Sunday Morning....eerrr...afternoon...????

Greetings!  A smooth and uneventful transit over 'the pond' yesterday. Happenstance through Paris so arrived at 5 pm instead of 1 pm, so the day was longer, but more time to read and transition.

Ivo and I caught up during the drive down from Florence.  He's still marveling at the wet wet spring and early summer and warned me that everything, in terms of vegetables is late.  I was not prepared, however for the other effect that a wet pattern can have....

prepare for the Montisi jungle....

 



 



Contrast this last photo with the wisteria photo of spring!!!!

And you may recall how pleased I was to get the herb garden all sorted out and the lovely Christmas-gift copper labels placed.....??

 



Not a label to be seen!!  I think I'll cut and dry some bundles, yes?

And for anyone who knows how I've stewed over the slow progress of the white wisteria and white grapes on the Fresco Terrace....

 



The 'view' FROM the terrace....

 



Peaceful, but hardly panoramic...

Madelyn is in Athens, in a summer school program, and I think really enjoying it.  With a 10 hour time difference we haven't Skyped much.  She seems to spend 2 days in the classroom and the other 3 days out and about with her professor and classmates - museums, ruins, etc.  She says the food is really delicious and she and her three UCSD room mates have begun cooking a bit in their apartment.  She marvels at the freshness of the produce.  It will be hard for her to go back to US supermarkets, I think.  Luckily, there are now more and more farmers' markets around. 

I collect her in the mid-afternoon of the day of the jousting, here, August 4th, but we may get back in time to see the final runs.  We head back to Seattle August 18th, to await the arrival of son Jack and Stephanie's first baby!!

In the meantime Maddie and I and a few guests will enjoy the house, the garden and Montisi.  This will be a great year for plums and figs given the rains.  And possibly for belladonna lilies.  Madelyn's strawberry bed awaits a bit more sun and of course Mads to do the harvesting:

 



For those who follow the details, more antique prints are going up this month, portage thanks to Tom Corddry.  I have found 3 prints of wild orchids, a large print of a belladonna lily, an agapanthus (since I can't seem to get them to grow, it's the next best thing), a really amazing print of barn swallows for the limonaia and today, to honor my passion for asparagus, particularly the wild asparagus:

 



I intend to study hard and then with a few hints from Davide's zio, perhaps make some spring forays of my own!!!

One last glimpse

(note that this hydrangea is almost to the roof edge of the tettoio!!)...and I will say 'good-bye' for now.

M

PS To the Patrick clan -Thank you for the notes and for really settling in and, I can tell, enjoying Villa Maddalena as she was intended!!  It makes me very happy!!