photo blogino

Its friday the 13th  of february and the sun is shining in Pisticci. So  much so that I just had to go out  and take photos, have a coffee and say "buon giorno " a lot.

sun shining into house in via sterbini

more sun in via sterbini

view from door in via sterbini

view towards the sea from via sterbini

house for sale at the top. must have fantastic view.

view through winter trees

long view in direction of Matera

chiesa madre through more trees

I love the colours in this photo

I always love this view

got door open - in february - so not scotland!

Better get back to work now I suppose............

blogino- fun night in casa elizia with a lot of children...........

And some adults, I should add. .......
I should apologise in advance  for my lack of understanding about everything that went on , but this is what I got out of the evening.
It is always a pleasure to go to casa elizia because its beautiful.
I have been enjoying the last few Thursday evenings learning a little bit about local culture along with a group of children.
Tonight Guiseppe was talking ( this is what I understood!) firstly about the possible costumes  that the children could wear for carnevale and about how they were a bit scary. He talked a lot about brigantes and and a lady brigandessa who looked like you wouldn't want to mess with her. She was armed with a knife, a pistol and a rifle- or it might have been a shotgun. I am fairly sure she was local as I had read somewhere about a female brigand from Pisticci.  There were some actual photographs of some brigands so this was not so long ago......
I nearly forgot though that the first character he talked about was a  "cucchibocca" ( I have spelled this phonetically ) This was a creepy sort of character with glasses and a hat and long hair covering its face. It had a vague resemblance  to some weird hairy musicians whose name I have forgotten- or never knew. I made a quick sketch on the back of a card.
There were several other characters including a nasty looking one with goat's horns who you would not want to meet on a dark night or any other time.
There was also a princess from normandy who looked very pretty and not at all scary. The girls seemed divided between dressing as a princess or a brigandessa.
Having got the costumes decided on , before everyone - but not me- got round to the exciting event of the evening- making a kupa kupe, we  all sang this long traditional song which I understood not a word but it was so infectious it was impossible not to join in. It was brilliant.
Then it was time to make the kupa kupe's and I want to make one some time. The children had brought a variety of containers from paint pots to plastic bottles . To make one of these traditional musical instruments you need a container, some material, a bit of string, and a cane.
The idea , if I understood correctly is to pass on to the children the culture and stories of Pisticci so that they are not lost. I am just  so grateful to Guiseppe for inviting me to join this. It is adding so much to my experience of Pisticci.
And its been so much fun.......

the first kupa kupe is made and played

making traditional instruments

discovered new setting on my camera phone - on my way home

view of the chiesa madre - on way home

cute corner - on way home

home

A "Blogino"

my nice view today....

I thought it might be fun- at least for me- to write a few words more often ,whenever I feel inspired instead of trying to write something more considered less often. (I procrastinate a lot when I try to write something  that I think should matter.) I thought I would call little bits of stuff "blogini" .

So today I went to pay my water bill....or to be more exact I went to find out why I had not got one. I have put off going for the last three weeks and finally I had no excuses left.
Got on my scooter and set off.
Went into the right building  and knocked confidently on the wrong door. Waited there for 5 mins, then asked someone in another office who directed me to the next door.
A very nice lady then asked what i wanted and directed me back to the office where I had just asked where to go. (not their fault as I was a bit confused.)
So picking my way past an enormous amount of files, boxes etc stacked up and ready to be moved to new offices, I spoke to two very helpful people who knew who I was and had already found me on the computer- or more to the point - not found me on the computer. This is a problem as how can I get a bill when I am not on the computer.
I rummaged in my handbag and found a bill in the previous owner of my house's name .(I have only been there 8 years). I think that was a bad idea as it became more confusing .  And I was in danger of having to go somewhere else and get myself put on the computer again, when I remembered that I had a rather dusty little notice which I had found in the box where the thing is to turn off the water and to my great relief it had my name on it.
This (despite me not appearing on the computer) means that someone somewhere knows who I am and where I live.
Great relief all round. I was told not to worry  I would get my bill eventually.
It took me  5 years to get the previous water bill.............
So, that's me till next year. I have no doubt I will eventually get a bill.....might take a few more visits and I am always worried that I sound like  some mad foreign lady who comes into the office demanding bills to pay.
(My compliments to the staff who work there as they are always polite and friendly and helpful despite my lack of language and complete ignorance of how things are done.)