Well, here I am, once more in the Ricci café in the piazza in Fivizzano, fresh from the ministrations of my hairdresser and friend Massimo. Comments from other friends in the café ranged from ageing rock star to distinguished professor. My mate Oreste, originally from Naples, who was just before me in the hairdressers, was similarly spruced up for the big match tonight. (His wife Chris took my Continue Reading
30,000 kWh and counting: the Watermill is a mini-power station!
Yesterday our photovoltaic electricity-producing system passed another significant milestone: we have now clocked up more than 30,000 kWh (30 Mwh) of electricity produced directly from the sun. The picture below, from our handy little monitoring app, shows the achievement. And what’s more, we have reduced the world’s carbon dioxide production by 21 tonnes. (Not much, it must be confessed Continue Reading
Elvis is alive and well and living in Posara
We thought we’d lost him! We thought he might have been mowed down or slashed with a machete, for there was no sign of him in his normal haunts… Elvis, you may recollect, is a small tortoise given to us by our friends Helen and Pasquale, whose three tortoises in their garden in Florence had become antagonistic to each other, with all sorts of slow-motion aggressive behaviour. In a peacekeeping Continue Reading
Memories of another magical millstream walk
While waiting with bated breaths for our guests to turn up for this year’s creative courses (we are expecting the first of you in the middle of August), Lois and I have been enjoying the peaceful splendour of the Watermill and its unspoiled surroundings. In particular, every morning we have made a magical walk along the millstream, beside the river and the through the sun-dappled Continue Reading
The bullrushes are flourishing beside the millstream
We took another magical walk along our millstream this morning, admiring among other things the bullrushes growing tall beside the bubbling waters. We are looking forward to showing them off to our guests on our creative courses starting soon. As ever, there’s more about everything on the Watermill website. Please just click here. Continue Reading
Roll out the barrow: some results from Lois’s early morning weeding
Lois has been bitten by the gardening bug and likes to get out for an hour or so’s weeding and tidying early in the morning while it is still cool. This barrowload is the result of this morning’s efforts. Thanks to Lois, our gardener Flavio and our friend Vivienne White everything is looking splendid in the Watermill gardens and we are ready to welcome at soon as you can get here. As Continue Reading
At last! (Well almost)
Following a meeting yesterday between Chancellor Merkel of Germany and the British Prime Minister it is increasingly probable that, in the German Chancellor’s words “We think that, in the foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs will then be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine.” Angela Merkel’s words, of course, apply at present specifically to Germany but Continue Reading
Come and find your own crock of gold at the end of the Watermill rainbow: our newsletter is just out
Yes, the Watermill July newsletter is just published and you can read all our latest news by clicking here. There are stories on how the Italian government has come up trumps to help us financially in these difficult times, and in particular, to give us a generous grant towards the provision of our photovoltaic electricity-producing panels, which have now produced some 30,000 kWh, saved more Continue Reading
Adding yet more colour to the Watermill garden
While we are waiting for this summer’s guests to arrive for our creative courses, Lois has got the gardening bug! There she is above putting in a bed of campanula, to add yet more colour to the Watermill walled garden. Wish you were here? Come and join us if you can. There’s more about everything at the Watermill on our website. Please just click here. Continue Reading
Become a Watermill patron and join us online for an aperitivo, this month in Arezzo
We would like to invite you to join the creative community of convivial like-minded people who have become Watermill patrons. There are lots of bonuses when you do so. Not least, exclusive podcasts of Just in Time for an Aperitivo, Bill’s love letters to Italy. If you love Italy, you will be intrigued and charmed by Just in Time for an Aperitivo. From time to time, Bill has been writing a Continue Reading