One Year On!!

Yep, we've finally done our first year here in Florence! I'd like to say it has been an exciting roller-coaster as that seems to be what most people expect when you move abroad, but I would be telling fibs! It's been a relatively painless transition and my life is pretty much what it was in the UK! The language is still tough and I wish I had taken classes much, much sooner. I have made a lot of good friends, some English speakers, some Italian. School for Antonia is pretty much like school anywhere and she is picking up the language fast. My son is back into school in the UK and loving it and, so far, keeping up, which is a relief for us all. So life just goes on. I could probably write a book as many before me have, but without embellishment and lies it would probably be the most boring book on life in Italy yet. Which only makes me wonder about all those others....

However, life has been pretty hectic in the last few weeks. All my possesions arrived from the UK - finally! What a lot of c**p I stuck in storage in the panic that was my packing this time last year! Boxes and bags of stuff have been dumped or given to charity or friends. It was good to see favourite books, films and CD's again. The look on Antonia's face when her scooter FINALLY arrived was worth all the hassle!

A few days before delivery this appeared outside our door to warn people not to park:

Not surprisingly on the removal day itself there were at least 3 cars parked up in our designated space. Luckily a friend who had come around to help permanently has the police's local number on her phone! So 10 minutes after the van arrived, and upon presentation of all the required permissions, the space was clear!

Anyhow, my things are here, so I must be staying, mustn't I?!!