From the city to the countryside.

It's been a very long time since my last post... Again, all I can say is that we have been very busy lately but I'm willing to get back on track with blogging. A quick look back at the past months:

In the end of June we left our flat in Genova that we had sold back in February. We rented a small house in the countryside and in that moment our urban life ended. Our dream (and plan) of living in the countryside finally came true. The house was situated on the hill, immersed in greenery, surrounded by olive groves and woods. It was a magic place, a huge change for us after of those years of living in big cities.

Casa Rossa, as we used to call our temporary home.

There were only few other people living there, mostly elder farmers who initially welcomed our presence with curiosity but then very quickly became our friends. Their friendliness and generosity was very touching and, again, something new for us. We felt a part of that small community from the very beginning. 

Countryside people are very generous. Every time I went to visit Signora R. she wouldn't let me leave without a bag full of treasures: vegetables from her garden, eggs from her hens, home made jams, tomato passata and limoncello.

In Casa Rossa we spent half of the summer that was pretty rainy this year.

Our everyday views.

And within one or two weeks of our new life, we found our dream house, a final destination in our journey from the city to the countryside. After few months of an intense search we slowly were losing our hopes and than it suddenly happened: we went to see a house without any expectations and we fell in love with it instantly. It had almost everything that we were looking for so we decided to put an offer. It was accepted and within a month we moved in (lucky us, as the procedures usually take much longer; the ex-owners were very flexible in our case though).

The house is old, built in 1900 and has already gone through many changes and renovations. There are things that still need to be done but we love it even with its small imperfections.

And it's surrounded by breathtaking scenery: Ligurian hills and the sea in the distance.

A little corner of the world that we longed for and we can call our own, finally.

getting back on track

It's been a while since my last post... but I'm hoping to get back to more regular blogging. Last few weeks have been a bit overwhelming for us due to never-ending illness and other health issues. G.'s been sick on and off; at the moment she's stying at home with scarlet fever and I'm anxiously waiting for little F. to catch it from her (let's hope it won't happen). 

Meanwhile... the spring has blossomed and bloomed around us. Ligurian hills are so beautiful this time of year- covered with different shades of green, that very fresh, the very first green of the season. 

We've been on a house-hunting adventure since late February; we managed to sell our flat in Genoa and that gave us green light to change our dream into reality. It also means that we have to pack our belongings once again- it seems that for the past few years we've been living a sort of Nomadic life but we're really close to the the point where we will be able to unpack for longer (or so I hope).

So far house searching proofs to be a very exciting and at the same time very exhausting experience but I have a feeling we are just about to find a good place for our little family. Fingers crossed!

family of four

G: "I love my little brother!"

 

 

F: "Can I be any cuter?"

 

 

Mum: "I want to eat these..."

 

 

Dad: "Dude, you're in my spot!"*

Little F. is three months old already. I can't believe how fast time flies. It feels like he's been with us forever. I really don't remember the time when there were only three of us. Our family of four feels complete and happy.

 

* since F.'s arrival daddy usually sleeps on the sofa. Little F. sleeps with mummy and there's little space left for daddy. Daddy jokes about it often.

today's bliss

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Have a great weekend!

*

Snow!

We've finally had some snow here in Edinburgh. Not very much but enough to have some winter fun in the park. Me and G. went for a walk after breakfast; she was so excited about snow. The last time she had a chance to see it was over two years ago but she was too small to enjoy it. Today we run, laughing and we threw snowballs at each other and she was so happy. The park was filled with children and their parents, everyone sliding down the hills on their sledges, building snowmen and having snowball fights. It all reminded me of my childhood.

Now, when I'm writing these words, there's hardly any snow left but maybe tonight it will snow again. Winter without snow is definitely no fun.

Happy weekend!

Birthday baking.

Our Little Big Girl turned 4 yesterday. We decided to bake a carrot cake together. Unfortunately, it didn't raise but we still had lots of making it. G. really is a good and eager helper and if only she could read she would propably have let me know that I got the wrong bag of flour from the cupboard (plain one instead of self-raising). I didn't check properly so our cake resembled a huge pancake. We ate it nonetheless and it was delicious.

Happy Birthday my Four-Year-Old-Girl! (...when did you grow so big..?)

The baby bliss continues.

How time flies... Our little guy is already one month old. One month of never-ending bliss. He's such a sweetheart. We're all spoiling him with cuddles and kisses. His big sister can't stop caress him, she's so in love with him. My heart grows every time I see them together. 

He's such an easy baby too. He loves being bathed and changed, something babies rarely like. He cries very little, usually when he's simply hungry. Once the boobie is served, he's life seems beautiful again. All problems solved.

He's been really brave fighting his first cold too. After weeks of sickness, we all are on the mend, hoping for a quiet, healthy Christmas.

Sunday morning bliss...

Corner View: Thankfulness.

~Thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous blog post!~

There are so many things that I am thankful for these days but most of all I'm thankful for my little family. I'm thankful that my children are healthy. I'm thankful for all the love that surrounds me.

For more CVs, please visit lovely Francesca.

Corner View: In the sky.

Flying a kite, high in the sky...

I took this photo two weeks ago, in Holyrood Park, one of my favourite places in Edinburgh. The wind wasn't very strong that day but it was enough to play with the kite.

For more Corner Views, please visit lovely Francesca.

I will be visiting your corners later in the evening- today we're having gorgeous weather and I swear it feels pretty warm so I'm rushing outside with little G. We'd better take advantage of this weather, it may be raining tomorrow, who knows. We're going to the beach to enjoy this sun :-)

Happy Wednesday!

What we do when it rains.

We are baking. Blueberries muffins this time, our favourites.

 My little helper takes her job seriously.

Blueberries muffins recipe:

Ingredients (for 12 muffins)

300g wholemeal self-raising flour

100g caster sugar

125g butter (or margarine if you prefer)

160ml milk

1 egg

150g blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases.

In a large bowl mix the flour together with the sugar.

Melt the butter in a pan. Beat the egg in a jug, add milk and mix them together. Add melted butter and stir the mixture well.

Add the blueberries to the flour and stir them gently in. Pour the milk and butter mixture into the mixing bowl and stir gently until the muffin mixture just sticks together (don't over mix it).

Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and fill every muffin case. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Scottish autumn.

It is simply beautiful. Warm and sunny and colourful. Some days start with thick fog and clear up just after few hours, showing off the beauty of this season. These photos are the proof. I took them in the beginning of November, during our trip to Lanark. It's our first autumn in Scotland and I love it. I admit, I anticipated cold and dark and rainy time and instead I'm enjoying these golden days filled with sun and crisp autumn air.