It was a shock to realise that we are in a Covid-19 second wave as it was predicted last summer. I thought it wouldn’t happen but I had to surrender to the evidence. The Italian government decided to implement a partial lockdown with a tier system: red, orange and yellow, when the death toll rose to 200 per day with peaks of 500-600. The tier system was compared to Dante’s Hell (red), Purgatory(orange) and Paradise (yellow), and to the colours of wine, Lambrusco, Orange Wine and Moscadello di Montalcino. At first, the worse areas were Lombardia, Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta in the north and Calabria in the south. A few days ago, Tuscany, Abruzzo and Campania were declared red zones too. Things change from one day to the next and it is difficult to make plans. Around Italy there were
My husband and I have decided not to fly to Italy during Christmas holidays as the situation is unpredictable and though it might improve, it gets worse as soon as people move around. We are afraid we would be trapped in endless quarantine periods both in Italy and in the UK and, of course, there is always the possibility of catching the virus. Besides, I have had some health issues recently due to my bad bones, that is, osteoporosis. My back ached so much at a certain point that it was painful even to stand up and sit down. I thought it was a muscle problem, as it had happened in the past, but the x-rays revealed a fracture in a vertebra so the doctor asked for more checks. I feel my spine does not support me properly. I often need to rest, sitting or lying down. I stopped exercising (I used to attend yoga classes, go to the gym and cycled every day during the summer) because of the pain and I am also afraid of breaking some other bones. The doctor gave me strong vitamin D and calcium tablets and I feel better on the whole though a bit worried. I still walk, as at the school where I teach the main campus and the college are at a distance of about a mile. My asthma got worse as well, maybe due to the kyphosis that is affecting my spine. Luckily my diabetes 2 condition are stable though I re-gained the two kilos I had lost during the summer. I am trying to fight back this general weakening that in my worse days I call ‘a disaster’. Buying new clothes cheers me up as usual as I can see myself in a better shape despite all. I am wearing loose dungarees from TU for the autumn that I match with Primark turtle necks (I have a sort of collection now) and thick coloured tights. I wear flats or light boots and a leather jacket. I still put on lipstick, though nobody can see it because of the face mask, and three earrings per ear I mix and match with the colours of my clothes. Face masks are a must now, so I match them with my outfits buying new ones and making them with remnants of fabrics or crocheting. I am slowing down in my routines but luckily my brain still works all right and I can produce creative things.
During half term week we visited our daughter Valentina and celebrated Halloween with her in her new accommodation near Redhill. We prepared for her a bat kit that included a face mask too. At the moment she is very interested in sorting out colours and stuffing them in socks. She spends hours doing this. We could briefly visit our sons in the north of England too and brought them Italian biscuits and pasta I buy at the Italian deli shop. My daughter in law is at the end of her pregnancy and we are all looking forward to seeing Violetta, at least in photos or videos if the lockdown doesn’t ease off. My mum is safe in Italy though I am sorry I won’t be able to see her at Christmas.
I am enjoying teaching at ISL London very much; my students are very motivated and worked hard on poetry in the first unit. We are in the process of collecting the Italian poems they produced in a booklet with the English translations too. They performed their poems together with their fellow students in their mother tongue at Gunnersbury Park in October just before half term. Now we are studying prose, short stories. I selected some classical authors of Italian literature such as Giovanni Verga, Grazia Deledda and Luigi Pirandello as well as contemporary ones, like Stefano Benni, Marco Lodoli, Leonardo Sciascia and Elsa Morante.
During the weekend I try to chill out as much as possible. First I catch up with house work, then concentrate on my creative activities, crochet, drawing and writing. I study too, Margaret Atwood, of course, and other authors that inspire me such as Sylvia Plath. Watching TV is my evening pastime. One of my favourite programs on the Italian TV is a new series on RAI 1 about a sostituto procuratore (deputy public prosecutor), Imma Tataranni. It is set in Matera, that is, in Lucania in the south of Italy. The stories are inspired by the books of Mariolina Venezia, a poet and writer from Matera. For me
Imma is better than the acclaimed Montalbano. She is clever, determined and intuitive, similarly to Vera, the Yorkshire detective. She is sharp and never gives up until she solves the case. Her colleagues say she has ‘a bad character’ but she is so efficient and experienced that at the end she always gets what she wants. Her husband is a romantic Italian guy who loves her dearly but they are not a perfect couple. Though they enjoy sex together, they have secret dreams of younger partners. Imma’s other characteristics are her lack of domestic skills, such as cooking, she simply has not time, and her cute outfits, like leopard patterns, pink coats and tight tops. She is brilliant! I hope the BBC is going to broadcast the series sooner or later so we can watch it again.
Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNrejqaJ5iA
In the meantime, we look forward to Christmas hoping for a better and always creative scenario.
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