Janathon Day 7 : Camminando in Campagna

Or in English, Walking in the Countryside. However, first a big WHOOP WHOOP! Yesterday was my first day in 2015 without wine. Those of you who have been to Puglia will know that Pugliese wines are very very good. Even the sfuso (the bulk wine that you get through what look like petrol pumps) at €1 a litre is more than acceptable. Bottles of wine with all sorts of commendations can be had from €4.50 upwards. Wine with meals is just a part of our way of life. Despite that yesterday I achieved my first wine free day in 2015, we won't visit how many I managed in 2014! The incentive, tomorrow will be the weigh-in after my first complete week on Janathon. Let's see those scales go down.

I am a poor sleeper and was concerned how, without the wine I would get to sleep. For the last week our so I  have been listening to Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson, an app I am running on my Hudl (Android Tablet), every night with varying degrees of success. It certainly didn't work the night of the crash, bang, rattling. Last night though, it really did the trick; whilst listening to Andrew drone on with his oh so relaxing voice, I dropped off half way through. Unfortunately I was sleeping on my back and woke myself up almost immediately with a big snort. Happened twice before I rolled over, after that sleep came quickly, and with it vivid and tiring dreams, involving running around from place to place by train and plane, with tons of baggage. All of it which required specially printed labels, the printer broke down and I couldn't get all the parcels in my luggage allocation. At which point I gave up ..... time to dump the excess baggage? Do dream activities count for Janathon exercise? My legs were certainly tired this morning.

I woke up early this morning .... 4.07 am according to my Hudl ; it seemed a bit strange as I could see the sun rising up out of the Adriatic. Eventually, having given up trying to get back to sleep I wandered off to the kitchen to make my early morning hot water and lemon (grapefruit this morning) to find the real time was 7:37 am. After much fiddling about I gave up and took off the Automatic Time Update and set the Hudl clock manually.

I had errands in Torchiarolo, mainly to collect a package from the Post Office, a long awaited ChromeCast Key, designed to send tv, videos etc from your devices to a tv screen. Walking both ways is currently beyond me, cycling is okay, but even though the wind has dropped to a very fresh, strong breeze it is still too windy for me to get on my bike. I was dropped at the Post Office, eventually picked up my package (regular visitors to Puglia will know that a visit to the Post Office or Bank are undertakings not to be taken lightly, everything is done in what should be called "Puglia Time".)

Best foot forward I strode back through the town and out towards home. Today my walk took me through the olive groves, out into the country, a change from my Adriatic strolls. Puglia is not called the bread basket of Italy for nothing, olives and grapes abound. It has to believe that these stunted, apparently, dead plants in the foreground will grow abundantly and next summer will be providing masses of grapes.

It may be less windy but it is still cold, I was even wearing gloves, maybe a first for me since we arrived in Puglia. I didn't quite make it home before the OH rolled up behind me in the car. I could have persevered for the last two kilometres but my legs and feet were aching so I gave in. Not too shabby an attempt all the same, and the pace is picking up.


So that is it for today I think, 10 squats this morning, maybe a few more later but these thighs really are aching. I spent half an hour or so clearing up the rubbish blown up our roadsby the strong winds and weeding the garden. Both involved a lot of bending and picking up, does that count Janathoners?

The Hudl? On manual time setting it is losing about half an hour every couple of hours, what is going on?

A domani ..... the weigh in day!

Janathon Day 6 : Feeling Motivated

Good day fellow Janathoners and others, one and all. What a difference a nights sleep makes! No shaking, rattling and rolling last night ..... blissful peace and quiet. Almost quiet, it is still extremely windy here in Puglia, Southern Italy almost on the Med .... you would think it would be warmer. Not this year. So almost quiet, I could hear the roaring of the sea as I tucked myself up in my cosy warm bed last night. A lovely sound to go to sleep by.

Despite a few waking moments, normal for me, I woke up feeling refreshed. Armed with a cup of tea I ventured onto Facebook and spent some time reading the posts and blogs of all my fellow Janathoners. Some of you are extremely energetic, some struggling along down there with me. Never mind you are all committed to Janathon 2015. You got me motivated and enthusiastic for the day.

Will the wind ever let up?

After a late breakfast I headed out for a walk, hoping to up the pace a bit. I certainly did that to start with. As soon as I hit the beach road the wind had me .... tail winds chasing me along, I even managed a little jogging. A different story on the return lap, fighting head winds all the way, any time benefit soon got whittled away as I struggled on. The wind was freezing, well it felt that way to me, a UK ex-pat who has definitely become acclimatised to sunny southern climes. It's hard to believe that in, probably, less than four months time we will be sunning ourselves on the beach and paddling, if not swimming, in the Adriatic.

My route today took me along the Adriatic, inland a fraction and then back through the village of Lendinuso.



Not as far or as fast as I would have liked .... tomorrow! Squats count so far today, 20, it will be more before the end of the day.

Today is a public holiday in Italy, Befana. In Italian folklore Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on the night of January 5) in a similar way to Father Christmas on Christmas Eve. In times gone by Befana was far more important than Christmas Eve and children would get their presents for Befana. Now commercialism having reached Italy, even Puglia which often appears 50 years behind the north of Italy, both are celebrated with the children getting presents on both days. Wise parents simply spread the same amount of presents out between the two holidays.

Being retired public holidays are not of huge significance to us. Especially now the major shopping centres now open on Sundays and many of the public holidays. When we arrived in Puglia in December 2005 there was no Sunday shopping and nothing was open on a public holiday. A definite change, but is it for the better? What do you think?

The only real significance of a public holiday for me is that electricity rates are cheaper. Utility costs make a major dent in the budget so public holiday days and weekends become the time to run the dishwasher, the washing machine and do other power hungry chores.

But for now, the fire is lit, it's warm and cosy in the living room ... I've done my Italian lesson for the today. Time for a hot soak in the tub, after another 30 squats, and to settle down by the fire working on the patchwork bed cover. 

Buona Befana!

Janathon Day 5 : Get out of Jail free card

 Can I have a get out of jail free card? After an almost completely sleepless night brought about by banging and clattering on the roof all night long I'm really not feeling up to much. To add insult to injury the bad weather is back. We have another cold front, strong winds, lowish temperatures, black clouds this morning and the definite promise of rain this afternoon. I don't think it will snow, at least not in our location.

All of the above does not lead me towards exercising. I had thought to walk to Torchiarolo this morning, far too windy for cycling and I don't think my bruised bum has completely recovered from when I fell on it late October. That's a whole other story.

I've appeased my consience with 100 squats ........ so not a complete failure. Weather permitting, I will make that walk to Torchiarolo tomorrow morning. This is certainly turning into an exceptionally cold winter here in Puglia this year.

Wondering about the banging on the roof? I went up to investigate early this morning, nearly got blown off the roof the winds were so strong, and found that the lid from a small water tank had worked loose. Although the lid itself is quite small it is firmly attached to the pipework. The wind was blowing it around but being attached it could not escape. The banging and clattering was "enhanced" by travelling around the pipework through the house.

Janathon Day 4 : The best laid plans of mice and men

I've often used the expression "The best laid plans of mice and men" without really thinking about where it came from. It seems it is from a poem "To a Mouse" written by Robert Burns in 1785 and adapted by John Steinbeck in his 1937 novel "Of Mice and Men." The poem includes the lines

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley"  roughly translated as "The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry."

The 1997 novel "The Best Laid Plans" by Sydney Sheldon also takes its title from the poem.

But back to now ..... I had planned, if it was a nice day, to walk to Casalabate market this morning. The Sunday market is a definite feature point of our Puglia week here, and something we recommend all our summer guest visitors. A traditional market with fruit and veg stalls, mostly locally grown, very few food miles here; deli stalls with the best cheeses and salumeria and lots more too. Our neighbour, Domenico, has a permanent stall in the market, where he sells vegetables grown on his farm just 5km away.

I got up this morning to a beautiful sunny day, light breeze, temperatures in the mid teens. Perfect walking day to continue with the #janathon 2015 challenge. Before I set off my mobile beeped with a message ... would we like to go to lunch with Mino and Val, the Puglia Chef and his wife. A quick rethink.... I could still schedule my walk in and then go on to lunch, an offer too good to turn down. The Puglia Chef service is one of the extras we offer our villa guests during the summer season, one of the things that make our villa holidays, villa holidays with a difference! The Chef service together with our independent event organiser, Yle, who can organise just about anything, really make the difference. The independent traveller remains independent but has the option to explore the extras!

Back to today, I set out at just after 11 am. striding along in the direction of  Lendinuso, one of the summer holiday villages close to Casa Mare. Like yesterday the sea was blue, the sky was blue and the sun was shining .... a perfect day for walking. Just a little over an hour and nearly 6km later I reached Marulli Bar in Casalabate for a very much appreciated caffé americano and a sit down while I waited for my transport to arrive to take me onto Val and Mino for lunch.

As luck would have it, the best laid plans did not really go awry, yesterday my lovely Italian friends, Antonella and Giovanni visited in the afternoon and brought me a huge Torta di Mimosa. Far too much to be eaten alone. It arrived with me at Val and Mino's; Mino' sister Rosaria and her son Albie where there too, so there were six of us. As always Mino's food was fab .... garlic mushrooms, cozze gratinate, tuna and swordfish carpaccio, strips of pork - all for antipasto. Followed by  .... ummm I  can't remember the Italian name ... crespicci? Pancakes with ricotta and fresh spinach. Okay I am full already.

A short respite and out came the Torta di Mimosa ...... I needn't have been concerned, it was loved by everybody, devoured .. a cake that was too big for just us was done justice by the six of us! Thank you Antonella, Mino sends his compliments!
 

So, I may be failing on controlling my eating habits .... but the #janathon exercise plan is still in place. I have promised myself a heart/exercise wrist monitor band if I complete the whole of #janathon 2015. Watch this space!


My best laid plans may have changed, but definitely did not go awry!

A visit to Val and Mino is never complete without mentioning the animals ... today Nico, the three-legged cat

Janathon 2015 - 2

Where does the time go. I'm supposed to be retired, I used to work 16 hours a day, six and a half days a week. Now I don't but there still isn't enough time in the day ....

Yesterday (Janathon Day 2) my thighs were aching so much from the squats it was painful to move. Despite that I managed my planned daily walk. It wasn't quite so blustery as the day before and I made it a bit further than the first day, to the other side of Campo di Mari. 5.36 km in 1 hour, I can't keep up with my friend Vivia ( Grethic ) but at least I can say Janathon Day 2 - tick.

I failed on the squats, my aching thighs just could not manage!

Today (Janathon Day 3) - the dreaded shopping day. I hate shopping even more than I hate ironing. Shopping of all kinds - food, clothes, gadgets (marginally better), but still all shopping is hated. Despite getting up early and heading off first for the local shops then the big hypermarket it still seemed to take forever. The Ipercoop hypermarket was crammed with people .... what is it with Christmas and New Year, why is there still so much shopping to be done. I was only there because it is the easiest place to find sewing cottons and get other shopping done at the same time. It was midday by the time I arrived home; shopping unpacked, coffee drunk I set off for what I knew would only be a short walk. Friends arriving at 3pm meant I had to get home, have lunch, and make some attempt at tidying up!

How the weather has changed in just two days, blue blue skies, a gentle breeze, sun shining. Perfect Puglia weather! It was hot walking in the sun and my jacket soon came off. My tried and tested route towards the village of Lendinuso, turning off up towards the main road and back again makes a perfect thirty minute, 2.5 km walk. Janathon Day 3 - tick.

As it is only 3 pm, once friends have come and gone, squats may still be on the menu. The thighs are not aching quite so much.

Janathon has arrived

In the (yet another) campaign to be fit not fat I committed myself to the Janathon challenge. A commitment to run or do some kind of exercise every day; luckily it can be any form of exercise, I am certainly not up to running yet. My routine will (probably) include squats and other floor exercises and walking, mainly walking.

Day 1 - 40 basic squats following the 7 types of Squats You Need to try. This from the woman who is completely uncoordinated, the one who was always going the wrong way, facing the wrong direction in any from of exercise class. Time will tell if I can progress to type 2 - the Body-Weight Jump Squat, without damaging some body part. Surprisingly, even this little bit of exercise after so long made me feel more awake and more lively. Walking came next. On an unusually cold and blustery day for this part of Southern Italy I set out for a walk on the coastal path alongside the Adriatic. Last year I was walking this route, and much further than today, covering 10km in about 80 minutes, until injury stopped play. I was amazed how hard it was to cover less than half of my tried and tested route even allowing for the head winds! 4 km in just over 40 minutes; shameful, must try harder.

Speaking of the weather - we Brits, even those living abroad, always find something to say about the weather - it has been unusually cold over the last week or so, with heavy snow in many parts of Puglia. Just north and to the west of us in the San Vito di Nomanni, Martina Franca and Ceglie Messapica areas there has up to 10 inches of snow and heavy drifting. We of course saw only a light dusting ... for a few hours. This unusual weather front puts me in mind of our first winter in Puglia, the winter of 2005. We arrived here on December 2nd full of good intentions; we would not need central heating, we would manage the first winter and decide what heating, if any, would be needed and go for the best ecological and economical solution. Ha! Puglia, Southern Italy, almost as far south on the mainland of Italy that you can go .... trust me, it gets cold. Sometimes very cold. Yes, we have warm sunny days when it is still possible to be outside in t-shirts, shorts if you are really brave. However you don't need a watch to know when it is 4pm ... even if it has been a beautiful warm day, the sun disappears and it is cold. The other thing that we did not factor in was that the house we had bought, like most ex-pats, was an Italian summer home. Built for summer living, no insulation, gaps between the window frames and the walls etc.etc.

The first month here .... we were so cold, calor gas fires where the first addition. Going out on that first New Year's Eve we were horrified to see the temperature register at -5C. Eventually we managed to get the chimney sorted out and were able to have an open wood fire burning in the living room. It wasn't terribly effective but certainly looked cheerful. Needless to say we caved in pretty quickly and we had gas central heating installed by the end of January 2006, with a big calor gas tank buried in the garden. Only to find, to our horror, that the gas meter was running around like a hamster that had gone berserk and we were using almost 200 euros a week of gas. Not affordable! So the gas went on for an hour in the morning, an hour in the evening and we piled on the warm clothes.

Over time we made changes, the open fireplace became an enclosed wood-burning termo-camino which runs the central heating and provides hot water. The gas is still there as a back up, and this year for probably only the second time in 10 winters, we have had to use it. New double glazed windows and window frames, closing up the gaps between windows and walls, helped a lot. This last week is exceptionally cold, we have only seen these temperatures and very light snow once or twice before since we arrived. Now, Spring is around the corner, Summer not too far off, and the reality is we do actually like the change in seasons from very hot summers, beach and pool days, to curling up in front of a roaring fire on cold nights.

If you are thinking of moving to warmer climes, I'd recommend that you spend a winter in your chosen location, before moving if at all possible. All may not be as you think!

Happy New Year to all.

Fit not Fat in 2015

In an effort to give myself a kickstart back to being fit I have joined #janathon. Having lost 18 kilos a couple of years ago I am kicking myself for putting back over half of that amount. Time to stop, take stock and get moving again. So wish me luck, for sure I will need it!

So this is my public declaration of intent .... exercise, exercise, exercise! For me that will be cycling and walking for now, although I am being encouraged to add squats to my daily routine.

Wish me luck!