Sat 21 May - Saturday Night!

Saturday Night on the Town!  Evicted!

Another day started with a bike ride up the hill, but only to Roccamontepiano this time.  Market day.  It's only a small Market on a Saturday, but the fruit and vegetables are to die for.  Particularly now that there is so much bursting into season.   Asparagus in abundance, and the cherries!   I've never seem so many!   Or seen them so red and shiny and pungent.  I bought a kilo.  I didn't mean to buy quite so many but I think I was duped by the wily old lady on the stall.  Goodness knows what I'm going to do with them all, but I did seriously pig out on them!   Absolutely delicious.

Now, I know I said the weekends are for playing not working, but the kitchen is looking so good!  The temptation to continue with it was far too great.  

The kitchen was a dark, dull, almost depressing sort of place and for a room that is the heart of the house, that wasn't good.  I thought we could live with it, but I was wrong.  So seeing this room being transformed before our eyes is very exciting indeed.   A major kitchen refurb is not in our budget, we just don't have the money, so it's all being done on the cheap with best use of space and materials and salvaged parts.  It may be a long way from a state of the art fitted kitchen of Surrey (who wants one of those anyway?) but we love it.  It really is becoming 'The Heart' and a fresh, warm one it will be too, as soon as we have it filled with our drying onions, garlics, herbs, chillies and flowers.  


So I painted and painted till I could paint no more and the call of the sun was too great.


Finally, I downed my paint brush, put my bikini on (first time since coming out here) and attempted to reduce my cyclist's tan whilst working through the next "Learn Italian" chapter.  I couldn't be too totally decadent and just lie in the sun, could I?

White bits no longer quite so white, and all Italianed out, it was time to don my best frock and do my hair, we were going Saturday night on the town dancing!  Actually, I'll qualify that a little.  No frock, but i did put a clean pair of jeans on and a proper shirt, no tees for me tonight!  "Doing my hair" went out with my teens (ie very long time ago),  BUT, I did push the boat out and put some make-up on!  First time in over two months!   I like this weekend stuff.

Parco

We weren't exactly going dancing either, but what a brilliant night!  Totally not what we expected at all. Tucked away down a side street in Roccamonte is a little wooden bar.  Parco, it belongs to the Commune.  The little wooden bar was jam packed with long wooden benches and there was a band's equipment at the far end.  


Outside, surrounded by trees there's a semi circular arena with stone seating.  Absolutely brilliant for summer bands and al fresco nights.  I like this place.  This is what we want to create with our barns.  A coming together, all's welcome, anything goes, just chill sort of place.

And it just got busier and busier, and louder and louder.  What a party!  Arrosticini, meats, cheeses, breads, oil and tomatoes were piled on the tables and everyone just dived in, no ceremony, but what great food.  All ate, drank, talked, laughed, bantered, joked, and the wine just flowed.  Highlight of the evening was meeting an Italian with the broadest Outback Australian accent I've ever heard.  An absolutely hilarious long haired hippy beatnik sort of guy.  Love it.

But were the band ever going to appear?!  It was midnight and I was starting to flag under the weight of Arrosticini and wine.  And then they started.  


And wow!  Now, I'm not a hard rock sort of girl, more Deep South than Deep Purple, but these guys just blew me away.  Evicted.  What a voice!  And the guys on keyboard, guitar and drums were just amazing.  Great sounds, great atmosphere, great people, great night.

But a 2am bed?  A quiet Sunday, I think