Another 30 Days Have Passed.....Only 40 Left To Go

So today I've reached Day 60 of 

my personal #100happydays challenge on Twitter.

Some days I find I have so many 

'happy moments' it can be difficult to choose

which one is the best.

Other days it can be so easy, as just one moment 

or photograph can make the day.

Today was one such day......

As we were walking back to the car after our afternoon walk,

we came across this couple down at Porte delle Gatte taking a break 

from their wedding photos. 

I congratulated them as I grabbed my camera 

& asked if they minded if I took a shot.

They smiled & I 'pointed & clicked'.

So I've added it to my collage of photos from Day 31 to 60

And, whichever way you look at it, I've managed some fab 'happy moments'....

Here's to the final 40 days

Barefoot Bride

Late yesterday afternoon I witnessed 

my first beach wedding on La Spiaggia Pozzillo 

(yes, that's right, we've lived here 3 and a half years

and it's the first time we've actually managed

to be down at the beach as a wedding was about to happen).

Amanda had chosen to go for 'barefoot Boho', and these

are some of the photos I managed to sneak....

Bride on Balcony

Barefoot Boho chic

Looking back

Dad & daughter

Dearly beloved

To have & to hold

And The Caterpillar Is Now A Butterfly

This is a shot I took on 1st May.....

Come on, let's crawl

    And this is my first shot this morning.....

Just hanging around

Yes, the caterpillar has today emerged as a butterfly.

I just wish I'd been up early enough to spot it as it happened.

Waiting to fly

Oh well, one for the 'bucket list'

Finding Out The Hard Way

Well, the good news is, Bianca is repairable,

for around about €800.

Or we could have a new front bumper & foglight

for about €1500.

Either way, the cost is a lot lower than I expected,

which is good.

So the long weekend in Rome to see Bastille

is no longer under threat......and we don't need to

start playing the lottery.

But the bad news is......

we were assured we'd been sold a 'fully comprehensive' policy.

Now that hubby's had an accident, we've discovered that it isn't.

And it's a little scary to think that if

Bianca was involved in a really bad

smash & was a total write off, that would

be €30k+ wiped off our savings in a blink.

Maybe we should start playing the lottery after all.

Hanging Around

I'd tromped down to the washing line in 

my flowery wellies (you can see them here:

http://cilentofairytales.blogspot.it/2014/05/the-path-to-washing-line.html)

to hang out today's laundry.

As I was pegging it out, I spotted a 3ft high grass stem

blowing in the wind, with something weighing it 

down, making it bend lower than the other grasses......

Hanging around

And so I managed to capture my 'Pic of the Day'

The Tickets Have Arrived - At a Cost

My Smartphone rang at 12:16.

It was an Italian number I didn't recognise,

so I rejected the call. As soon as I'd done so,

it suddenly dawned on me it might actually

be the UPS guy trying to arrange delivery

of the coveted Bastille 'Rock In Roma' tickets.

Hubby phoned him back & arranged to meet him

in the car park of the local supermarket, 

as is 'the norm' for anything we want delivering 

to Il Sogno.

Getting the tickets was going to be probably the

best #100happydays moment so far, and quite

an appropriate one for Day 50 - the 'halfway point'.

Unfortunately, the 'happy moment' has been marred

somewhat by hubby being involved in a crash

as he left the supermarket car park.

Luckily no-one in either vehicle was hurt.

But the other car is a more than likely a write off.

And now we have the joys of trying to 

sort out an insurance claim......

in Italian......in which we are by no means yet fluent,

especially when it comes to something like this.......

in an area where hardly anyone speaks English.....

oh, what fun!

Cinghiale - The Beasts Of Leila's Mountain

One of the joys of living in a National Park

is that hunting is banned, so it is not

unusual to have cinghiale (wild boar)

foraging in the garden at night.

All the locals tell us that no-one ever sees

these rather ugly beasts, but we have -

more than once.

Back in June 2012, I spotted Mum & 3 young

just below our lower wall.....

And this morning I disturbed one in the olive grove

as I was watching the sunrise....

That One Unique Shot

Yesterday saw the first wedding of 2014

in Santa Maria for my wedding planner friend Julie

(you can find her here: http://www.mysecretitaly.com/).

And for me, this was the perfect moment of the whole afternoon

 - a shot the official photographer didn't capture because

she'd already preceded the bride into 

La Torre Perrotti.....

The 'Dinkquecento'

 I've always loved the Fiat 500,

it is such a cute car, and the older

models especially are just so tiny.

In fact, I think they are so cute,

I've named them the 'Dinkquecento',

and these are my favourite ones around town so far.....

And Whilst We're On The Subject.......

These are my beloved Icone killer heels, bought back in

2006 from my favourite shoe shop in the UK, 

Belle Scarpe, at The Mailbox in Birmingham.

I lusted after them for ages, but at an original selling price

of £320, no way was hubby giving in to my pouting.

Eventually they were in the sale.....and they still had my size

in stock....at £198 they were a definite bargain; 

this time the pouting worked, and the shoe lust was satiated.

Of course, new shoes mean new handbag....

but I couldn't find anything I liked in Birmingham.

So, the following Saturday, I was 'on a mission'

to find a red handbag in Leicester, and I wouldn't

give up until I found one.

There were a couple of possibilities in Fenwick's
but I quickly discounted them....
then I spotted a Coccinelle bag on the highest
 display shelf - it was perfect.
I asked the assistant if I could take a closer look.
"But that one's £120, Madam, I don't think
you'll want to pay that".
If it hadn't been exactly what I wanted,
I would have walked away.
Instead, I calmly replied,
"Having paid £198 for the shoes it's to match,
£120 is not a problem".

The bag is mine.....and I LOVE it!

Not Good Enough For Gucci?

I have loved the Gucci Bug ever since hubby

bought me the exquisite pink keyring as an anniversary present

in August 2005.

'Bug' has gone everywhere with me ever since - I don't

use her as a keyring, I clip her to whichever handbag I am

using that day. 

When I subsequently discovered that Gucci also sold

pink Bug sandals, they became the most coveted 

item on my wishlist.

10 months later we were in Porto Cervo, where 

there just happens to be a Gucci shop.

We were browsing when I suddenly let

out a squeal of excitement - they had a pair

of said Bug sandals on display.

The male assistant asked if I was OK & 

when I said that I would like to try on the bug sandals

if they had them in my size, he called to a female

assistant who was in the stockroom.

She popped her head round the door,

snootily looked me up & down and refused

to come out to serve me......

I obviously didn't look 'moneyed' enough

to her and she probably thought I wouldn't 

actually buy anything.

12 months later, we paid a return visit.

I was wearing my Gucci watch, my Gucci sunglasses

& my beloved Bug sandals.....

the same assistant practically fell over herself to serve me

Is Anyone Free on 26th July?

I first saw it on my FB TL whilst I was

back in the UK, so I text hubby to ask him 

to check it out.

We've not done it for years, so it would be

really cool to do, especially as it would mean a stopover.

He never mentioned it again, but then

it popped up on my TL again on Thursday evening, 

so I asked him.

He said he'd not been able to get

very far as he doesn't have an Italian Visa card.

While he went for a shower, I checked it out

for myself. It wasn't sold out, which surprised me.

And it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be.

On the spur of the moment, I filled in my details.

I fully expected for them to be rejected, 

but they weren't.

I even received a confirmation e-mail 

before I'd left the website.

So it would appear that I have bought 2 tickets

to see Bastille play in Rome on 26th July.

Hubby is not best impressed......

anyone care to join me?

The Path To The Washing Line

Yesterday I posted a photo of my flowery wellies as my

#100happydays pic - nestled amongst the wildflowers

that dominate our almost acre of garden at this time of year.

I wear them when I have to tromp down 

to the washing line, which is strung between some of

the olive trees below the house.

There isn't a path as such, I have merely worn a 

track through the spring flowers, starting here....

and wended my way down through the grapevines,

ducking under them just here,

and making my way towards the olive grove.

It's lovely hearing all the bees buzzing as they dart between

the flowers.

Some of the grasses are now taller than me,

and it can seem a bit of a trek, especially if it

starts to rain & I have to dash out to retrieve the washing.

But then again, my washing line probably has one of the most

stunning views in the world

Taste The Spring

It is early evening & hubby is cooking dinner.......

I have 12 minutes in which to dash outside with my camera

and try to capture the bees buzzing about in the wildflowers

at the edge of the terrace before the sun sinks

& the day loses heat......

First shot

Better angle with the second shot

This was my Flickr 'Pic of the Day'

What big eyes you have!

In flight

Coming in to land

And although the bee's not in focus in this final shot, 

I love the fact that you can seen the laden pollen sacs

Sunday Morning Coffee

It hasn't been much like May so far.

In fact, yesterday was one of the wettest

days of the Spring to date.

But this morning dawned beautifully bright & clear,

so I was able to take my mid-morning coffee

on the terrace.....

Such moments remind me why we called this place

'Il Sogno'

An Afternoon In Castelnuovo Cilento

We hadn't taken our 'proper' cameras out for a while
so, as it's not quite 'beach weather' yet, we

decided to take a run out in Bianca to Castelnuovo Cilento. 

It's a medieval 'paese', 280 metres above sea level,

about 45 minutes drive from Il Sogno.

The original tower dates from the 13th century;

the rest of the castle is 18th century.

And although it's not as magical as Castellabate

(we've yet to find a place that is), it does afford some

amazing views and fab photo opportunities.

So I'll let the pics do the talking....

View to Monte Stella

La Chiesa Santa Maria Maddalena

Closed for lunch

Vespa Rossa

Terracotta roof tiles & verdant green hills

Within these walls

My #100happydays moment

Might Hobbits live here?

Madre Teresa - courtesy of hubby