Tricia's Thoughts

Last night I brought my car home! At least I think I did, I distinctly remember driving for the first time in Italy and winding my way through the little villages and going round the round abouts the wrong way, and safely making it through the gates. Then this morning, I went to take photo’s to record her auspicious arrival, and this is what I saw …..

The whole world had changed overnight and my car which was beautifully clean and shining last night, is hidden from sight. Oh well!! I will use this morning to discover the mysteries of the TomTom so that I’ll be able to find my way around. K had set it up for me last night so I could get home, and I’m such a novice that I couldn’t find where to turn it off when I got home.

The car goes like a dream, and K had put a little flag of South Africa on the back window, and a bottle of Prosecco (Italian Champagne) on the dash for me, as well as getting a german number plate so as to match their cars …… so now I need to think of a name for her … she’s so quick and nippy that maybe I should call her “Pronto” or maybe, because of this morning “Snowy”. I need to think about that …

The last few days were sunny and beautiful, which was just as well, because the heating man came to sort out a problem with the computer, and managed to stop it working altogether …. as we huddled in the kitchen, it reminded me of my grandmother’s house, where only the kitchen was warm, and leaving the one room for others required putting on coats and gloves!!

Finally yesterday evening the “boss” came and sorted out the problem ….. having switched the heating off, his workman did not know how to switch it on again and instead of ‘fessing up, said he’d disconected it and couldn’t reconnect. It was so cold in the cellar that we never thought to check!!! So after 2 days with no hot water, I’m off for a nice long soak in the bath ………….

When I woke yesterday, the sun had already touched the alps, and the mountains opposite the house were glowing even though the lake was still in shadow and looked very cold.

Within a couple of hours though, the warmth had reached right across Lago di Maggiore.

Such a beautiful day and contrast to this time last week tempted us to take a drive across to Lago d’Orta. (Orta in Italian is garden, so this promised well for the beauty of the place). The little town nestles into the side of quite steep hills and is on a small peninsula that juts out into the lake. It is very old, with a central point the Sacro Monte – sacred mount (hill) - in the centre of the peninsula.

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The streets, are cobbled, with stone “tracks” and very narrow so visitors are not allowed to drive within the village centre, and everyone walks. It may have been the last day of January, but the village square was full of people out for the day, sitting at the outdoor cafe’s drinking the thickest chocolate drinks you can imagine. the spoon literally stood up on its own in the glass!! In the sun it was wonderful, though there was no temptation to take off a coat!!

To get to the Sacro Monte was a good walk along the side of the lake, and up!!

I want to go back and explore more. There are 28 chapels, 900 frescoes, 300+ statues, and a “pieta” that is more than 1000 years old. The place holds wonderful energy, and is believed to have been a site of earlier spiritual association that was then venerated by the Franciscan monks to commemorate St Francis.

I spent much of yesterday and this morning wrapped up to the nines (including cocooning myself in a horse blanket) so as to get some photos of Zilla riding. Being winter, the ground outside is frozen, so all her riding takes place in the indoor school. At the moment Zilla has 4 horses she is training for Grand Prix (and if the dream comes true one of these will make it to the Olympics in London in 2012!!)

Taking photos of action is not easy, and with the difficult light and danger of being run over by a passing horse while otherwise pre-occupied staring down the view finder, it is altogether quite a hazardous enterprise with disappointing results!!

Yesterday, I took the point and click, because the batteries in my Canon PowerShot were dead …. suffering from too many years of non use – as I discovered after I took these 3 of the entrance to the stables and the indoor school.

Ah well!! Not to be daunted I tried with the other, and discovered all sorts of settings I never knew it had …. faint light enhancers and video!! Now, photographing horses for a rider is not just a question of getting the horse in focus, it is also a question of which leg is touching the ground so as to create the best profile, and whether the moment I choose to “shoot” the horse is actually doing the right thing anyway!!

Of course, you are supposed to also include the rider’s head. but even though this shot is not in focus, I love the movement of it and sense of joy. What I’m looking for is obviously not what the rider wants to see, which is why the last two here, were taken demonstrating what should not be done!!

This was also the day that Kurt chose to win his bet that he would get back up on a horse … it’s at least 3 years since he last rode, and he had 1 more day in which to ride before the bet would be called in. Here’s proof that he did ride!! Of course, there is no guarantee that he will be able to walk tomorrow!!

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Since riding is definitely a warmer occupation than sitting watching or even taking photo’s, I’m going to seriously think about, thinking about, starting to ride again, but maybe I’ll just wait a week or so until the weather warms up!!

And so home to a glass of gluwein to warm up, and the first sight of the mountains from Zilla & Kurt’s home since I got here!

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When a dispute arises
as to the ownership of the husk,
the husk belongs
to the one who possesses the kernel.
The heavenly sphere is the husk;
the light of the spirit is the core.
This sky is visible; spirit is not;
but don't stumble because of this.
The body is manifest;
Life's spirit is hidden:
The body is like a sleeve;
the spirit is the hand.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chon tanâzo` dar fotad dar tang-gâh
dâneh ân kist ân-râ kon negâh
Pas falak qeshrist va nur-e ruh maghz
in padidast ân khafi zin ru ma-laghz
Jesm zâher ruh makhfi âmadast
jesm hamchon âstin jân hamcho dast
-- Mathnawi II: 3251-3253
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra