A party and a ramble

On Friday last we had a meal to celebrate the birthday of neighbour Dino and Barbara, who share a birthday ... almost

Next day we headed to the region round Perpoli for a winter walk.

Meet the neighbours ...

Homing in on Perpoli

Sign of the times - Hazel catkins

Barga visible in the distance - to those in the know ...

Red sky might delight the shepherds, but it was rainy next morning!

A night at the opera, then home via Prato ...

We just had time to scoot around Bologna and see the sights, before heading to the Teatro Communale.  It is a beautiful theatre, with mirrors and gold leaf, but the opera boxes are not good as they seem - it's very difficult to have a good view of the stage without adopting various uncomfortable postures!  It was a very good production, with excellent singing, but we didn't go back after the interval ...

We love Bologna, but it's always cold there!  Well, if we will visit in the winter ...

The boxes fill up ...

The Casa Isolani -  from the 13th cent. One of the few portici made of timber which still survive. It's now available as a B&B - someone is visible at a window on the top floor - some B&B!  

Over the Appenines to Prato - a lot more snow

Lunch stop in Prato - cold but sunny

Almost home - Lucca walls and cathedral - the air almost balmy in comparison to what's gone before!

To Bologna via Parma ......

Some weeks ago we booked online to go to the Teatro Communale in Bologna to see Verdi's Il Trovatore.  There is no direct route from Barga to Bologna, the train route lies either to the north via Parma, or to the south via Prato (next stop to Florence).  We decided to go by the north route and return by the south.  The weather forecast was for snow, but, apart from being very cold, the weather didn't affect our plans...

A wintery day waiting for the train at Barga station

The trip up the Garfagnana valley provides wonderful mountain views - including this one of Monte Ucello 

Not all Italian trains are as posh and new as these ones which now run on the line up our valley - seen here at the station at Aulla

You know you're in Parma when you see a shop like this - all the Parma ham and parmeggiano you could want!

... though other shops are available ... 

Lunch at a busy restaurant we know in Parma - the ham is special!

January scenes ...

Not such good weather in the last few days, but it has dried out enough for some winter chores and local walks ...

Burning the pile of olive branches from the pruning

The Christmas roses are around, but seem to be fewer than last year

A solitary snowdrop - still waiting for the carpets of them! but ...

... there are carpets of the lovely cyclamen leaves - building up stores for next autumn's flowers

On the path to Tiglio 

La Serra garden narcissi kicking off the daffodil season ...

Bye-bye D&D

We went in to Lucca on Wednesday to have a last coffee with Dave and Donella - they were to leave that afternoon.  In their couple of days in Lucca they had had successful cycle runs out of Lucca to enjoy the countryside ...

Heading to the Piazza San Michele for coffee ...

... at the Turandot cafe

Winter work (2)

Stacking the wood took a couple of days - we had run it pretty low, so it is a relief to see a big healthy stack again midwinter. Quite a variety of wood this time - beech, turkey oak, acacia, with some chestnut for a change, so some of that will end up on the lathe I hope ...

Shortly before the new delivery - only a few days-worth of logs left 

Barbara putting the finishing touches ...

Despite the overnight freezing temperatures, some locusts are still surviving, and this one was flying around in the warm sunshine, before alighting on one of our log baskets ...

Winter work (1)

On Friday, our second delivery of wood for the winter arrived - stacking it will be a job for later.  Meanwhile, the olive trees have just been pruned, producing large amounts of small branches which will need to be burned.  We spent an hour or two transporting them to the bonfire site, to be burned another day.  It was warm work climbing and descending the terraces to clear the branches ...

Dave and Donella are now in Lucca, we will go there to see them off tomorrow.

Lunch al fresco - cold air, but warm terrace!

Nearing the end of the task ...

Hike up to the Eremo di Capraia ...

Yesterday we headed to Sillico to do the walk up to the Eremo (Hermitage) beside the remote village of Capraia.  Warm sun kept the cold air at bay.

Heading to the lunch stop

Preparing ourselves for lunch ...

Looking back from the eremo (hermitage) towards the main valley of the Serchio

Preparing to head down again ...

Donella, Dave and Monte Gragno

We met Dave and Donella off the train in Barga on Tuesday, and yesterday went over to Vallico di Sopra tohave a walk in the sun along towards Cardoso, and to go up to the Viewpoint at La Croce (The Cross) which commands our part of the Serchio valley  the Mediavalle.

We had a coffee stop in the village of Fabbriche di Vallico

With the cliffs of Monte Gragno behind ...

Too soon?

Yesterday we noticed that one of the fruit trees was in bloom, and then saw a wild strawberry doing the same.  Very cold here now, so I trust there are more buds to come ...

Apple? pear? plum?

Strawberry - definitely