MEANWHILE IN NORTHERN ITALY
Weather was unsteady this summer, super hot, then cool, more rain than I remember and lots of moments like this
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WILL THE EU DIE A DEATH, AS PREDICATED BY MANY PODCASTERS, OR WILL IT WAKE UP AND RESHAPE ITS DESTINY
The EU has strayed from its founding principles, of an organization created to ensure peace among its members, pooling sovereignty in very specific areas, defined by the Treaties unanimously approved by its member states, to something that resembles an autocracy, trampling over its members legitimate concerns. The Europhiles discuss this, and the broader geopolitical changes sweeping our worldview. Available on Apple, spotify, Castos and all the rest…. Link: couple-of-europhiles.castos.com/episodes/…
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN SEATTLE
To think I haven’t been back home in 15 years. Everyone I loved has left the city. Change is constant and time does fly and it was such fun to sail around the city, and up north, where the mountains and the sea meet. Little wonder I ended up on Lake Garda.
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Lido life on Lake Garda
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The winds of Lake Garda; Ora, Peler, Viness, Panolot, Vent to name a few
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CROSSING A THRESHOLD INTO THE WORLD OF SUPERHEROES WITH ANNA FILA ROBATTINO
In my book, “Personal Legends of Piemonte” we meet Anna Fila Robbatino and cross another threshold, entering her secret garden. Anna is famous for her nature hikes in Piemonte, Italy - and they really do provide a peak experience. Young and old people alike take copious notes. She refers to her herbs as Superheroes, and we discover how to heal our body; realizing our bodies are much wiser than we think.
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Midsummer night dreams
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LIVING IN BOHEMIA
Living in Prague let having cognac and ice cream on a Sunday afternoon feel just right. Romantic, I heard her whispering sweet things into my ear, like a subliminal mantra, daring me to let go of my bourgeoisie past. My mind opened up and became fanciful.
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LIVING IN BOHEMIA
Living in Prague made having a cognac and ice cream on a Sunday afternoon feel just right. A romantic kind of place whispering sweet things into my ear, like a subliminal mantra, daring me to let go of my bourgeoisie past. My mind opened up and became fanciful. Excerpt from “A European Odyssey; how a boxer’s daughter found grace”
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MONTAIGNE ON LYING
Montaigne: “Lying is an accursed vice, it’s only our words which bind us together and make us human. If we realized the horror and weight of lying, we would see that it is more worthy of the stake than other crimes…
Read morePiemonte is the secret that needs to be told. Why, because they create the majority of Italy’s finest products. Including Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera. And so much more…
Read moreNew series ‘Outrageous’ is fun, but… JK Rowling says: The story of the extraordinary Mitford sisters has never been told as well as they tell it themselves.
Read moreCultural Realities are a gift when we stop projecting and start absorbing
Read moreJean Cocteau: “What the public criticizes in you, cultivate. It is you.”
Read moreDawn Powell: “Satire is people as they are; romanticism, people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out.”
Read moreThose Moments
Read moreIn response to the micro blog challenge on bridges; I give you one somewhere in Bohemia
Read moreFLORAL HOMEWORK
In this wicked, wicked world there is beauty everywhere. Why not study it like Johann Wolfgang con Goethe: Goethe’s approach to studying plants was holistic, emphasizing understanding the whole plant rather than just its individual parts. He believed in observing plants closely, mentally “transforming” one organ into another in his mind to grasp their interconnectedness. His work laid the foundation for modern plant genetics and evolutionary biology.
Read moreEMPIRES FADE AWAY BUT CAFE CULTURE SURVIVES.
I’ve been an American gypsy for a long time, I’m getting old. But I’ve seen so many countries from various ports, their personalities spread before me, that’s why I write about cities as personalities. The angels of history are looking forward. As empires fade, and they always do - ancient civilizations masquerading as countries are about to have their say. Thankfully, cafe culture survives. As the world turns.
Read moreGRATITUDE
With war creating surround sound - gratitude is proving to be a powerful anchor in such turbulent times. We need to keep creating independent thought and cultivating personal, quiet spaces to help us find peace and perspective. Connection with others, cooking for our beloved and breathing-completely. Therefore but for the grace of god go I.
Read more"LEGENDS" GETTING SOME GREAT REVIEWS ON AMAZON - READERS ARE GETTING IT, INDEED.
“Bailey does it again, with another captivating book of place, people and changing times. This is a series of interviews with people whom the author got to know whilst living in this, somewhat less visited, region of Italy. We learn of a region that lost its industry and had to reshape itself. One where local identity has become increasingly important, but where interdependence is a way of life. Creative people, making cheese, fixing cars, living life, express their hopes and fears for the future both individually and as a region.
Read moreSHORT STORY SUMMER
If you’re looking for hedonistic tales about living in Paris, bizarre stories about living in Malta, funky stories about living in Bohemia and Venice - if scary trips across the Atlantic are your style - then A European Odyssey; how a boxer’s daughter found grace if for you. Reviews on Amazon are great and it’s an interesting twist on the travelogue. Forget about travel drama, waiting for planes, dealing with trains and automobiles -
Read moreWould you like to be read to?
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