OUR CHRONICLE FOR 2018
A chronicle for 2018? A year to remember or a year to forget?
It would be possible for me to sift through posts in my blog at https://longoio3.com/ . I won’t, however, and, instead, just recollect some things that stand out; for any year that one lives through to the end must, by definition, be a year to remember.
Nevertheless, looking through post stats, the ten receiving most hits were the following:
https://longoio3.com/2018/10/12/looking-for-the-tuscan-house-of-your-dreams/
About a beautiful property near Barga which, sadly the owner has to sell.
https://longoio3.com/2018/08/02/10215/
About a delightful concert in the grounds of Bagni di Lucca’s Villa Webb on the night of the red moon.
https://longoio3.com/2018/05/17/adieu-dear-sam/
About friend and Boccaccio scholar Samuel Stych died just short of his 102nd birthday. It was a privilege for Bagni di Lucca to have had Sam with us for such a long time.
https://longoio3.com/2018/08/08/a-wonderfully-unusual-combination-in-luc
About a great concert in Lucca’s conservatoire.
https://longoio3.com/2018/02/12/rip-rolando-simi-of-longoio/
Deaths in our village of Longoio are all the more felt especially as less than seventy persons live here.
https://longoio3.com/2018/02/13/james-taylor-at-the-lucca-summer-festival/
Lucca’s quite unmissable summer festival. I went for James Taylor but many loved the equally sensational Bonnie Raitt.
This concert in London woke me up to the sensational sound of the double base when played in expert hands. You’ll notice the post is written in Italian. I’ve decided to write in Italian when talking about London and the UK, and in English when I’m in Italy in order to capture different audiences.
https://longoio3.com/2018/07/18/lucca-italys-protestant-haven/
Some posts have me researching history and some extraordinary facts arose out of this investigation.
https://longoio3.com/2018/01/26/bagni-di-luccas-concentration-camp/
A sad reminder that not even the slaughter of millions in WW1 which ended one hundred years ago could not prevent a second massacre started by racialist maniacs. War’s only victor is death.
https://longoio3.com/2018/12/29/the-secrets-of-villa-ada/
A plea that some of Bagni di Lucca’s most spectacular buildings must be saved before it is too late.
***
2018 has for us been marked by three main themes.
The first is the most important one: that of friendship. It was long-term friendship that took Sandra and me to Clifton, Bristol to spend the day with my still young-in-spirit English literature schoolmaster. It was, equally, the chance of meeting old (now, increasingly in both senses of that word) friends that took me to Florence and Bologna, to Vicenza and to Rome. Perfect days!
One can always tell what a true friendship is. It’s when you meet up with friends you may not have seen since school or university days and conviviality and conversation continues (with a certain amount of reminiscence now thrown in) from where you left off last time (which may have even dated back to Jimi Hendrix’s last UK concert in one case…)
The second is health and this year I have visited the UK more often than in other years not only for my own health but also because my wife’s mum is ninety-seven and, although, still mobile and often aware, is suffering more and more from that disease which bears the same initials as that which can afflict those of rather younger age incautious about their amorous encounters.
The third theme is one which is affecting all those with ties or affection for the United Kingdom. Never in the field of politics in my lifetime has one six-letter word divided so many people, communities, families and friends. I need not tell you that word except that an anagram of it is found in the name of a hamlet on the western side of Shetland Islands mainland; an enchanted place we visited last century during a Scottish conservation working holiday:
We had some sorrows this year – our two ducks both lost their lives (and their friendship has been just as valuable to us as any other biped) but we had joys in equal measure. There were no dramatic holidays to the Far East or narrow escapes in Apennine tunnels as in 2017 but, instead, some great times exploring. visiting, walking (we both did the long route in the Lucca Villas marathon, so we must still be reasonably fit) and, above all, enjoying the start of a new decade in our lives, Yes, we are now both seventy so we should be grateful that, at least we have reached this stage of our forty-plus years of marriage together. Very grateful in fact!
May we take this opportunity of wishing you, our friends, our relatives and our post readers a very happy and prosperous New Year trusting that 2019 will make at least some of your dreams come true, that 2019 will be kind to you both in spirit and in health and that 2019 will still have you discover many more wonders in our still wonderful planet which now, more than ever before, urgently needs our love and care before it truly becomes too late to do anything
Alexandra and Francis
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And a Happy New Year to you both! I too shall include James Taylor in my highlights of the year!
Quite rightly too!
Just to say that we have had a very full and varied year with Mother too into the equation. I must say she looks slightly scared was nearly crying at that representation of Dante cosplay figure in Florence but she soon put it behind her with a refreshing cup of tea and no I was not eating two ice creams but was holding Francis’s. Scottish conservation we carried out for several years and this was one of the happiest times of our lives as if we had not done enough work during the year we opted out to do voluntary work even in our vacation. This really hardened us to work in all weather and taught us to work in unison with others such happy memories and we so enjoyed the wild life the snowy owl otters Nature in general. More should be done in schools to help build team work and to be at one with Nature it our planet that we need to look after Mars after all is so far away and so far seemingly hostile environment to want to join in the race to conquer the unknown apart from the cost of the fare for us mere mortals but for some it will be a great adventure I tothink most of will have to wait until the fares will become more affordable.
Your comments are truly the icing on my cake!!!!
Beautiful, you are both exceptional people, Happy 2019! Hopefully with no trips to Mars unless you want to, the price may not be for a return ticket…. and we would all miss your fantastic essays of life in Italy, life in general.