Love this Month

It’s September again.

And, before you say it: I do know it’s an annual thing! Regardless, here we are, in what is my favourite month of the year. And it’s nothing to do with the fact the Sicilian grape harvest is now in full swing! Although that doesn’t hurt, of course.

No. It’s rather that this month is the month of anniversaries. Both good and (somewhat) bad.
Let’s get the ‘bad’ out of the way first. This month marks eight years since I had my albeit mild, but uber-life-changing, heart attack. Not so bad really, as it led directly to us being here.
So on to the good!
The 24th marked our 35th wedding anniversary. A day to remind me, as if I needed it, just how very lucky I’ve been in life.
Then there’s the 25th September: My 65th birthday. Yet another reminder of the fortune I’ve had. For this I’m extra grateful, as my father died at 47; my grandfather at 58. I must make it to 75 to beat my great-grandfather, and I’m so up for that challenge!
The 26th marks a couple of other important milestones.
My first “kiwi4everhome” blog entry was uploaded on the 26th March 2020. And, during the last (precisely) three and a half years since, I’ve managed to scribe over 33,000 words!
Last, but f’sure not ‘leastly’, it was on Saturday the 26th September 2020, we boarded our 11:45 one-way EasyJet flight from London Gatwick to Catania.
Happy memories!

Advertising

Now advertising, and adverts, are something we don’t much like.
I’m sure we can all agree on that: A necessity sometimes, but...
It is, after all, an interruption and interference in our daily lives. However, there’s a time when it is f’sure a ‘necessity’. And that’s when it’s more about informing than product placement, of course! Think of that advert for your local theatre production, play group or sports club. Without which you may not actually know what’s happening in your own neighbourhood.

I bring this up because this type of ‘good’ advertising is sadly lacking here in Modica. Often times, it’s only when we’re passing that we see there’s something on. Or else they’re setting up a stage or exhibition, and we have to ask what’s going on.
It can get somewhat frustrating for us ‘non-clairvoyant’ residents! By that I mean: The locals instinctively seem to know what’s happening. Or going to happen. How they do that, I have no idea … but they do!
And before you say it, the internet’s about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to finding out what’s on. Or not on, for that matter. I’ve spent many a frustrating hour trying to find out, for example, what religious processions are on in the coming month. There’s no one source: If’n there’s any at all!
Which is why I felt compelled to create my “All Things Modica” Facebook page.
For my own benefit as much as it is for others!

Little Health, No Safety

All Summer long we’ve seen guys working on local building sites in our neighbourhood.
This includes working on a large property observable from our terrace, as well as having workmen working on our property during that time. And what really got to me is the total lack of any form of safety measures. Although this is more from the nearby building site, rather than our own place.

Not even a hint of a sign either...

I mean, these guys are up two to four stories, either on scaffolding or on the roof, and there’s not a hard hat, safety harness or high vis vest between them. To be entirely fair here, these did appear ... once ... when an inspector, obviously from the comune, turned up with his clipboard. He, at least, was all ‘safetied-up’! But that was f’sure the exception that proved the rule.
Now the guys working on our place did wear hard hats and obviously had to have harnesses as they were abseiling up and down hard-to-get-to walls to fix ‘em for us.
All good then.
However, when they were chipping away at said walls to get them back to the original stone, not one wore any form of safety mask. The coughing and spluttering got real annoying!
Is it a ‘macho’ thing? Would an Italian or foreign worker be laughed at by his buddies for being a big girl’s blouse because he insisted on wearing a hard hat? Who can say?
All I know is: It’s hard to watch sometimes.

More Soon...