Anyone for Squirrel?
I always refer to squirrels as American tree rats, because of the damage they do to trees and because they chase our native and much better red squirrels away. They were one of the first American cultural imports, like burgers and baseball caps, that we can well do without!
So to see that Budgens are now selling them in Crouch End is good. As they say in Suffolk, “Make the buggers work!” That was originally said by a farmer and horse-coper called Dick Freeman, when I told him that my business partner and his wife, had been offered a local speciality in Geneva; raw donkey meat. They had been horrified as at the time, as they had had a pet one called Robin. Dick hated donkeys with a passion, as they give worms to horses.
Our housekeeper at Debach was partial to squirrel and told me that young ones were very nice if fried in a little butter.
Remember though, I am of an age, who was brought up when meat was rationed in the 1940s and early 1950s. As rabbit was off coupon and my father had a customer, who could get it, we had quite a few rabbit pies in those days.
I still like rabbit and would try squirrel in a decent restaurant. After all it’s gluten-free isn’t it?
I doubt I’ll ever go again due to my health, but on Salina in the Aeolian Islands, rabbit is the local speciality, as rabbits are wild and plentiful. The rabbit at the Hotel Signum is exquisite. It’s an ambition to go again and a goal to aspire to.
New Zealand Draw With Twelve Man Italy
What a result and well played New Zealand and of course Tommy Smith of Ipswich! But according to Robbie Savage on Radio 5, it wasn’t a penalty, but a well-carried out dive. And where did the officials get four minutes of added time from at the end? Obviously, they didn’t want a nice holiday being feted in New Zealand.
But Italy have followed the pattern of well-fancied European teams.
The Result of a Burqa Ban
A headline in The Times yesterday was “I’ll keep her indoors, says man, after wife is fined for wearing veil”.
I’m not in favour of women being covered up in public, but then I’m not someone who think it should be an offence. What has happened in Italy is a case of heads the woman loses and tails the woman does the same.
What we must do is make sure that men and women treat their partners equally. Read about the history of Islam and you’ll find that in the early days women were equal. Are they now? In many cases they are, but in other cases, it does not appear so to me.
But then I also think that any man who doesn’t let his woman out of the house is probably a very inadequate man, who is frightened she might realise what a complete loser he is.
Brazilian Armies in Europe
Field Marshal Waldemar Levy Cardoso has just died at 108.
His death highlights a little known story from World War II, where Brazilian soldiers fought against the Axis in Italy. there is more here in this article from the BBC.
But it is not the first time Brazilian soldiers have fought in Europe.
The Meridian Line in Naples
Naples has two of the best museums in the world, let alone Italy. In fact the collection of paintings in the Museo di Capodimonte is considered to be the second best in Italy after the Uffizzi in Florence. But the National Archaeological Museum is to me the more interesting, as I prefer my sculpture to my painting.
Sometimes, in Italy I think that if I’ve seen one Madonna and Child, I’ve seen a hundred. Or perhaps even a thousand.
But the sculptures are stunning. Most are from the Farnese Collection and have been on display in Naples for around 200 years.
The Farnese Bull
The museum is also unusual in that it has a Meridian Line, which shows midday, the seasons and the signs of the Zodiac.
Meridian Line, Naples
It’s accurate too, as this picture with my mobile phone shows. You can just see the time. I would have used a watch, but I wasn’t wearing it after the previous incident.
Meridian Line at Midday
The phone is a legendary Nokia 6310i and is about seven or eight years old. It was in my pocket when I was attacked and doesn’t seemed to have suffered. It’s still on the original battery.
It’s Not the Size of the Dog
Ask a postman and he’ll tell you that he’s more likely to get bitten by a irate dachshund than a large brute of a German shepherd. And if there’s a serious dog fight, they’ll usually be something like a Jack Russell involved. It’s just that small dogs seem to have more fight.
Now I’m 60 kilos (9 st. 6 lb.) or thereabouts wet through. Not that that I usually get wet outside of a bath or shower. And I’m just 1.71 metres (5 ft. 7 in. and a bit). Which means I’m somewhere in size between a flat and a jump jockey or about the size of a lightweight boxer. I’m also 62 in August.
I was probably being stupid by wearing a watch in Naples, but then I’d done it before and hadn’t had a problem. But thinking about it, when I had done it before, it had been cold and I’d been wearing my elderly Gieves and Hawkes jacket. The jacket is the sort that British gentleman wore all over the Empire, as it’s capable of dealing with knives and small arms fire.
So as I was walking around the city with a lady friend, a thief struck and tried to take my Rolex. Now it is not just any Rolex, but one my late wife gave me as a Christmas present two weeks after she died. It is inscribed with something personal and it is very precious to me.
Subconsciously, I gripped my hands together and as one would expect from a watch like a Rolex, the strap held, giving me some bruises on the wrist. We ended up rolling on the floor, with nobody giving me any assistance. I chided my friend afterwards for not doing what women should do in these sort of circumstances and that is scream and scream loudly. She just tried to kick him in the balls.
As we rolled, I was able to grab his index finger with my right hand and still I think keeping my left locked tight to my right wrist. Something snapped and it wasn’t anything of mine and my assailant was up on his feet and jumping on to his accomplice’s scooter. Did I just wrench his finger or break it? The doctor I saw in the UK, who was built like a prop forward, said it was an easy thing to do.
So it was a win on points to the terrier. Especially as the thief was perhaps well under half my age and perhaps fifty percent heavier. Hopefully, he’s a good bit wiser and will think twice about attacking small Englishmen.
I didn’t come out unscathed in that I had a large cut on the back of my head and I was bleeding quite badly.
No-one helped or came forward, so we eventually ventured into a pharmacy, where the pharmacist patched me up and called an ambulance. Only then did some of the local women come forward to say how sorry they were. But not a man said a thing. Is this silence because of the fear that people have for the local thugs and the Mafia?
At the hospital, everything went well and I left an hour later with seven stitches in my head and a clean CAT scan, which checked that nothing more was broken.
As to the Rolex, it cost just £2 to have the strap straightened at Wigg’s in Newmarket.
Now would I go back to Naples?
Of course. It’s a wonderful city with marvellous museums, Roman sites galore and lots of good food. I had a glorious gluten-free pizza in the Umberto restaurant. And that’s just the city itself.
Italian Trains
Since my wife died, I’ve been to Italy three times. And every time I’ve been I’ve used the trains.
Italian High-Speed Train
On the first trip early in 2008, I flew to Venice and then took trains from there to Florence, from Florence to Naples and then back from Naples to Rome. The first two trains I booked on the Internet by a link from the excellent train site, seat61.com, to the Italian on-line booking site, trenitalia.it, whilst the third was booked from a machine in Naples station.
In March this year, I took a train from Milan to Venice and then on my last trip, I took one from Lamezia up to Naples. All were booked on machines locally.
There were no problems either with the trains or the ticketing, other than that the trenitalia.it site was very slow at one time and it resulted in them thinking my credit card had been nicked. Because of this and because you don’t get any discount for advance or on-line purchases (I couldn’t find one!), I would recommend using the machines, either with a credit card or cash. I had to use a €50 note in Lamezia as the machine was slow again.
But you get a reserved seat, coffee at a reasonable price if you want it and all at a price that would put Britain to shame. And most of the trains I have used have been half empty!
Mark Thompson’s Expenses
There has been a lot of fuss about the BBC’s Director General Mark Thompson’s expense of cutting his holiday short because of the Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross affair, that some call Sachsgate. Here’s an article in the Guardian.
Thompson claimed £2,236.90 to cut his family holiday in Italy short and fly back to the UK on 30 October last year to deal with the Sachsgate row that engulfed the BBC after offensive messages left on actor Andrew Sachs’s answer machine by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross were subsequently broadcast in Radio 2.
Mark Thompson was on BBC Breakfast this morning and said that it was a driving holiday with his family in Sicily and as the Trustees of the BBC wanted him to get back, it would not have been the a good idea to leave them behind without a car.
Quite right!
Some years ago, my late wife and I spent a very enjoyable holiday driving around Sicily looking at all the sites. They are wonderful by the way and the holiday was finished by a memorable performance of Jesus Christ Superstar in the amphitheatre at Taormina.
Sicily is not Italy, in that there are long drives between the sites, cafes and hotels are far apart and except in cites like Palermo and Taormina, it is not a country you can enjoy by yourself. So as Mark Thompson had to come home, he had to bring his wife and family back.
Out of curiosity I just tried to book flights for two adults and two children back from Sicily, either today or tomorrow.
Ryanair wanted to charge me about £700 for this, but it would get you to Stansted and knowing Sicily well, it might not be too easy to book the flight from there. With Ryanair’s new conditions on baggage and ticketing, I suspect that a family might find that this airline would not be possible. I use them a lot and plan what I take before I leave.
I also tried British Airways. They only fly from Catania and that gets you to Gatwick. The cost was £3703.94!
So I think we got good value for his flight back.
I suspect too that Mark Thompson got a hell of a lot of grief from his family!
Pompeii
On the trip in June this year, I also visited Pompeii.
Pompeii is south of Naples and is just a few stops on the Circumvesuviana railway.
Pompeii is one of those places, that must be seen. It is a World Heritage Site.
The Aeolian Islands
These pictures were taken to, from and at the Aeolian Islands.
Everybody should go to these islands at least once. I’ve been twice, firstly in June 2007 and then again in the same month this year.
Each island has their own character; Panarea is small and swish, Salina is more agricultural, Stromboli is dominated by the volcano and Lipari is a bustling town as befits the capital.
Getting there though means a four hour trip in a hydrofoil!
Like Naples, the Aeolian Islands are a World Heritage Site.
The Anonymous Widower 