Oct
30

On the train and around town

2006 | Filed Under Italy, Milan, People | Leave a Comment

We headed off for Genova at the weekend and we had quite an interesting train journey. Sitting opposite, as remarked upon by my three year old, were no less than three English speakers. I sat quietly and listened in on their conversation. It turned out that the three people were a couple of Californians now residing in Tuscany and a South African setting off back to Durban by cruise ship from La Spezia. The Americans were an interesting couple. He was a retired TV script writer who had worked on the US versions of English TV comedies including Step Toe and son, if you remember that one. (Even I only just remember it) His wife was an ex (I think) sculptor and had inspired the creation of a book called ‘The Reluctant Tuscan’, which was about the guy’s, Phil Doran, attempts to get to grips with life here in sunny Italy. He did not speak much Italian, but was trying to learn the lingo and his wife Nancy, had already got quite a good handle on Italian, despite not being as young as she once was. Oh, and the writer, who has already sold a few books, by the way, said that a certain Mr and Mrs Travolta (Yes, those Travolta’s - no Saturday night fever please) had taken out an option on Phil’s book. The other guy, the South African, chatted about Black Americans and the problems in South Africa, but did not seem to dislike Black people too much, just to go against the stereotype and even brought up the subject of Indians in the US, or Native Americans, as they now seem to be called. Fair enough, they are.

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Oct
24

Chocolate pasta

2006 | Filed Under Italian Food, Italy | 3 Comments

I forgot to mention that at the Paolo Sarpi street fair we picked up a bag of ‘cocoa’ flavoured pasta.  It’s brown, as you would expect and is real pasta, not just chocolate dressed up to look like pasta.

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Oct
24

The mind of a three year old

2006 | Filed Under Italy, My son | 6 Comments

My little one asked me, in Italian, why I don’t speak to him in Italian.  I replied that it was because I am English and that it is important and useful for him to know another language.  He seemed to accept this, but his progress with English is not promising, not to me, at least.  I guess that is down to his living here and being surrounded by all things Italian.  He is now insisting on seeing all films in Italian, not in English, which is a problem because it means that his exposure to English will be limited to the words he hears from little old me.  Not that I don’t speak to him, it’s just that with him being at school and me being at work, our paths do not cross that often.

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Oct
19

Belated post - Sarpi street fair

2006 | Filed Under Milan - My Zone | Leave a Comment

Sorry I have not got round to this sooner - I’ve been busy, and when I wasn’t busy I was tired. Anyway, the Sarpi street fair here in Milan was up to its usual good standards, even if there weren’t as many stands as last year.

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Oct
11

Done!

2006 | Filed Under Milan, Work | Leave a Comment

Almost an hour and over 10 signatures later I find myself with a shiney new bank account for business purposes.  I have noted that both accounts are accessible via the same home banking log-on, which is a mixed blessing - they both have the same name, so I’ll just have to be careful that I don’t do something with one account when I should use the other.  Fiddly.  Still it should keep me a little more organised, which is a good thing.

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Oct
11

Vat/IVA

2006 | Filed Under Life in Italy | Leave a Comment

I mentioned in a previous post that the government here was about to introduce legislation which forced businesses and those registered for VAT/IVA to make all payments on-line.  This legislation was due to come into effect on the 1st October.  I also commented that the new requirement would cause problems for many, although not myself.  Well, the government has gone and done a small about turn, as I was expecting and the new requirement will now be effective from the 1st January next year, surprise, surprise.

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Oct
9

Panic stations

2006 | Filed Under My son | 3 Comments

It looks as though our son’s problem eye is going to become a problem once again. This could mean a least a week in hospital and yet more antibiotics for Marty.

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Oct
8

Expensive schooling??

2006 | Filed Under Italy, Milan, My son | 5 Comments

The cashpoints/atms/bancomats that I use are presenting a happy little message regarding finance for the purchase of school text books at the moment.

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Oct
8

Grumpy little boy

2006 | Filed Under Italy, My son | Leave a Comment

Our little one seems to have been getting more and more grumpy recently. Tantrums over silly little things such as using his plate for crisps, or not letting him wipe his own bottom. Trivial stuff, if you are an adult, but not if you are 3.5 years of age.
We’ve tried to establish what is the root of these mood swings and have a few theories. Too much sugary food? Not enough time with mum? The change from ‘do what you like’ day nursery to the higher level of discipline at nursey school? Not quite sure.
The other day I was told that our little one had deliberately bumped his head on a desk and had been earlier prevented from nutting a mirror. He has a temper, that is for sure. I’ve been raising my voice more often and having to discipline him more frequently too. He is spoilt, and I’m guilty of buying him too many toys. However, I think this is quite normal with an only child. He behaves well at school, but can be a monster with his parents. We are firmly in the “I want” phase - with phrases such as ‘I’d like’ and ‘can I’ being distinctly absent. You have to remind him to say please too.
Odd things children. Giving in seems to make them worse, whereas being more authortarian seems to make them unhappy. The difficulty seems to be finding a happy medium.

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Oct
8

SMAU

2006 | Filed Under Milan, Technology and Gadgets | Leave a Comment

If you don’t know, SMAU is a computer and technology exhibition which is held annually here in Milan. Being a bit of a geek, I usually go.

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Oct
4

Islands in the stream - Italian bureaucracy

2006 | Filed Under Italy, My son | Leave a Comment

Somewhere out on the WWW I read about an Italian guy who had had a child, but wanted to avoid getting involved in all the bureaucracy which follows. I can relate to his feelings.

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Oct
4

Accosted, once more!

2006 | Filed Under Italy, Me, Milan | Leave a Comment

This time I was accosted by a not unattractive young lady who said, ‘paper’, saw my confusion and motioned her hands around her nose and repeated once more ‘paper’.  After a few moments of blankness I got what she was after and rummaged around in my briefcase for a packet of paper tissues.  I could only find one tissue and I’m not that sure whether it was ‘virgin’, if you know what I mean.  Ooh er.  Anyway the young lady gratefully accepted the ‘paper’ and thanked me.  Her blond big lipped female companion said ‘Have a nice evening’ in what seemed to be very good English.

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