Two more Prisepe's

Wednesday after sorting out pantomime costumes it was a lovely day, after the high water, so I went to look at two Prisepe's.

The first one is at Chiesa San Pantalon.  It was different to the one they had last year.  In this church the Nativity scene is in the middle of the church on the floor.

The second one is at the Frari and is huge.  It changes from day to night when a shooting star and angels move across the sky!  In the day the men are working, throwing pots, making baskets, fishing & eating lunch.  At night they are all still.

The basket maker.

Having lunch.

The night scene and shooting star.

I love them, I am really inspired for one at Mytholmroyd Methodist later this year!

Last night's dinner

Last night I had friends for dinner & cooked Musetto can fagioli piccanti.

A Venetian sausage called cotechino with lam on beans.  I began soaking the beans yesterday.  The sausage has to have cocktail sticks stuck into it to drain out the fat!  Then it's boiled for 2 hours.  The beans cook for an hour.  It has took most of the day!

Here is my cavolo here ready to be prepared, grown locally at Chioggia.

The salad.

We had a lovely evening.  The cotechino was delicious.

Wellington BooKs, first book club

Thursday night was the first meeting of Wellington BooKs book club.

I took along prosecco & plastic cups.  Gaspare, below bought delicious nibbles from the bar across the street.  There were six of us to read extracts and discuss from Venetian Navigators or it's U.S. title Irresistible North.

The author is Andrea di Robilant (whose apartment I'm now staying in) and a cousin of Gaspare's.

The book is about the Zen brothers from Venice and their discovery of North America before Columbus.  We discussed the differences of language between english and italian, the fact that Venetians were used to island hopping down the Adriatic to Constantinople and when you look at a map the Zen brothers did this from Scotland amongst other things.

I really enjoyed the evening but with my cold and moving apartment that day I did rather fade.  We will continue in two weeks time.

Some of our group.

Tasting the nibbles.

More panto pics

Here are a few more photos from the pantomime.

Some of the children's chorus.

Sweet Pea's sparkly shoes

Basil Bloodchill & part of the cow

In case you couldn't see those udders!

Following Saturday's performance having dinner.

With Geoff, his wife was part of the cow.

Jack & The Beanstalk

Last week was (apart from boiler issues) totally taken up with the pantomime.

We began rehearsals Monday morning & evening, the same Tuesday & Wednesday.  We were allowed scripts until Tuesday lunchtime!

21/2 days before the dress rehearsal to block it out, practise, get it right then perform.  It is certainly intense.  We had several new company members this year which was lovely.  Jack was performed by two people as Judith had to return to the States for treatment. 

Fairy Sweetpea holding the bag that contained the magic beans!

Jill (Kristen) with her son Laslo.  He was wonderful with his maracas during a Venetian song.

Ennio & Sebastiano, two Italian members of the cast.

Violet the cow

Can you see Violet's udders?

Mavis & Jack 2 with Violet

The Garson family

Nabbit & the Squire

Thursday the first performance was at 10.30am.  Being first on & needing lots of makeup I had an early call for 08.30am.  We had two classes of schoolchildren in the audience which was great fun & they really joined in well.  They had been well informed by their teacher.

Then I went to lunch with the Venice Ladies, plus a couple from Treviso.

Back at Elaine's at 5.30pm for more makeup & a 7.30 performance.  As usual this one was hard work, mostly Italians in the audience.

Then we had  Friday evening & Saturday matinee performances.  Full houses at all four & a total of €3800 raised for La Gabinella charity here on La Giudecca which helps the children whose mothers are in prison here and they have to be with them.  

Sunday there is a curtain down party at one of the casts, a lovely ending to the week.

Sunset over the lagoon

Wellington BooKs

Here is my friend Gaspare's new shop - Wellington BooKs.

I first saw it in October before it opened.

Here is Gaspare serving a customer.

With Lucia in the Age of Napoleon by Andre di Robilant whose apartment I'm moving into today!  I've read all his books which are wonderful.

The shop now, off Calle della Mandola, well stocked and a delight to find something interesting.

Tonight is the first book club.  We are looking at another of Andrea's books about the Zen brothers discovering North America.  I found it fascinating.

Jack & The Beanstalk

I had my hair put up for my part as Fairy Sweetpea

Here I am in costume.

Panto and post panto

Much has happened over the last week & I'm sorry there has been no posts.  The boiler in the apartment kept playing up - and down.  Three times I was without heating and hot water.  I kept having to go to friends for showers plus go to pantomime rehearsals and try and learn my lines. Last Friday was the final straw when the man from Marinoni shouted at me.  I kept seeing my friends & bursting into tears.  The boiler was either preparing to take off for Mars or go down to the centre of the earth.  I am NEVER changing my old boiler for one of this type!

People in the company were great, making suggestions of other plumbers, offering me showers and beds and other apartments to rent.  I love it here but it is too stressful to continually watch the pressure gauge, I even check it during the night.

First I looked at an apartment near to the church, but it was on the third floor & the last flight was a spiral staircase.  There was NO way I could get two 23 kgs suitcases up and down that.  Friends kept asking around but none were free for the eight weeks I needed.  Until One of the cast checked where she worked & one was.  At San Basilio.  Not the Giudecca, but.  Then when I told Gaspare he checked with Andrea di Roubilant and yesterday I went to see his beautiful apartment her on Giudecca.  Gaspare negotiated a good price for me & although I saw the apartment at Basilio today I am moving into Andrea's apartment on Thursday.

Andrea is a Venetian living in Rome and is a writer.  I have read his three books and met him twice at the circolo when he was talking about them.

Hopefully VERY soon I will be able to post panto news & photos and tell you all about my new place.

What a day........again

Sunday morning, after posting my blog I washed the glasses from Saturday night & was about to go in the shower when I heard water dripping from the boiler.  I had been warned about the pressure & what to do if it went out of the green zone.  Well it was almost at the red.  A friend came round, numerous calls to the UK, switching it off & still it rose.  I missed church but left it to & meet Caroline for lunch.  When I got back it was still rising, I kept bleeding a radiator to reduce.  So much for my practise of pant words.

I went outside to go & find someone at home in another apartment & bumped

into David & Rosalie who took pity on me & came round.  We finally got the pressure to stop rising.

So off I went to Jeremy's & had a lovely couple of hours chatting with friends.  Everybody received a tree present.  Mine is a mirror to check out what is going on at the table behind me!  Jeremy is so kind.

Back home & no flood & the apartment was still ok temperature wise as it's unusually warm for the time of year.  This morning it's feeling chilly, still toasty warm in bed writing this.  Mike is calling Marinoni again & I hope they can come straight round.

Meanwhile I have a pant to rehearse this morning, first practise begins at 10.30am!

With friends

Friday night I was at Annie & Mike's apartment, they had fourteen friends around for food and drinks.  It was lovely catching up with old friends and meeting new people.  The hardy ones of us left played charades, they didn't guess mine - Jude the Obscure!

  Saturday night I had six friends to my apartment to dinner.  Liz & Geoff arrives back from the States that morning.  I had to be inventive, the table only seats four but there is a table on the terrace so I brought that in.  I had enough crockery & cutlery but not glasses.  As usual Annie came to the rescue with seven!

Busy Thursday

Flying into Venice these small mountains are near Rovigo.  I've passed them several times on the train.  This was my only view, the city was shrouded in fog & has been ever since.  Sunday the forecast is sunny.

Thursday I went to the Treviso International Ladies Group.  They meet in a cafe & chat.  Next month I'm going to speak about the Calder Valley.

Following the meeting five of us went to a nearby restaurant for a delicious lunch.  Here is my fagioli beans with musetto & raddiccio.

On my way back to the station I saw advertised a Presippio (Nativity Scene) in a church, it was beautiful.

I've arrived!

What a day!  I stayed Monday night at the Bewleys Hotel at Manchester airport as my flight was 6am.  I didn't get much sleep & was at the check in at 3.40am.  All was going well.  There is a new executive lounge at T3 & I had a lovely bowl of porridge to set me up for the morning.  Flight on time & a very quick transfer to departures at Heathrow.

That's when it all began to go pear shaped.  My flight was late boarding, plane late in from Frankfurt then we sat on the tarmac for 11/2 hours before having a terrible take off through the clouds & storms on the south coast.  Even the pilot said he didn't like it. Fog over Venice so no view.  The pilot said oh we have fog, wasn't expecting that.  Funny the weather app on my iPhone said fog.  So I was very late arriving, collected my luggage & headed off for my water taxi.  I was met by four friends near my apartment which was wonderful.  Unfortunately David noticed my suitcase had been damaged, in my excitement I hadn't noticed.  Due to my lateness I had missed s all having lunch together at Food & Art.

At the apartment Mike had still not been able to get me any hot water.  The boiler was like David's but he couldn't get it working.  I unpacked, quick visit to the Co-op & Annie's to collect my stuff I left there before returning to use her shower & have a lovely meal with them.

I slept well, awoke at 6am.  I've finished unpacking & put most things away & am now waiting for the boiler repair man to arrive at 10am.

It's thick for once again but I'm going to have an easy day sorting myself out & making plans for the busy week ahead.