Night markets, festivals and birthday fun...

Another busy month - do I always say that?!! 

All of our new garden furniture has bedded in nicely and the guests are enjoying it.  The weather has been lovely and we don't have any guests this week because of a cancellation due to ill health.  We advertised the week with a large discount but the flights were so expensive (being a last-minute thing) no-one decided to book in the end despite a mound of enquiries.  So Leigh and I moved in to Casa Leana which has been a real treat especially as it was my birthday on Sunday.  We had a great meal in one of our favourite little restaurants in Monterchi and spent the afternoon by the pool - I felt very spoilt I must say.  

The Wednesday night markets in our local town of Anghiari have been lovely, as always, this year - we have attended all but one of them.  We love having pizza and Prosecco then wandering around checking out the stalls on the way to the gelateria for an ice cream to top off the night.  I think it is one of our favourite things to do in the warm summer evenings in Tuscany watching the children running around late into the night, live music and good food, what's not to love?! 

We also went to the annual Vintage Festival in another town a little bit further afield (Castiglion Fiorentina).  It is our second time going to this festival and it didn't disappoint.  Lots of people dressed up in vintage clothes, several live bands dotted around the town makes for such a wonderful atmosphere.  We took a couple of friends along and they loved it too - I'm always a bit worried introducing people to events we enjoy, I worry they will not be as excited about the whole thing as we are but they were (or at least said they were!) and it was a lovely evening.  

And you never guess what? The leather jacket that I saw last year and tried on was still for sale!  I nearly bought it for the second year running and even had the cash in my hand but when I tried it on it was really heavy (being a biker jacket) and if I'm honest it didn't fit around my chest so I decided against it AGAIN!  I've opted for a more sensible approach and am planning on getting a more lightweight leather jacket that actually fits me (!?) either here or in the UK the next time we visit.  It was hard fought off purchase as it has been floating around my little brain for 365 days!  

So ever since, we have been shopping for said leather jacket and a day trip to Cortona, one of my favourite places to visit, was in order.  We had such a nice day but couldn't find the perfect item so we have been looking around the immediate area but no luck.  We're planning a trip to Montepulciano where I am hoping to find a lovely super cool Italian beauty.  Even if I don't find anything we love Montepulciano and it is only an hour away.  We haven't been for a while so I am looking forward to that and as the weather has cooled a bit it is a great time of year for shopping.  

Guests have been lovely as always.  Last week one of our group left us a bottle of champagne and a card thanking us for a lovely holiday which unfortunately her father took away mistakenly believing it to belong to his wife whose birthday it was!  So we didn't get to see it (or drink it!) but the guest very kindly gave us a tip instead, asking us to take it out of the security deposit she had left with us.  What a wonderful gesture, we were so touched!  We never tire of hearing that our guests are having lovely holidays.  Many of our friends say that's why our business is successful, because we care so much about people's holidays and I think there is a lot of truth in that!  

We spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon at our friends' house this month for their annual games day.  It is a fun thing for a few expats in the area (there's ten of us that are bonkers enough to join in!) and we always have a laugh.  Leigh won which I don't think I will ever hear the end of!  Especially as our friends who run the games day are moving away in October so they won't be hosting any more which means, much to his delight, Leigh will remain the reigning champion.  Ha ha..  

We are organising a photo shoot as we haven't had one done for a while and we have added quite a few new things to the house and gardens over the last few years.  It takes a while to get everything ready as it has to be done on a Saturday when all the beds are made etc. So watch this space for, hopefully, some beautiful new photographs of the house and gardens.   

Anyway, I think that's it this month.  We are moving out of Casa Leana tomorrow and getting ready for our next group to arrive on Saturday.  We received another booking for next year last week and we sold a week for later on this year which means we have had another record-breaking year!  Phew... 

Have a lovely weekend.  

D I A N A   xxx