That Grinch of a colleague of mine won't let me play my Santa Radio station on my computer at work.   To punish her I have begun singing Christmas carols whenever she is near, complete with intermittent humming when I don't know the lyrics, which is often.  Ahh the little pleasures in life.  Like driving really slowly in front of a car right on my tail when it is impossible for him to pass.  It just brings me joy....

10 more days and then off work for the holidays.  The various lunches and dinners have begun.  Last Sunday we went to the annual holiday lunch put on by GPs hiking group.  There were over 120 people in attendance, most older than us and all in better shape.  Before the lunch was a 3 hours "walk" through the mountains above the village where the restaurant was situated.  It was an easy stroll for this group and I did fine!  At lunch they sold lottery tickets for donated prizes.  The money goes to a couple charities the group supports.  For the 120 plus attendees there were 100 prizes.  Not everyone bought tickets but I bought five.  Did I win anything?  NOOOOO.  But the guy beside GP won FIVE prizes!  Bet he cheated.

Last night we had dinner here with GPs two best buddies and their partners.  WE all chipped in and had a truffle dinner.  There was a good harvest this year so prices are down.  We haven't had the in years because they've been so damned expensive.  The traditional Piemontese truffle dinner is as follows:

Salami as all meals start with salami.

Steak tartar mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper topped with grated truffles (I skipped it)

Tagliatelle with butter, pepper, topped with grated truffles (I ate lots)

Fried eggs topped with grated truffles (ditto)

This is usually ended with Toma, a local cheese, topped with truffles, as all meals end in cheese but we skipped that serving.

Last night's White Truffles from Le Langhe

 There is an on going feud between those that believe that white truffles, like those found here in Le Langhe, (and also the type found in France), are the better truffles and those that say black truffles from Tuscany are best.  White truffles are more well know and more expensive.  There is an annual truffle auction in Alba where truffle dealers (yes they exist) from around the world come to buy.  The largest truffles used to all end up in the US in restaurants in NY or LA.  In recent years American dealers have been outbid by the Chinese.  We are losing our grip people!  The largest truffle this year went to Hong Kong and sold for 85 thousand euro.  That is insane.  We managed to get away with 25 euro a head last night.  Friend's in high places and all that.....

xxoo me

Last Saturday GP and I went down to the seas to hike in the Manea Range, the lower Maritime Alps that follow the coastline.  We parked in a town called Finale Ligure, hiked up into the hills and followed the crest to Noli, my favorite little seaside village. 

We stopped for lunch in a cave accessed by a person sized hole in a rock face.  Stepping through you find yourself on a large shelf over the sea.  Very cool.

lunch spot

not bad eh?

view over small beach

looking down on Noli

Waking back was another story.  Instead of going over the hills again which was time consuming, we followed the road along the coast, which was at times a little harrowing with a precipitous drop to the rocks on one side and speeding cars on the other.  At one point we climbed the rocks down to a remote beach for a sit.  It was a lovely day. 

Alas that was last weekend followed by a week from Hell at work.  My new comrade in arms in the Library has proved to be F@#%ing insane!  It's taken me almost 3 months but I've finally come to the conclusion that she sees, hears, and interprets everything in a completely contrary way to everyone else.  I'm terrified to speak as she takes everything I say as an aggression.   She chastises the children constantly for misbehaving when they are being perfectly well behaved.   Everything is an affront to her.  I'm thinking she may be paranoid schizophrenic.  Really.  I've asked for a meeting with her and two (at least) other people present so that it's not her word against mine when we discuss some issues we've had.  I HATE confrontations and would much rather retreat into my own space and silence but this is unavoidable as we literally work side by side every day.  Oh to be a hermit....

xxoo me

It's time I stop teaching.  I realize I've been saying this for a while now but someone needs to keep me away from children.  In the past two days I've had one kid report me to her mother because I was "mean" and wouldn't let her check out a book, (which was far above her reading level and she had had for 2 months without progressing past the first chapter), and the second I had in tears Friday because he brought me back a book that had been damaged and I chastised him, (he's always been a sniveling little prig).  I am obviously a wicked woman.  And what has really shown me that I should no longer be doing this is that I don't give a hoot.  I would much rather be spending my days bingeing on The Great British Bake Off and sleeping in late. 

Anywhoooo.  Yesterday GP and I went into the city to go to our fav food market.  We stopped by Piazza Castello in the center of the city, to see the huge manifestation against the city's mayor.   There were an estimated 60,000 people.  She is not liked.  They elected a beautiful, well-educated young woman thinking they were getting a progressive newcomer.  What they got was a yes-man to the  party that stands for and does nothing.  So she has stood for and done nothing.  Except to say that she wants Torino to be the first Italian vegetarian city.  Yup.  She said that. 

At the market we loaded up on fish and veggies as we are back on our diets for a while pre-holiday.  The cholesterol numbers have been creeping back up.  Damn this aging thing!

Oh these fish mongers and their sense of humor!

Then last night we went to friends for dinner.  Gianni is a wonderful cook and makes most of his pasta by hand as well as grows his own vegetables, has hens for eggs, and makes his own limoncello!  He made us work for our dinner.  I spent an hour and a half stuffing and cutting out ravioli.

GP making shadow puppets on my pasta!

They were very yummy if I must say so myself.  I did them justice. 

After a few weeks of rain, Indian Summer is predicted for next week.  A last hurray!  xxoo me