Has it been 3 months already?

Oh my how time flies.  I always have the best intentions to keep this blog up to date, but then life gets in the way. 

I guess the best news is that I finished my B1 course and passed it.  The language lessons have taken up much of my life these past 6 months and I've decided to take a 3 month break to get our palace finished.  That and do be honest, the course was so intense that nothing was really sticking.  I've decided to go back in October and be a real adult and take the course over again.  After all, I'm trying to learn the language, not just get bathroom art.  

George and I have lived here for 2 years now and really haven't seen much of the country together.  We've both done Italy in our former lives, but have decided it's best to make new memories together. 

Our first weekend away was in April.  We decided to go to the seaside.  I booked us into a "house boat" and we enjoyed a weekend away together.  Now I know we have weekends all the time, but we are never alone, and we are never without some type of work or another to do. This was exactly what I needed.  We got to watch a boat be set into the water.  And for everyone who thinks we are well off, we are not.  These people who own boats like this are!  

The house boat

George Found a real benchy.

Finally relaxing

After this holiday We had Andreas Nortman come over for a visit and to take a bunch of photos of puzzles.  He's in charge of the Twistypuzzle.com museum upkeep and he had quite a few images that needed updating. 

May was a very busy month. We had a birthday party for a friend and a slew of visitors.  Bob, Marti and her son Doug, Frans and Jack and his wife all showed up.  

At the end of the month after my exam, George and I went to the papal spa near Viterbo, and then did a glamping trip followed by another shopping trip to our favorite used market and a night in a quaint little place with a jacuzzi in a cave.  

Common pool at papal spa

glamping site

Cave jacuzzi

Oh, and let's not forget the Panicale Passagiata.  This year's theme was Etruscan music.

June was full on studies to finish the course. I took and failed my first language exam for citizenship.  I had no idea what it would be like so I just used it to practice.  Next test in September.  

We had some folks come over from the UK.  One couple won a week at the WPC through a G4G auction and I'm sure you recognize the other monkey in the photos from past posts.

Our bed is being finished

I bought my new little zippy car and we had a going away party for a few friends. 

First party in the beer garden

The little zippy car

On Antonio's saints day we broke in the bbq oven and for 3 weeks we had a local group of archeologists stay with us while they excavated a hilltop near by.

 And the rest is history.  I can't believe it has been 3 months since my last posting.  Things sure do get busy around here.   Next update?  Next week or so...we will have some very good news to share....

A box of burr bits

I saw this pictures of sticks over on A puzzle forum I browse regularly and later saw a battalion of burrs on Facebook and thought I'd be cheeky and order one. Lucky me! About a week later I got a bill and a request for a mailing address.   I felt lucky to get it because the designer didn't make that many.  I think it might have been only 8 sets.

Jack did a wonderful job on these!  When the box came in, The first thing I did was feel that burr inlay on the cover.  See, I thought I would be able to feel it, but it is so smooth that I can't feel a thing.  Very nice work.  I spent a bit of time looking at the outside box.  It really is nice.  The fit of the cover is fantastic.  So much so that I found a bag to put it in so it wouldn't get all scratched up.

Time to open it up and see what is inside! Upon opening, I was in for a surprise. There are 42 different burr pieces in there.  It's such a chuckle for me to see this.  I'll be honest, I was expecting it to be much bigger, so this just tickled me.  A Roxanne sized puzzle! That isn't something you see every day.  Looking further, you will also notice that there are 7 cards with a total of 181 different puzzles inside.  That should keep me going for a long while!  Each of the burr pieces is nicely labeled so you know exactly which ones to grab out of the box to play with.

The best thing about this set though has got to be the little tiny set of tweezers!  Jack mentioned that the burr bits measure 1cm x 1 cm so unless you grow nails,  the tweezers are a must.  He's thought of everything  here.  I can't wait to start building some puzzles.