½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

This post made me chuckle as its always us Brits who are the last to complain even when we are provoked beyond all reason!My italian neighbours love to complain about just about everyone even members of their own family !We are just so polite!

try tea tree oil. Clean the area very well and apply at least 5 times a day.I drop about 3 drops of oil onto a cotton wool pad that I wet after.If you can put a bandage over it stops them licking it off! ( I use a  bandage then put a baby sock over the top!) I cured a nasty wound on my brother's dog this way and it was on the pad so very difficult.

It depends on the area around your house.Can you not make it a green oasis by planting trees and shrubs that will hide the views of bare fields? If the fields are ploughed when autumn rains come they will soon be green! And I've noticed that many farmers are starting to leave their olive groves unploughed to prevent erosion.It would be worth considering if your property could be affected in very heavy storms with earth and stones gettting washed from fields onto roads and paths.Hedges and walls could help to prevent this risk.

What sort of idiot would try to poison an already threatened animal- would you suggest that in the UK ? Sometimes I despair of some people here!! If you want to live apart from nature and wildlife please don't move to an old rural house in Italy!OTOH there will be other ways to deter the pine martens and I suspect that it will happen only at certain times of the year - we've had one or two on our roof but in 5 years its not been much of a problem.    

Point well made I did mean FENCES! Spelling a weakness!We do layer our hedges in our Cornish garden and have natural living fenches but in Italy the main problem would be watering as in the 1st year the new saplings would need tender loving care plus what about Roberto's manky gang of sheep and goats!!They'd chomp through wire I swear.Sorry but the reinforced razor wire solution is not very attractive ! It may keep out a few Badgers ( not particullarly worried about badgers) but it would look c..p wouldnt it ?I've actually done a bit of research and this website 'allotment gardening' gives some good instructions on contructing a rustic type fench that is quite substancial.I'd be keen to hear opinions! 

I am very reluctant to drive anywhere at night and would not consider going further affiield than our village unless it was an emergency.The last time we tried walking home from a restuarant I was kerb crawled even though my partner was with me!I've sat next to too many ½ûÂþÌìÌà males getting totally wasted on litre after litre of red wine at our local restuarant! And that's after spending all afternoon in the bar.Funny thing is that ½ûÂþÌìÌà women drink very little but those macho males would never let them drive home would they?And it's supposed to British youngsters that cause all the problems!

Can you record the call ?And put it on you tube?I've downloaded a picture of a Sardinian warbler in my photo gallery!

It would be cheaper to us a company like intasure who provide us with cover for about  £150 a year under a Holiday Home Policy.I like the Unicredito/Banca di Roma in Pescara and they've always been very helpful.I also have a Postepay Account that allows me to get cash from our local Post Office.I've put plenty of details and advice on myweb site and I've also got a diary section showing our rennovation project and its 'progres' !

Listen to both Sardinian warbler calls here as they do have a melodious as well as an alarm call!Otherwise it could just be a Jay but these are very easy to see as opposed to the Sardinian Warbler! 

Gail there is a Wildlife group for your strange bird tales.!I would say that this bird is almost certainly a Sardinian Warbler or Occhiocotto (cooked eye) in ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ.This is a common bird that does migrate but also in some areas overwinters .It is a very excitable species and makes the noise you describe when it sees a cat , snake, bird of prey etc. Like most birds in Italy they ( wisely) skulk around in the undergrowth so are quite difficult to see. Wrens make a similar noise but they are much easier to see.