am all back now and far too hot and very very jetlagged, haven't been this bad for ages. I was fine for first two days, but now I am so exhausted, plus feeling very down. Was hoping someone might have emailed me from Rome but no one has, boo. But then I haven't emailed any of them either. I want to email one friend in particular but have lost their email and am trying to google them to no avail and feeling like a stalker.

Currently sitting in state library trying to work but it isn't happening at all. Might head home soon and switch on aircon. Maybe i just have the post Italy blues or something, have to push through and get to serious work on thesis. But I miss my friends But am looking forward to seeing everyone.

Valentines day =
- chattin to husband (about my research noit very romantical
- going to a libary amd transcribing 18th century libretti for 5 hours
- buying pastries for my friends
- going to a lecture on roman archeology
- meeting richard's girlfriend who we have all known was going to kill him if he didn't stop smoking but is gorgeous and was wearing a stella macartney dress
- having good chats with everyone
- chatting to the most gorgeous english boy EVER, yes EVER. Oh my, i can barely talk to him he is so hot.
- played ping pong with cute swedish architect, lost to english/aussie team, grr.
- now in bed hugging teddy wantin lovin

I can't find my shoes.... I think i left them in the common room as I took them off to play ping pong found my socks outside the common room this morning, but no shoes? Surely no one would take them, they are a bit worn, only their mother could love them and she wants them back heloooo, helooooo? shoesies?

Greer was opposite me and she knows all I just kept giggling all day, tres mature.

One of my students Olivia was back tonight for one night, she is so gorgeous, she honestly stopped traffic in Florence, but she is completely unaware of her own gorgeousness, a phrase i actually didn't believe till i met her. I love her.

photos!!



drinks of choice

all good nights in have ping pong




the last is olivia and antonio, so loverly, antonio is so gorgeous, he and andother guy who works here, pepe, are both from the same town and are both so cute that i need to visit their town!


greer and liv



greer,liv and tony


richard, hoenstly one of the sweetest guys ever, he is currently trying to quite smoking for about the 50th time since i met him 6 weeks ago, I amgoing to make him come to melby and do a show

and a last one of liv, cos i will miss her, well till i get back to melb in less than a week!, though it is never the same once you are home...

I found them! It was so funny i looked everywhere and eventuially i asked the bursar and she giggled and said 'oh those are your shoes!' they were out by the tennis court, outside, so apparently everyone was speculating that someone had had a crazy night and left their shoes outside, the rest of the day, everyone was saying, 'oh they were YOUR shoes' , bloody institutions. Haha. Bought a cute new top this arvo with the Greer and the Caterina. Me and Greer had such fun, going into each others change rooms and sitting on the floor trying on boots in Zara.
Went out tonight for chocolate and ended up having a drink with Stephen and chatting about all kinds of things. Just ahd tea and chocolate with Greer and now in bed. Ahh, relaxing.

My archives i was looking at, just lots of old old paper really

God last night was so ridiculously drunken, I realised i hadn't really got drunk for 2 weeks or more, gah, but fun. Met a tres cute sewdish architect and made him give me two goodbye kisses on the cheek, haha, then sat in Aisling's studio and got more drunken and talked rubbish. Me and greer just went for coffee and it made me sick and I was nearly sick in one of rome's nicest cafes, oops, but it was ok. I am rambling, maybe i am still drunk.

Back in Rome now, finally, civilisation! Haha, that is a bit mean to porr old Lucca but damn everything was always shut and I was sharing a hostel room with crazy portuguese people who kept offering me cake. Actually they weren't so bad i just hate sharing, but it was only 20 euro a night. Plus I basically spent 9 hours in teh archive each day, yes, go me. They were soooooo nice, going to a new archive always freaks me out as often they can be sooo unhelpful and I suddenyly forget all my italian and stand there like a dumb idiot going 'scusa, scusa?' But they were great, bought me anything I wanted and even looked after my luggage on Friday morning before I got the train. I think my time was successful, I basically rifled through heaps of old 17th century letters and tried to read them with varying success, found some new plans though.
I was a bit lonely though, got back to rome last night but stayed in a hostel as my room at the school wasn't available till today, I went out for a wander and decided to be a sad alco and have a drink on my own, walk into a bar and run into 5 friends! Twas loverly, chatted and drank wine and started to feel human again. Now I am back at school checking emails and catching up, god everyone is so lovely at the school at the mo, I wish I was staying longer. I spent an hour looking at one artists work, which I love, I hope he will let me take a photo of it. Then had coffee with Aisling who is so gorgeous, like a little pixie and Clara, oh I love them I want to keep them!

Had a relatively easy going day. Checked out some churches, went to a gallery, the custodian was so grumpy that i took so long, he would come into the room, see me taking notes with my nose against a picture, cough a loud hacking cough and go out for a fag. I have just been lining up some different accomodation for monday as it is too damn expensive to stay at this place, nice though it is. So going to hostel instead, then I will have money for other things, like rent, and shoes. I wasn't too sure, but now I have booked it I feel so relieved, obviously the right thing to do.

Now I think I will go for a passegiata and find somewhere to sit and drink a campari and read my book, then buy some pizza and head home for an early night.

Oh but have to relate one story, ast night I went into this bookshop and the guy was so lovely, finding me books to read and chatting to me. Told me i had lovely blue eyes and when i bought a book he gave me another one free. Then today I went past his shop and he came out and shook my hand anbd then when he heard I was going to the gallery he insisted on giving me a free pen so i could take notes. So lovely. I have to go back and buy more books.

Lucca is damned dull on a sunday, it might be an ancient town full of romanesque splendour but on sunday it is still just a sleepy country town where everything is shut.

Some photos from yesterday.



tapestries in the palazzo mansi, very unusual to see them still in place and in such good condition, very exciting for me


enormous cream filled croissants


chiesa san michele, typically romanesque facade, but probably the most beautiful, notice how every column is different.

God I am exhausted. I am in Lucca now, course is finished and I meant to be doing some research, couldn't feel less enthusastic, but well. Perhaps after a rest this weekend I will feel better. Spending far too much money, gah. Last week has been great, weather has been perfect and seen some amazing things. Been in Siena and Florence, and a trip to Ravenna, seen baroque gardens, to 5th century byzantine mosiacs. I miss my students I am here for a week, then going to Milan for a holiday, then back to Rome for sme molto rapido research and shopping then home.