What's everone doing today?

[granny moss]

BL, you must be quite young. I read all the work you do, and how busy yuo are. It must be very satisfying and interesting. I have, out of all the things collected, one venetian glass and 22 carat gold tessera, fallen from the inside of the mosaic on the cupola at St Mark in Venice. It was given to me by a stewart in st Mark, when Micky and I were visiting while on our honeymoon. We were so young!...He looked at us, looking at the beautiful mosaics, and approached us and said to me: You are leaving Italy ...and I like to give you this small souvenir of your " homeland, when you will be so far away !...and he pulled out of his uniform front pocket, this lovely ocean/green blue glass covered in gold....It is over a thousand years old !...After many years of taking care of it, I managed to find a jeweller that turned it into a lovely pendant, and it is now held in a lovely gold chain. I have given all my jewellery away to the girls in my family, but the pendant and chain I have kept....Told Jenny it is for her when I am gone. Take care and be happy. gmx 

[sparky]

Wow, a really hectic 90th birthday, a trip to the bank to sort out a pin problem, then a walk up to the surgery for some hearing aid batteries,  might go the whole hog and switch the TV on later.    

[zoony]

Good for you mate. Many happy returns.

[granny moss]

I feel much better today...I have finished a watercolour of a marine with boats and little houses....then I started one to be painted tomorrow, of a white and red lighthouse...Looking forward to doing it...I have now filled 24 pages of my journal ! I love to look at it, as it is very colourful and it cheers me up....! gmx

[sparky]

Thanks zoony, Yes and I am still sober 

[zoony]

Had an optician's appointment earlier. I broke my reading glasses first week of lockdown and in the best tradition, fixed 'em with electrical tape so looked like a schoolboy. All well and no real change since last time..Fish 'n chips for tea.

[GrannyMac]

Thanks zoony, Yes and I am still sober 

Happy birthday! A little celebratory drink perhaps? 90 is a great achievement  🎉🍾🍷🍻

[biglouis]

BL, you must be quite young. I read all the work you do, and how busy yuo are. It must be very satisfying and interesting.

Im 76 next birthday and I dont feel young! Sometimes having customers to attend to is the only thing that gets me out of bed! I imagine your painting gives you a lot of pleasure too! I do a lot of hand embroidery and there is something about working with ones hands that brings an immense feeling of calm and pleasure.  I also keep a daily diary and have done for over 20 years. Yes I am a very busy person. Its not my nature to sit about and watch TV unless there is something really interesting on.


I too love Venice and its my favorite European city. Ive visited many times and have a great collection of carnival masks. Not the cheap tacky made in China ones - the real handcrafted ones. I once went to a mask making workshop to see how they were done.

Ive read a lot about that fascinating city  and its history and have some very fond memories of it. I last visited 3 years ago but its not a city for people like me with mobility problems.  All those steps and bridges. I doubt i will see it again.

How lovely that you managed to have a mosaic fragment turned into a piece of jewellery. I always enjoy it when my customers send me pictures of them wearing items they bought from me. Many are re-enactors so they like to re live the past in those wonderful southern mansions.

[GrannyMac]

I've only been to Venice once, our son got married there. Not many of us, but it was special. The bride arrived at the town hall in a water taxi, we had a fabulous Italian feast, then we all went out in gondolas.  People were waving and clapping when they saw it was a wedding party.  We had a lovely few days.

[zoony]

I lived in Venice for a while around 1975..It was a vibrant place. I shared an apartment with a lovely, petite lady who was a brickie..I kid you not. Feminine to the max but her hands could've sand-papered a banister..We had a balcony and were just south of an old hostel for the used-up whose regular characters were thought-provoking to watch go about their slow, daily round. We also had a view of Santa Monica pier which, at night, was a magnet, all lit up and distantly tuneful with it's indoor carousel, one of two, the other in Atlantic City in those days. I remember more than once, reminding myself where I was and where I'd come from as I watched the roller-skaters show -off between coke cans and the self-conscious musclemen work out at Gold's beach gym and the beautiful people parade along the main drag..Alongside the occasional homeless guy/gal rummaging through the bins and tourists. (Pan-handling..)

[granny moss]

Good morning everybody ! Oh, Zooni and BL, what amazing memories you have ! I LOVED reading about it ! It is my hope that you will write more about them...Venice is very lovely and the locals, very friendly, but I never wanted to live there....I was only about an hour away, in a much smaller city. Married in the local city hall, a palazzo totally Venetian in construction....Because the region, Friuli, was part of Udine, Trieste, Venezia, called Venezia Giulia, or le tre Venezie. Trieste and Udine and Venezia were part of the Austria Hungherian Empire till 1877 or 1887 when it was then ceded to Italy. I happened to be in Udine when the 100 years of annexion were celebrated...The Rome carabinieri band was playing in the central Piazza near my home....! Udine had a huge mound in the centre, with a Castle on top...and Attila, the Hun ( flagellum Dei...) stood up there while his hordes runsacked and burnt to the ground, Aquileia....near Venice. Then he was proceeding to Rome, but the Pope stopped him half way ....The Venetian masks reminded me that Italy has, for everyone of it's Region, a maschera...A person male or female, in a particular costume with a face mask. I remember a few...Arlequin, Pagliaccio, Columbine, Pulcinella....I shall have to Google and see if the masks are there, and I think I will make nice watercolours out of the idea ! They wear such lovely custumes ! Have a lovely day ! granny mossx

[Scrumpy]

I love Italy..
  Hooray.. My new garden table was delivered this morning.. Such a surprise as the expected date of delivery was September 1st..


I reckon someone found a bit of old timber and knocked one up especially for me.. 


Warm here..

[Diasi]

I shared an apartment with a lovely, petite lady who was a brickie..I kid you not. Feminine to the max but her hands could've sand-papered a banister.

No, I'm not going to ask how you know.

[Michael Rolls]

Really close today -quite uncomfortable indoors even with all the fans on, so out for a longer time than usual in a minute
Mike

[granny moss]

BL...You are 20 years younger than me.!...Get on with having an interesting busy life....time goes very fast...Enjoy the days one by one !!!! When I was 80, I stopped and turned round....and looked at my past and exclaimed : My God ! I am 20 years older than sixty...what have I done this last 20 years...and the answer was: Nothing ! I felt terrible....Life does not have a sense of humour...it is a constant battle to keep cheerful....gmx