We have always said that when I retire, we would buy a Fiat Panda. It's the perfect car for us, it was literally designed for city use and tight country roads. Anyone can fix a Panda if they go wrong, and parts are readily available and very affordable. We bought a new, but pre-registred, 2024 car in the "Pandina" campaign spec, which includes rear parking sensors, cruise control and Bluetooth radio. We would have liked a yellow car, but couldn't find one ready to deliver, so we chose a white instead
17.12.2024
It's been a while since we have been out hiking. With Christmas coming up and Bibi leaving for Denmark early, we though it would be nice to get out. We started in Arma di Taggia and hiked up to Bussana Vecchia, an old town destroyed by an earthquake and now re-inhabited by people with 'alternative lifestyles'. It was a beautiful day with temperature of up to 16 deg
17.12.2024
It's December and in the garden we have so many oranges this year, it's unbelievable. The orange squeezer I got for my birthday will come in handy. We brought herrings - a Scandinavian speciality - with us from Denmark last time, so we had traditional Christmas lunch on Saturdays.
Sunrise and sunset are spectacular this time of year, so I included a few pictures
16.12.2024
I have taken voluntary redundancy from work and I'm now officially retired! I've had 5 great years with General Motors in Torino, and almost another 5 years with Dumarey after the sale, but enough is enough.
It's time for me to focus on my hobbies: house, garden, boat, hiking, cars and bikes. Pretty traditional, although I will not be taking up golf nor going fishing!
24.11.2024
For my 60th birthday Saturday 23th November, we went to a restaurant called Umami in Badalucco , where we hadn't been before. The menu was delicious, with local game as the main course, and we treated ourself to an outstanding 2017 Barbera d'Alba Superiore. On Sunday, Bibi made Sachertorte and hot chocolate for us. My present was an orange press (we have lots of oranges in the garden) and an new pair of waterproof motorcycle boots
17.11.2024
We have planted 12 oleander in the front garden to shield us a bit from the neighbours. We bought the standard red, pink and white, but was also lucky enough to find two yellow, which are less common.
Last weekend we went to the olive festival in Imperia, which offers all kinds of local produce, and we did buy olives and olive oil, but also some smoked ham that we rarely see in Italy
09.11.2024
We had a lovely couple of days in Denmark, first with Birgit & Buller and later with Helle & Lars. We visited Randers Regnskov and celebrated my 60th birthday early with a wonderful dinner at Det Gamle Apotek before going to Kettrup to enjoy the wild nature on the west coast. Sadly, I caught covid somewhere and passed it on to our friends, which was obviously unfortunate
26.10.2024
With the aluminium window painted white, a new ceiling light installed and the extractor connected, the kitchen in our apartment is now finished. You might notice that there is no hob. This is to save precious worktop space, and we do have two portable induction hubs stored in a drawer. Also, the kettle and coffee machine is on a cupboard next to the coffee table. I'm quite pleased with the kitchen, it turned out much as I had imagined
26.10.2024
Sadly, the motorcycle season is over. I have done 41.833km in ten seasons on my Triumph 1200 Tiger that I bought new in 2015. So the 2024 mileage of 4.145 is almost exactly average, but is made up of 11 round-trips to Torino (for work) and only 75 additional km. I do love commuting on the bike, it is so much easier getting in/out of traffic in Torino, there are some really wonderful road on SS28, and it is usually a full 45min faster than by car
12.10.2024
For Mum's fall visit I had planned a 830km 3-day round-trip to Provence, mainly to see some Roman sights: Arenes d'Arles, Amphitheatre of Nimes, Maison Carree, Pont du Gard og Theatre antique d'Orange. How often do you see two +2.000year old arenas on the same day? Never, but you can in Arles and Nimes since they are only 32km apart. On the way back we did a spectacular drive over Mt Ventoux and through Gorge du Verdon to Castellane
28.09.2024
Today the weather was nice, but the sea too rough for sailing, so of course we went hiking. We took the scooter up to Cappella di Santa Brigida and did a 9.6km round-trip mostly in the forest. Towards the end we came back on familiar tracks and got some spectacular views of the landscape and the Mediterranean in the background
16.09.2024
Solar panels makes total sense in Italy, but to make economic sense you need expensive batteries. ENEL now offers turn-key systems with 5year interest free financing, and we bought a 6kWp solar system with a 14,5kWh battery system. Time will tell how far that gets us, but we can always add to the system later. Installation is due before the end of the year