Monday 17 January - kitchens and big boys toys

Having finished the cleaning and clearing of the house, it was time to go shopping and start crossing off some of the items on my ever growing list.

Monday is market day in Pescara so, with bargain basement items not to be missed, we pulled ourselves away from our domestic haven in the hills and headed into town.  Unsure of the exact location of the market, other that it being close to the football stadium, we fell across a busy and bustling area of town and a huge complex with many people coming and going.  This has got to be it.  We parked up and followed the throng of people...   Into the City Hospital.  Ooops.  Wrong.  Back in the car.

Eventually we found it and filled our shopping bags with exciting things like a fish slice, potato peeler, tin opener and toilet brushes.  We found the most ghastly covers, that wouldn't look out of place in the Trotter's household, for our battered armchairs.  Perfect.  At only €10 a piece we couldn't resist. Dusky pink don't you know.

The market done, we then went off in search of the big boys toys.  A petrol strimmer, complete with brush cutter (whatever that is) and a big and beefy lawnmower was on a very excited KP's shopping list.  Various garden machinery items, all new and shiney (where are the farm sales and auctions round here?) were gaped at, examined in detail, turned upside down, engines inspected and blades felt.  What about this one, I offered, its a delightful yellow?  The look of complete disdain that was shot my way encouraged me to go off in search of yard brooms.

Eventually, two beautiful shiny macho garden machines which, by the way, included a bright yellow lawnmower, were being loaded into the back of the beastie manfully shoving my kitchen paraphernalia out of the way.

Our planned run was easily postponed so we could both play with our new toys.  I unwrapped and found homes in my newly cleaned kitchen cupboards whilst KP was in a Boys Own bliss building machines, filling them with petrol, pulling cords, starting engines and muttering something about chokes and air filters.  Or was it oil filters?

With the sun going down, KP strutted amongst the trees pushing his big boys toys up and down.  I, on the other hand, followed in his wake clearing away his forgotten tools, cuttings and branches from some earlier gardening activity.  Making use of the last light, I had a good tidy up outside and, finally, collected the kindling and logs for the fire before it got too dark to see.

The evening was spent sitting reading manuals in the kitchen, warm and toasty in front of the fire and marvelling at our new pink armchairs.