27.7.12

GoOdBYe NURsERy...



Today it was Erik's last day at the nursery.
We made cards for his teachers with a sweet little message: “Thanks for helping me growing up and teaching me many things”.
We tied then each card to a cute chocolate bonbons package [I don't have a photo of the finished project as I rushed it at breakfast time on the very last moment]. It was so sweet to see him running towards the girls with the presents in his hands.
Today we said goodbye to really nice people who contributed a lot to my little guy education. 
..I cannot believe how fast time flies. In September, Erik will start kindergarten. That will last for another 3 years, and then at 6 years of age he will enter primary school.  
Sometimes -to my huge surprise- his facial expression does seem so grown up! 
I love watching him turning into a little man. He has learned so much, little things and big things like washing his hands, putting on his shoes, handling cups and beakers, eating by himself, many many many words. 
Next September a big turning point is waiting ahead of you Erik, but for now I must say: Well done so far sweet heart!


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mOVie friDAy.05 | mAFioSo

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On the wave of films about Sicily, I've choosen another movie I really like by director Alberto Lattuada, released in 1962 and then re-released in the US in 2006 in occasion of the New York Film Festival.
.Mafioso” is a brilliant black comedy, smething Italian cinema was so good at in the 1950′s and 1960′s.  In Mafioso, director Lattuada mixes genres, flipping from a bright comedy in the beginning to a dark, horrific nightmarish world. 
It is also a story of family and class culture shock where Milan -Northern Italy- meets poor Sicily ruled by suspicions of the law and the Mafia.
The tension between Northern and Southern Italians is of big importance and at the root of much of the humor in this film. While Northern Italy benefited from the Industrialization, Southern Italians remained poor and under educated, generally looked down upon by the north. So when Antonio Badalamenti (Alberto Sordi) gets a job as supervisor at a Fiat factory in Milan, it was surely a big story of success for his family back home in a small village in Sicily.
actors on the set { photo }



Antonio is precise, organized and extremely efficient. He has both a satisfying life at work and at home: he lives in a modern house and is married to Marta (Norma Bengell), a sophisticated beautiful blonde with whom he has two adorable blonde haired young girls. They are about to leave for an holiday in his homeland in Sicily, and it is an important trip as it will be the first time for his wife and kids to meet Nino’s -as they call him over there- family.
Just before he is ready to leave the factory for his vacation, Nino is called by his boss, an Italian-American of Sicilian origins, who unexpectedly asks him if he knows Don Vincenzo and if he would not mind to deliver a gift on the boss behalf when paying his respects to the elderly Don Vincenzo.  Antonio Badalamenti accepts with pleasure. It is clear he regards Don Vincenzo highly.


Antonio with his dad and family enjoys a welcoming meal { photo }



Whilst Antonio enjoys meeting again his land, family and friends, for his wife the trip is culture shock, a trip back to a more primitive world she does not perceive as Italy. Antonio family’s small home is filled with relatives, all dressed in black, a sister with a thick moustache and parents who are initially very suspicious of a blonde daughter-in-law. She feels unwelcome, does not fit in at all and wants to go home.  
Everywhere they go - as good old italian tradition wants - they are showered with food.
It seems very difficult for Antonio to build a connection between the two worlds.


The story developes into some positive and some less reassuring events, picturing along the way some interesting vignettes of Sicilian village life: family meals loaded with food, food and more food, women always dressed in black, people spying others under closed shutters, Nino’s conversation with his beach friends who ogle his wife when she appears later in this sequence in a skimpy bikini, just to name a few. Half of Nino's old friends seem to be unemployed while the other half seem to be working for the Don Vincenzo, the town patriarch.  
Nino finally goes to pay his respects to Don Vincenzo, and brigs him the package as promised.  After the visit other odd episodes happen, leading to a crucial point when -at the local fair- the Don and his associates discover Nino is an expert in shooting with a gun. It's somehow clear Antonio's fate will develop into a dark unforeseen direction.


Antonio at the local fair  photo }



Don Vincenzo will ask him a favor: "a journey" to an unknown destination to deliver a letter to someone unknown, a favor that Antonio agrees to comply with doubts and somehow fear. In facts as he would soon find out, he will be flown -blind folded and hidden in a container- to New York where someone will give him instruction to kill a man. It all happens in a night, a time in which his family believe him to be hunting with friends in the hills nearby.
After killing totally in shock a man at the barber shop, Antonio will then be returned to Sicily in the same manner and his wife will never suspect what really happened.
The film ends by Antonio returning to Milan with his wife and kids. Everyday life seem the same but he will never be the same man again. 
Ironically, in the last scene Antonio returns to a colleague a pen he inadvertently put in his pockets before summer leave and the man tells him "If every one were like you, the world would be a better place".

... I definitely recommend this film.
Alberto Sordi memorably played his role, with innate style for moving back and forth between comedy and drama.
Lattuada's camera on the other hand soaks in the beauty and style of each location. Though more than forty years have passed “Mafioso” is a classic and has lost none of its bite.






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26.7.12

a DAy iN SPRing






... Some good days end with delicious home-made pizza by one of your best friends!




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25.7.12

thiNGs I LiKE ...

this chochet work
this plate [ studiokleingeluk.nl ]
these boxes

 And you?


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23.7.12

fLOWeRs oN My pLAte






... Today I made omelette with zucchini's flowers. Theo never had them before so I treated him to this delicate flower plate before he left for work. I will miss him a lot, his work turnations seem to be never-ending sometimes.


If you want to have a go yourself, just cut in 4 parts some courgettes' flowers and add them to your usual omelet mix. Mine is as follow: eggs, a bit of milk, a splash of virgin olive oil, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently and cook the mixture on a pan (low fire). It will be ready in no time and it is delicious.


Indoor light in the kitchen was not good today, but believe me these flowers are of the color of summer!


*first picture taken by the husband [thank you].
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22.7.12

a dAY iN JULy

... We had a big get-together & a tasty lunch with family (mum side) today. We live in 3 different cities so this does not often happens. A nice day.
Erik was treated to presents by uncles and aunts, one of them a green tractor. Little E loooves tractors. The big surprise then was to find an agricultural fair just nearby where he could see them for real, big and small, old and new. Memorable Sunday for him, that's sure.



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20.7.12

HOLiDay foOD MEMoRies

cumin bread with rucola, brie and grapes > DIY lunch
freshly squeezed raspberry, orange+mint & rhubarb drinks  > berlin
halloumi salad  > berlin
yogurt+fruit+icecream  > lago di garda
fresh strawberries, sugar & lemon juice > DIY lunch
waffle & apple compote  fĂĽssen
fruit of the forrest cheese cake  > berlin
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carrot & seeds bread + blueberries  > DIY breakfast
thai dinner  > berlin
yogurt icecream & coconut chocolate or strawberries  > berlin
fruit of the forest from the market  > rothenburg
apple strudel  > fĂĽssen








mixed sushi takeaway for picnic   > berlin




One of the best thing when travelling is trying local food. I must say Germany was great for bread, strudel and cakes, strawberries, beer. One of highlights of camping life -for me- is coming back from the local bakery with freshly baked bread; then sit in the shade to make my own sandwiches trying out different combinations of fillings.
All this followed by a cup of caffè espresso (our beloved bialetti coffe maker was travelling with us).
I did not indulge too much on weiss beer [my favorite] nor strudel, but I had a go a few times which is nice.

... Berlin is famous for delicious food, I was planning to try out as many restaurants/caffees as possible but being ill at the time we were there,it was not easy to accomplish that. We were taken out by friends to 2 nice places though: a Thai and an italian one, both good. I will post about Berlin in more details another time soon.


Have a nice weekend everyone.
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mOVie friDAy.04 | giRL WiTH a piSTol

This film was released far before I was old enough to go to cinema but I saw it many times whenever was scheduled on telly untill I finally I managed to find (hard thing to do) a dvd copy in a tiny shop in Rome.  
I used to organize dedicated evenings at my places to watch it with friends and I believe it was the first film I showed Theo when we met, even before he was really able to properly understand the Italian language! The thing is: I simply love this comedy by Monicelli. It's a pearl of a movie.

.. Monica Vitti - Antonioni's muse and one of my icons of the 1960s- stars as the main carachter Assunta. This film was significant in providing her with her first major comic role, after which many other followed.
Her portrayal of a Sicilian woman coming from a tiny village is superb.
A blond of rare unconventional beauty in real life and in most of her films, she was transformed into a wonderful Sicilian lady with the help of a dark wig with a huge long single braid, wich was (as a gossip goes) worn upside-down.


picture credits


Assunta returns to her family after the night spent with Vincenzocredits


... It all begins with beautiful Assunta being kidnapped in the most amazing way by Vincenzo (Carlo Giuffre) and taken against her will to his remote home in the country, where he waits for her sitted on a bed. He plans to "dishonor her" and by doing so, according to old Sicilian customs, win her hand in marriage. 
In a hilarious turn of events, Assunta willingly gives in to the amorous advances of Vincenzo as she confess she was secretely in love with him. The innocent girl suddenly turns into an insatiable passionate woman. This behavior is in Vincenzo eyes disreputable therefore he decides to abandon her and disappears before she wakes up. Returned to her family seduced and abandoned, Assunta finds herself rejected  by her family who is now "dishonored" just as she is, rejected by her fiancĂ© and taunted by the local villagers. Finally, not having any male family member to rescue her honor by killing Vincenzo or forcing him to marry her, Assunta decides to leave Sicily and pursue the fleeing Vincenzo. She tracks him down to Britain and follows him there with a gun in her purse and a special mission: save her own reputation forcing him to marry her or kill him to wash off the offence.


Vincenzo seduces Assunta after the kidnapcredits



 Director Monicelli and Monica Vitti on the set -credits
Assunta dreams of shooting Vincenzo to save her honor - credits
The film moves through various cities including Edinburgh, Sheffield, London, Bath and Brighton. Confronted with such new experiences and cultural back rounds, Assunta will slowly change her views and shed her southern Italian country-girl image for a mod makeover.  The movie is then a series of hilarious events and encounters with many carachters who help her to find and fall in love with Dr. Osborne (Stanley Baker) a divorced physician. Finally - going through a little draw back - she will abandon her plans to kill Vincenzo and be just happy to take her own revenge- a real satisfatory ending.


Whilst working as maid for a Scottish family, Assunta receives her first phonecall by Vincenzo himself - credits
Assunta with George who'll help her looking for Vincenzo in Sheffield - credits
Assunta trying to fulfill her mission and kill Vincenzo, spotted by coincidence in a restaurant with another woman - credits


Assunta returning from her English classescredits
...The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Monica Vitti won the David di Donatello as Best Actress.


I hope you can find somewhere The girl with a pistol, I definitely recommend you to watch it. I love it because... 1.the film is grounded in wonderful atmosphere of the late Swinging 1960' 2. I love Monica Vitti performance 3. the film beautifully shows how the contrast between Italian culture/custumes in those years and British ones 4. its music is lovely 5. foreign carachters actually speak their own language with local accent any time that is possible.


For now you can have a sneek preview of the title sequence here
{the over-exposed part in duo-tone color towards the end of title sequence, 
shows Assunta's kidnapping scene}


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19.7.12

sUMmeR cOLors

... More photos from our vacation. We took lovely day trips to so many nice places and we enjoyed a lot this little city breaks from the quiet green camping life. 
...The best is walking under the sun sharing a box of -known and unknown- forest fruits. Guess who got the best ones?
...The curtains in picture 10 were amazing, I wish the picture showed better the nice hand painted illustration and gold thread embroidery lettering, so sweet.


Erik trotted happily beside us and was quite good in keeping up for such young age. I am glad he likes walking and seems to enjoy exploring new places like mum and dad.
I also must say I am proud some of my love for flowers, gardens and plants seems to have passed on him too. Have you seen how tenderly he put is nose in that red rose? :-)


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