Marmalade Tea

A friend commented the other day that it sounded like I was "taking a vacation from my trip". I have astute friends.

There are many things I don't share about my trip on this blog. In some ways it's actually a bit dishonest, as what you get about how I'm doing with the everything is, for the most part anyway, akin to being told "fine" when asking someone how they're doing when you pass them on the street, or in the halls at work, or school, or the myriad of other places where that question gets asked every day. Or you ask them "What's new with you?", and you hear about everything going on in their lives other than themselves. I am guilty of both of these conditions, in life, and in this blog.

Now, I've tried to change my ways about the "fine" answer. It has driven a lot of people that have genuinely cared about me (and me them) nuts over the years. So I try to honestly answer anyone who asks me how I'm doing, much to their chagrine I expect. 

So, if you were to ask me how I'm doing after two weeks of "taking a vacation from my trip", I would answer "Not so good... but it'll get better". But I would also tell you that it has been the best two weeks I've had on this trip since Noah and Jake headed home. And I'll leave it at that.

I'm likely to, over the next couple of days as I chill out in Barcelona before heading to Marrakech, put up four posts on my time in Tuscany. This is one of them. Another one will be about a winery I went to which I absolutely adored, and another will be a collection of medieval cities I visited, and the last, though not necessarily in order of posting, will provisionally be comparing the Duomos of Florence and Siena. Just for the heck of it.

All that may change. Just letting you know what I'm thinking.

What I don't think will change though will be what I say. I don't intend to say much. I don't actually have much I want to share. Pictures? For sure, lots of those to go around. You will soone tire of endless street shots I expect. But feelings, stories, the skinny? Not this time. I'm keeping most of those for me. 

I will say this though. When you want a hot cup of something and you can't have caffeine and there is marmalade in the fridge, it makes for a great cup of tea. 

So here's the first of four on Tuscany. It's where the marmalade was and where I called home.

Okay, not the whole thing, just most of the bottom.

Here's the garden.

Here's my friend from the garden. Some of you will have seen her on FB as she was my selfie stunt-double a couple of times.

 And then this is some of the view from said garden.

So that was what I was fortunate enough to call home. Very lucky me I will tell you.

Last thing for this one. When I said earlier on that "it'll get better", well... it already is.