Still taking it easy in Putignano

We are loving Putignano! It’s still freezing cold in our trullo but the weather has climbed to a splendid 20C. We’ve started eating meals outdoors and are spending as much time as possible playing outside!

We’re still in the process of figuring out our future, and have given ourselves until June to decide. Jonathan is considering going back to school, and has begun contacting people. I’m sort of waiting to see what he’s doing to apply for jobs. I’ve applied to a few, but am not worried.

I am currently outside on my patio table with my laptop. It is gorgeous here! The birds are chirping, the fruit trees are still blooming, my puppy is so happy she is bouncing around, and Jonathan is laughing it up playing lawn bowls with Donato in the backyard. I am in a happy place!

Last week, I went to my friend Ioana’s English class to make a presentation. She wanted someone to come to her class so her students could hear a “native-speaker” accent. I’m not a native speaker, but speak it pretty well if I can say so myself. Anyway, I had a great time making a power-point presentation and speaking in front of the group. A nice man came to me and said in Italian “I don’t speak a word of English but understood everything you said!” I would say it was a success.

Jonathan and Gianni were nice enough to make me a bunch of canvases to paint on. I am nearly done my first one despite spending the week in bed sick. I’m just waiting for it to dry to add the little details. I have a wide range of choice for my next painting. Jonny made me tiny canvases, and I think I will go paint the landscape around my house on them. I’m looking forward to painting outdoors for the first time.

Jonathan has taken a liking to drawing. As geologists, it’s important to know how to sketch the landscape quickly and clearly, and he is improving by sketching outside. He usually gets out of bed at 7 and takes Nomade for a stroll. He sits on a stonewall and sketches while the puppy does her favourite thing: hop around in tall-grass fields. I am usually asleep while all of this is happening, but I went with them one morning. Jonny was sketching a gorgeous trullo while I was walking around taking photos of the blooming trees. We were in somebody’s field, but the gate was wide open, the field was empty, it was 7 in the morning, and we weren’t bothering anybody. After a little while, an angry man called us over. I stayed near the wall, while Jonny went to see him, smiling. The man lived nearby and was very rude to Jonathan. He implied that we were thieves and that we shouldn’t wander around. I was wearing a baseball cap and I was far away, but once I yelled at Jonathan to see what was going on, the man realized I was a girl. He then backed off and said that if he had known we were a couple of teenagers (a regazzo and a regazza) he wouldn’t have said anything… Anyway, it was weird. Some people just love to stick their nose in everything, even when two people aren’t doing anything wrong!

In other news, Leo, Angela’s tiny cat, has a cold. We have been giving him extra cuddles this week.

Also, Angelo, the smallest pony, has become less timid. His mother is pretty protective and used to get a little testy when we approached him. Now, he is free to come and say hello, much like his sister Liduina does. The only thing, is that he loves licking us! His cute little tongue is so soft and strange. When I was there, he kept going for a good 5 or 10 minutes.

He’s grown up quite a bit since we’ve been here, and it’s beautiful to see. Valentina, the mommy pony, is pregnant, but won’t give birth until September. I would love to see her give birth!

We are still having an amazing time in Putignano. We are still playing cards with our neighbours nearly everyday. We love French Tarot! It is a very interesting game that takes a bit of thinking, but it so much fun.

I will try to update more often!

ps. There's one more thing. I sprained (or hurt) my ankle while hiking in the wood picking wild flowers. It made for a glorious bouquet, but I've been immobilized for the last few days. I hope it will be better tomorrow, so I can go on fun walks with Jonny and Nomade!