I have just seen that with the latest push on the Marche BBQ event and other fundraising that continues, the magical barrier of £10,000 has been exceeded.
I came across a strange looking creature when clearing the compost heap last year, but thought nothing more about them, until this year. It looks like a mini lobster, but after some searching hav discovered it is called a mole cricket.
[admin comment: this was a reply to a post that has been removed] ... although I'm not aware that you have ever referred to me obliquely or otherwise on "the other side", so I have nothing to quote. I have never claimed not to view the contents of the posts on Uncovered and why would I? If you knew or was informed by someone that you were being slagged off, ridiculed or just generally having the pi$$ taken out of you, wouldn't you want to know who was saying what about you? If the only way to stop it was not to post here, would you stop posting? Perhaps not, I don't know. You seem to be suggesting that the statements I made in my earlier post are incapable of being backed up. Well, these posts presumably sit in the bowels of the Uncovered archives (assuming they've not been shredded) and if you don't believe me, do some research and find out for yourself. I agree that this site has it's problems, but so what really. If it dies because of its' own flaws, so be it, but for the people at Uncovered to constantly make personal assaults on the people here to stop them posting through fear of public ridicule, is just plain nasty. However, the means seem to justify the end for some, no matter what it takes. I belong to a number of forums and enjoy reading and learning about different things here in Italy. I agree that there are some well informed people on Uncovered, but when the informative and interesting things are peppered with poisonous jibes, it surely just puts off the many potential new members it could have. But that Giovanni, is not the purpose of that forum, is it? I'm quite good at maths by the way.
...... this vendetta will go on and on and on and on. I post this in the knowledge that every word I type will be examined, dissected and then commented upon by a small number of people at Uncovered, who seem to have nothing better to do than spend their time constantly analysing what's going on "OTR". I don't post here very much at all, as I detest providing anyone the opportunity to take the pi$$ or to insult me indirectly and I feel sure that many of the old membership who don't form part of the new order, feel the same. If any of these people would be happy enough to say to me face to face, what they post on their forum, I am more than willing to meet and hear them out. One or two are close enough for this to be possible. A thread that started in October at Uncovered under the heading of "Ronald's a busy boy" has had over 3,000 views and hundreds of posts, feeding this constant (unhealthy) obsession with the Italy Magazine Community. It's littered with insults, nastiness and venomous remarks directed at many IMC members past and present and no doubt future, including myself, so it was only a matter of time before someone retaliated. I do not condone any personal attacks, especially when the purpose is to "entertain" an audience but understand why someone decided to bite back. Being subjected to name calling or being ridiculed for whatever reason they can find, is bullying in my book, no matter how "amusingly" it's dressed up. It takes some really twisted mentality to think it funny to make jokes about someone attending a funeral or as has been the case, posting an obituary with the name of the deceased being the same as a forum member, stating how they wished this was true. There is no excuse for this type of abuse, no matter what. As for making jibes about someones business ventures, I think it is true to say that Anastasia takes first prize for that one, as I was at the receiving end of a thinly disguised extremely nasty remark following the announcement of the L'Aquila earthquake raffle prize winners. This campaign is led by the above individual and it would appear that her mission in life, along with one or two others, is to see IM close this Community section down. It matters not to them that many people still get lots of information from this site, indeed this seems to fuel the irritation the very existence of this site causes even more. And if it does close, would it really matter to the world at large? Of course not, but to these people it would be perceived as a huge victory. Why does it matter? I can't imagine a life so empty that I would derive so much pleasure from a victory so meaningless or constantly obsessing about what is being written and by whom, just so that some juvenile comments can be made on a forum with an active membership of about 12 people. Well, I've said my piece which will undoubtedly provide more than sufficient fodder to be chewed over and spewed onto the Uncovered forum. Why anyone would bother is quite beyond me, but there again, to quote "I have $hit for brains" according to Anastasia, so what would I know? I'll pop over in a while to see if I made any spelling mistakes or made any other factual errors. Russ... also known as the "Rat in a bucket", but most real people know me better than that and I'm lucky to have real people as real friends.
at a reasonable price and includes earthquake with a small excess of Euro 225. Pretty good considering we're in Abruzzo. Policy is placed in Lloyds, Liberty being the lead syndicate. We couldn't find any company that could match this, certainly not in Italy.
Wiishing you all the very best for your new life here in Abruzzo. I moved here (Teramo) in April 2009 and run a small b&b which for us is a dream come true. It's not always plain sailing and happy to share with you our experience and knowledge. Russ
Do this at the end of this month and repeat again after 2 weeks in mid February. It's a fungus that causes this and a double dose should cure the problem and allow the leaves and fruit to develop successfully. Good luck!
..... and yes, if the water temperature is below 24c, there is no way I'll venture in! We did have one brave soul who took the plunge in late October, when it was only 15c. She was blue when she emerged, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Hi David, The first thing I'd say is that re-couping the cost of installing a pool shouldn't be your prime mover for your decision. When deciding to instal our pool, we firstly researched our target market and whether a pool would be a deciding factor. The prices you can charge are limited by your competition and whilst a pool is a big plus, it is unlikely to enable you to charge greatly higher rental prices and hence recouping your outlay will take many, many years. Our place is about 45 minutes from the coast and likewise summer temperatures reach 30c+ most days. Many of our guests spent lazy days lounging around the pool, taking dips to cool off. Being the only b&b around here with a pool, it secured business for us that we would otherwise not have had. We decided to go for a natural chlorination system for several reasons, the main one being environmental. Whilst you have the initial outlay for this system, the benefits are well worth it for many reasons and as you do not have to buy expensive chemicals, it will pay for itself over less than 5 years. The water remained crystal clear all summer, no chemical smell, no sore eyes and great for people with sensitive skin. Cleaning is a daily task when the winter cover is off, but that's a job I love to do early in the morning. It only takes about half an hour (pool is only 8m x 5m). Apart from that and checking Ph and salt levels and cleaning the filters regularly,there's not much more to it than that. Overall installation costs will obviously depend on size/design, although I'd say that 15k is a bit optimistic for a below ground pool when you add on excavation costs, landscaping and housing of the equipment and extras like sun loungers, umbrellas, etc. 25k plus would be nearer the mark in my opinion. Overground pools are much cheaper and we have friends that have one at their holiday rental property and it has proven to be a great hit with their guests. I have been told that planning permission isn't required for this type of pool, although have also heard conflicting views on this point, so check thoroughly with your commune. So, if your budget allows, I would definitely recommend you have a pool and if you can, heat it to extend your season, as the sun will only get it up to comfortable levels from early to mid June to mid September. One last very important thing, check the regulations in Lazio on maximum pool depth. There are parameters whereby if the depth exceeds x metres, a full time lifeguard will be required! Regards, Russ
Hi John, You don't say where the kit is being shipped from (Australia, New Zealand and Wales spring to mind), but obviously distance, weight of consignment and dimensions of crate will determine the price. Just as guide, I had a 28kg (1.2m x 40 x 45) consignment sent from the UK to Teramo by Fedex. Less than a week to deliver, online tracking and the cheapest I could find. I think the earlier you book your consignment, the cheaper it will be, as they group shipments. Mine cost £120 or so. Hope this is of some help.
see opening post. Give it time Tess. It has only been a month or so and whilst probably seeming like a lifetime already, things will get easier I'm sure. As a further suggestion to help with your Italian and to get the locals to know you are there, go to the local shops each day to buy your provisions and avoid supermarkets. I have found shopkeepers almost always are interested in talking to customers and even more so when their curiosity is raised by a foreigner that's moved into the small local community. Also if other people are in the shop (be it the bakery, butchers or whatever) they will no doubt listen intently and stare at you (which if that happened in the UK would be seen as rude, but not in this situaton). Treat this as an invitation to engage - smile, say hello (in Italian of course) and take it from there. Best of luck PS. Jenta, I see that you are cynical about Tess's situation, which you are quite entitled to be of course, although most of us have replied on a compassionate basis having assumed her story to be totally genuine. Why wouldn't it be I ask?
Comments posted
[admin comment: this was a reply to a post that has been removed] ... although I'm not aware that you have ever referred to me obliquely or otherwise on "the other side", so I have nothing to quote. I have never claimed not to view the contents of the posts on Uncovered and why would I? If you knew or was informed by someone that you were being slagged off, ridiculed or just generally having the pi$$ taken out of you, wouldn't you want to know who was saying what about you? If the only way to stop it was not to post here, would you stop posting? Perhaps not, I don't know. You seem to be suggesting that the statements I made in my earlier post are incapable of being backed up. Well, these posts presumably sit in the bowels of the Uncovered archives (assuming they've not been shredded) and if you don't believe me, do some research and find out for yourself. I agree that this site has it's problems, but so what really. If it dies because of its' own flaws, so be it, but for the people at Uncovered to constantly make personal assaults on the people here to stop them posting through fear of public ridicule, is just plain nasty. However, the means seem to justify the end for some, no matter what it takes. I belong to a number of forums and enjoy reading and learning about different things here in Italy. I agree that there are some well informed people on Uncovered, but when the informative and interesting things are peppered with poisonous jibes, it surely just puts off the many potential new members it could have. But that Giovanni, is not the purpose of that forum, is it? I'm quite good at maths by the way.
...... this vendetta will go on and on and on and on. I post this in the knowledge that every word I type will be examined, dissected and then commented upon by a small number of people at Uncovered, who seem to have nothing better to do than spend their time constantly analysing what's going on "OTR". I don't post here very much at all, as I detest providing anyone the opportunity to take the pi$$ or to insult me indirectly and I feel sure that many of the old membership who don't form part of the new order, feel the same. If any of these people would be happy enough to say to me face to face, what they post on their forum, I am more than willing to meet and hear them out. One or two are close enough for this to be possible. A thread that started in October at Uncovered under the heading of "Ronald's a busy boy" has had over 3,000 views and hundreds of posts, feeding this constant (unhealthy) obsession with the Italy Magazine Community. It's littered with insults, nastiness and venomous remarks directed at many IMC members past and present and no doubt future, including myself, so it was only a matter of time before someone retaliated. I do not condone any personal attacks, especially when the purpose is to "entertain" an audience but understand why someone decided to bite back. Being subjected to name calling or being ridiculed for whatever reason they can find, is bullying in my book, no matter how "amusingly" it's dressed up. It takes some really twisted mentality to think it funny to make jokes about someone attending a funeral or as has been the case, posting an obituary with the name of the deceased being the same as a forum member, stating how they wished this was true. There is no excuse for this type of abuse, no matter what. As for making jibes about someones business ventures, I think it is true to say that Anastasia takes first prize for that one, as I was at the receiving end of a thinly disguised extremely nasty remark following the announcement of the L'Aquila earthquake raffle prize winners. This campaign is led by the above individual and it would appear that her mission in life, along with one or two others, is to see IM close this Community section down. It matters not to them that many people still get lots of information from this site, indeed this seems to fuel the irritation the very existence of this site causes even more. And if it does close, would it really matter to the world at large? Of course not, but to these people it would be perceived as a huge victory. Why does it matter? I can't imagine a life so empty that I would derive so much pleasure from a victory so meaningless or constantly obsessing about what is being written and by whom, just so that some juvenile comments can be made on a forum with an active membership of about 12 people. Well, I've said my piece which will undoubtedly provide more than sufficient fodder to be chewed over and spewed onto the Uncovered forum. Why anyone would bother is quite beyond me, but there again, to quote "I have $hit for brains" according to Anastasia, so what would I know? I'll pop over in a while to see if I made any spelling mistakes or made any other factual errors. Russ... also known as the "Rat in a bucket", but most real people know me better than that and I'm lucky to have real people as real friends.
at a reasonable price and includes earthquake with a small excess of Euro 225. Pretty good considering we're in Abruzzo. Policy is placed in Lloyds, Liberty being the lead syndicate. We couldn't find any company that could match this, certainly not in Italy.
Hi Katy - I have sent you details via a Private Message. Russ
Wiishing you all the very best for your new life here in Abruzzo. I moved here (Teramo) in April 2009 and run a small b&b which for us is a dream come true. It's not always plain sailing and happy to share with you our experience and knowledge. Russ
Do this at the end of this month and repeat again after 2 weeks in mid February. It's a fungus that causes this and a double dose should cure the problem and allow the leaves and fruit to develop successfully. Good luck!
..... and yes, if the water temperature is below 24c, there is no way I'll venture in! We did have one brave soul who took the plunge in late October, when it was only 15c. She was blue when she emerged, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Hi David, The first thing I'd say is that re-couping the cost of installing a pool shouldn't be your prime mover for your decision. When deciding to instal our pool, we firstly researched our target market and whether a pool would be a deciding factor. The prices you can charge are limited by your competition and whilst a pool is a big plus, it is unlikely to enable you to charge greatly higher rental prices and hence recouping your outlay will take many, many years. Our place is about 45 minutes from the coast and likewise summer temperatures reach 30c+ most days. Many of our guests spent lazy days lounging around the pool, taking dips to cool off. Being the only b&b around here with a pool, it secured business for us that we would otherwise not have had. We decided to go for a natural chlorination system for several reasons, the main one being environmental. Whilst you have the initial outlay for this system, the benefits are well worth it for many reasons and as you do not have to buy expensive chemicals, it will pay for itself over less than 5 years. The water remained crystal clear all summer, no chemical smell, no sore eyes and great for people with sensitive skin. Cleaning is a daily task when the winter cover is off, but that's a job I love to do early in the morning. It only takes about half an hour (pool is only 8m x 5m). Apart from that and checking Ph and salt levels and cleaning the filters regularly,there's not much more to it than that. Overall installation costs will obviously depend on size/design, although I'd say that 15k is a bit optimistic for a below ground pool when you add on excavation costs, landscaping and housing of the equipment and extras like sun loungers, umbrellas, etc. 25k plus would be nearer the mark in my opinion. Overground pools are much cheaper and we have friends that have one at their holiday rental property and it has proven to be a great hit with their guests. I have been told that planning permission isn't required for this type of pool, although have also heard conflicting views on this point, so check thoroughly with your commune. So, if your budget allows, I would definitely recommend you have a pool and if you can, heat it to extend your season, as the sun will only get it up to comfortable levels from early to mid June to mid September. One last very important thing, check the regulations in Lazio on maximum pool depth. There are parameters whereby if the depth exceeds x metres, a full time lifeguard will be required! Regards, Russ
Hi John, You don't say where the kit is being shipped from (Australia, New Zealand and Wales spring to mind), but obviously distance, weight of consignment and dimensions of crate will determine the price. Just as guide, I had a 28kg (1.2m x 40 x 45) consignment sent from the UK to Teramo by Fedex. Less than a week to deliver, online tracking and the cheapest I could find. I think the earlier you book your consignment, the cheaper it will be, as they group shipments. Mine cost £120 or so. Hope this is of some help.
see opening post. Give it time Tess. It has only been a month or so and whilst probably seeming like a lifetime already, things will get easier I'm sure. As a further suggestion to help with your Italian and to get the locals to know you are there, go to the local shops each day to buy your provisions and avoid supermarkets. I have found shopkeepers almost always are interested in talking to customers and even more so when their curiosity is raised by a foreigner that's moved into the small local community. Also if other people are in the shop (be it the bakery, butchers or whatever) they will no doubt listen intently and stare at you (which if that happened in the UK would be seen as rude, but not in this situaton). Treat this as an invitation to engage - smile, say hello (in Italian of course) and take it from there. Best of luck PS. Jenta, I see that you are cynical about Tess's situation, which you are quite entitled to be of course, although most of us have replied on a compassionate basis having assumed her story to be totally genuine. Why wouldn't it be I ask?