Rumble in the Valley

I have been very quiet today, pondering on the force of Mother Nature. I seem to have an inherent knack of indirectly foretelling what is to hapen in my life. My previous posting had a fun title "Rumble in the Jungle". I chose this title just because I liked the sound of it. Rumble has these meanings. Last night, indeed, the word rumble took on a more literal and sinister meaning with reference to thunder and here is the story.

A Dark and Stormy Night
It was a dark and stormy night. I had just finished tweeting and was going to settle down with a glass of Trebbiano d'Abruzzo with my beloved, when suddenly, lightening lit up the sky and in the distance the rumble of thunder shattered our quiet relaxation. The rain began to pour down violently. We switched off the power supply from the mains and lit candles (mostly with the image of Padre Pio - they are very good for such emergencies). The rain intensified. It started coming down the chimney in ever increasing worrying dribs and drabs. Outside the cascading torrent of rainfall was deafening. Heaven and earth had opened up. The lightening became more electrifying and illuminating, the thunder ever more cacophonous.


Sinking Hearts
We heard an ominous dripping sound. OMG. What was that?? With trepidation, we went into the back room and yes, the new roof was leaking. Our hearts sank to the floor. How could it be possible?? The new wooden beams had been fitted securely, a waterproof layer had been installed. It should have been watertight. But it wasn't. It was midnight. The drip drip drip was disheartening. There was nothing we could do but hope the violent storm would subside.

The Mop-Up Job
This morning the task of cleaning up began. A whole river of mud had flowed from the upper fields surrounding our house and had chosen to cross our garden. My parsley and cabbage seedlings were totally swamped. Silt had invaded all my major plants. Snails were absolutely everywhere, loving the damp conditions. The outside staircase was a bed of mud. K hosed the mud off while I duly swept the aqueous substance into the yard. Yes, I pondered to myself, this is what living in the countryside, restoring an old farmhouse, entails. It's not always a bed of roses.....

A Comparative Study of Styles
So, today my hubby and I both wrote on the same topic for the first time in our history..... He has his unique, inimitable style. I have my own. We both shared the same experience. You can read K's posting here.

So that's it. A night and day in the life of a TEFL teacher in Italy.

A Special Mention
Kalinago English Blog has just celebrated its first anniversary! I believe it is a fantastic blog and Karenne Sylvester has done an amazing job in inspiring a huge amount of people in so many different ways. I have just posted a comment to Karenne saying "These are the days that should happen to you". Here is a link to One.

Another Special Mention
One of my favourite blogs is "Bits'n'Bobs, Show'n' Tell" I like it, because it is exceptionally well written, always original and intriguing. If you don't know it, I recommend you have a look!
At the moment, Chris Adams has bravely offered to do an improvisation challenge for his future blog posts. He has just successfully completed his second challenge and is on the lookout for some more....