One month ago I broke my leg In mid-July I went out on an hike with my husband and a friend of us. We start walking on a cloudy and windy morning and we were afraid it would start to rain before our hike (12 km) was ended. Fortunately, after half an hour the sun was shining above us again. We were walking in the countryside, 10 km from home, along with many other people because it was a collective hike. Unfortunately, since the beginning of this year, after some time running, I feel a pain in the muscle near the knee, so I have to walk. My husband and our friend wanted to run, so they left me behind. The excursion crossed the countryside, then continued on the hills. Sometimes the path was mulded because it rained during the night, but my accident happened in a not dangerous place: I was walking down the hill (not running!) and suddenly my right foot slipped on a small stone, I lost my balance and, falling to the ground, I twisted my left ankle. At that moment I heard a bad noise "stac" and I realized that something terrible had just happened. In fact I was no longer able to rest my left foot on the ground ... Fortunately, some strangers who were walking behind, helped me immediately. I went down on a stretcher carried by 5 people and then I went to the hospital. In this moment I'm looking my plastered leg and I'm thinking that in 5 days I will remove the plaster but I do not know how much time I will need to go back walking as before!

Summer country festivals I live in the north-east of Italy and when summer arrives every village organizes their own country festival. We call them "sagre paesane". In the village's square or in a park, temporary constructions are built: a big kitchen, a stage in which musical groups are going to play, a bar, a cash and a big covered space in which are placed tables and benches. The menu is often the same: grilled meat, vegetables, pasta with ragù, fried potatoes, icecreams, sgroppino, wine, beer, polenta. Sometimes there are festivals with a food speciality: for example "hoax festival", "crayfish festival", "cod festival", "cheese festival" etc... In these kind of festivals the menu is enriched with this food specialities. On evenings local musical groups plays on the stage: usually they are "liscio bands" and they play valzers, tango, mazurca and other similar songs that older people love. But in the last years also modern music is spreading in order to recall youngers. On this kind of festivals it's always present a play called "pesca di beneficenza": there is a room full of objects you can win buying some tickets coiled and inserted in a little pasta ring. If the number inside the ticket is written in red it means you have won something: lower numbers mean bigger gifts. Usually numbers are very high and we win soaps, sweets, pens, and other very little things. Last year my husband had been very lucky: he found "35" as red number and he won a smarthphone! The same evening I won an ironing board!

When I lost my phone on the bus... Every day I go to work by bus. Some years ago I was returning home after work. When my husband came to my village bus station by car to bring me home (we live 2 km far from the bus station!) he said to me:"Why didn't you answer when I called you by phone some minutes ago?" "because I didn't hear the call! - I said - Look, my phone is working and there isn't notifications of lost calls.... opsss... WHERE IS MY PHONE??" While I was talking I was also looking for my phone in the bag, but I realized that it wasn't inside anymore! "I've lost my phone on the bus! But if I try to reach the bus perhaps I'll find it on the seat!" So I asked my husband to give me his car (he returned home by feet!) and I drove as fast as I could towards the final destination of the bus, at 20 km of distance. There was also few fuel but I hadn't time to stop my crazy race! I arrived at the bus station when the driver was closing the bus for the night (it was already 7.30 pm), I looked for the phone in the same seat but it wasn't there. So I asked the driver to call it, but nothing rang. At the end I found the phone on the bus floor: it couldn't ring because its battery was over! I was so happy to have found it! So I could return home by car, but I was over 20 km far and with very few fuel! It was dark, late, the first gas station was quite 10 km later and I was driving alone in the middle of the countryside, with a phone already turned off. I prayed to arrive on time and God heard me. But when I arrived at the gas station I realized that I never did fuel alone at my husband car: I wasn't able to open the fuel door... and I couldn't phone him. Blushing, I asked a man (another client) to help me... The solution was very simple but I hadn't see it before! At least, at 8.30 pm, I arrived home.... very happy but also very tired!!

Today it's raining This morning, after a lot of time, it started raining. This winter infact has been very dry until now: there is no snow on the mountains and our lakes are quite empty. Experts said that they are very worried about lacking of water, thinking at next summer. Today I've planned to go out for a hike, but when I got up I saw that there was a soft rain outside. So I returned to bed. My husband, on the contrary, decided to go out anyway. He ran for 12 km, only the last 4km under a "real" rain. So he said me that I had been lazy! If this morning it had not rained I would had gone too, but if it had begun to rain after a while I would had wet myself. The weather decides to rain always on Sunday, but I hope that this rain could bring a lot of snow on the mountains! ok, I hope I have written well conditionals and reported speech sentences! :)

A sunday hike This sunday I'm going to do a hike with some friends nearby. It's the third time this month. My objective is to run for 10 km. Last sunday I was able to run 12 km, it's been the first time in my life I run so much (slowly, but quite continuously). So I hope that this sunday it will be less hard! In Italy quite every sunday there is a town or village that organized a hike: you can choose short, medium or long distance, usually the route goes along countryside, hills or mountains. You are free to choose walking or jogging, going with friends, childrens, dogs or alone. Along the route there are rest points, where you can drink hot tea, eat biscuits or fresh fruit. The organizers ask you a very low fee (usually 3 euros) to partecipate to the hike. I like this hikes a lot because for me is an occasion to stay some time outside and breath some fresh air after a week always closed in an office or at home. Last week was very cold (-4°C!) and I think it's been the reason for which I ran so much! :)

Orange and chocolate cake My husband this evening said: "I would like to eat a chocolate and orange cake!" "ok, it'a great idea! The kitchen is yours! I'm tired now - I've just finished to wash dishes...". Two minutes later he was already at work: 3 eggs, some sunflower oil, 200 gr of flour, sugar (but less than recipe says), chocolate, orange juice, baking powder, some milk. He mixed sugar, eggs, flour, oil, baking powder. Than he divided "pasta" (how can I say it in english??) into two parts: in the first added chocolate powder and some milk, in the other one orange juice. At the end he mixed them into a "stampo" (another word I don't know how to translate in the right way!) and put it into a hot oven. Now we are waiting the thirty minutes cake needs to cook, so I thought to use this time making english practice with Italki!

A sunny saturday After two weeks, finally today I can stay at home all the day! During the week I'm out from home since 7 am to 6 pm, so when saturday arrives my home is always dirty! Today sun shined, it was not so cold outside and cleaning my home hasn't been a so bad work! Now I'm very satisfied of myself: everything is on its right place and home is clean. I'm waiting for dinner and for going out tonight. Will it remain as it's now until tomorrow? I don't think... :)

Creativity I think to be a creative person. Since I was young, sometimes I invent stories and poems. I like making necklaces, earrings, greeting cards, etc... with waste materials that I save and collect: all things that could have a second life and a creative reuse. One year ago I created a necklace with some hinges, pink and green: I'm very satisfied for it! When I'm at restaurant, if I see an origami created with napkin, the first thing I do is understanding how it has been made,then I try to recreate the origami. When I have to make a gift, I'm not completely happy if I don't personalize its packaging. I can create a creative packaging also with few and poor materials, for example using old newspapers, pieces of little gift papers etc... I like doing graphic works, creating flowers compositions and making cooking experiments: very often I invent new dishes using what there is in the fridge, then my husband tests them! Usually they are good, fortunately, so we don't have to go to restaurant!

waiting for dinner I arrived at home from work half an hour ago, my dogs were hungry and so the first thing to do was to give them something to eat. Then I went out to fill in my basket of firewood. It was really heavy! Now fire is sparkling in the stove and my dog is in front of it. Sometimes he goes so close to stove's window that I think "if he could, he would enter in!". For dinner I want to do lentils and soya hamburgers, but they're not ready. My husband is arrived at home just now: he has bought an automatic vacuum clenear for his mother! Who knows if he want to prepare dinner!