Casa Debbio

Posted on March 23, 2016 by kathy

While staying in the apartment in Ponte a Serraglio, the lovely owners, Debra & Jim, invited us to lunch at their other home just outside the village of Vergemoli in the Garfagnana National Park. After a 45 minute drive up a very narrow, winding mountain road, we arrived at our meeting place, a quaint little church on the edge of the village.

1.Arrival

With knees still trembling, I looked back down the road I had just driven up.

2.Vergemoli

The scenery had a wonderful calming effect

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and a friendly spaniel came to greet us.

6.Bella

The walk to the house through peaceful countryside

12.walk1 13.walk2 14.walk3

led to Casa Debbio. Resurrected from ruins in 2012, the house was stunning.

14a.entrance 15.Casa Debbio 16.rear view 17.garden 20.terrace

The views from the terrace were breathtaking.

18.view from terrace 19.Vergemoli

Lunch was delicious. We enjoyed antipasto of fava bean dip, prosciutto & cheese

21.lunch

followed by pork chops cooked to perfection on the barbecue

22.BBQ

accompanied by pan-fried potato & onion, little fat sausages (undoubtedly they have an exotic Italian name), salad and homemade bread. Dessert of strawberry trifle topped off a wonderful afternoon. One last look at the vista

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and we walked back to the car, bracing ourselves for the drive home.

To see more of Casa Debbio and the wondrous changes to the property, visit Debra’s blog https://bagnidilucca.wordpress.com and website http://www.casadebbio.com

Guide Falls

Posted on March 18, 2016 by kathy

The pristine Guide Falls is a twenty minute drive from our house. It is a lovely spot to have a picnic or just enjoy the scenery.

1.summer 2.summer 3.summer

There are steps to the bottom of the falls and a walking track along the river.

5.summer 4.summer 6.summer 7.summer

At the end of summer there isn’t a lot of water flowing

8.summer

but winter paints a different picture.

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Another beautiful place right on our doorstep.

Isle of Wight

Posted on March 16, 2016 by kathy

The Isle of Wight was a lovely surprise, so much to see and so much beauty in just 380 sq.km. We started early with a walk along Bembridge seafront

1.Bembridge 2.Bembridge 3.Bembridge

through peaceful countryside.

4.Bembridge

A short drive westward, we stopped at Adgestone Vineyard, the oldest vineyard in Britain. Unfortunately, there was no tasting but the views were breathtaking.

5.Adgestone Vineyard View 6.Adgestone Vineyard View 7.Adgestone Vineyard View

On to Arreton Barns, a traditional working craft village

with the 12th century Church of St George.

11.Arreton Barns

Donkeys are one of my favourite animals. I’ve always wanted a couple but Michael says they’re too noisy. The Donkey Sanctuary was heaven, a deserving retirement for these beautiful creatures who have patiently walked the seashores with all shapes and sizes on their backs.

We were hoping for a raptor experience at the Owl & Falconry centre but it was closed. All we got was more stunning scenery.

18.Owl &Falconry Centre

After a delicious pub lunch at The White Lion in Niton

19.White Lion, Niton

we ventured on to Mottistone Manor. Dating from early 16th century, the house is not open to the public

20.MottistoneManor 21.MottistoneManor

but the gardens are wondrous to stroll around.

We continued driving to the most western point on the island. A short walk along the cliff top

28.The Needles

rewarded with magnificent views across the Solent to Hurst Castle, built by Henry VIII in 1544.

29.Hurst Castle

At the tip of the headland are The Needles, three distinctive stacks of chalk rising out of the sea.

31.The Needles

The Old Battery is a fort built in 1862 following the threat of French invasion.

34.The Needles

These two gun barrels are original from 1873.

35.The Needles

An underground tunnel

36.The Needles

leads to an observation post housing a searchlight dating from 1899.

37.The Needles

Further up the headland is the New Battery where British space rockets were secretly tested in the 1950s & 60s. After testing, they were taken to Woomera in South Australia for launching.

38.The Needles

We made our way back to Bembridge for a well earned beverage and dinner. Next morning, we visited Bembridge Windmill. Built around 1700, it is the only remaining windmill on the Isle of Wight.

39.Bembridge Windmill

Last operated in 1913, most of the original machinery is intact.

Our final destination on the island was Yarmouth for the ferry journey back to the big island.

We appreciated a different perspective of Hurst Castle

49.Hurst Castle

and Lymington marina welcomed us back.

50.Lymington Marina

awesome aves

Posted on March 12, 2016 by kathy

Being surrounded by forest means we are visited by a multitude of creatures, some of the most fascinating are the birds. The yellow-tailed black cockatoos usually stop by for a drink at the stock trough.

I don’t know how she was hanging on but this one found the bark of a tea tree very tasty.

I love their mournful call, unlike the hair raising screech of their sulphur-crested cousins.

One of my favourites is the kookaburra, they have so many different sounds.

Returning from the forest with Poppy one afternoon, she found this young fella in a predicament.

10.kookie in fence

He must have dived for a tasty morsel and ended up with his head stuck in the fence. It was a rare occasion when Michael wasn’t around. I ran home and grabbed the wire cutters (and my camera) and cut him free. He was unable to fly so I made him comfortable in the possum trap

11.kookie in cage

and called a friend experienced in wildlife rescue. She took him home for a couple of days while he recovered from exhaustion and dehydration, then, because kookaburras are territorial, he came home to be released.

The superb blue wrens continually bob around the garden

and are handsome even in their eclipse phase.

The New Holland honeyeaters,

18.new holland honeyeater

eastern spinebills

and black-headed honeyeaters

22.black headed honeyeater

enjoy feasting on the flowers. These three were deep in conversation.

23.black headed honeyeaters1

Bath time is always a delight to watch.

The scarlet robins are gorgeous. It’s always nice to see them and to know winter is on the way.

34.robin1

This pair moved in last year, I hope they return.

35.robin2

The green rosella is a regular guest

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but herons are rarely seen. This pair may have been staking out the fish pond.

37.herons

Masked lapwings are a common sight. Often mistakenly referred to as plovers, they are much prettier. Notorious for nesting in the open and being very protective parents, I was privileged to approach this nest in our paddock without being attacked.

38.masked lapwing eggs1

Here is my reward.

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This cheeky chap joined me in the sunroom the other day.

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The starlings are a bit of a nuisance but they look good in silhouette.

41.birds on a wire

It’s not easy photographing birds, but I shall keep trying.

Bagni Caldi

Posted on March 9, 2016 by kathy

One afternoon, while staying in Ponte a Serraglio, we walked up the narrow, winding road to Bagni Caldi. Famous for its healing waters and natural grottos, the thermal spa town has been a favourite since the 13th century. We didn’t actually make it to the town but the walk held some delightful surprises. This seemed a sensible way to get the groceries home.

1.lift