Andrew's activity

Having spent the previous week with the Samoan team; (As responsible for Italy for Rhino Rugby I supplied their contact training kit; plus personally technical advice for their kickers;) I was able to assist in their preparations 'first hand'. Sadly they were a tired and homesick bunch; great company but oviously reflecting that this was indeed a game too far.The hospitality and organisation at the Del Duca Stadium in Ascoli Piceno was outstanding; hospitality village in full flow; beer, food and DJ led music and events, but the game....Having also spent some time with the Italian team in their build up (Jean and I are adopted 'Aunty and Uncle' to Mauro Bergamasco and a few others) I also got the impression that they too were about to undertake 'a game too far...'.Blessed with warm sunshine after a doubtful rainy start to the morning; the stadium presented small, friendly and nicely formed; full to overflowing (although I had 3 spare tickets) with over 17,000 spectators. An incredible partisan crowd, although firmly behind their countrymen (on analysis this may be too much of a presumption) were also respectful towards the visitors, and the game period began with a very touching tribute to the people of L'Aquila - the whole stadium on its' feet to show support and applaud. Italy entered the stadium wearing 'Forza L'Aquila' solidarity tracksuit tops following their visit to the Abruzzo capital a couple of days previous.Early in the game Italy took the ball to Samoa, and a snakey run by Luke Maclean led to a great individual try. The new item of Mirko Bergamansco as place kicker however needs to be reviewed, as although ever willing he needs lots of work to make this choice work.The much vaunted Italian scrum failed to perform in the dominant way expected, although they were maybe saving energy for other elements of play. The Italian lineout suffered, even though none of the Samoans were even 1.90 tall, they still managed to steal a couple of Italian throw-ins.Lack of vision in the Italian backs meant that the ball was too frequently kicked away rather than moved out wide, where players with great experience such as Kaine Robertson were unable to draw on their array of skills to take the 'Azzuri' downfield. With the Italian number 10 coming from Rugby League and not able to re-cycle the ball in contact (I have the impression that after being tackled Gower was wating for the referee to whistle for the League 'Play the Ball') Italy needs to play more with their heads up; searching and scanning for gaps in the opposition rather than simply putting the blinkers on.The game dwindled from sparkling start to dim end, Italy gaining a penalty try after the Samoans - absolutely by this time 'on their uppers' infringed and the engagement; collapsed the unit, and basically gave up.Positives can however be drawn from a great improvement in defence by Italy; convincing tackles made when 2 years ago the 'Park Traffic Cop' attitude would have simply waved an opponent by, and in some respects interlinking between forwards and backs better than before.At the end that phrase we all know too well from school; "...is doing well, but with a bit more effort...."

Have you thought about having a word with Ian Brown? He's generally full of good ideas, and is certainly very economical compared to Italian builders from what I hear.

I have a mate who is hoping to open a bar or similar; he's attending night classes organised by the Comune to make sure he is up to pace.Depending on where you live I have a couple of mates with trattorias etc that would be willing to put you in the picture.I'd suggest also getting yourself a good accountant who should also be able to tell you what's involved.

'lasciarvi a tutti il ricordo' literally means 'I'll leave you all the (or this) record'; probably intending that the photo is left for those who come after as a pictorial record / archive. In some respects 'ricordo' could be interpreted as 'memory' used as a noun.Andrew; Colli del Tronto AP

Angie; just a thought; have you considered a trip up to San Marino? As you know it's a sort of 'duty free' state / country, and there you'll find a large number of electronic supermarkets that are generally cheaper than anywhere. It's also a great day out if you have time to go to the top of the mountain; lots to do etc. You'd need to come off the motorway at Rimini south.

Sounds like its a goner guys; good value at the moment at MediaWorld near Tortoreto; you need to go down the motorway south to the next exit after San B (about 6 miles) and as soon as you pass through the casello there's the complex that includes MediaWorld on the right, behind BricoFer etc.

Hey Badger; thanks for your feedback; I'll certainly consider the alternatives. Never heard of Taiyo Uiden, but presume that if you're confident to buy in quantity then they must be good quality. I use blank DVDs very infrequently (Just for interest/or not...I have a team building activity using Rugby as a metaphor, and we film the participants and produce a follow up DVD for them) so maybe 10/12 DVDs a year if that.

Have a look at these sites; I've ordered blank CDs and DVDs from them; they deliver by TNT or SDA, and are very good value for money. They also have a newsletter service and are very comprehensive in their service to clients; and I've found them faster and cheaper than Amazon etc.www.pcsys.itwww.electtrotop.com

When the technician comes along I'll check out the timescale and post.

Yesterday went to Citta delle Stelle to do the 'big shop', and outside the brico were quite a few wood burning stoves on show; mostly very small but nicely formed. None were particularly unpleasant in their appearance; simple and; repeat; nicely formed.