Autumnal pursuits

In the two weeks since I last wrote, autumn has finally settled in here, and today, rather than sitting at my favourite place under the tree with the lovely view, (occupied below by Hettie and her Labrador Bonnie)

                                                   

I have moved inside, the heating is finally switched on, and cold winds sweep around the narrow streets of Siena, while  rain is drumming on the window panes. Hettie has gone to the States for Thanks giving, so I am 'dog and cat sitting' , a task that is proving quite demanding- Bonnie is a young dog, very strong, and, like all labradors, (I am led to believe) very emotional, and in possession of an almost excessively loving heart. 

This predicament has caused her great distress in the last couple of days, when she has mourned Hettie  with the most heart breaking howls and sobs in the evening when I have gone to bed... she is also very intelligent, it seems, and last night, before I retired, I sat down with her and had a good chat, stroking her and reassuring her that she was not left alone; that Hettie would be back and also that I would take her for walkis in the morning. And this actually calmed her down, and she trusted me...!

So, apart from becoming, rather late in life, for the first time, a dog whisperer and dog walker , I have continued some traditional autumnal pursuits, like my oil painting course, where we are taught by a lady who is giving us a very classical introduction to oil painting according to the methods of the renaissance masters- i.e. underpainting with earth colours etc. Here below I am depicted, to the right in the painting by a fellow pupil,  carrying out my task, and in the next picture my 'work-in-progress' effort at trying to make some painterly sense of a rather uninteresting still life:

                            

Have also continued my  fraternization with the ONDA Contrada since I hope to become one of their number. When pondering how I could be of some use, it became clear that the best place for me at this point would be the Bandieraie, or the embroiderers. So I have been taken on by the sewing ladies, and here I am, mending ONDA flags, a Wednesday afternoon pursuit.

And yes, there is some progress at the flat too! This afternoon a geometra (surveyor) from IKEA is coming to measure up for my new kitchen!