Back to Dark!

So, we left Italy on the night of the first. I will admit, I was a bit sad; I am always sad when I leave home but this time especially since we didn't get to do any of the things we had planned so well in advance. As Rob put it, we work hard during the year and this was our time to relax and sadly we were all sick and trapped inside the house. It was a missed opportunity! Anyway, we were now on our way back to London. Emilia was an absolute angel on the plane; she is so used to flying that she knows exactly what to do and when. As soon as we get on the plane and find our seats, she fastens her own seatbelt. She then opens her table and puts her books, colors and toys on it. While we are on air, she constantly checks if the light for the seatbelt is on, and if so, she promptly fastens it. She loves looking outside the window, and if we fly at night, she admires all the lights. It has become so much easier to fly with her now. Thankfully, the queue at passport control at Stansted was inexistent and we quickly got into our booked car. Everything was running smoothly...until, we got home! We arrived home around midnight to find a very cold and dark flat to welcome us! Apparently, the flat had been without power since the morning of the 31st. We burned some candles, bundled up and went to bed hoping to solve the issue the day after. 

So, as soon as we woke up, Rob starting phoning all the emergency numbers and long story short nobody could do anything! The weekend was approaching and we were still in the middle of holiday time and the emergency team failed to help us out. We were at home without power for almost four days before an electrician was finally sent to check what the problem was. Since everything tuns on electricity here, we had no light, no heating, no hot water and we couldn't cook. It was a nightmare but thankfully we managed. Rob bought a very long power extension and we connected to a socket in the hall; at least, we could make a warm cup of tea and have some lamps on! It was terribly cold out, so eventually we also had to buy a little electric heater that again we connected to the socket in the hall using our super long extension. The thing we missed the most was hot water! I had to go to a local hairdresser to get my hair washed! In the end, we had some light, we had a little heater, and we could eat take-away from the local restaurants, but nobody could give us hot water! Some of our friends offered their help and we did take advantage of it a bit, we did laundry at a friend in the building and we went to other friends for a nice and warm meal as well as an afternoon playdate. 

By Sunday afternoon, however the flat got so cold that we couldn't bear staying in, so we went to a near by shopping centre, spent a couple of hours window shopping and then eventually we dined there. It was the first time Emilia went out and after more than a week spent inside my parents' house and then three full days in our flat in London, needless to say, she was super euphoric to be out and about! 

We were all very happy when eventually the power was back on Monday afternoon but at the same time it was kind of sweet to be in the flat wearing cosy loungewear, covered with lots of blankets and with very little light, lots of candles and the Christmas tree on! 

Christmas 2014: Christmas Day

As it has been tradition for at the least the last twenty years, in fact, for as long as I can remember, my parents hosted the Christmas lunch. This year, like last year, they also hosted dinner on Christmas' Eve and lunch on Boxing Day. As usual the house was wonderfully decorated and most of the decor was either handmade by my mum or a collaboration of work between my mum, grandmum and dad who used all the greenery from the garden to create amazing centerpieces and wreaths. My mum never decorates the tree in the same way twice but this year I was able to convince her to reuse the beautiful Christmas fairies that she had made last year for Emilia. Emilia was quite little last year and didn't really get to enjoy them, I knew this year she would have loved them. I quite like the yellow one, I think it is my favour, while Emilia leaned more towards the green and the white.

The night before, after our Christmas' Eve fish dinner, we all helped decorate the table for the Christmas lunch and I think we did a lovely job. This year we used a silk tablecloth that I bought in Libya back in 2000 and as usual Bea took care of the placenames.

Emilia was still not in great shape (can you see her eyes?!?) but at least she was able to sit with us and somehow enjoyed her lunch. She napped for a good two hours and then there was the ritual of gift exchange with my mum dressed like Santa! I only wish she was feeling better to really appreciate what was going on; she barely looked at the gifts and was too weak to get excited. Although, there was a sparkle in her eyes when the Peppa Pig gifts were being delivered and she selected a stuffed lion as her favourite booty!

All in all, yes, it could have been a better Christmas if we were all healthy but it was nonetheless good to be at home with the love and warmth that only family can give you. I hope you were all able to celebrate Christmas with your beloved ones.

P.S. In case you are wondering why my uncle Luciano is dressed like this, he came to lunch straight from work! Yes, he is one of the few people who actually work on Christmas Day :)

Happy New Year!

2014 is here, already. I don't know if it is a general feeling, but I personally don't know what happened to the last couple of years. Perhaps, it is normal that time starts to shrink when you get older; when I was younger, I thought I was going to be young and strong for the rest of my life and the rest of my life seemed so far away. You just don't think about those things that adults/old people are concerned about when you are young and time doesn't concern you at all! Things are different now, I guess I am just, simply, getting old. In reality, a lot of things have happened and a lot of things have changed but still, it feels like yesterday when Rob and I got engaged. 

At the end of every year and consequently at the beginning of every new year I think about my life, my achievements and my goals. As I mentioned above, a lot of things have happened in the last couple of years, the biggest event of all being Emilia's birth, of course. Needless to say, as I am sure every parent would confirm, Emilia has radically changed my life. She is the number one priority at the moment, and, I don't mind saying it, she is quite challenging and demanding. But I love the challenge and cannot think of a better gift to give yourself than a child. She discovers something new every day and is so eager to learn. She is a very curious and active baby and it is absolutely inspiring to look at her as she makes her way into the world. And to me, the world looks better and more interesting through her eyes.

This year we welcomed the new year in a very low key way. Rob and I had dinner at home with my parents, grandmum and uncle Luciano. Emilia was in bed at her usual time and the rest of us enjoyed a lovely fresh fish dinner and simply opened a bottle of champagne at midnight, while admiring the fireworks. We were all in bed by 00.30! Again, one of the many changes a kid brings to your life! 

The first day of 2014, however, was a very packed day. We cooked and played together. Lots of activities and colouring-in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Emilia even had her first go at making pizza. She loves playing (and eating!) the dough! A true Italian in the making :) Happy 2014 everyone! Have a good one.

 

A Customised Christmas

This Christmas was all about customisation! Just a few examples...

My mum welcomed me home with a pair of personalised slippers, which I loved. 

And I went nuts with personalised items! First of all, I made a burlap bag for all of Emilia's gifts. Needless to say, it was a big hit. However, it wasn't big enough to contain all the gifts...Emilia is one lucky (and super spoilt!) little girl!

She also received an activity book: a countdown to Christmas with different activities for each day.

I also made a similar book for Rob...in fact, it is Emilia's gift for her beloved papà. It's a little book with reasons why her daddy is brilliant, what makes her smile, what they enjoy doing together, and there are also spaces for pictures of the two.

Christmas is always special but this year my parents' house really turned into a magical space. When my mum asked me how she should have decorated the Christmas tree this year, I requested fairies for Emilia. My mum is a very crafty person but I could have never imagined she would make such beautiful fairies. They are a masterpiece. Twenty-six handmade fairies and lots of stars ornate the tree this year. They are all different and all beautiful. Well done, mum!

 

And given that fairies was the theme, my cousin Beatrice made paper fairies as placenames. Aren't they super cute? Emilia had hers, of course!

 

Overall, we had a jolly day and I am already looking forward to next year!