Not What You Expected

Annamaria on Sunday???

Urgent message from Susan: "I hope I am not waking you – I just realized this is my MIE week and I am MIA – I am in Hokkaido on a hiking trip in the inn where I'm staying has no Internet. I have just enough signal to get a text out but I can't get a blog posted.  I'm very sorry!! Will you please light yours up early if it's ready?"

It turns out that they were supposed to have Wi-Fi at the hotel, but as Susan describes it, it stops working if you blow your nose. I have obviously said yes. Susan sent me a couple of pictures show me where she is. I have her permission to share them with you. The first is the mountain she just climbed:

The second is the Onsen of the inn where she is staying ay the base of the mountain, where she will be soaking while I am doing her job for her today.

Here, along with the photo of Susan above, are a few more of Japan that I cherish as souvenirs from my time with her there nearly three years ago.

I usually write my blog on Sunday, but this week I would have been doing it on Saturday anyway. You see on Sunday I am going out to the Chianti, where we will be celebrating the 90th birthday of a very dear friend.  So while Susan is soaking in hot spring water, I will be drinking wine and dining fabulously on delicious, home-made Tuscan food.  If this isn't enough to make you so green with envy, here are the pictures that I had planned for my Monday blog. I had intended to call it 'For You, Kathy. Others May Also View." And to dedicate it to said Kathy, one of our most faithful and articulate MIE subscribers. 

You will notice that there is food among these, but no pastries. A promise is a promise, and I had promised Kathy that I would not tempt her with gorgeous photographs of succulent, creamy, sweet, delicious,  beautiful-to-behold pastries that are so plentiful here that one can barely take thirty-steps along a street without coming across another gorgeously arranged window full of them!  But it isn't only about goodies here.  It's also about this!

Fall in (love with) Florence!