Stoning Mike

My friend Mike is a stone carver & uses the cloisters of the church at S Elena to stone when he is in Venice.  Last week I went over with Annie, his wife to see him at work & have lunch together in the local bar. He brought the piece of stone back from Petrasanto & is carving it into a double knot.  He is so clever.

I'm now an (un)official Venice tour guide!

I've had an amazing day out with two friends from Treviso - I became a Venice tour guide.  I took them to Cannaregio to see Tintoretto's house, the house with a camel from the book Miss Garnett's Angel, a wonderful hotel with an amazing garden, the ghetto lunch, at bar Palanca then a view of my apartment.

Tintoretto's house & his doorbell.

The house of the levant from the book Miss Garnett's Angel.

Me looking like a ghost in the Boscolo Venezia  Hotel

Cotecchino night

Wednesday I cooked citation for Rosalie & David & Annie & Mike.  This has become a tradition for R & D & I over the last there or four years.  A & M had never had it before.  But what a performance to cook.

First soak the borlotti beans for 24 hours then boil for 40 mins.  Stick cocktail sticks into the sausage to drain out the fat during cooking then boil gentle for 2 hours.  Make the bean stew with garlic, chilli, onions & tomatoes, another hours cooking.....

But it went down well & everyone enjoyed it.

Visit to my neighbour Sofia

Saturday afternoon I was invited to the top floor of my building to have a cup of tea with Sofia.  I met her a few years ago singing at the Food & Art during Carnevale.  Sofia isn't always here but I have enjoyed chatting to her when she is.  I just arrived at her apartment when the sun was setting & the buildings of Dorsudoro & San Marco were turning pink.  WOW.  What a view she has.  It's worth climbing the four flights of stairs.

Dinner with friends

Dinner after the circolo on Monday with Way Ling, Joyce & Annie

Mike & I

Sorry I've been quiet this week I've been rather busy.  No changes there then!

Monday was hectic.  

It started off taking the 09.02 vaporetto to the market at Santa Marta.  My friend Caroline met me there.  This first stall sell delicious home made yoghurt and some cheeses.  Unfortunately the cheese stall I loved doesn't go there anymore.

The wine stall.  No I didn't buy that huge demi-john!

Just bottles.

At the meat stall - which had a very long, slow queue I bought cotecchino for Wednesday's dinner.

I also bought a beautiful cyclamen & primulas & herbs for outside.

The primulas, in a bowl with coloured paper & string around were €6 - a bargain.

After unpacking bags quick coffee & brioche before heading off on the vap to San Marco to go to Ratti to buy a paring knife.  Stroll back to Rialto.  Vap to Accedemia then home.  Lunch in oven - Italian sausage & scrambled egg.  Shower, iron, photos on blog, glammed up to go out.  5.03 vap to go to Ca d'oro to Circolo meeting.  They can't get DVD's to work so a member gives a one hour talk off the top of his head about the Italian detainees in England during the 2nd world war.  Prosecco.  Then out to dinner with friends.  Vap/ walk back home.  Chat to my sister in law on the phone Then bed.  You exhausted reading this?  I did it!

Tuesday Gaspare came to dinner - but that's another day.

Sunday in the fog

Here are my photos from my trip out in the fog Sunday.  In the centre of Venice the sun was shining, but I could see the fog hanging.

I took the vap the southernly route to Murano - it takes 1 1/2 hours & I was standing on the deck.

The first photos are of San Marco

Below is the campanile of St Giorgio.

Now you see it....

....then you don't!

Where has it gone!

Bricole.  Marker posts.

I think there is a boat there?

Evocotive mood pics.

Then as the boat turned into the Canareggio canal the fog disappeared again.

But you can see it hanging further down the Grand Canal.

By the time we arrived at the Rialto the fog was thick again.

This is only a few yards further down the canal.

A different selfie - my reflection in the vaporretto stop cabin.

The columns at San Marco almost gone.

I left Palanca at 1.30pm & got back about 5.15pm.  I just got off the gap at Colonna, Murano to have a hot chocolate, a tine slice of pizza & a toilet stop before getting the fast vap back to the station & changing to a No 1 down the Grand Canal then a No 2 back to Palanca.

I just had to go into the bar for a cafè coretto - an expresso with grappa.  medicinal, I needed to get warm.  LOL!

The light

At 4.20 this afternoon I went out to go to the coop supermarket.  The sky with the setting sun was amazing, so i ran back in for my camera.  I love this time of day when the buildings turn pink.  It was also slightly hazy looking towards San Giorgio.

The view of La Giudecca as I was leaving for Treviso this morning.  I was off to the Treviso Ladies Club.  I'm taking them on a walking tour of Venice in March.

Me, Csilla, a new friend & Bubbles who I've know for many years.