Spring is in the air...

Well, spring has finally sprung here in Italy. The locals are down to shirtsleeves or t-shirts, unveiling limbs which, unlike the British, are not lily-white from being hidden all winter but brown from those weekend trips to the seaside or mountains which all Italians seem to take as a birthright.

There is fluff in the air, some kind of pollen which, where there are many of these trees, makes you think it's snowing. Unfortunately this gives me hayfever which, combined with my cold, means I'm constantly sneezing and blowing my nose. This sets off a vicious cycle whereby my nose is irritated so I sneeze. This means I have to blow my nose which, in turn, starts bleeding (not severely, just inside). As the blood starts to dry, it irritates the lining of my nose which makes me want to sneeze - and here we go again. I even had a weird dream about it last night - the least said about that the better. The fluff is very pretty to look at but not so pretty to interact with.

Another unfortunate side-effect of spring seems to be an epidemic of horn-blowing. Normally Italian drivers don't use their horns (in the same way they don't use their indicators) but since the warmer weather has arrived, all I seem to be hearing is car horns. Now the thing about hitting the horn is that it may relieve the tension for the driver but it sure does wind up the innocent passers-by. Even the normally sanguine Italian pedestrian has been known to cast a filthy look at an inconsiderate driver. That's pretty serious here in Italy.

I went to Abbiategrasso on Friday. It's the next town along, only ten minutes by train, but the difference is remarkable. I don't know if it's because it's a smaller town or because it's the other side of the Ticino river (the theory put forward by my students) but the attitude is completely different. For one thing, it has a library! I'm sure there is one in Vigevano but I wouldn't like to try and find it (and even if I did I wouldn't like to try and use it). More importantly, there is a town centre, with shops, that sell things you want to buy (rather than expensive clothes and handbags). People sit around and talk to their friends and there are parks. OK, they aren't parks by British standards (but I've come to the conclusion we're spoilt) but they are more than dogwalking areas which is what I seem to have around me in Vigevano. The parks in Abbiategrasso have benches where you can sit and talk - benches in the shade so you don't get fried - and bins to put your rubbish in, and swings etc. for children to play on. I like Abbiategrasso however, I am honest enough to admit I don't know how long the 'like' would last if I lived there.

Anyway, enough of this rambling. I've got stuff to do (don't know what stuff, but stuff)

Ciao belli