Long time since last time...
...because these days are filled with all sorts of albergo activities: greeting new guests, having Spritzas on the balcony with them while talking about Siena, her history, her art and, of course, the focus of all Siena- the Palio. Not to mention ironing, hoovering and cleaning; getting supplies etc. I still have noone to help me. This is not quite like Hotel Djenne Djenno, where there were 14 rooms, but just as many employees...
When one year of this AirbnB activity is up- on the last day of June, I will take stock and decide whether I should look for a helper. The rooms are full more or less the whole time. I have become a "Superhost"... And have rather an impressive number of five star reviews, if it is not too immodest to mention it..
When I am not working here, the ONDA activities are multiplying: serving at fund-raising lunches and dinners with other volunteers from the Contrada, or just being part of what is going on- last Sunday there was a first communion mass at the cathedral, and here is a little Ondaiola about to enter the church with her friends from other Contradas.
The same day, The Oca (Goose) Contrada did their giro, when the whole day is taken up visiting all the other (friendly) Contradas, in full costume, all the drummers and alfieri (flag bearers)out in force, followed by the Contrada members all sporting their Oca scarves. Here they are, being met and ceremonially greeted at ONDA by our alfieri.
The little theatre group is still meeting here on Fridays- we are working up to performing, finally, that short Alan Aykbourn play about the park benches. Thank goodness, a date has finally been set- the 7th of June, when it will be performed at a Sport Centre some kilometres outside of Siena, where our trekking group has its head quarter. I am not in it, of course. My function has been to provide my flat for the rehearsals: as well as being the enthusiastic cheer leader and soup maker.
There has been two dear friends here: first Anna-Lena from Sater, the little Swedish town where I lived with my grand parents. We were best friends at primary school but have not see each other since I was nine and she was ten. And here we are! Anna-Lena has had a successful career as a hair dresser- she has her own salon in Karlshamn, southern Sweden. We had a fun, girly, gossipy time, catching up on the last fifty years - well, more actually...
Then came Giulietta, another great friend this time from the UK, the little village of Blewbury where we met when I was 18 years old, and she maybe 12... we have remained friends all our lives though, and seen each other frequently over the years-
And finally, that doom ladened sofa from my fathers childhood home in Sweden has finally made its tortuous way to my flat. Since it left my Islington home in the early nineties it has sojourned with my friends Eva and Leonardo in Milan; in another corner of Tuscany; and in Carloforte, Sardinia, whence it arrived last week. The gangster Johnny Rizzo seems to have given up his claim to sue me for 4500E (see previous blog post) and the sofa arrived via another transporter to the gates of Siena, where a local transporter took over- the lovely Luigi who with his colleague carried the great thing up to the third floor and miraculously made it through the narrow passage at the entrance door - Paolo, my architect had done mock-up trials on his computer and swore it would be impossible- but there it was, squeezing through after about an hour's work of patient fiddling, repositioning and reattempting...It took its assigned place at the end of my bed and I took a huge breath of relief. The sofa- the style of which I described to Paolo as Biedermeier Terrone - 'peasant Biedermeier '- is not worth anything in monetary terms. Nevertheless it has cost me over 2000 Euro to transport here- which includes the payment to the gangster, my lawyer's intervention, and the two different transporters at the end. Phew!
But now it feels as if some of my father's spirit is here in my room, watching over me...
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