From the city to the countryside.

It's been a very long time since my last post... Again, all I can say is that we have been very busy lately but I'm willing to get back on track with blogging. A quick look back at the past months:

In the end of June we left our flat in Genova that we had sold back in February. We rented a small house in the countryside and in that moment our urban life ended. Our dream (and plan) of living in the countryside finally came true. The house was situated on the hill, immersed in greenery, surrounded by olive groves and woods. It was a magic place, a huge change for us after of those years of living in big cities.

Casa Rossa, as we used to call our temporary home.

There were only few other people living there, mostly elder farmers who initially welcomed our presence with curiosity but then very quickly became our friends. Their friendliness and generosity was very touching and, again, something new for us. We felt a part of that small community from the very beginning. 

Countryside people are very generous. Every time I went to visit Signora R. she wouldn't let me leave without a bag full of treasures: vegetables from her garden, eggs from her hens, home made jams, tomato passata and limoncello.

In Casa Rossa we spent half of the summer that was pretty rainy this year.

Our everyday views.

And within one or two weeks of our new life, we found our dream house, a final destination in our journey from the city to the countryside. After few months of an intense search we slowly were losing our hopes and than it suddenly happened: we went to see a house without any expectations and we fell in love with it instantly. It had almost everything that we were looking for so we decided to put an offer. It was accepted and within a month we moved in (lucky us, as the procedures usually take much longer; the ex-owners were very flexible in our case though).

The house is old, built in 1900 and has already gone through many changes and renovations. There are things that still need to be done but we love it even with its small imperfections.

And it's surrounded by breathtaking scenery: Ligurian hills and the sea in the distance.

A little corner of the world that we longed for and we can call our own, finally.

Catching up...

I haven't been a very active blogger lately but I'm willing to undust this space a bit and bring it back to life. If I have anything to say in my defense it's that life has been pretty overwhelming as of late and I don't seem to be able to find a quiet moment to catch up with it. This month has been particularly overloaded with events, family celebrations, school activities, dealing with some personal issues, planning for a trip to Poland, preparing for a removal as we need to leave our flat to its new owners in the end of June and on the top of everything- our house search adventure continues. It's been a lot to deal with but we're slowly getting there (wherever it is that we are heading too ;-) ). 

Happy Wednesday!

(The photos are random, taken during our last trip to the sea last weekend)

...

These past few months have been up-and-down road for me and now I feel I'm speeding straight down with no brakes. Few days ago my beloved Grandad passed away and I still can't come to terms with his death. I wish I could say he died peacefully but I can't. It happened so suddenly and I simply feel shattered. The fact that I cannot be with my family in this difficult moment makes my heart ache even more. So many words I didn't say to him... I feel empty.

We told G. that he grew wings and flew to the sky and that now he lives in the clouds. "Isn't he cold out there?", she asked with concern. I hope he's not. I hope he's safe and warm and in peace.

getting back on track

It's been a while since my last post... but I'm hoping to get back to more regular blogging. Last few weeks have been a bit overwhelming for us due to never-ending illness and other health issues. G.'s been sick on and off; at the moment she's stying at home with scarlet fever and I'm anxiously waiting for little F. to catch it from her (let's hope it won't happen). 

Meanwhile... the spring has blossomed and bloomed around us. Ligurian hills are so beautiful this time of year- covered with different shades of green, that very fresh, the very first green of the season. 

We've been on a house-hunting adventure since late February; we managed to sell our flat in Genoa and that gave us green light to change our dream into reality. It also means that we have to pack our belongings once again- it seems that for the past few years we've been living a sort of Nomadic life but we're really close to the the point where we will be able to unpack for longer (or so I hope).

So far house searching proofs to be a very exciting and at the same time very exhausting experience but I have a feeling we are just about to find a good place for our little family. Fingers crossed!

Hello March!

I’m so glad that February is finally over. Every year it proves to be the ugliest, the coldest, the most dreadful month that brings nothing else but melancholy and sickness. This past February was especially unkind: cold and rainy and dark. We all got flu at the same time; having two sick kids at home is never fun but being sick yourself makes it ten times worse. I don’t think I’d ever been that sick before. The misery lasted for over two weeks; finally we got our strength back.

But March... Oh, March… it feels so much better already. It’s still cold, the trees are still bare and we are still in our winter jackets but I can already feel spring in the air. The season of awakening, my favourite. And this year, it’s going to be special. I just know it. 

Wintering.

January is almost gone and I don’t even know how that happened. The New Year started with a big bang, G. turning five, and then our days, previously filled with activities (settling in, catching up with family and friends, celebrating Christmas etc) suddenly became quieter, flat and flavourless. I switched myself into hibernation mode and I seem not to be able to wake up. It’s been raining a lot lately and it feels as the rhythm of rain is the rhythm of these January days: a bit melancholic and overwhelmingly monotonous...

Italy

I can't believe it's been almost a month since we moved to Italy. So far it feels a bit like being on holiday: we're visiting places, catching up with family and friends, eating lots of ice-cream, enjoying the sea, soaking up the sun. We still feel amazed by all the colors around us. I can't stop staring at perfectly blue sky, it's  so beautiful. I must admit, I feared a bit coming back to Genoa but every day that passes makes me feel we've done the right thing; the moment was right for us. And I guess I came with a different attitude and expectations which made this transition much easier.

And seeing kids' happy faces helps too.

:: october ::

These past few weeks have been pretty challenging for me. As we are getting closer to our moving date, I'm trying hard to go on with daily life and don't go insane. Most of our stuff is already in Italy but there are still bits and pieces to pack and at the moment we all are trying to live in this mess that surrounds us. Having two sick kids at home is not helping either but there surely is a funny side of it too: Baby F. (who's not really a baby anymore- 11 months old today; I mean eleven! Boy, time flies fast, doesn't it?) is helping me to pack boxes by getting inside them every chance he has :-) He's an adventurous boy; started crawling at the wee age of 5 months, now he's almost walking but what he loves the most is climbing wherever possible (or not- he tries nonetheless).

I've been stressing and worrying a lot about our move ("what if old issues return?") but I know that in the end everything will be fine. I feel like I've grown up and matured a lot since we left Italy almost 4 years ago and I'm really ready (and happy) to go back and start from square one.

And just to add some balance and peace to my hectic days, I'm knitting a lovely October project with the yarn that feels like heaven.

Today...

...I finally picked up these books from the bottom shelf where they were gathering dust for way too long. I think it's time to start improving and polishing my Italian- I only have few months left before our new adventure starts. We are ready!

The baby bliss continues.

How time flies... Our little guy is already one month old. One month of never-ending bliss. He's such a sweetheart. We're all spoiling him with cuddles and kisses. His big sister can't stop caress him, she's so in love with him. My heart grows every time I see them together. 

He's such an easy baby too. He loves being bathed and changed, something babies rarely like. He cries very little, usually when he's simply hungry. Once the boobie is served, he's life seems beautiful again. All problems solved.

He's been really brave fighting his first cold too. After weeks of sickness, we all are on the mend, hoping for a quiet, healthy Christmas.

Sunday morning bliss...

All is full of love...

~Baby Francesco~

Our little boy arrived on the 16th of November. He made us wait for him much longer than we expected but he's finally here and we are all over the moon. We all are infinitely in love with him. 

The labour was everything I planned and hoped for. It was a drug-free delivery and just like Gaia, he was born in water, in a calm and peaceful environment, in the presence of his daddy and two wonderful midwives. I was in full control of everything and it was pure magic. Everything went exceptionally well and we left the birth centre just few hours after the birth. Now we're resting and bonding and getting used to the new member of our little family. So far Baby F.  seems to be a quiet  and relaxed baby. Just sleeping and feeding, sleeping and feeding...

♥

Pregnancy update.

The fall this year is beautiful. The time of waiting filled with excitement and anticipation.

I cannot believe that in less than two weeks Baby F. might be with us. It seems like this pregnancy has passed so fast, way too fast. On one side I'm extremely happy, waiting with excitement for the big day but at the same time I'm a bit sad that so soon my bump will be gone. And I really love this bump. I love feeling this baby moving inside me. I tickle his foot, I gently pat his bottom (at this stage it's really easy to guess what is what). G. comes spontaneously to hug my bump. She places gentle kisses on it. I will miss these beautiful moments. I can't wait to see her being a big sister.  This pregnancy has been so generous for me and I've been enjoying it so much. No pains, no problems I had when pregnant with G. I remember that towards the end of my first pregnancy I felt so exhausted, heavy and tired that I really prayed for her quick arrival (and she arrived one week after the due date, I was really powerless by then). But this time, I feel so much different. I didn't even put on weight that much. There is this huge bump and then there is me, still wearing my maternity clothes that I bought 4-5 months ago. I feel strong and full of energy and ready to welcome Baby F. We all are.

I have my worse days, of course. Last week I went down with terrible cold and couldn't stop coughing. If the baby had decided to arrive last week, I wouldn't have been able to push him out to this world on my own. Since natural and drug free labour is the only option I consider, I'm really glad I've regained my strength and energy.

Everything is ready. All clothes are washed, ironed and put away. The bed cot is set up, the hospital bags are packed, all important phone numbers are in hand. I finished writing my birth plan this morning and the only thing that needs to be done is CD with music for the labour (I'm still choosing the songs- any ideas?). And I still need to wash the cloth nappies but I'm waiting for the delivery of some new ones.

All is good. And full of love.

Corner View: Imagine...

These days I spend lots of time imagining what it's going to be like when the new baby arrives. Sometimes it is so hard to imagine. When G. was born our life changed forever and since then she's been the centre of it. It still feels a bit unreal that there will be another person in our life to love .  My fast growing belly and first timid baby's movements make it more real every day though. I'm filled with joy but at the same time I have my worries. How to prepare G. for the new arrival? How to assure her that the love we feel for her won't be divided by two but it will multiple itself? Here's a question for you, Moms of two and more. I'd love to hear your stories.

For more CViews, please visit lovely Francesca.

Happy Wednesday!

Corner View: Mother

I've been wanting to come back to Corner View for a long time now but never had enough time or energy to keep up with our weekly meetings. But the theme for this week seems like the best moment to get back on track with Corner View and, at the same time, to share some wonderful news with you.

I am a mommy to one happy girl and soon I will become a mommy to another little life. 

This is why I had to survive three months on pasta with pesto diet (the only food that didn't make me nauseous) and this is why I've been feeling so tired lately. But I could not be any happier!

Happy Corner View!

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Sometimes I wonder if spring will ever appear in this corner of the world. Will I ever swap my winter boots for light ballerinas? Will we ever go to the park to play in full sun? Will we ever stop wearing mittens and scarves? It's been so cold here, it almost feels as it was much warmer back in December than it is now, in the end of April. We are so tired of it. Tired of this greyness around us, steel skies and depressing rains. We had few very warm days few weeks ago and people say that it was our summer: came and went in a blink of an eyelid. 

Last few months have been quite heavy on us but we're slowly getting our energies back. C.'s operation gave us new perspective on many things in our lives. G. is getting better and I want to believe she is not suffering from asthma. And as for me, I survived few weeks on pasta with pesto diet and from now on, it can only get better.

I'm still here...

It's been so long since I last posted here that I don't really know how to start writing again. After short, cold, rainy and grey summer I fell down into black hole of sadness. The lack of sun and light wiped out any bliss from my days so there was really nothing I could share here with you (in the end, this blog is supposed to be about bliss and "all those little things that make life great"). But, luckily, it is all behind me (so I hope). We've been having beautiful autumn here, with reasonable amount of cold winds and rain. It is warmer now, in the end of October than it was in July. Leaves have turned red and yellow, the sun has lowered and the light is mellow. I do like it, a lot.

(the photos for this post are random; both taken in North Berwick )

***

So it is Spring, in full bloom.

Suddenly, the world around us has become so full of green. Birds sing again, the sun shines and people smile more often. It all feels good, now.

The past few weeks have been pretty heavy on us. With never ending illnesses and weakness, my unexpected hospitalization, sick child, broken toe, stressful search for a new flat etc., our energy supplies have been a bit too low. We all are on the mend right now, believing tomorrow's better.

Certain things became official few weeks ago and we're facing some big changes. We're full of anticipation, happy and a bit nervous at the same time. I will be writing about it soon. There are things ahead of us that we're excited about. But there are also first separations to go through, not understood by little hearts. And that breaks my heart too.

Corner View: different perspective

Last weekend I looked at Genoa from different perspective. I was scared I might have discovered that  our decision of moving back to London was a mistake but it didn't happen. I was sure we did right (so was C.). I did feel nostalgic though (my child was born there) but it's also true that we weren't happy there. We simply weren't ready to go and live in Genoa at that time. I'd love our little family to settle down in Italy one day but we know some things are worth to be waiting for.

Happy Corner View!

For some more different  perspective, please visit Theresa.

PS I will post some more photos from our short trip soon.

Birthday Girl.

I get to blow the candles today, more than one of course. Today I think more than usual of time passing and life changing year by year. And I can honestly say that I like what I feel. I still have head full of dreams and  no certainty they will ever come true but I like where I'm now in my life. I feel happy. Lucky. Blessed.

And maybe I get to blow the candles but guess who gets to eat all that chocolate cake! Little G., of course.

Corner View: Pondering.

I ponder a lot about our future. Where we are now and where will we be? Will we ever find our place, the place where we finally be able to grow our roots? And how long will it take us?

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For more Corner Views, please visit Theresa.