General Chat

I have only been to italy once but I loved it. Nice to see people like Hampshire though, my home county!

shame this thread seems to have a glitch, I can't read quite a bit of it out to the right hand side, wonder why.

Linda glad you had a good time.

ann
Glos

Hi Maggie
My husbands family were also in Mottisfont and Romsey, Farm labourers who must have moved around with their work.
I also found them in West Tytherley and around the north of the New Forest area. My fathers family name comes up in west Tytherley too, but so far no connection that far back !!!

Regards Linda :o)

Strange isn't it, Linda, my mum's side through her dad are Hampshire going back generations, mainly Southampton, Mottisfont/Romsey and the New Forest. When I moved to Winchester, I thought I was the first to live here - my gran then told me she used to live in Kingsgate Road and was cook to the music master of the College!!! Since she has died, and we came across letters between her and my grandad, it appears she moved here from Steep, to make it easier to visit grandad (in Southampton)when they were courting!!
She used to get the train from Chesil Street to St Denys...........
Guess who lives just up from Chesil Street.......

Thanks for the replies.

Been off doing the washing, and getting it dry outside today here in sunny Berkshire.

Then to our son's to collect my holidaying hampster, he enjoyed himself with their 8 week cocker spaniel puppy only collected on Friday.

Why does the garden become a jungle when you go away? Everything has grown so much. OH has cut the back grass - hopefully he can do the front tomorrow before he returns to work on Tuesday.

Moved some pots to the front porch it looks more summery now. Let us have a nice summer this year please.

Maggie, Sienna was lovely, sat in a restaurant on the piazza eating pasta and seafood, followed by amazing ice cream. Nothing like it.

Then in Lucca found a small cafe off the Duomo square enjoyed one of the cheapest cafe latte we had for only 1E.

Gwyn I would recommend you do try to go and see your sister in law. I really did enjoy this holiday, my husband too. One of the best we've both enjoyed. The Italians were all really friendly too, and neither of us speak Italian, other than Please, Thank you, and Good Day.

Mo and Maggie I love Hampshire too, found OH family came from there many generations back. But surprisingly my own family are from Winchester which I knew nothing about. We try to get to the area as often as we can, quite often monthly.

Enjoy all your time, be it here in England in favourite counties, on holidays and especially in our own homes everybody.

Regards Linda :o)

Yes maggie and Gwyn, I love Hampshire.

Mo

Linda,
Sounds like the weather totally changed after we left!!!
5 of us went to Sienna one day. We parked in the gulley, walked p the hill, then the skies opened up!!
Spent 20 minutes sheltering under an archway eating ice cream (what else!!), then walked back down the hill and back to the villa!!
While we were away, there had been torrential rain and high winds at the villa - everyone was scurrying around trying to find parasols etc!!
7 of us stayed in a hotel in Pisa on the Friday night - it was a bit over the top - it changed colour!! Fantastic breakfast though :o)

Gwyn - you really ought to visit your sister in law!!!

Teddy's - nothing wrong with Hampshire!!!

maggie

Teddys

Hampshire is great....but perhaps I'm a bit biased as it's my birth county and I'm often back there.
It is particularly good just now, - so green and lush.

Gwyn

glad you had lovely time

ive heard its beautiful place

All sounds so wonderful what memories for me, who has a love affair with Italy. First went in 1957, on a three week holiday, Going from North to South, and across to Capri. Then every year Camping, and later on staying in Hotels.

Owing to having commitments have to be content with Hampshire now, but still this is a lovely County, and I have my memories.

Linda
That sounds wonderful and so restful.
My sister-in-law lives in Italy, ....perhaps we'll go and see her. You've renewed my thoughts that we ought to pay her a visit !.

Gwyn

Hi Maggie,Liz and Gwyn
Got back late last night. We had a fantastic time, with beautiful weather, wall to wall sunshine, not a cloud to be seen in the whole 11 days.
Pisa was lovely if lively and so many bicycles !! We went in the Duomo(Cathedral), Baptistry and museums, but I was not up for climbing the actual Tower !!
The farmhouse we stayed in in the countryside south of Pisa was idyllic. Only 3 of the 5 appartments were occupied, it has a fantastic swimming pool and so peaceful. Yet with a car so much was accessible. We went to Sienna and Lucca (bigger towns) as well as many small villages locally.

A memorable holiday for both of us, for so many good reasons, weather, peace and time spent together.

Regards Linda :o)

Maggie
What super memories for all the family.

Rain in Winchester would not have been so warm, so it's great that you were all there together to laugh about the situation.
I bet grandaughter will be talking about that tower for ages.

I'm glad you had a great time.

Enjoy Pisa, Linda.

Gwyn

Hi Maggie
So glad you had a great family time in Tuscany, as Liz says what wonderful memories you had a part in making.
I am off to Pisa tomorrow, really hope to have good things to bring back with us too, but would prefer better weather !!!!
We celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary at the end of the month and our honeymoon was spent admiring fantastic thunder storms in Majorca, I'd never seen "sheet" lightening before.

Will let you know how it was when I get back. No computer this trip.

Regards Linda :o)

Maggie, as you say, you can make light of it and the memories of the walk through the rain and the laughs and problems it caused, will be memories you will laugh about time and again. I am sure the wine helped you enjoy the experience more lol
Lizx

Thanks Liz :o)
We made light of the rain because it was so impressive. The first whole day we were there, My sister & I went down to the bottom of the hill, just outside the village, all of 10 minutes away, where there was a wine tasting session. The weather was fantastic - sun shining and very hot. We called the others to join us, and 5 more came down. We tasted the wine - had a bit from every variety - and they were very generous with their samples. We bought a few bottles then some enormous raindrops fell - not proper rain. We sheltered under a porch at the winery until it passed, then the sun shone again and we started up the hill.
We hadn't gone further than 100 yards when the heavens opened up. It was so heavy that, within minutes the water was gushing down the hill and over our shoes!! My daughter had my grandson in his pushchair - and no protective rain covering for it, so she carried him and I gave her my umbrella - not that it was much use. We were soaked through - even to the extent that my sister said 'I can see your bra size through your blouse'!! LOL
By the time we reached the villa we literally had to wring our underwear out.
On another occasion, we watched a thunderstorm circling around us. we could see the rain falling, the rain never reached us, but the wind around our villa from the pressure of the storm was incredible!!

maggie

Sounds wonderful, what memories you are making for the younger family members especially. Shame the weather wasn't better but seems to be like that everywhere lately.
Welcome back to the madhouse,
Lizx

Great time had by all 12 of us - not one argument - despite all 3 children being at various stages of 'teething'!! The 5 month old has just started - so lots of dribbling, the 13 month old is just finishing - so lots of grizzling and the 6 year old did lots of wiggling and lost a tooth on the airplane at Pisa!!
It has been the wettest in Tuscany for years but we had enough sun to use the pool and some fantastic thunderstorms. Mosquitoes have been breeding like no other year and some time was spent comparing the number of bites!! We tried wine to stop the itching. It worked eventually! LOL
Baked bread and made our own pizza's in the outside Pizza oven - fortunately under cover. Picked fresh veggies and salad stuff from the terraced garden on the side of the hill - I had the only shoes that didn't immediately slip on the rain sodden path, so was seen for miles in swimming cossie and umbrella zig-zagging down the path trying to find the right herbs. There are some photo's taken by (judging from the dog) one of the owners when the weather was good.

http://www.timeaway.co.uk/servlet/Catalogue;jsessionid=64E13EAC7121A319B85B23C454513826?extrafotos=true&name=Villa+il+Colto&stagione=2008&houseType=TownCentre¤tHouseNumber=10&pageNumber=1&

Grand daughter and I slept in the tower - the long narrow bedroom with wrought iron beds. There are 5 bathrooms in the place - which may have helped towards the lack of arguments!!

maggie