Sarzana

Another town we used to visit quite often.

And yet again, the favourite cafe was closed. Well never mind, since it was Valentine's Day we treated ourselves to posh nosh at a Ristorante.

 Andy Warhol here in town?

Not our cup of coffee, so we crossed the square and trained it back to La Spezia for a gelato.

San Terenzo.

A walk over to San Terenzo.

A cutie parked outside,

our stop for an americano sat in the warming sun.

Over to Lerici

 Not by my favourite means of transport, the trolley bus, unfortunately

 The castle in the sunshine.

And a clear view of the horizon on this visit.

Some interesting home on the hills.

La Spezia Art Museum

 Titian - Portrait of a Man, Venice 1576

Turner - East Ligurian Coast.

La Spezia, Marketing

First order of the  day, visit the local market for supplies via an orange tree lining avenue. Every street seems to be lined with fruiting orange trees.

 A fish market to envy. So many stalls and so many fish types to choose from.

On the opposite side, fruit and veg.  Sorted.

Milan Station

The way to the trains.

 Slow,

and supper fast.

Miniaturitalia, 2018

Our stall just before opening time.

As last year, our neighbour was the lady making artist's materials, paint brushes, tubes of paint etc.

Milan, The Nouvocento Art Museum

 A gallery with only 20th century art.  With a quirky entrance.

 A high view of the Duomo from where Mussolini used to 'harangue' the crowds in the square below.

Our favourite work by Antonio Donghi's, Margherita (1936)

This lady was enjoying the art, honest. A little tired my be?

Milan

We took the No. 9 tram,

to a eatery we know,

by the canal.

 After a rather nice lunch, boarded another tram, the No. 10, to the home of the last supper.

Rock and Roll at the door.

Wandering around, opened a different door onto marble floor art by Bobo Piccoli.

Miniature Art, Milan

In a couple of weeks we are off to Milan for our second Doll House Fair and our third visit to that city in the last twelve months.  Pictured are a few of the friends who will be with us on this trip.  

Of course, as last year we a taking the opportunity to stay in Italy a little longer, this time with trip down to La Spezia.

Recovering the Past

Going through family photographs for the Whitworth Gallery, I came across this gem.  Brother Mark and I struggling to put up a tent.  This image from around 1960, the Wolseley a pre-war model built in 1947.

Film - The Post

A very timely film, which cannot be an accident. The story line covers the stealing of the so called Pentagon Papers in 1971 and their subsequent partial publication in first the New York Times and a couple of days later in the Washington Post.  The papers are a record of successive US's governments real take on the war in Vietnam.  And this before wikileaks. The Nixon administration tried unsuccessfully to shut the press down.  Sound familiar? Well, as back then  American will survive again after you know who goes back to his normal business.

5 on the door for Tom and Meryl. They really should have worked together earlier than this. Didn't look like acting at all.

Book - Vroom with a View

A fun read, particularly if you are a fan of all things Tuscany. Isn't  it strange how someone else's written words chime with your own received impressions of a place or experience.  3 on the door for Peter.

Moving On

 From the drawing board to,

the workshop, or should that be playshop? Time to start making the furniture.

Blooming Heck

Amazing.  Six flowers breaking out with another FOURTEEN to come.

And bloom they did. Brilliant.

Drawing a Line

Having taken five years to write, Creating a Wake - a Granddad's Stories is finally bound.

Ballet

Swan Lake by the Russian Ballet of Siberia which we saw at Saint David's Hall in Cardiff last week.  Stunning.

Back to Normal.

Of course, a couple of days later, snow no more.

Char Kway Teow

At last, I have gotten around to making a char kway teow for myself.  Set out  under an oil painting from Singapore of the Malacca coast with orchids about to bloom on the table - our new Penang corner in the kitchen.  Prawn crackers too.

View from atop Cefn Gelligear

Parking up,

we took a stroll up the hill

to view the Beacons,

and further round to the west, the Black mountain at the other end of the National Park

We were not alone.

Snow in Hengoed.

Snow started to fall quite heavily in the late evening,

 making our neighbour Ron's bungalow look very cosy.

The planters started to fill up.

 An early rise to catch the sun up,

well rewarded.

Pretty in full sun too.