her to feed the cats and she used the duck feeding method - grab handful aaaaand scatter..
Even the cat looks shocked.

2009-12-08T14:57:00.003+01:00

This is Thad, tentatively looking over the Infinity Terrace in Ravello last April. Thad emailed me a few years ago, he was curious about living in Positano and asked all sorts of questions. We chat a lot on Skype about the pros and cons of living and working a season in Italy, we swap music and often natter about nothing in particular. Last April Thad came to visit with his brother and sister so I introduced them to my friends, took them out to Ravello, out to dinner and got them tipsy at cocktail time on the beach.

Thad went back to the States, but the travel bug had bitten him hard and he was curious to see more of the world. So off he went! He's travelling around for a year and is in his third week in Vietnam at the moment. He's blogging as he goes so you can follow him on his adventures and pretend you're there too. You can follow him at givepassionlife.

2009-12-08T12:09:00.003+01:00

One thing that I love about living here is that at the end of a night out you can walk home. It's completely safe, doesn't take long at all and there is no waiting aroudn for taxis or rushing to get the last train home. Just a ten minute walk along a road strung with fairy-lights!
What is not so nice are the rockfalls that occur every now and then, often after heavy rainfalls. The roads are often closed until the obstruction is removed and the mountain is inspected and deemed safe again. It can be very frustrating as there is only one main road along the coast and a detour up through the mountains is very, very long.
Sometimes in the winter it's just best to stay put, sit back and admire the view. Go for a walk along the beach at sunset, stop off at the bar for a cup of tea and a cake on the way home. You never know who'll be in the bar, often you stay longer than you planned. Then home to plan dinner, light candles and curl up on the sofa with a blanket to ward off the chilly winter air!

2009-12-03T11:22:00.003+01:00

" I've never had a gel with such an unusual smell," said Carlo as he preened himself in front of the bathroom mirror, "but, it's nice though, sort of minty."
That got my attention and I sniggered to myself. I got up to check if I was right, and yes, for the last two weeks he has been styling his hair with King of the Shaves Shave Gel, left behind by one of my brothers on a recent trip.
"Why are you laughing? Isn't it hair gel?"
"Here's a new word for you to learn in English, shave-rasarsi, farsi la barba.It's not supposed to go in your hair!"
He was embarrassed, he begged me not to tell anyone, but where's the fun in that?

Note: 10 days left to get any soap orders in, as I'll be off to the UK again soon!

2009-11-23T16:37:00.006+01:00

Back to Positano where it seems like summer again. The day after I flew in from London there were people stretched out on the beach in bikinis, children swimming and splashing in the sea and a general 'last chance for summer' attitude in the air. Carlo and Skye had been struck down by the flu while I was away and had moved up Nonnas' house to be taken care of properly. I called, concerned when I received a message saying Skye had a temperature of 40 C, but was reassured that they could handle it and it was best for me to stay away so I didn't get ill too.

Alas, two days later when Skye was completely recovered, Carlo fell ill and called me, begging me to come home. So I'm back...
I've been busy packaging and wrapping soaps and making various lotions and potions. Over the summer I redesigned all my labels and am much happier with them now. Already I have nearly sold all the soaps I have (which also means I was not organised enough to make more while I was still working!) I've also prepared some fig&vanilla silky body oil, which is wonderful as a light moisturiser on legs, arms, and also fantastic as a hair oil. I took some down to the pier this summer and it saved many a person from the after-sea-frizzies.
I also have, amongs the other goodies, some small pots of orange&vanilla whipped shea and cocoa butters, an all natural intensive moisturiser, a little goes a long way!

Brighton

2009-11-17T22:38:00.004+01:00

I nearly always drive down to Brighton when I'm in the UK. It's always cold and very windy, but thats probably because it's always winter when I'm there, but the town lures me with it's quirkiness and of course the long stretch of pebbly beach. I get a small thrill every time I see the helter-skelter slide on the end of the pier and although I haven't slid down it since I was small, I can remember the feel of the sack-cloth that I would sit on as I slid down the wooden grooves, round and round while the seagulls screeched overhead.
In the last few years the sea front has been given a complete overhaul. There are paddling pools and childrens play areas with cafe's serving hot chai and grilled sandwiches. The promenade is smooth and colourful, so inviting to cycle or skate along, and always bustling with dog walkers and people out just walking and enjoying the sea air.
I always make sure I walk by the Royal Pavilion, with it's fabulous oriental spires, just so that I can pretend for a moment that I am somewhere far more exotic than the south coast of England. It always reminds me fondly of a photograph of me and Carlo that is hanging on the wall at home, taken in 2001, standing outside the Pavilion, clutching each other and laughing in the freezing gale force winds.
I spend the rest of my time wandering around The Lanes, a charmingly bohemian array of narrow streets, full of cafes, quirky shops and brightly painted buildings. You never know what you might find for sale amongst the wonderful silver jewellery, vintage clothes and organic cafes.
Alas, my day out in Brighton finished with a downpour in the most traditional English fashion so it was a quick dash back to the car and a short trip up the motorway until I arrived back home in time for crumpets and tea..

The Cotswolds

2009-11-12T20:04:00.005+01:00

Even though it threatened to rain I decided that I was going to spend the day in the Cotswolds, a beautiful part of England that I haven't visited for years. I wandered around the quaint little villages with my Dad, imagining what life would be like living in them...
..."I don't know if I would like it," said Dad, "all these tourists wandering around peering in at your windows and getting in the way.." I rolled my eyes and replied that Positano wasn't really much different in that sense. "Oh, yes, you're right, I didn't think of it like that," he replied.
I noticed quite a lot of old fashioned sweetie shops around, with huge jars of sweets and candies lined up in the windows. We went in and bought cough candy for Dad, and sherbert swizzle sticks and sherbert lipsticks for me and Skye.
It started to rain, but it didn't matter because I saw this sign outside a tea-room:
So we ducked inside and settled down to a Cotswold cream tea with fruit scones, strawberry jam and thick clotted cream. Bliss!

2009-11-11T18:02:00.003+01:00

I've popped over to Dads in England for a few days and feel like I have returned to civilization. I marvel over the fact that although it is cold and frosty outside, inside it is snug and warm thanks to the incredible invention of central heating. I gasp in awe as the electricity copes with the washing machine on at the same time as I boil the kettle for a cup of tea, and I must look positively provincial as I gaze around the supermarket with its huge amount of choice.

I love that fact that I can walk into a shop and just browse without some pushy salesgirl demanding that I tell her what I want. I also love that fact that I find what I want easily and that they also have it in my size. Last week in Sorrento I asked for a pair of boots "in a size 38 please..."
The two salesgirls looked at me as if I was crazy to ask and both shook their heads exclaiming, "but, no! Size 38 no!" I walked out feeling faintly stupid for even asking.

Today I shopped to my hearts content. I found everything that was on my list, including new boots in a size 38. My shopping over and done with now leaves me some free time to do whatever I want. I was planning on driving down to Cornwall, but the weather isn't really suitable for the long clifftop walks and exploring of fishing villages that I had planned. In the end I don't really care what I do. It's just nice...very nice to have some time away from Positano and luxuriate in the land of no-dubbed-films, radiators-and gallons-of electricity and french-beans-and-non-seasonal-fruit-all-year-round.

end of season

2009-11-06T11:47:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I had planned to hop on a flight to the UK...
But when I woke up the sun was shining and the air was balmy an I still hadn't packed a bag even though the flight left in four hours time. So I sat and had breakfast, debating whether to make a mad dash for the airport or not until there wasn't enough time to get there anyway. So I spent the afternoon on the beach instead.

Everthing on the beach except for one restaurant and one bar has closed down for the season. It felt empty and a little bit abandoned, but there were a few people around to talk to. I sat on the pier for a while, comparing the difference to a month ago when it was teeming with life and boats. The sun ducked behind some raggedy clouds at one point, casting everyone in front of me into silhouettes. One of the fishermen had drawn in a crowd who stood around watching as he reeled in fish after fish. Gradually it became dark and everyone drifted home. I decided to stay just a few more days, just to make sure the season has really ended.

Positano cemetary

2009-11-04T16:37:00.002+01:00

Some images from the cemetary in the last few days:

Video: Amalfi Coast Drive

2009-11-02T08:20:00.001+01:00

Just a little noisy video of the view on the way home from the back of the bike. The weather was so nice we decided to go for a drive:

2009-10-26T20:52:00.003+01:00

The day after the rough sea. The cabins and boats pulled up from the pier had to be all moved back into place, but first we had to shovel away all the sand and stones that had been swept up onto the pier.
The sea was still too rough for the boats to go anywhere so everyone left the pier and took a walk along the misty beach.
But by the afternoon the sea had calmed down and the next day the weather warmed up and we were back in business...at least for another few days. The end of the season is near, very near.

2009-10-26T20:43:00.004+01:00

Love letters from Skye, found in her Daddys office after she spent the day playing with some ragamuffin school friends in the cemetary.(Clockwise: 1.I love you, yes its certain that I love you, I love you.
2. I'll marry you when we're older and I'll kiss you even now.
3. I love you, Christian my love, more than the world.)

Oh dear, it's started already and she's only six...

2009-10-13T18:21:00.003+02:00

A few days ago everyone in town was very excited and curious when a helicopter suddenly appeared and swooped down towards the cemetary. It then hovered alarmingly close to the crosses and angels and let down a cable onto which big bulky 'somethings' were attatched and away it flew up the mountain where it deposited the load and returned for more.

Of course Carlo had already phoned me to tell me that the helicopter was helping shift heavy rocks that were too heavy to be carried by man. Helicopters often are used here for transporting heavy goods to difficult to get to places, water-tanks, building materials etc.

However, I had great fun that afternoon down on the pier because of course everyone wanted to know what was happening and came to ask me. My favourite answer was that they were moving the whole cemetary bit by bit to another location...the look of horror on peoples faces was priceless.

Video: boat disembarcing in rough sea

2009-10-12T18:21:00.004+02:00

The most exciting thing that happened today was the fact that every girl from each ticket office on the pier turned up for work dressed the same. Completely by chance we all happened to choose blue jeans, purple tops and black jerseys.

Oh, wait, no, that wasn't the most exciting thing...the sea got rough in the afternoon. That was exciting. Now, when I say rough, I don't mean huge rolling waves that surfers would die for, I mean rough as in bumpy, as in difficult to disembark our passengers onto the pier. Here, I'll show you:

2009-10-08T11:57:00.003+02:00

Perfect lazy indian summer days. The weather is warm, but not too hot, the sun shines softly but does not burn. The sea is calm and still, like a lake and crystal clear. As the season draws to an end the lethargy of the summer is shaken off and I feel inspired to go for a walk. Not far, really, just up the other side of town to visit Carlo at work and stop in for lunch at his mothers house.On the way back to work I notice the myriad of plants, flowers and fruits that grow in abundance in every space available. I pass the usual lemon, orange, fig and olive trees, but also notice huge squashes, fragrant roses and multi-coloured flowers bursting from every angle.
I suddenly remember that pomegranates ripen in October and weave my way through the warren of steps in the cemetary until I find the secret pomegranate tree that hangs over the sea, reaching towards the distant islands. It is laden with fruit and I stretch out my arms, balancing over the wall until I manage to catch a big round orb and pull it towards me. It has split open already which means it is ripe and ready to eat. I pull it off the tree, blow the ants away and feast on the small juicy seeds as I walk back down to the pier.

2009-09-28T12:28:00.003+02:00

Various diffent reasons (colds, tummyaches, tiredness, new babies etc..) prevented me and most of my friends from enjoying the fish festival this weekend. So we all made up for it the next day with a do-it-yourself pizza party. It was a warm breezy Sunday afternoon, we sat on a terrace high above the sea watching the ships far out at sea. The colours of the sea and the sky were the same, blurring the horizon into inexistance, causing an optical illusion that semmingly made the ships sail through the sky.
The men made pizzas and calzones with various fillings and toppings and fed them into the pizza oven on the side of the terrace. We ate, drank and laughed the afternoon away until all too soon it was time to head back down to work and wait for the boats to come in.

2009-09-26T10:12:00.002+02:00

Trays of fresh alici waiting on the pier at sunrise this morning.
Tonight is the famous fish festival, one of the best festivals of the year. Hundreds of people will gather on the beach to eat fried anchovies, traditional squid and potatos, drink local rough red wine and dance to traditional neapolitan music.

2009-09-22T12:04:00.003+02:00

ONe of my photos got featured in an Etsy treasury! I've had a few soaps feature in treasuries over the last year but it never occured to me to post them here. Duh, better late than never.
I'm really looking forward to the season ending here on the pier so that I can get back into soaping, all ready for Christmas. Normally it is quite sad when everything starts closing up for the season, but I will have plenty to do this winter.

Letter to friends

2009-09-19T12:09:00.003+02:00

Dear Melissa, Dear Lucy,

I know, I know, I have been very slack this summer at blogging, but really there hasn’t been so much to write about. Sitting in a wooden cabin on the pier for 10 hours a day just isn’t really all that interesting!

Of course there has been the occasional evening out, but staying up late meant that I was extra tired the next day and couldn’t be bothered to write about it..
Take the time in August when our friends Claire and David came back to visit. (They used to live in Positano, but moved away a few years ago.) One evening we had a pool party up at the top of town where they were staying, it was a fantastic evening. We arrived straight from work and found all sorts of food laid out on a table on the terrace and a barbeque busily smoking away in the corner, emitting enticing smells. After dinner some of us drifted into the games room for a game of pool (billiards) while the rest of us drifted up a terrace to the swimming pool. Eventually everyone ended up in the pool, drunk on fun, food and wine and a serious game of wet-piggy-back-war ensued, causing much hysteria and pinging of bikini straps.

Poor little Skye was tired out even before we arrived and curled up to sleep on a swing-seat, where she stayed throughout the evening, while we splashed away in the pool. Around about one in the morning we decided to call it a night and carried her up to the road where the three of us squeezed onto the motorino to go home.

About 500 metres down the road we were pulled over by the police. It is of course illegal to travel three on a bike, even if you are all wearing helmets. But, luckily fortune was with us as they must have been searching for drug dealers or wayward teens, rather than tired, wet families returning home after a pool party. We were waved over to the side of the road, scrutinized for a few agonizing seconds and then waved away with a short but meaningful comment, “I think it’s best that you all just go home.” We obeyed.

Another evening worth mentioning was the evening of tantric-yoga-on–the-beach, as it has been named. Really, what happened was that we never left work that evening. Claire and David and co. came down to visit us on the pier with a bottle of prosecco. It gradually grew dark and we ordered pizzas and drifted towards the beach in front of the pier. Davids brother and Claire decided to try out a difficult yoga position thqt they just knew they could do if they concentrated. So they tried…and tried…and a crowd slowly gathered…and they tried..but it wasn’t quite working.

Now, he had to lie on his back with his legs up in the air. She had to balance on his legs with her pelvis. Then it got weird…She had to sort of spread her legs, weave her arms through…somewhere and eventually he would be able to spin her around on his feet, balanced in mid air…or something..
In the end we all had a go and much hilarity ensued as we found ourselves suddenly upside-down, legs akimbo, spinning round in mid air. It was not so amusing the next day when some very unflattering photos of me were shown around to anybody who cared to look. What was I thinking?

Anyway, we’re all still here working away, looking forward to the end of the season which is vaguely in sight.
Oh, look, one of the boat is coming in...must dash..

I’ll write again soon.

Love Nicki xxxx

Swimming in a storm

2009-08-31T14:39:00.005+02:00

For weeks and weeks the sun has shone down, baking the beach and the mountainside so that in the evenings it almost seems even hotter as the warmth radiates back out of the baked rock. The humidity has been endlessly high, four or five showers a day and sporadic dips in the soupy sea have not helped for long. So yesterday evening when the early evening skies suddenly grew dark and the sound of thunder rolled across the mountains there was an air of excitement all around town.

Whispered rumours circled the beach like wildfire. "They say its raining in Salerno!" Boat boys danced with pleasure, calling the much wanted rain, beckoning and taunting for it to come closer and refresh this hot and dusty town. Canoes and boats that had been left sprawled on the beach were moved away to the sides. They had been left in the path of the river which comes down the service road to the beach, but in summer months completely dries up, and can quickly become a raging torrent in a rainstorm as it surges down the mountain, across the beach and out to sea.

There was a sudden flash of lightening quickly followed by a huge crack of thunder and you could almost feel everyone in town holding their breath, just praying for the rain to come. A little boy cried and held his arms up to his babysitter to be picked up and sheltered from the noise. She laughed and scooped him into her arms and then glanced up in surprise as a huge raindrop landed on her face.

Enormous fat drops of water suddenly turned the dry pier into a polka dot tapestry, which quickly disappeared as the deluge started. From across the whole beach area a huge cheer arose as everybody ran for cover, laughing and exclaiming over the size of the droplets. In a flash the pier was empty. The boat boys were sheltering under the kiosk bar, and all the other pier workers had retreated to their cabins and ticket offices, the tourists had fled into shops and bars.

Suddenly, some of the boat boys broke away from the bar and ran at full speed across the pier, launching themselves into the sea. They whooped with joy, splashed around in delight and then started beckoning for us to join them. I didn't think twice, stripped down to my bikini and ran. Out of the cabin, across the wet cobbles of the pier, being stung by hard ferocious raindrops, I ran as fast as I could until I reached the end of the pier and I jumped as high and as far as I could...

I hit the water like a bomb and plunged under, vaguely hearing the boys cheering me on. It was warm and velvety but as I broke the surface the hard raindrops stang as they hit me. Around me the rain was battering the sea into flatness and I could hardly see from all the splashes. I swam to the shore where my collegue was inexplicably waiting for me. She was already wet, so I simply took her hand and dragged her fully clothed into the sea with me. Two more people appeared out of nowhere and threw themselves in too. We splashed around like children for a while and laughed until we ached when the boys ducked behind a wall, stripped naked and streaked into the sea, waving their shorts like flags.Eventually the river made its way to the sea, sweeping months worth of mud and dust into the ocean, forcing us back onto land.

We collapsed, giggling, onto the beach and let the rain wash away the saltwater from our skin. We watched in amusement as two more boat boys launched canoes into the river, paddling up the service road and turning round to be carried back to the beach by the churning water. We padded barefoot back to the cabin and dried off as the skies cleared and turned a dusty pink and the moon softly glowed from behind a hazy cloud.

RIP hamster

2009-08-27T12:04:00.005+02:00

“I think the hamster is dying,” I whispered to Carlo over breakfast the other morning. He peered into the cage and nodded at me before glancing covertly at Skye to see if she had noticed. But she was lost in thought, off in her own little world of pink sparkley things and wasn’t paying attention to us at all.

When we all arrived home that evening the poor little creature was lying stiff and still in the corner of his cage. Skye didn’t notice and happily went to bed. I sat down on the sofa with a glass of wine and was just getting into a good book when Carlo poked his head out of the kitchen door,
“ would you like to participate in the funeral of our little friend?”

“ Oh, how sweet!” I replied, “are you going to take him up to the cemetery?” My overactive mind created a touching picture of him tenderly digging a tiny hole under the cypress tree in the cemetery where he had buried our cat two years ago.

“No, don’t be stupid! I’m just going to fling it out of the window.”

The image of the cemetery vanished, replaced by one of poor little hamster tumbling helplessly down the mountainside and coming to rest in the damp riverbed below.

“You can’t do that, its mean!” I said, amused and horrified at the same time.
“So, are you going to come in and watch the funeral or not?”
“No!” He pouted at me as I turned my back on him...
“You mean you’re going to leave me to do it all on my own?...Come on! Its got rigor mortis, come and see!”
“No!”

I winced as I heard the fly-screen roll up, then there was a short silence followed by the sound of him washing his hands. He came out the kitchen and sat down next to me. “You can sort out the cage though,” he said.

I think that sometimes he forgets that not everybody is as comfortable with dead things as he is. He sometimes says things that no other woman would even dream of her partner saying. Take the other day for instance. We were on our way to lunch at the beach, walking along a beautiful pathway shaded with pine trees and prickly pears, overlooking the sparkling emerald sea below. I sighed at the beauty of it all and reached out to take his hand. But in that moment he was thinking of work, not even noticing the view.
He turned to me and said, “I must remember to water the ground at work otherwise in a few years I’ll be digging up a pile of mummies. Its been so dry this summer that they’ll all mummify.”

Quite.

Oh, and Skye still hasn’t noticed that the hamster is gone.

Maserati boat

2009-08-24T11:50:00.003+02:00

One of the boat boys came back from Capri the other day with an unlikely tale about a floating pink car driving through the waves.
"It was a Maserati, I swear!" He brandished his mobile phone in front of us to show us the photo that he had taken. Sure enough there was a picture of a car in the middle of the sea.
Of course, eventually it arrived here too so I went to find out what was going on.
In 1999 two Italian guys crossed the Atlantic from the Canaries to Martinique. It took them 119 daqys and their chosen mode of transport was a Ford Taunus and a VW Passat padded out with polyeurathane.
Now one of them is attempting to drive/float his way around Italy in a pink Maserati. He arrived last night and was offered dinner by a local restaurant and a place to sleep for the night in a fishermans cabin on the beach. This morning he left, headed southwards aiming to arrive in Calabria. I wonder if any other bloggers will spot him as he passes through?

2009-08-08T22:54:00.003+02:00

One of my friends is pregnant. Actually, today is the day the doctor predicted she would give birth. The hospital she needs to get to is in Naples and from here there is only one road to Naples.

Today we found out that there has been a rockfall somewhere on the road so it has been closed for safety measures. Then, a bit later on in the afternoon we heard that there was also a mountain fire just outside Positano, so the road might be closed there too.

I phoned her to check up on her progress, as I have been doing every day this week:
"Hello, its me. Are you having a baby yet?"
"No, I can't have a baby today, the road is closed, so I can't get out of town," she replied with incredible calm.

Needless to say, we are all on tenterhooks....whatever they are.

Sushi

2009-07-31T12:31:00.003+02:00

I almost didn’t want to go out last night, it was horribly hot and sticky, but at 10 o clock I finally left the house to meet some friends for drinks. About six steps down from the front door I stopped and slipped my high heels off, forsaking glamour for comfort and padded barefoot up the road to the cocktail bar.
We sat out in the courtyard of the bar, sipping our cocktails, hardly aware of the soft jazz band playing in a corner. Eventually I realised it was half past midnight and reluctantly decided it was time for bed so I slipped off my shoes again and padded back home.
I walked up most of the 160 steps to my front door far too quickly so when I found my cat waiting for me on the floor below I stopped for a breather on the floor below.
“Hello!” said a voice from the dark. “Where are you going?”
It was a young man on the terrace of the house below mine. I told him I was going to bed, it was late, but he seemed very upset and persuaded me to come into their house.
“ Are you having a party then?” I asked.
“ Sort of, you’ll see,” he replied as we walked into the house.

There were about twelve people sitting around the living room and wandering in and out of the kitchen and I realised that they all worked in the kitchens of a big hotel. A glass of sparkly wine appeared in my hand and a place was found for me to sit. I glanced at my watch, it was 1am, I really had to get to bed!
“ Listen, I’d love to stay, but I’ve got to be at work at 8, so I must go home,” I stood up to go but was stopped in my tracks by the reply I got.
“ You can’t go! The sushi is nearly ready!”

Sushi? Did he say sushi? I love sushi...but we’re here, in small town south Italy..you can’t get sushi here...or so I thought. I must have looked doubtful, for I was led into the kitchen where I found trays and trays of sushi and a very happy Japanese sushi chef. Everything was brought out into the living room, soy sauce was poured into espresso cups and chopsticks were handed round. Everybody squished up together on the two sofas around the table and the feast began.
The sushi was superb, obviously, I thought, mentally slapping my forehead. These guys all work in a Michelin starred restaurant, of course they can make sushi, they’re the best of the best. As I chomped away, there were tears of pleasure and gratitude in my eyes. At 2am I called it a night and thanked them for their hospitality.
“ It’s always been difficult to find sushi in Positano, but to find freshly made sushi unexpectedly at midnight in the house next door has been a real pleasure for me.”

Le Sirene

2009-07-21T20:50:00.004+02:00

The other evening I experienced the most romantic dinner ever. Except there were no men. But it was sooo romantic, we had such a lovely evening, here let me explain:

We had heard about this place, Le Sirene, that served dinner right on the beach front, with the tables on the sand, but when we suggested it to our Italian menfolk they shook their heads and made excuses not to go. So we went without them, seven girls in seven lovely dresses with seven pairs of sparkly flip-flops. We were picked up from the pier at 8.30 by two handsome men in a little boat and they spirited us away from Positano whilst pouring us glasses of sparkling wine and tempting us with olives and fried zucchini flowers.
As we pulled into the cove and moored at the small jetty we all exclaimed with delight. The sun was just setting and had turned the sky and sea various shades of pink. A table had been set out on the beach, right on the edge of the sea and was surrounded with lit candles. We looked around in wonder. The whole beach was dotted with candles and a wicker sofa and two matching armchairs had been set up beside our table, a place to retire to after our meal.
Soft music wafted out of the small hotel which was the only building in the cove. We had the whole beach to ourselves. We sat down at the table and there was a moment of satisfied silence as we all stared out to sea, admiring the pink sky and the view that reached to Capri.
The sky became dark and the flickering candles created long shadows that were mesmerising to watch. We told each other stories, exchanged experiences, reminisced and roared with laughter (especially on reading the badly translated menu, ‘grilled mozzarella up lemonfrog’ for example.
After we had eaten and drank our fill we drifted apart into little groups. Some went to dance on the hotel terrace, their shadows whirling around larger than life, some went to recline in the various hammocks that dangled temptingly from rafters, and the rest of us relaxed on the wicker chairs on the beach. At midnight our boatmen reappeared and drove us back to town, over the moonlit black water that was as still as a lake. As we drew closer the lights from the town glittered like jewels on the flat surface while above us millions of stars shimmered like fairy dust. We alighted onto the pier in a daze, our magical evening had finished...or had it all been a dream?

2009-07-16T21:13:00.007+02:00

Carlo had been kayaking for 9 hours. He paddled into the little port at Castellabate, but there wasn't much there so he carried on a bit more until he found a beach full of people. He pulled up the canoe onto the sand (yes, real sand, not pebbles like the beachs in Positano) and immediately made friends with a local guy, a lifeguard.

They chatted for a while until the lifeguard came off duty and offered to take him to a bar for a drink. Carlo left the canoe pulled up on the beach and climbed onto the back of the lifeguards vespa and was given a tour of the town, four bars and even the lifeguards home. After dinner he went back to the beach and set up his tent on the sand adn tried to settle down to a nights sleep. Sleeping on the beach was not as idyllic as he thought though. He had no sleeping bag and was cold in his shorts and t-shirt. The sand, after a while felt lumpy and humid rather than soft and comfortable. At about 3.30am he gave up trying to sleep and started pacing the beach. Eventually at 7am a cafe opened and he gratefully went in to use the bathroom and have breakfast.

At about 9am he set off in the canoe again and paddled steadiy southwards.
He canoed for seven and a half hours and finally pulled in at Palinuro, where he didn't even contemplate sleeping on the beach and promptly checked into a small hotel with a lovely view. He had a restful nights sleep and set off again early the next morning.

Canoe trip

2009-07-11T16:12:00.004+02:00

Nine hours later...

Ladies and Gentlemen, this should be San Marco (di Castellabate). It looks like a nice place. I don't know if you can see the beach umbrellas...
The beach is empty, not even a dog...sunloungers, umbrellas...all empty.
In Positano we're moaning that theres not enough people but here theres absolutely nobody.
Here in the corner is the little port of San Marco. I'm going to stop there...If I can make it there...I have my doubts...
OK...It's pretty though...nice...
I can't go on any longer, I'm tired, I need to get onto land.

To be continued

seatrip

2009-07-11T16:10:00.002+02:00

I rolled over and looked at the alarm clock. It was 5am, far too early to be awake but I had just been disturbed by Carlo creeping out of the room with his clothes on already.
"So you're going then?" I asked grumpily, "withoug saying goodbye?"
"I was going to wake you, I wouldn't have just left." He leaned towards me to kiss me but I tried to sit up at teh same time and our heads cracked together. We both howled, rubbed our heads and I lay back down and promptly fell asleep again, forgetting all about him and his crazy plan until later in the day.
Down on the beach it was still and silent apart from the sound of tiny waves lapping against the pebbles on the shore. Carlo was the only person there as he strapped his waterproof bag tent onto his kayak. He pushed a carrier bag of sports drinks and sandwiches down into the inside of the canoe and then dragged it down to the shore.

Wading into the sea and climbing deftly into the kayak he felt a thrill of excitement run through him. Ever since he had paddled all the way to Ischia two years ago (which had taken him 9 hours) he had been longing to set out on another adventure, a longer one this time, canoeing by day and sleeping on beaches at night.
He started paddling away from the still sleeping town and out into the big wide sea...
to be continued..

Paparazzi time

2009-07-11T15:40:00.005+02:00

Snapped from my little hidey hole on the pier because I didn't want to been seen taking piccies, so the quality is not great.
Isabella Rossellini leaving for the yacht. She wandered aroud town alone and paddled on the shore, wearing a linen kaftan and make-up free:

And, as I was helping people onto our boat this morning a Spanish lady let out a squeal when she saw this lady arrive on a tender. She assured me that the lady was very well known, but couldn't remember who it was so I took a few piccies just in case. Any ideas? Could it be Princess Michael of Kent?