Where’s My Spring?

Okay, last month I whinged and whined about the weather.

But then I got all optimistic because, around the third week of February, things improved. Dramatically, too. The sun came out, and stayed out. And we basked in its Spring glory, along with the flowers popping up all about the place like the weeds many of them are.
Oh, what a fool I was!

“There’s no fool like an old fool”, and it f’sure fooled me. I mean: By this time last year my “babies” (cactuses) were all out on our terrace, fully enjoying the rebirth that is Spring here. The majority had even been given their first ‘drink’ of the year, after being denied one since October the year before.
Not this year!
I’m still hoping they can move from their Winter to Summer ‘quarters’ by the end of the first week of April! So, in a repeat of last month’s line: “It’s been quite wet, very windy, and frankly depressing here in Modica.” We’ve had rain and even hail; near-40 kph, and freezing, winds; and the overnight (and sometimes daytime) “feels like” temperatures are hovering around the 2 to 8 degrees celcius mark.
Even the locals are complaining!
In short: It’s been uber-unpleasant. The only ‘upside’ is that Daylight Savings Time kicked in on Sunday 29th March here. So, you gotta try and be somewhat optimistic.
The quote: "Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get" about sums it up at the minute...

Dread 2

Also last month, I wrote about the post-Brexit “Carta di Soggiorno Permanente” (“Permanent Residence Card”).
Which proves our right to reside here, and guarantees our rights under 2020’s “Withdrawal Agreement”.

The Questura in Ragusa

Well, we went for it this month! Gathering all the evidence required, we made an appointment with the Questura (Police HQ). And honestly, that evidence-gathering process went relatively smoothly.
We had to front up to the city council and secure a “Certificato Storico di Residenza” (“Historical Certificate of Residence”). Documents (one each) proving we’d been resident here before the 31st December 2020 cut-off date. These cost €16.00 each, with a €1.00 admin fee, but within 10 minutes of walking in, out we came with said ‘proof’ in our hands!
Next, off to the Post Office to pay a €30.46 fee (yes ... each!) for the ‘privilege’ of applying for the Carta.
Here things got somewhat ‘surreal’. First off, the PO claimed there wasn’t any such form. However, after some moments of panic, and questioning by Alice, what they meant was they didn’t have the forms because they’d run out! We got ‘em at another PO.
Passport photos were easy.
All ready now, off to the Questura. After a two-and-a-half-hour wait (despite that appointment) we were in.
Seems we owed another €16.00 each, but our application was accepted! We were given another date for our fingerprints to be taken. We turned up, but two hours later, were told the fingerprinting guy wasn’t there today! So, another appointment then.
Sigh…

“Burocrazia”

So, once again, that terror-inspiring word rears its ugly head: Burocrazia (bureaucracy)...
Now, Italy equals bureaucracy, and there’s no gettin’ round it. You’ve just been given a prime example: All those forms, tax and admin fees, that queuing and, most of all, the amount of time it takes to get just about anything done around here could break anyone.
Please don’t get me started on the “It’s not what you know...” thing that permeates the entire system here. I know of at least one Brit who managed to sail through the whole process by “Knowing someone at the Questura”.

Every cloud has one, apparently...

But then, just sometimes, the stars align and it’s us on the receiving end of some good fortune.
This happened the other day, when we needed to renew our prescriptions with our pharmacy. A mundane bureaucratic task we’ve come to expect, and accept, here.
It was most unfortunate then that our doctor’s receptionist informed us the local health board had cancelled our health cards, so we could no longer get prescriptions and, worse still, couldn’t see our doctor anymore!
So off we trotted, in some haste, down to the health board. Now, we’ve actively ‘cultivated’ a friendship with the two ladies responsible for our health cards over the last five years, and this f’sure paid off! Because, within minutes, we were reinstalled on the system. Apparently, all a misunderstanding due to some newly-introduced process.
Talk about relieved! Okay, I’ll so admit it, sometimes it is “Who you know…”
Happy now?

More Soon...