Vladimir and the villagers

13th February 2008

This ‘optimistic’ blog struggles to retain its optimism sometimes; red tape, ever escalating prices, never escalating temperatures and a dog whose diet of stolen foods makes for a vet’s bill much higher than it ought to be.

To give you an idea, last week he claimed; one pound of butter, a babybel cheese (including wax and wrapper), two pairs of sunglasses, various items from the cat litter tray, and as much of our rubbish as he could shove into his mouth before we caught him.

Having said all that. I was then privileged to witness the most extreme example of Italian’s love of their mobile phones. I have discovered that there is nowhere and no occasion in which you cannot or should not answer your phone. But there had to be a limit, and now I think I have found that limit. At the vets, taking the temperature of my dog, you might have thought that she could miss a call, but no. With one hand up my dog’s backside and the other ferreting around her white coat for the mobile, even the dog had to laugh.

Had a fantastic afternoon, without the dog, photographing the railway station in Florence, Santa Maria Novella. I put a few of the best ones in the sidebar…

The stupidest thing I did today;

Dipping out of my ‘theme’ for a change, I found out something very useful today which might stop me doing something stupid in the future. According to local legend, our builder, Vladimir, once ‘took on’ a whole village after a dispute in a bar. I must remember that.

Comments

[amanda]

What can I say, the dog lived and big bad Vlad is still on the job.

Hi Rositta, welcome.

Thanks for all the comments guys, they make our day.

[Maryann]

Hi guys! Go to my site. I posted the song I told you about back when you were having your mouse trouble..."Pepino the Italian Mouse".

[rositta]

I'm a first time visitor and your doggy story made me laugh. My first thought was "it's a labrador"... Mine at a pound of butter once and puked for days, lol...ciao

[bleeding espresso]

Ew. At least she didn't use the same hand though. You can't know where that cell phone has been.

[Paolo]

Nice fotos of station but where are all the people?!

[Joe]

I know all about a dog's crazy diet... mine ate an umbrella, a coaster and few newspapers just this week! Good luck with yours and good luck with Vlad.

[Maryann]

I thought you were going to say that the dog ate your cell phone and the vet fished it out! haha

[Antonina Cross[Nell}]

Would that be Vlad the impaler ? I do hope not because if it is, come closer as so not be overheard,I think he beat the villagers by sucking the very life out of them....if you get my meaning!
As for the dog with the iron clad stomach and thermometer up his butt while his vet has a telephonio in her ear, all I can say is "Viva Italia."My father used to feed the dog nest door leftover pasta every night, it lived to be 12 years old or 84 in dog years.
That which does not kill him will pass Hortaio.