Farewell 2014, Hello 2015

There's a quote I saw on the Internet a while back,
'Don't look back, you're not going that way'.
So I'm not going to,
although 2014 does hold some fantastic memories.

But here's looking forward to 2015,
and hoping it proves to be an amazing year,
not just for me & hubby and our family
in the UK, but for all of my friends,
both the 'real' ones and the ones
I've made thanks to the Internet.

Happy New Year!

With apologies for there being no pic with this blog - I'm posting from my phone & it won't let me load one - sort it out, please,  Blogger!

The Best Laid Plans

I actually thought it was a wind-up when I received 

the texts from easyJet as we walked through

the front door of our daughter's home in Solihull.

Hubby had flown into Stansted the evening before,

to join me for the last 3 nights of my month long stay in the UK,

and we were due to fly home together on

Friday 12th December.

Unfortunately, it wasn't - there it was in black & white
(or rather, black, yellow & blue) - I'd got to try and
transfer us both onto another flight.
Our daughter got out her laptop & I used my
easyJet mobile app so that hubby and I could co-ordinate
the transfer, but just as I was checking availability,
a call came in & because I made the mistake of rejecting it,
rather than letting it ring, I was locked out of the app
for 15 minutes; result: hubby managed to get on a Saturday
morning flight, I couldn't get on a flight until Sunday lunchtime.

So the one thing I'd been trying to avoid - saying goodbye to
hubby at the airport as he flew back to Naples without me -
was going to happen after all.
And it was one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever had to make.

Cantina Belvedere

Vista Panoramica

Hubby surprised me yesterday by asking if I'd like to go out 

for Sunday lunch. Not one to need asking twice, I knew exactly

where I wanted to dine - Cantina Belvedere, in Castellabate;

we've lived here for 4 years & not gotten round

to eating there yet.

Perched just below the castle, the

views from each of the terraces are stunning

(although yesterday was hazy, so the Amalfi coast

was nothing more than a ghostly silhouette).

We were greeted by our lovely friend Sara

when we arrived - she used to work at 

Bar L'Ancora down in Santa Maria, 

but back in the summer she'd changed jobs.

She beamed her bright smile & led us down

the steps to the main dining terrace, chatting

& finding it hard to believe we'd never

set foot in the place before now.

Bar Terrace

Shown to our table & left to peruse the Menu 

& not inconsiderable Wine List, I didn't know whether

to choose what to eat & drink or click away at the view....

choosing won!

As usual, we chose an Antipasto to share - 

Leucosia is a platter of fresh seafood,

including a Carpaccio of Tuna,

Marinated Anchovies & Octopus,

Gratinated Prawns & Baby Octopus 

on a bed of Lentils

Antipasto 'Leucosia'

I really wanted to try the Lobster & Pumpkin Ravioli,
but it wasn't available, so I decided to go with
the Sea Urchin Eggs & Clams, served with Black Pasta -
the dish did not disappoint

Riccio e Vongole

Hubby opted for Scialatielli Limone,
which came with Mussels & Clams

Scialatielli Limone

Dopo Pranzo

Washed down with an excellent San Matteo Fiano
from Alfonso Rotolo
(read about it here: http://www.alfonsorotolo.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=123),
we agreed that it was one of the best meals we'd had in a while

A Rutino produced San Matteo Fiano

And there HAD to be dolce - Torta al Cioccolato.
Looking a bit messy in this pic; I'm afraid we dived straight in!

Paestum Balloon Festival

Paestum Balloon Festival ends tomorrow, 

having run since 4th October. 

We went along this afternoon to watch

 the balloon launch, and these

are my favourite photos......

Of course, I took well over a hundred shots,
so I may post some more later

The 'Darth Vader' Bees

This morning, as I was standing on the terrace 

at 6.45, taking photos of the sunrise on my

Smartphone, two 'Darth Vader' bees whizzed past

at what seemed like breakneck speed.

They headed for the Lantana in the corner

of the front garden, so I hurried after them,

hoping to get at least a couple of usable shots

before they flew away.

I managed about half a dozen, then decided that 

it was time to get 'the big boy' out - my beloved 

EOS600D - and try some macro shots.

Breakfast time

The reason we've nicknamed them 'Darth Vader bees'

is because they are VERY black and VERY shiny and have a 

rather loud buzz as they fly around the garden;

although, on closer inspection, their wings are 

iridescent blue.....

Stained glass wings

Their proper name is the Carpenter Bee, and there are

500 species of them apparently.

Here's hoping they don't all turn up at once!

Hello 4 am, My Old Friend

Good morning 4 am, it's been a while since

we last met up for a cuppa.

Although I was a little reluctant to

say 'Hi' at first, you won me round

with that first sip of hot black tea.

And then, of course, you

pointed out that the Moon was at its zenith

above Leila's Mountain....

And the lights of Castellabate & San Marco 

(as well as all the 'extra lights' down in the valley,

now that the holidaymakers have arrived in droves)

look so pretty against the still black skies

Maybe we should renew our acquaintance some more.....

but could we leave it a couple of days, please? 

Supermoon Rising

We were just about to head into town

to, hopefully, catch a great shot

of the Supermoon hanging above 

Catellabate's castle, when I realised

that the fading sunset was worth 

capturing on my phone to post on Instagram....

Then as I turned to walk towards the driveway, 

I spotted the Moon, slowly rising above the mountain, so out

came the camera

 I zoomed in to capture that golden glow

And suddenly it didn't matter that I wasn't able to

capture the moment I hoped for above Castellabate - 

once again, the best photos were those taken 

'on the doorstep'