Thursday, 5 January 2012

For the love of witches


I had two possible blog paths in mind today while zoning out in a crowded ski lift (Italians yelling into their phones, kids losing goggles, noses being wiped). Either the love perils of the eternal divorcée in this melodramatic country, or something more historical - about the haunted Piave River we pass every time we come up here, where an eighteen year old Ernest Hemingway was among those injured in the devastating and decisive Battle of the Solstice in June 1918.

But between that zone-out time and now a million things have happened, not the least being extreme thigh-fatigue from telemark skiing which required an old lady afternoon nap. And later, when googling this blog after my daughter used my iPad for hours and cancelled my pages to cover her tracks, I saw that my book - The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in Italy - is up on Amazon for pre-order! What joy! How unbelievable! Said daughter is now tired of my preening and suggests I go out for a drink. Which I will do. If my thighs agree to come out in the cold. How wonderful is that? I do wish some of you ladies were curled up in that house up the hill.

So as you can see I am now too witless to write of anything else. And the Lovesick theme can well be saved for another day, a snowy day perhaps, a day with wings. And the WWI battles - twenty thousand young Austro-Hungarians drowned in that river! - tis more than the heart can bear.

Instead tonight the village bells are clanging and it is the night of the Befana, the witch who brings sweets to good children, lumps of charcoal to bad. Suddenly I feel like messing up my hair and getting out my broomstick.
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8 comments:

  1. Averil Dean5 January 2012 at 12:52

    Oh my gosh! How exciting! Imagine me as a cartoon, exit stage left and I'm off to pre-order my copy.

    Congratulations, Cat!!!

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  2. The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in Italy6 January 2012 at 08:44

    Thanks Averil! I am SO excited also terrified no one will like it. Sorry I haven't had time to read your text yet we are still up here until school starts. Missing my desk somewhat. Hope you are cool, ciao cat

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  3. Hannah6 January 2012 at 21:40

    How wonderful about the Amazon page! Hurrah! And I fully support the broomstick, if you deliver sweets to me....

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  4. The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in Italy7 January 2012 at 08:58

    Thanks Hannah! I would love to zip over but I think your sweet concoctions are pretty unbeatable. I am hoping to do a lot of wild cooking with your recipes this year! Ciao cat

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  5. Valentina Hepburn8 January 2012 at 11:30

    So exciting. I'm going to pre-order.
    Congratulations. A bewitching night--a good excuse to paint the town red!

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  6. The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in Italy8 January 2012 at 22:48

    Thanks Valentina! That's so sweet of you! I can't wait to hold the first copy in my hands! Ciao cat

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  7. Anonymous9 January 2012 at 04:55

    Cat,
    Congratulations! I hope you got that drink, a celebration is required, my friend.

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  8. The Divorced Lady's Companion to Living in Italy9 January 2012 at 08:05

    Grazie mille Lyra! Oh yes I had a lovely red beer on the ski slopes, okay several after some hard skiing.. Hope your WIP is swimming confidently into 2012.
    Ciao cat

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