A Prince, two Princesses and the peasant!

So long have I sought comment on the Douglas Report and then, when it finally comes …. complaint! I have been too slack poses the commentator and the Report has not been updated. Mia culpa!

But I have been busy and not let grass grow under my feet (a clear advantage of apartment living) …. and there have been distractions.

The visitors have commenced their travels, we have given Pierre a bit of a run, and I have been criss-crossing the Atlantic, dodging volcanoes.

During this past period, we were blessed with a visit by the Yorkshire Douglases. We all had a great time for a week or two and were able to watch William grow before our eyes. He cunningly endeared himself yet further with Grandad on the train back from the airport pickup, initially pressing the back of his head onto my collar-bone before turning meaningfully to give me a William-style kiss – not quite the right sucking action but clearly a sign of affection.

So, I was prepared to carry him all over Rome in his sling.

Note to self: Romans really like cute babies and could not resist young William who remained affable, mostly smiley, throughout. So many attractive young women would walk by us and comment “Isn't he cute!”. Embarrassed, I had to say to them in the end “So is the baby!”.

Babies are such awful time-wasters. But we made the most of the week and eventually had to part. What a prince is William!

On the subject of royalty, I was recently invited to a party where I spent some time with each of two delightful ladies I later discovered were Princesses – Italian Princesses or Principessi. One must have been around 40 years of age and she is part of a very ancient and noble Italian family. The other, perhaps twice that age, very gracious and the daughter of a very famous Italian. Of course, chivalry prevents me from name-dropping but I can say the we hit it off in both instances and I came away with the email of the younger and the hand-written address and telephone numbers of the senior. And I haven't even officially made my debut yet!

We gave Pierre his first sleep over a few weeks ago, travelling to an agro-turismo (B&B in the country) near Spoleto in Umbria. The Saturday was a bit cool and threatening to shower, but we enjoyed our walk around Spoleto, its castle and cathedral. It was a festival of (children's') fun and we stumbled onto yet another parade. This one led by a brass band playing uniquely Italian rhythms, followed by brightly coloured stilt-walkers and creatures, and thence mobs of kids and their carers. The entourage regularly paused along the narrow streets for fun, jokes etc.

The return to Rome on Sunday was an absolutely glorious time in bright sunshine and warm weather. The roads were good in Umbria and the traffic light and sedate. We went to a walled town called Bevagne, where the most beautiful little lanes or vicoli, crept off the main streets and where artists, artisans and retailers had built up a modern contrast to the ancient medieval town. On the stream outside the walls, a fishing club met with huge rods and small floats, and during the morning a 'cycling for fun' club arrived from their ride to cakes and drinks set up in the square. Life is fun in the country.

The accommodation was delightful, we the only guests of an elderly widow. Because an elderly English chap was coming to dinner, (he and his wife are old friends who have moved to, or at least, spend a lot of time in Spoleto), our hostess asked us to dinner. We ate her olives, her vegetables, her tart for desert, and drank her red wine. The Englishman, an aficionado of whiskies, gave us a Scotch tasting class at the end of the meal. Our host refused payment for dinner but sold us 5 litres of her best olive oil.

May is a great time to be in Italy with green grass and wild-flowers everywhere. The leaves are abundant on the trees and it is pleasantly cool ….although, it has been a bit wet. The locals say that twice the normal rain fell last winter and the rain-free period is late in arriving.

Life has been very busy for us. I have just returned from the USA and Canada and my earlier trips to Cairo, Bangkok, the US and England have meant that work has been a 'catch-up' affair. We have been quite busy with our primary business and by-and-large, that has been going well.

One highlight of the US of A was attending my first major league baseball game – our side won (the Baltimore Orioles) allowing me to high-five half of that great city’s population and I came away with the hat.

Last Saturday we let Pierre take us right across the peninsula to Pescara – lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Adriatic and five hours of driving. We did it because “we could”!!

So … no excuses … I will try to post at least once a month, …... but excusa!!!

The photos: Some of the Prince – William in Rome; Stilt-walkers in Spoleto; Fishing in Umbria; The big game at Baltimore; View from the beach-side restaurant - Adriatic Coast at Pescara (we just beat the summer rush hour)