After a wonderful start to the day the weather became schizoid and we've had solid,heavy rain. It's quite unlike Scottish rain which is basically wet and grey ( there is a wonderful Scots word - dreech - to describe it ). Here it has been cascading down as it would in the Caribbean. This is tonights view, with heavy clouds, across the olive groves to Todi.
Last night we had the most violent hail storm I've ever known. Large lumps of ice the size of marbles hurtled down from the sky for twenty minutes without pause. The noise was incredible and we had to shout above it in the kitchen to make ourselves heard. The lightning display and acoustics that went with it were positively biblical in their proportions. We had thought that the two boyz had recovered from the violence of the robbery but the sound of the hail cracking against the roof must have reminded them of the sound of gunfire. Digby, who at the best of times is hardly the bravest of dogs started to tremble all over and hid under my chair. Wilf, who until recently was quite unperturbable and took thunder and loud noises in his stride simply came and lay across my feet with his paws covering his eyes. We turned up the sound system and carried on as if we weren't aware of what was going on so that they would calm down.
It's as if we've woken up this morning and we're back in Scotland. The warmth and sun of the last week have given way to drizzle and low hanging cloud. Even the boyz were less than enthusiastic about their morning walk - we got halfway up the hill when Wilf just turned around and headed back to the house with Digby following in close pursuit. They are slowly but surely taking on the mantle of 'senior dogs' - where once they would have thought nothing of ploughing through long, wet grass they now are opting for comfort and the dry, welcoming warmth of home. Having senior dogs is much easier for the owner - for the first seven years of their lives the boyz were constantly moving bundles of fur forever on the look out for adventure- of late they have taken to sleeping more and will take their adventure in smaller doses.
Wilf has started his day on a high note - as we set off from the house on the morning walk he quickly found a partially eaten boiled egg left behind by one of the builders . After four days in the sun it must have just reached that gourmet level of canine putresence.By the time we noticed he was lagging behind the appetising article had been swallowed , leaving only a tell tale trail of small egg shell pieces as a clue to its existence. Naturally, the horrid day-glo plastic starfish with the annoying ( and miraculously still functioning ) squeaker joined us on the morning excursion.At this time in the morning the only sound , apart from the wheezing starfish, was the breeze rustling the leaves on the ash trees along the driveway.
Morning newspapers from the UK as gloom and doom laden as I've ever seen. The governments budget which was announced on Wednesday of last week is torn to shreds - the commentaries are caustic even in the papers that are generally supportive of the Prime Minister ! The basic premise seems to be that there will need to be stinging budget cuts across the board but they will not be implemented until after the next election by which time the remedies will need to be even more severe. To make matters worse in a week in which taxes were raised , MP's were debating awarding themselves a $225 per day allowance for just showing up to work. You couldn't make it up. We had dinner with American friends last night who were complaining about the state of the US economy - I suggested they should try coming to the UK for a while to get a feel for just how fortunate they are.
Italy provides a perfect palliative for the woes of life north of the Alps.The day has dawned bright and fair, the boyz are out at the fence barking at the last of the foxes scurrying back to their dens after a nights foraging,and we are about to sit down to pancakes and bacon.Worries about the world can wait until Monday morning.
Out by six this morning - another of those wonderful Italian days with the sun already on your face , not a cloud in the sky and the gentlest murmur of a breeze. If ever you want to come to Italy the months straddling late April/early May and late September/early October are the times to come - no hoardes of tourists, no oppressive heat, and no queues. The boyz were on leads this morning to keep them out of the long grass where the vipers have been spotted by the builders. They both seemed to enjoy the security of being walked rather than running wild. It's a national holiday here today - Liberation Day - so everything is closed.
Thunderstorms are rolling up and down the valley. From our perch on the hill we can see the lightning arcing across the sky and clouds building up to a tremendous height over Tuscany. Wilf is quite unperturbed by this atmospheric display but Digby has opted for safety over valour and decided to come and hide under the dining table. The builders have reported seeing two poisonous vipers in the fields so the boyz will be restricted to walks on leads and away from the long grass in the olive groves for the next month.
Up and out by six. Today, the lurid day-glo starfish with the bulging eyes joined us on the morning walk - it seems to have become the companion of choice for the two boyz. This morning as soon as it was light the two of them rushed down to the cupboard where it is kept and sat imploringly waiting for it to be brought out. The attraction of this strange piece of plastic may lie in the fact that amazingly the squeaker is still working after two days of chomping and general rough and tumble . When squeezed it emits a high pitched wheeze that must pluck some chord deep in the sheepdog soul.Here the morning news revolves around the Italian governments decision to switch the G8 heads of government meeting from the luxury of Sardinia to L'Aquila in Abruzzo, where the earthquake recently took place. Cynics claim that the change in venue is because the conference center in Sardinia won't be finished in time. Others, taking a less political view say the presence of the G8 leaders will bring a flood of investment into the striken region.
Up and out at six , our pre-summer walk time. It was hot rather than warm this morning so we may have to switch onto the five o'clock slot before too long. One of the most difficult things for a northerner is getting used to Italian time - everything here opens early and then absolutely everything shuts down between one and four ( and sometimes five ) in the afternoon. Once you get used to having a catch-up sleep in the afternoon it's fine but to a Brit or American it somehow feels rather decadent to be dozing during the prime daylight hours.
As we drive north from the house in the direction of Florence we soon see the skyline of Perugia outlined against the invariably blue Umbrian sky. To a Scot similarities with Edinburgh quickly spring to mind. It is an ancient town approached through thick Etruscan and Roman walls and is less touristy than its flashier counterparts on the holiday travellers route Siena, Bologna and Ferrara. The cathedral is a wonderful unfinished old building that is still waiting for the covering of marble that was planned for it before the Black Death intervened. Gloriously and exotically ,( to a Presbyterian Scot ) it is famous for being the home of the Virgin's wedding ring. This is said to change colour according to the nature of the person who holds it. The ring lies securely in an intricate cocoon of 15 steel and iron boxes one within the other rather like a Chinese puzzle. Each one has its own key and each key is held by a different town functionary ! The 15 boxes are locked inside a steel lined chest with a golden key that is in the possesion of Perugia's bishop. How I love Italy and its customs . 
Since we stopped using insecticides on the land the number of wild flowers and birds has increased dramatically. However, our carefully and expensively nurtured lawns are being taken over by a rather beautiful but prolific wild plant - I think it must be a form of white wild crocus. If anyone knows its name please advise - all hints gratefully received. Wilf is as happy as a dog can be - so far today he has said hello to the lovely post lady,two electricians, five builders and three gardeners - naturally all have been presented with a ball to throw. This afternoon the plumbers are coming and some garden furniture is being delivered so the excitement isn't over yet. Readers of this blog will note from the photographs that as the day progresses the white fur around the mouth gets dirtier and dirtier and the overall coat more and more tangled.
Pity the poor builders - their arrival has been greeted by a welcoming committee comprised of Wilf (with ball) and Digby. To think that last week, in the immediate aftermath of the burglary, we were worried that the two boyz would be traumatised and would shy away from humans. How wrong we were!
Boyz were keen to get the day started. As soon as the garden gate was opened they charged off through the fields at warp speed chasing after critters. I'm glad we don't have to rely on them to catch anything. Their hunting skills are based on never failing optimism and a limitless ability to put hope above experience. In the aftermath of their 
One of the new security gates was fitted yesterday but progress was laggardly and the others will have to wait until this afternoon. Just as we were getting ready to prepare dinner last night the Carabinieri arrived with more witness statements to sign. We have belatedly learnt that there is a wave of violent crime across Greece,Italy and southern France caused by gangs of former soldiers who fought in the Kosovo war. In the absence of any job opportunities at home they are now looking to use their particular skill sets to make a little extra money where they can.
A rain storm has just blown up out of nowhere. The clear blue sky that greeted us at dawn this morning has given way to a grey drizzly day that wouldn't be out of place in Scotland ,although I have to add the rider that its much , much warmer here. One of the things that tells me I'm no longer in the north of the continent is the quality of the light . Somehow after a downpour the whole landscape seems to glow with a purple tint in a way that is quite alien to those of us from less sun blessed regions.
After a morning of happily getting under everyones feet the two boyz are now indoors... and not being allowed out. Despite our worries that they might have been traumatised after last weeks robbery, they seem to have settled back into their friendly and inquisitive ways. This has made it difficult for the builders to get anything done without the active participation and involvement of either Wilf or Digby,or both. No hole can be dug or earth shovelled without the two of them wanting to enthusiastically see what has been going on.Even the most placid of builders tires with throwing the ball for them after two or three hours of constant interruptions. As we want the new metal grill security doors firmly in place before nightfall the boyz have now been consigned to the house for the duration-a state of affairs they are decidely unhappy about.
A strong warm wind has started to blow up from Algeria and Libya bringing with it a mass of fine sand and dust that coats all the garden furniture. The arrival of the wind is a pretty good sign that the heat is at long last on its way and the cold fronts are slowly being pushed back further and further north towards the Alps. The boyz are standing outside facing into the wind and looking vaguely aerodynamic with their fur flying every which way. They seem to love the wind, it fluffs up their fur and manages to keep them both warm and cool at one and the same time. It won't be long before I have to take a deep breath and get the clippers out for their short summer cut.
The boyz have spent a happy,if ultimately fruitless, afternoon hunting for lizards in the lower garden. We have been splitting our sides with laughter watching these two 20 kilo bundles of fur practising their 'stealth' techniques. Suffice it to say that any wildlife within a 500 metre radius will have heard them and disappeared long before the two troubadors ever see them . What they lack in finesse they try to make up for with enthusiasm - this hunting technique involves a variety of whines and other peculiarly canine noises culminating in the occassional bark of pure frustration. If you're not a dog owner you will never ever know the simple unallayed pleasure of living with two permanent clowns and always having a smile on your face!
There is something about the Italian landscape that appeals to the northern soul. Scotland is beautiful but in an Alaskan-Norwegian-elemental way. Here, the evidence of continuous cultivation and habitation gives the land a softness and sensuality that can't be found anywhere else. This is the view across the fields towards Todi at six this morning. The local villagers think that we are terribly isolated being all of 2 kilometres from the nearest tarmaced road. We on the other hand coming from Scotland think that we're in the middle of it all.The joys of cultural differences!
The poor hotel and restaurant owners in the area are licking their wounds after a miserable Easter. If the recession wasn't exreting a bad enoughinfluence on bookings, the big earthquake in Abruzzo on the Monday before the holiday led to a spate of last minute cancellations - for most of the hotels here occupancy levels were down 20% from the levels seen last year.Everyone in the village bar is still hopeful that there will be a rush of foreign bookings for the summer . I'm gently trying to steel anyone that asks me to the fact that the Brits and Americans are suffering a weak economy and are less likely to travel than before.
The builders have shown up again - on a Saturday! At this rate of progress the new paving around the house may be laid by the start of summer and the gardens may stop looking like a battlefield. The boyz are much improved in spirit after last weeks scare and are back to spending their days contentedly irritating the builders. There is nothing that the workmen do that is not of immediate and compelling interest to the boyz - particularly is it involves digging up earth or shovelling sand. Wilf has now settled down in the courtyard to observe what is going and will be there until he detects signs that it is their lunch break at which point he will leap into activity and do his ' I've never been fed in my life' begging routine.The police came again last night and stayed for three hours - we were exhausted when they left at ten.Interestingly, if you are attacked by men wearing masks you are likely to forget the attack much more quickly than you would if you had seen their faces.
