Richard And Jo Demeester's photos

Fuzzy little bumble bee crawls over blooms.

We have been having so much enjoyment shopping at the "used markets". From left to right: 1) Bedside tables, with marble tops, probably 1950s, now painted and with new handles. Bedside lights from a similar era, 2) Set of 8 drawers in a pyramid - new handles are on order, and should be soon delivered. Top drawer is pretty useless, and the second can only be used for selected items - but the rest are fine for whatever. 3) A corner cabinet with shelves. A Moroccan lamp with a candle inside. 4) A very old brass bed warming pan, deserving of hot coals Age? No idea, Probably early 20th century. 5) Some glimpses of a couple of the pre-owned rugs that we have acquired.

Please ignore the warped appearance of the beams in our "after" photo. I ended up taking a panorama scan. Repainted, flame pellet heater installed, furnished, and styled. This is now our master bedroom.

Lunch in a Lanciano restaurant.

Coffee in the piazza, Bomba.

Not actually a snake, but a harmless "legless lizard". Known as a blind worm, or a slow worm, it is not blind, not that slow, and definitely not a worm. And it is not a snake - it's got to do with eyelids, ears, and what the fact they have short spines and how much of their bodies have internal organs....

We walked around 18-19 kms that day. It was uphill first and by about halfway, we were out of water. Our return to Bomba, kind of marked, kind of off-piste, went past "Fonte Benedetti". In a clearing in the forest, with a few vague paths in and out, we drank our fill of, what had been promised by some locals, as sweet water.

One of the openings in the remaining stretch of wall at Pallanum.

A doorway in the megalithic wall at Pallanum, about 8 km from Bromba, near the top of Monte Pallano. Only a couple of hundred metres remains of the walls, dating some where about 400-500 BC, but reaching 5 metres at a couple of points.

The dystopian flat top of Monte Pallano. Not a soul to be seen, yet enough communication equipment to keep most of Italy connected.

Another gorgeous town, a stone's throw from our village. At the top of that rock, we had a fine view of the town, the lake, and our home in Bomba.

... you start bringing your furniture in via the balcony.