Reflections on My 40 Years in Umbria

How often do we give thanks for normality? Perhaps not often enough. This was a week of exceptional normality: of business as usual, the daily round; routine, order, regularity.

It was a week of gorgeous weather, instilling me with renewed energy and a desire to take on new creative projects - of trip planning - of excellent coffee and leisure starts to pleasant days - of spending quality time in my beautiful kitchen with Maurizio, making our very special breakfast bread and cooking up the season's bounty - of attending a local sagra - of spending time with splendid guests at Genius Loci - of conducting several wine tastings with a lavish array of my gourmet spread - of seeing our gorgeous area through our guests' eyes as we accompanied them on a wine tour of the Sagrantino area...

of awakening each morning, after blissful sleeps, to cobalt blue skies

and the softest caress of September temperatures - of having tender Virgola in our lives - of dedicating part of our days to Genius Loci, the fruition of our vision - of eating well-prepared, healthful, mostly home-grown food - of keeping a close watch on our various medical issues within a functional, nationalized medical system - of keeping abreast of world news and of exchanging emails with far away friends and family on the marvel that is the Internet...

of falling asleep inundated with a sense of pride, admiration and love for Mar and Michael and Maurizio, my ever-present Rock of Gibraltar.

Indeed, it was a normal week of awe at Nature's beauty and bounty - of a deep appreciation of the mystery of the subtle change of the season - of readying ourselves for the grape harvest and the magic of wine-making - of observing the almost ripe olives which will soon, so generously, bless us with magnificent extra virgin olive oil to accompany us daily throughout the year.

Oh, yes indeed, it was a week of normality...of marvellous normality. Today I express gratitude for an often overlooked magnificent normality.