The Five Boys’ loop.

My more mature readers - and, let’s face it, none of the three people who occasionally glance at this site will see the sunny side of sixty again - may remember the pleasure they once obtained from their weekly Five Boys. Perhaps I should hasten to reassure any young person inadvertently stumbling across this site that I’m not accusing my elderly male readers of having been pederasts, or the females of having been nymphomaniacs. No I’m simply referring to the Fry’s chocolate bar which gladdened our youthful hearts.

   My experience of living in Italy has in some ways been reminiscent of the successive emotional states embodied by the Five Boys. To explain. When we moved here I thought that I wouldn’t lose the things I valued most when I lived in England: my friends and family. I foolishly imagined that they would all be eager to take advantage of a free holiday in Italy. Far from it: John McBride and family came over the first year we were here and Dave and Sue and Chris Bell have been over fairly regularly as have Candy, Quinn and Sophy; but apart from them visitors have been few and far between. So Desperation set in. Then a few weeks ago I had an email from Mike Farmer and his wife Julie that they were renting a house in Tuscany and would like to see us , followed by another one from Richard and Jane that they too would be in Tuscany and would pop over to see us. So Expectation was followed by Acclamation. Last Wednesday saw Realisation when Mike and Julie arrived. To be followed by Desperation as the weather took a severe turn for the worse. On Thursday, after a pleasant trip to Ascoli and a splendid lunch there we took the dogs out for a walk. And were caught by a thunderstorm which soaked the three of us to the skin. Meanwhile the weather forecast showed that Tuscany was still basking in sunshine. I felt enormous guilt at having been responsible for Mike and Julie forsaking the sunshine of western Italy for the cold and rain of Marche.  Click here for some photos Mike & Julie took.

   Richard and Jane arrived yesterday in the pouring rain. But today Desperation gave way to Acclamation as we awoke to glorious sunshine. The mountains had emerged from the gloom and all that was lacking was a view of the sea, still hidden by mist on the coast. So I’m now in a state of Expectation that this may herald further visits. Maybe John and Joy Simpson, Ed and Uschi, Graham, Mike and Pam Jefferies and Matthew and Charlie  will come to see us. But they probably won’t. So it’s back to Desperation again.