So we're sort of settled in the trullo. I appologize for the lack of pictures this post, I am not on my computer. I hope to post some pictures in the next few days. Also, it should work to post comments now.
This week has been a little crazy. Jonny was sick for the start of it, and I was sick for the end. Moving into a home isn't easy when your coughing or blowing your nose every two minutes. Nomade, on the other hand, was ecstatic to have new things to smell and things to see. For the first few days, she didn't understand that she was no longer living at the Netti's (our friends), and kept running over to their house. Also, she has found a little buddy to cause a ruckus in the fields with. What Nomade doesn't know is that, in a month or so, we will have to forbid her from seeing her blond male pal...puberty is tough for us all.
So, we tried to make the cold trullo our home. We spent a little money to decorate and bought plenty of rugs to keep our feet warm. Nomade has adopted all of them as her own (we thought ahead and bought them all in dark tones to match her fur). We have a few plants and some pillows. The living room is empty, but it's cold in there and we prefer the kitchen anyway.
The house was FREEZING for the first few days, and I did not particularly enjoy having to wear a coat indoors. We figure that no one has lived in there since September... the house just needs a little love, and it'll warm up. We have lit many roaring fires and Jonny especially loves the fireplace. Yesterday, we cooked sausages on a grill on the fire! It was amazing!!!
Living in a house is splendid. The trullo is a lot of work because it is a little rustic, but I'm enjoying it very much. Sometimes I feel like my day is: sweep, tend to fire, cook, eat, do dishes, feed Nomade, and repeat about 30 times (yes, we eat that much), but I don't want to complain. After living on the road for so long, there is something comforting in this little routine.
I am finally going to start painting again. I want to paint a series of photos I took in the last year. I am starting by painting a scene of mine and Jonny's favourite beach in Thailand. It is where we spent a wonderful month in Koh Lanta. I hope to hang in it the bedroom to bring a little warmth.
The weather has been splendid in the last week, which is much to our surprise. You see, on February 2nd it was 'la festa del orso': the bear holiday in Putignano. Before I get into the bear holiday, I need to give you a little background information. Right now, carnival is in full swing in Putignano. As the oldest carnival in Italy, the Putignanese take this celebration very seriously. Although Putignano is a town of only 28 thousand, it has its own holidays, traditions, dialect, and friendly rivalry with neighbouring towns. In Noci, the town 3 kilometres away, the locals speak a completely different dialect, and it's pretty fascinating! Italy is so rich in culture, but more on that later. Back to the bear. The bear holiday is the Putignanese version of groundhog day, only a million times better in my view! If the weather is nice during the day of the 2nd, the bear can go out an build a new bed, so he will be in hibernation for another month, so winter will stick around for a month! If the weather is lousy, as you have likely guessed, the bear can't build a new bed, has to wake from hibernation for good, and spring time comes. So we spend the 2nd hoping it's going to rain or snow or hail or thunder or anything, and in the evening we head to the city centre's plaza to hear the results. We went to the centro storico's piazza, and were entertained with a lovely show. There were dancers, musicians, and a little play (mostly in dialect) with nice costumes. The play was a trial, with a lawyer defending the bear who was accused of farting and stinking up the carnival. The master of ceremonies left it up to the children in the crowd to choose the bear's verdict. It ends up the bear would be eaten with potatoes and rosemary. Those kids may be savage but at least they know how to cook a mean bear. Anyway, we moved on from the jokes, and the lady bear came to announce that she was able to build the bed, and that winter would stay for another month. Damn. Well, joke's on her, the weather has been gorgeous all week, but still a little chilly.
I have to go get ready, we're going to the city to watch a parade!
Bear day, trullo and carnival photos coming up in the next few days!
MC
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