"Two Weeks and Counting"
Buongiorno, everybody!
Here we go again with this weeks' recounting of my week...
Okay, we'll have to backtrack a little to Thursday, the 5th. On Thursday night, Alle came home from work and told me that he wasn't feeling well - perhaps he'd caught the cold that Andrew had on Sunday? We ate dinner and went to bed early after he'd had some aspirin (the nasty kind you dissolve in water...ewwww!).
On Friday night, he said he still felt poorly (he was coughing and blowing his nose again and again, bless...), and he decided to fore-go swimming in an effort to rest and fight the cold. More aspirin and an early bedtime followed.
Saturday and Sunday were much the same. Both days, Alle stayed in bed, taking aspirin (the only "drug" or "pill" he'll take) and napping, while I read Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? in its entirety. (A great book, by the way - I highly recommend it to all!) We ate light lunches and suppers, mostly soup and bread, and looked through Alle's photos of trips he's taken over the years - Paris, Amsterdam, St. Petersburg (Russia), Egypt, Tuscany, Ireland... I enjoyed them all, most especially the Ireland shots, as these were where the first photo he sent me of himself came from. I suppose it could be argued that Ireland is where I fell in love with him...?
Monday was a typical work day, really. So, I stayed home while he worked, and I went for a walk by myself after studying and then eating lunch. He called me and told me we'd have to go to the Stato Civile on Tuesday instead of Wednesday, as Rob couldn't get away from work to accompany us as interpreter. Alle's friend Roberto was available on Tuesday, but was leaving for Belgium on Wednesday. So, Alle had to switch our appointment, no problem.
Tuesday came and again, I accompanied him to work so we could make our appointment more easily. We left and then made our way to town, but were unable to find a place to park to catch the free bus we usually take for these soujourns. So, I suggested that we just park somewhere close to town and walk - it was a pretty day, and the Prefettura wasn't far, after all...and besides, the Stato Civile was just a short walk from there, as well. So, we walked after parking behind Croce Verde, and after a short stop to buy another one of those fabled stamps (remember those, they show that you have paid fees for government services?), we picked up our paperwork from the Prefettura and went to file for the publications at the Stato Civile. Roberto met us in the piazza and we went in, gave the necessary information, determined our date and time for the ceremony, and we were done. :) The rest of the day was spent at Alle's office, and then we went home after I'd laughed myself sick looking at www.fark.com. He didn't swim (again), still feeling too under the weather to make it. (Poor thing...) Another early night for us, then...
On Wednesday, I spent my morning updating my site, working on the "announcement", and then studying a little. I read after lunch, took a small nap and relaxed, and then made a bean soup for dinner after Alle got home. A fairly uneventful day, but quite pleasant, all the same. He made phone calls to friends without internet access, to invite them to the wedding and give them the information they needed about how to dress, etc. Eventually he wrapped this up (he can only spend so much time on the phone, after all), and we turned in for the night shortly before Rob and Andrew arrived to visit with Alle's dad. We opted to stay in bed and sleep.
Thursday, I went down to Rob's flat to work on the announcement (the Italian version), and Alle called to suggest changes and alterations. I found Rob's encouraging email waiting for me, suggesting that perhaps, while Alle's away in Russia, we should have a "Girls' Night" on our own? I thought this was a good idea, but warned her - I'm not much for clubbing and bars and such... what would she suggest? After working on the computer, I went back upstairs to study and then have lunch. As the afternoon wore on, I did some laundry, read, and felt progressively more tired and a little "ill". By the time Alle got home, I wasn't hungry at all, and while he and his dad had turkey and peas for dinner, I opted to enjoy bread and milk, instead. See what I mean about being a party animal? Alle gave me a chocolate Baci (which means Kiss - it's a special bon-bon, with chopped hazelnuts mixed with chocolate truffle, a whole hazelnut on top, dipped in dark chocolate, wrapped in a "love proverb" written in several languages), which I enjoyed in spite of my sour stomach. Anyway, Alle had still more calls to make, so I went to bed around 9 p.m.and he joined me some time later, apologizing for leaving me alone for most of the evening. Bless his heart, but somewhere along the line he's hurt his back... He'd complained of discomfort for the last few days, but we thought it was probably the cold manifesting itself in a peculiar way. Last night, he hurt badly enough that he needed to take one of my muscle relaxers(!). At least he was able to get some sleep...
Which brings us to today. I'm in the office once again, since we're meeting several people for lunch, and it wouldn't make sense to go all the way to Reggio Emilia to get me to join them, eh? I've chatted with Linda, his workmate and Guido's (the boss') secretary, who is learning English at a local school. (She's very good!) Mostly, I've contented myself with the aforementioned Fark.com, and I reckon I'll study a bit of Italian this afternoon, after lunch...
Tomorrow, Alle and I are going out for a little "alone" time on San Valentino's Day... We're going to choose our rings, and then go for a drive in the "country", then maybe we'll find a place to eat or get some takeaway from the Chinese or Indian restaurant... On Sunday, we're supposed to go to a nearby town and take a tour of the ruins of a castle, led by his friend, Mariachiara. I think it'll be fun, especially if we get the warm(ish) weather they're predicting for the weekend.
And that's it for me... I hope you're all doing well and are relatively free of concerns and worries on your end of the world. Thanks for all the well-wishes I've received in regards to the announcement, too - Two weeks and counting, as I said! We're both getting a bit nervous and edgy at times, nothing too outlandish, mind - but the suggestions of well-meaning friends is causing some tension, here and there. It's beyond the capability of some folks to grasp the simplicity with which we'd like to celebrate. No, I don't want a bouquet of flowers; no, I don't want a fancy gown; no, I don't want a huge, elaborate wedding cake, etc. But people keep posing these questions to Alle, assuming that I want "what every [other] woman wants".
Oh, well...some things never change, eh? LOL!
Ciao for now, all!
Vi voglio bene!
Kim
