It's fall again, my favorite season. I love it when the air turns crisp, the leaves start to change, and we get to put on our sweaters and fleeces. I also love fall's food. Mushrooms, squash, parnships, oh and mushrooms. Oh how I love the mushrooms ( Read more... )

Today was Zoe's first day on the school bus. She was so excited. *I* was so excited. That said, I *still* spent all day going back and forth to that darn school. Today was our day (once a month) to bring the snack. Bread/chocolate, the list said. I asked what exactly I was supposed to do, having failed "snack" repeatedly at the italian school last ( Read more... )

Yesterday was Zoe's first day at the french lycee. I was so nervous I had a stomachache before I took her. I don't know why, but I feel much less in control at this school, like I'm sending her off into a black box. It's quite big, quite formal and communicating with the teacher is intimidating me a bit ( Read more... )

Zoe's first day of school was supposed to be Wednesday. We didn't put her in because we were expecting a response from the French School by no later than Wednesday. Thus the school shopping from the last post. On Wednesday afternoon the french school officially rejected her. We were very disappointed, but since we're not french, it had always ( Read more... )

We're in London now. We've left Florence, for good ( Read more... )

Since we have extra-special guests at the moment, I wanted to make them an extra-special lunch. We all went down to the market, as I think markets are one of the keys to understanding a city and a culture. We picked up a number of things, but for the moment I'll just talk about the burrata ( Read more... )

Today was the first in a series of goodbyes I'll be saying. Giuliana is our cleaning lady, and today was her last day at our house. To call her a cleaning lady is to make it sound like she's someone who serves us, someone I keep my distance from, someone I don't know. But it's not like that. She's like an aunt to me, I have huge respect for her. ( Read more... )

We have two sets of guests coming in the next two weeks: my best friend (Inga) and her family, and Cedric's best friend (Jerome)and his family ( Read more... )

Today is Zoe's last day of school. She's at the local Salesian nun's school, named for Madre Mazzarello. Also known as Mamma Mozzarella around our house. We aren't catholic (shhh!) and there were a number of things at the school that I wasn't crazy about, but I cried *again* when telling her teacher goodbye. Maestra Ilaria is probably about 26 ( Read more... )

Went down to St. Johns today for some shopping. St. Johns is the capital of Antigua as well as the only town on this small island. Its also where the cruise ships dock as a port of call. So in the area around the dock its full of tourist and also full of locals selling to the tourist. Well in a community thats largely black I stick out being the ( Read more... )