Rest In Peace Helle

Helle & son Thor in her shop, Outdoor 45

We thought it was strange when Sven & Helle

didn't come over from Denmark to stay at the Old House on 

Leila's Mountain last October - they always came for a few days 

before the November rains began. At the end of the month

Sven e-mailed to let us know that Helle had

been diagnosed with cancer in August & 

was undergoing treatment. 

Although they were both shocked, 

Sven sounded pretty positive that the treatment would work.

Unfortunately, it didn't; Helle passed away yesterday morning.

And we have to say 'goodbye' to one of the most beautiful, 

positive, enthusiastic & energetic women we have ever met.

Rest In Peace Helle, it was a pleasure to know you.

February Brings The Snow

February is the cruellest month.

It brings the bitterly cold north wind and,

quite often, snow - as it did on Monday.

The first snow to fall on Il Sogno this winter....

First snowfall

Admittedly, the first snowfall wasn't much, but in the afternoon, 

whilst we were visiting our friends Paola & Attilio, it started again.

Snow in Cenito

As we drove home, we could see that Leila's Mountain

had a coating of the white stuff

Winter coat

And on Tuesday morning, the view was clear enough

to see the snow sitting above the Amalfi coast

once more

Snow on 'Il Molare'

Buona Domenica!

My latest addiction is Instagram -

posting a 'Buongiorno' photo each morning

has become part of my daily routine.

Coming up with new ideas for

photos is a bit of a challenge, and

I've always been one for a mental challenge.

This morning I was feeling a bit of 

'photographer's block' (if there is such a thing)

as I trawled through photos on my Smartphone.

Then, inspiration struck - and out came the

Rosary beads.

I very rarely use them, but they were

blessed by Pope John Paul II back in 1994, 

when my composer friend Alison had an

audience with him.

So what better pic for a Sunday? 

Buona Domenica!

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