The last few years have been for me full of whammies, mainly health ones. This year, however, there are three whammies that will affect all of us. They are, not unsurprisingly, the latest transmogrification of Covid-19, the hike in energy costs and, probably, that which will undoubtedly hit us most of all, although thankfully we are (or think we are) not directly involved in it: the fratricidal-tinged war in Ukraine.

In our part of the world we are fortunate regarding the energy crisis. Surrounded by extensive Apennine forests, with excellent cast-iron stoves available and with fewer strictures regarding air pollution from wood-burning we can have at least one room in the house kept warm during our still very nippy evenings.

With regard to hot water we could have a roof ceramic heater which works on the simple basis of the sun’s rays warming its contents of redirected water. This we had in our old place and may probably install it sooner than we planned especially when our first inflated electric and gas bills arrive!

We should always prize our luck in living here for there are too many parts of the world today where it’s either ‘eat’ or ’heat’ and where, in some of the most cruel instances of war, people have neither. Let us try to never fall into the desolation of some families who turn away from accepting free potatoes from food banks because they cannot afford the fuel to boil them…