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Can only add to the comments of Sebastiano and Russ, a bumper crop last year, but very few this year have formed. According to our neighbour this year was not going to be good anyway so an opportunity to prune well this Spring, which we did, also very little fruit due to the wet weather, apart from the pears, the figs though are doing very well and I will be making fig jam again, but plenty to spare if anyone wants to come and pick their own.A

Hi and welcome to Marche, quick promotion for our BBQ for L'Aquila on the 15th of this month, dont know how close to Amandola you are?, but you would be most welcome should you be able to join us.A

fairy nuff, you are a right!, phew has kept me awake at night!, thanks so much , can now google for books.Ax

One I very much enjoyed "Ciao Bella" by Helena Frith Powell, Subtitled "In search of my ½ûÂþÌìÌà father", another autobiographical voyage.Lovely book.One that Robert enjoyed as well so not a girlie book!And lets not forget Eric Newby...Love and War in the Apennines, still searching for that elusive author, whose name I forget .A

I am trying to remember the name of an author, whos books I very much enjoyed, one set in Venice another in the ½ûÂþÌìÌà countryside, autobiographical, bohemien, and amusing. I think she was Spanish or from Argentina, and she had a long triple barreled name, anyone help me out?...sorry my memory isnt what it used to be !A

Robert I could have lent you the Savage Garden, dreadful book, badly written, unbelievable, and a bit silly, but thats only my unbiased view you understand. Miss Garnets Angel is good, love the Zen series by Michael Dibden, Tim Parks is good, and I like Donna Leon. There is also another book out, Venetian Masters by Bidisha, which is also a good one to miss, I must compile a list of books I like, but just because its about Italy doesnt make it a good read.A

Hope everyone that was intending to come catches up with this, we are very scattered, and with the storms this afternoon communication has been again cut off, bear with us please,A

Thanks Andrew, hope that we will still get friends and family/guests attending, what weird weather, it must get better!A

But we can only compare. I worked in social housing in the Uk for many years, it is now residual, you just dont get it  as any right. most local authorities ,housing assc  are now dealing with homelessness, waiting lists are closed. There is no safe haven there. Actually whilst some old people accept meals on wheels, many dont with the best will it is still something you have to pay for , you might be better served forming an alliance with the local cafe or pub.its a bit late but I do believe that you can still whilst resident here, also claim for UK benefits. But in the end you must decide where you want to live, and if you feel worried that Italy wont serve you well when you become old, then it may not be your choice to live here.me , life is full of choices and in the end, you can only do your research and then make a decision. I hope that you find one you are comfortable with.A

A sad story Serge. But much the same could apply in the UK.If you are old, require care, own your own home and have no dependants living in it with you, then that has to be sold to finance your nursing care. And a decent place does not come cheap.This was the case for my mother-in-law.If funds had run out then she would have been required to move to a place where we would have been very unhappy to see her in, so the family would have had to top up, over and above the basic allowance (cannot remember what this is now.)So not so different. What happens here, if you have no money?, I can only assume that in those circumstances the state provides.A