Here we go again...

Hello my lovelies and a very Happy New Year to you all. I know we're well into January but better late than never I say.

My news:

Well, I've moved back to Italy. I'm now living in a small city called Vigevano which is about 30km south of Milan. I have a house of my own (rented not owned) but with loads of space. So much so that I use the ground floor as the teaching space and live on the first floor. This means I no longer have to trudge around Vigevano going from house to house and teaching in people's homes, now they come to me. Yea me! More time to myself, all my resources in one place and a teaching space I can customise to mine and my students' needs.

I will also be working in Milan although that doesn't seem likely to start until the end of January. If it was like the pre-Christmas contract, it will be fun and highly satisfying.

Health-wise, I've had a warning from the doctor about my high blood pressure and I'm on medication for it. The drug is working but it knocked me sideways at the beginning. I have to lose weight which means eating less and moving around more (neither of which are my favourites). However, I don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life so I get I'll have to get things going.

In view of that, the 90 minute walk I did this morning should have helped. It was only supposed to be a short walk (from the shopping centre home) but, somehow, I managed to turn the wrong way when I left the shopping centre and walked for twenty minutes (but into the most beautiful countryside) before realising I was going the wrong way. So, a twenty minute walk back to the shopping centre - I told you I went in the wrong direction - and then the short walk home (which actually took 50 minutes, mainly because I had to walk on the roads as the pavements are still covered in snow).

I was helped in this by the shopping trolley I bought. Yes, I have joined the ranks of the old ladies with the pull-along shopping trolleys. Mine is big and orange, and today I filled it to capacity with stuff for the house (kitchen stuff mainly). What fun!

I've opened a bank account, got connected up to the internet using one of those mobile keys (it's a bit dodgy but it's better than nothing), started making inquiries for a doctor who speaks English and had my first dinner guest. Ch came for dinner on Saturday and we had risotto followed by the most gorgeous salmon steak (I knew it was fresh as I'd seen it cut off the fish) both accompanied by a bottle of wine and lots of life-changing conversation.

Right that's about enough to keep you all going for a while.