It's wrong!  Wrong I tell you!  It is supposed to be Christmas season but it's hard to get in the mood when it's 50 degrees and pouring!  The leaves have finally fallen, I think from exhaustion, but the fields are still Irish green from all the water.  The most googled words in Italy these days are "bad weather".   Not joking.  2014 has had 4 times the normal annual rainfall and this November was the wettest on record.  All I want to do is cuddle up under covers and read.  The only time I feel like venturing forth is at night when grey skies matter little.  Last night we went out to dinner with colleagues of GP's for a nice fish dinner in an area that was once "no man's land."  Up until the Olympics this was a high crime, poverty stricken, immigrant populated area.  It has since become chic and there are tons of restaurants, bars and renovated apartment buildings.  It's a very cool area in the heart of the old center near the church where they house the "Shroud of Turin".  In fact the restaurant is called "Spirito Santo" or "Holy Ghost".  It's now high food intake season so I have to control myself.  It's way too easy to pack on the pounds and way too difficult to take them off again.  For vacation we have decided on the northeastern part of Italy, Gorizia and Trieste, and Slovenia, with New Year's Eve in Ljubljana.  I'm praying it will dry out!  The tree goes up today and I'll do some baking.  I'll close the curtains and pretend it's snowing.  xxoo me