My Brave and Adventurous day

Am sitting at my computer in my studio. It is early evening and the church bells have just stopped ringing. I have a glass of wine and am relaxing after a busy and - for me- exciting day.
It all started when I got up and decided to try on my swimsuit and thought I was looking at a ghost. So am  now testing out fake tan wipes from Poundland, ( my favourite shop in Perth - and the one I can afford!) I have also got (From poundland) fake tan remover - have no desire to be orange!
All day have been pulling up my trouser leg to see if anything has happened. I think I have gone from white to cream coloured.
Anyways that started my day off well and after a sustaining breakfast of two hardboiled eggs mashed up with mayonaise and then followed by a banana I made plans.
You know what they say - at least in scotland- the best laid plans etc.
I considered going to the beach as I thought I might have to go to Tinchi for petrol. (garage in Pisticci is still closed) If I went as far as Tinchi then maybe I should just go that bit further to the beach. So made up my beach stuff and shoved it in a rucksack.
I set off  and almost immediately wished I didn't have to go as it was so windy. Great gusts of wind were making it difficult for me to keep to the side of the road. by the time I had got the petrol I just wanted to get home in one piece. I was obliged to stop at the chinese shop and buy a beach bag to calm my poor shattered nerves. It was not long after that , when I noticed that I couldn't see very well in my mirror and when I tried to adjust it - the whole handlebar rotated. OOPS - not good!  However i arrived home at the studio and without giving myself time to think/worry I set off for one of the men's clubs (Circolo) where a nice young man has fixed my scooter before- I also thought I had a semi flat tyre, my lights didn't work and the battery was flat. Tend to put things off. I think I had been so scared on my windy ride that going to the circolo didn't seem such a big deal. (I dont't think women go in them normally)
Luckily the guy was standing outside and I told him what was wrong  and left it with him.
First deliberate brave thing done.

on way to bus station

view of the half houses.

can't resist oleanders

the bus station

the park in marconia

looking towards the piazza in marconia

view from the bus stop

back home

this morning in my street

this morning looking towards terrevechia

.( wobbling to Tinchi and back was more adventurous)
Second brave thing was to go to the bus station and ask when I could get a bus to Marconia. Nothing brave about that you might think but , for me I hate not knowing and being embarrassed, and as usual there was no one there , then a guy drove up on a motorbike and asked what I wanted and he seemed to know all about the buses. I already had a timetable from the internet but from previous experience its better to ask a person. Anybody living in Italy will probably know this too.
So I went off with time of bus?
After a quick curried lunch I walked to the other side of Pisticci to the bus station. And I still don't know if I got on the right bus but a nice girl ushered me on and it went to Marconia. I was so nervous of going on buses as I didn't know if you had to buy a ticket in advance or pay on the bus or what. My only other experience on a bus was going to Matera where I got on the bus, it went to Pisticci Scalo, where I got off the bus , bought my ticket in what looked like someone's house and then got back on the bus.
I should have mentioned I had a student in Marconia , with an exam coming up so I really wanted to go.
And I managed to get the bus back to Pisticci with a little help from several people. and was so jazzed up by the whole trip that when everyone got off and on to the "town" bus I thought "what the heck" and got on too. I was a little motivated by the thought of the 20 minute walk back home. It was great. I got off near my house and I felt brilliant. I think being naturally timid gives me a lot of opportunities to be brave (by my standards) and today I braved the wind, the circolo and the bus. So tomorrow what will I do?????

2 paintings went for a walk in Pisticci

Have not been able to concentrate very well while the sale of the country house has been progressing like some kind of demented roller coaster, but now that the compromesso di vendita has been signed it feels like I can relax as now things are in order. (This may not be the case as there is the little matter of partner buying another house and moving everything out still to come, but I am having a lull!)
So life here has been a little hectic (enormous understatement) . I am now living almost full time in my studio and have increased my flowers outside so that it almost looks like a garden. I am so pleased with the flowers I have to go out on a regular basis and admire them. I never really grew anything before so am amazed at how good they look at the moment. And I have also moved in all my stuff from the country house- I feel like a happy little snail in its shell when I am here.
I have been painting up till this week and have a drawing all ready to paint on my easel - but today more plants arrived so haven't quite got round to  picking up my brushes.
In the spirit of procrastination - and also cause I missed my painting which I had put in the cafe of wladimiro I thought I would swap it with my latest one of Pisticci. The one in the cafe was a view from the end of my street.
I set off up town with large painting in one hand and camera in the other and on the way it occurred to me that it might be quite fun to make like I was taking a painting for a walk. (There is always the free advertising I get while walking about)
So these are the photos. (The people of Pisticci may be thinking I was more than normally eccentric today but they were all too polite to say so. In one photo where the painting is leaning up against a water fountain you can't see the builders who were looking on in amazement.)

view of pisticci from Dirupo

Dirupo from higher up

the painting in front of the scene I painted

the painting was just out of sight - such a pretty view

on the way to the piazza san rocco

where I always stop to admire dirupo (and catch my breath)

the special view over to the mountains

in the piazza umberto primo. nearly there.

hanging on the wall in the cafe.

that is the cafe in the background

stopped off for another coffee - really should have had a cake too.

bought 2 more plants at the flower shop.

took the back road

the builders were watching me take this photo. I love this little piazzetta

there are so many interesting places

can see the chiesa madre in the background

nearly home again in Dirupo

painting  in front of the view I painted

just for fun I put it in a very ornate frame.

Just got home before it rained .

foggy, rainy day (colourful things)

It is possible to have a rainy , foggy day here in Pisticci, but who wants to hear about it.. Its like the colour is washed out - everything is grey and even the flowers seem to have lost some colour.
So I am inside enjoying my new home in my studio.(temp has nearly reached 20c inside)
Its nice to be surrounded by all my "stuff", most of which I have acquired  in Italy.
A lot of it has a story attached - such as the two large orangey velvet covered armchairs which were bought at an antiques market in Grottaglie and travelled home on the roof of the car. Or  the old school desk which was going to be thrown out, or the furniture from WOTJAMESMADE . Completely unique and made by a genius!!
Then there is the wine and gold cover I bought in Turkey the first time I went on holiday by myself and the chair I brought from scotland and left out in the sun till the paint all fell off.
There is an antique easel I bought at an antiques market - which doesnt work  very well and canvases fall off regularly.
There are two little padded chairs which were in the studio when I bought it.
There are also some nice old pieces of Italian furniture - maybe not antiques but old nonetheless. And my gorgeous red and orange bedcover hanging on the wall which I bought when I went to get a wardrobe. The same people gave me my kitchen chairs.
The dresser was bought at a street market in Montalbano and brought home on the roof of the car. It's painted now in a distressed fashion- or just not very well!
It's quite colourful inside even on a foggy dismal day.
And last , but not least - my computer chair which I bought new, was used as a racing chariot by some friends, and which I have just covered using and old pair of trousers and a stapler.
Decided to add my favourite poppy photo to add to the colourful theme and finally a very bright meal I made recently.
Aha I think I see the sun.................

Back again - now what?

Have just returned from cold , snowy Scotland where I had a lovely time looking after Samantha and Lochlan, despite having a bad cold. Hurray for central heating, a large screen tv, lots of "housey " tv programmes and paracetamols.
I was quite fortunate to have an easy trip back as there was a lot of snow and both planes had to be de-iced before take off. I did the journey in two days and stayed overnight at the Willows Guest House near Stansted  airport. (It is a lovely place to stay and they pick you up and take you back to the airport. The area round about is like something out of Midsomer Murders with all types of gorgeous cute houses and the guest house has a thatched roof -which is why I picked it years ago and have stayed there several times. This time with snow on the roof and in the garden it looked magical.)
I flew into Bari airport and for the first time had booked a seat on a bus to take me as far as Matera. However - as so often happens - it changed.  I was just walking past a tourist info booth in the airport and thought I would see if they had any bus timetables, resulting in me getting on another bus (the most beautiful metallic pink colour) which took me all the way to Metaponto - for 7 euros.
Since I got back, apart from a marathon, house clean ,I have been just easing into life here.
This morning to get me in the mood I went uptown and had coffee and a strawberry tart for breakfast. Then went to the flower shop where I bought all the flowers I could afford (4) and got a possible commission from the lady selling the flowers.
It was a lovely sunny morning and planting and re arranging  flowers and pots was  a great job. (tee shirt weather) I think I have room for a lot more flowerpots and am having vague plans involving climbing plants and more interesting things. Mostly I grow geraniums because they put up with me.
It is definitely spring here and my studio has heated up inside from a chilly 12c to a frankly not much better 15c , but it is going in the right direction.  Outside its between 15 -20c.
This week will be mainly getting myself organised I think and then hopefully I will spring into action . (Very bad pun)

The last photo is of a small Painting I did in Scotland while, sniffing and coughing  to cheer myself up. It worked!

carnevale and staying in studio

As usual I would have missed Carnevale this year if it hadnt been postponed due to bad weather and there were lots of notices on facebook giving the revised date. There had been no notices announcing the original date. Then I would have missed it because it rained a bit on the revised date and although I went into town, hung about and had a lovely cup of tea and plate of biscuits in the grand cafe malena .(recommended) there was no sign of a parade though I saw some children dressed up. So returning to my studio I put the heater on and had just got settled when I heard some very loud music.

Grabbing my camera, purse and an umbrella I headed back into town and found a big party going on in the corsa. There were several floats towed by tractors and lots of people in costume dancing and milling about. the noise was incredible. 

I hung about taking photos where I could  enjoying the atmosphere and wishing I was part of it. Saw lots of people I knew and have photos to use as reference for my next painting and a possible commission  for a portrait. It seems to be at the moment that just being about is my best marketing strategy.

I am enjoying staying in the studio - even though it is cold- as I find my Italian improves as I have the opportunity to talk to more people, I would have  missed the Carnevale, if I had been in the country and I love walking into town in the mornings - and sometimes the evenings for a coffee or tea and a chat. 

I like being among people. I think my hibernation in the country is coming to an end.