The weather was a bit of a mix - not unusual for April - and we did lots of local trips for Mom's visit this time: Sanremo, Imperia, Dolcedo and Taggia. We also visited two of our favourite restaurants, Da U Titti and A Grillo, and had ice cream at Aldos in Riva Ligure.The highlight of the week however was the very nice day on the water Thursday, and the interesting visit to Grotte di Toirana on Sunday
11.04.2025
The boat was in the yard for 3 weeks, and beside the normal engine service and hull painting, they fixed two issues this year: installation of a rub rail on the bathing platform and repair of the fibreglass at the stern and reinstallation of the anchor roller (refurbished by me).
Bibi and I then spend a whole Saturday cleaning the boat and then we were ready for the first outing of the season when Birgit came to visit
31.03.2025
The famous Monte Carlo Rally goes over Col de Turini every year, so I thought I would check it out. The weather today was beautiful and being a Monday traffic was very light .. almost non-existent in fact.
I had a lovely day out and really enjoyed myself. It's great to be back on the bike and now I'm retired, I will ride more for leisure and less for commuting
23.03.2025
It really feels like spring and in the garden there are flowers everywhere. Yesterday was the traditional Milano-Sanremo bicycle race, and today I went on my motorbike 60 km up the coast to Finale Liguire to meet an old mate from university for lunch. It felt right to stop just before Diano Marina and take a picture of the monument to all the past winners of the bicycle race
18.03.2025
We haven't done much to the upstairs in our house. We don't really need the space and a - much needed - major renovation is not in our budget right now. Instead I did some smaller jobs to transform it into a hobby room: Took the cladding off the column and sorted the electrics, reused the cladding to finish the wall, installed a new set of shelving units and some lighting, and brought out our old wooden dinning table
09.03.2025
The weather has been really nice for about a week (Olly the tortoise even came out after 5 months in hibernation), but it's about to turn bad, so we thought we would go hiking before it did. We started from Diano Marina, where my parents met 60+ years ago, and went up to Torre dell'Alpicella. The view towards Diano Marina to one side and Imperia to the other was quite spectacular, so it's no wonder there are so many nice houses up there
22.02.2025
Bibi had some examinations Friday morning at the hospital in Genova, prior to her surgery next Thursday. We decided on an overnight stay Thursday and spend the afternoon walking around old town Genova. There is quite a lot to see. It's all narrow roads, no traffic, an abundance of little independent stores, bars and restaurants, and lots and lots of churches of course. For dinner we found an Indian restaurant, something that we normally don't see, but really love from our time in the UK
15.02.2025
Monte Bignone is a little further away than we normally travel for a hike, and we had to go through chaotic Samremo, but it was really worth it. The 11km route starts in San Romolo and has an almost constant gradient all the way up. On the top of the mountain is the cutest little church and the most magnificent views of sea and mountains. In fact, you can see the ocean almost all the way up and down
06.02.2025
Today was a beautiful sunny day, and Maria came with us for a hike, even though she had a lot of work to do. We started at the garden centre in Bussana and when up to Santuario Madonna della Guardia (closed for renovation), down close to the marina in Sanremo and back along the cycle path along the sea. Of course we stopped in Riva Ligure on the way back for an ice cream at Aldo's
20.01.2025
Hiking? On a Tuesday? Well of course you can, when you're retired. Today the weather was nice and we did a 7km hike from Riva Ligure up to Pompeiana, and past the 15th century Torre di Barbarasa, down to the seaside. Of course, you can't go to Riva Ligure without having an ice at Aldo's, so I did
15.01.2025
One of the best places around here to enjoy the sunset with a cup of tea is Torre del Gallinaro in Cipressa, a watchtower from the mid 1500s with beautiful views down the coast towards France.
Another place we love to sit, is in front of the kitchen doors, where the overhanging roof provides shelter year round. Our old IKEA rattan sofa was falling apart, but the cushions were lovely, so I made a new wooden frame
12.01.2025
Ever wondered what a Thuja hedge would look like if you didn't trim it in 10-15 years? Well, now you know. Our grew 2.5-3.0 meter sideways and covered a pile of large stones that I want to remove, although this will certainly not be easy. Some of the stones will be used to build a wall at the back of the house, which will form the beginning of my outdoor kitchen and garden shed (more about this later)
01.01.2025
Happy New Year! We had a lovely time in Denmark over Christmas with family, and Mikkel made it home from Greenland! Now back in Costarainera we're enjoying unusually warm weather. We went out for an aperitivo in San Stefano al Mare with Maria to see the sunset, and later in the week Bibi and I went to Da U Titti, which is one of our favourite restaurants but we hadn't been this year
20.12.2024
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 were 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
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