Simple thoughts

Well, it's over, for this year at least! Today I've finished my last tax forms  

Now I can relax a little

and think about my well deserved vacation

Yesterday evening our guys of the italian football team came back home from Germany with the World Cup. There was a very huge crowd all along the streets from the airport to the city of Rome, where thousands of people were waiting at the Circo Massimo for celebrating.

It was a fantastic night for all the country, for a moment we all remembered how it feels to be proud of being italian (and lately things in my beatiful country weren't so good) and a wave of hope and trust was inside everyone of us.

Our champions are good with a ball, but they aren't bad to look at either, right?

It's ours, for the 4th time, only Brazil has done better.......Great night, no sleep, but what the hell..................

Marty & Veronica at the Mauthausen Camp, Germany 1997

The Eagle Nest, Berchtesgaden, Germany 1995

The Konigsee, Germany 2003

Three of the castles built by Ludwig, during our stay in Germany in 2003, Neuschwanstein

Herrenchiemsee

and Linderhof

Ireland 1998, the most beautiful country I've never seen (till now, at least)........

Newgrange

The Ring of Kerry

Connemara National Park

The Rock of Cashel

The Cliffs of Moher

The garden at Powerscourt Estate

Well, it seems that Italy is still the worst nightmare for the German team.......

And now, to sunday 9th of july......... and I hope it will be France, we have something to settle......

We have this friend (one of our closest) who sells motorcycles and bicycles for a living. He's always loved to stay in the open air, to go around and find little places where life is still on a human level, where you can enjoy a slower way of living. In the last few years, after having met by chance a couple of people who were at the same waves lenght, he started to cultivate olive trees. Well, after a tought start (he took a root from another friend's tree - about 6/7 centuries old, to re-create old local species), now things seem to go in the right way for him. He's very busy with the shop and his family, but he manages to find time to search in several places in north and central Italy for the best farmings to grafting different species. Well, the case is, I also have an uncle, who after so many years working for a very big company and travelling all around the world, finally retired. He has now all the time he always wanted for doing exactly as he pleases, (relaxing at home enjoying his grand-children, going out for an art exhibition, ect.) and he's currently planting his own little garden in front of his house in the country, just outside my hometown. He loves olive trees for their meaning of peace and christianity, and I've told him before about our friend's experience. Well, yesterday after asking to my friend, me and hubby brought him and my aunt to the hills, to see our friend's little collection of trees and his greenhouse with so many little plants. I've never seen a man so satisfied with so little! Our friend was happy to have a new audience for his experience, and my uncle was happy to collect so many advices from someone sharing the same passion. We shared also a piece of cake and a glass of wine on the terrace overlooking the hills, a very nice and relaxing afternoon. My aunt has promised to invite us and our friends to lunch one day, after the summer vacation, so my uncle will show his garden, and our friend will study the best spot to plant the trees. The next step will be bring my uncle to our other friend's house to see the old tree from which all this started.