The weather is suddenly gorgeous, it is sunny and warm, I walked around in sort sleeves all day. Woke up quite early this morning but then just sort of phaffed on the net. Got up and dressed and wandered down to find Jonathon who was off today, sad times. Then I was going to go to Monetmartini to look at sculpture but decided as the weather was lovely to head up the janiculum (up the janiculum always sounds vaguely dirty to me, hmm). So jolted off in the bus, I always think they are just going to shudder apart over the cobbles. Got off at the Villa Sciarra which was very lovely, a 19th century villa which is closed but the garden is now a public park and it was full of gorgeous dogs and children and people having picnics. there were two children fishing tortoises out of pond and then running off to dad yelling excitedly Took lots of photos, there was an amazing view where you could perch on some grasss in teh sun and see all across Rome to the snow capped mountains. I listened to some leonard cohen, then felt hungry so I went to my favourite lunch place and got a suppli and a crochetta, potato dumpling, resisted the deep fried artichokes. Too these down to the huge fountain and looked across rome while listening to the masses of water spilling out of the aqueduct, mmmm bliss. Then I had to do some reconnoitering as we have a plan to break in to Arcadia. The garden I am working on that they won't open. so I photographed the walls and shook the gates. hmmmm. Then i went down into Trastevere and decided to go in to the botanical gardens. Just wandered around in the sun, ate some of the herbs in the medicinal garden, orti semplici, Then i went through to look at the other wall of Arcadia, had to climb through bamboo and then rock climb part of an old Roman wall but eventually got up on top of teh wall and was able to see some of it. Very exciting. Wandered home after that via the corso and th shops, bought leggings to go with the silk and cotton jersey dress i got yesterday and opaques in five colours. Now I am drinking campari and planning how I 'break in to Arcadia'.....

Oh man , busy busy times, plus no internet ( maybe the pope switched it off for easter).

Anyhoo still have a week in roma, waved mark off today, We shared a cab to the airport with gordon who is releasing a book this week, was front page of guardian arts yesterday http://books.guardian.co.uk/interviews/story/0,,2268233,00.html

teehee at the 'monastic existence', i wish, try too much drinking, crazy nights out existence.

Anyhoo I am missing everyone who is leaving, sad times, I am busy searching the net for ways to come back to this hemisphere, especially the london part, sometime this year.

am in love with this pic, even if it does look like 'mark holds up drunk wife'

new shoes

Good times last night, wandered down (one thing I do love about this place is the fact that you can 'go out' by just going downstairs meaning tottering heels pose no issue at all) sipped a few proseccos, had a look at the exhibit. The artist's had themed it around the idea of an apartment and so all the work was in a small space like you had alked into someone's living room. It looked great I will take some photos at some point.

Our choir went well, everyone was impressed and I reckon we looked hot in our outfits of nighties and housecoats.

Then we kicked off the party, we had our dance off and I think I pretty much danced for about 5 hours straight, I even danced behind the bar when I was serving drinks, AND I got Mark on the dance floor too, hurrah, actually it wasn't me he refused me but then someone other girl said 'oh you should come dance don't just stand there' so he did. But he is a really good dancer when he will be persuaded. We had a smoke machine and did silly silly dancing, I remember me and Nadia working a move which was basically running across the dance floor and then kicking our legs in there.

I am so sore today, not hungover, but just stiff and tired. So worth it though.

Not sure how I will get work done considering tomorrow night there is a party at the spanish academy, then Monday we have a big pizza and beer night in San Lorenzo.

Piccy pics.

Choir


John in costume, oh no, wait, taht was just his outfit.


everyone downing pizza and prosecco


what can I say?


the smoke machine and some random girl


dance-off trophy

I am very excited, it is the artists exhibition tonight and we are having a dance-off at the after party, me and John have been planning away and last night over canneloni we decided that to win the person must be able to dance to at least six different types of music, rock'n roll, pop, swing, country (teehee) etc, it is going to be such fun I will probably fall on my arse and lose though...

Also have to sing in a choir for one of the artists work, a bit nervous but it should be fun, our big finale song is about zombies in love.

Also the weather is gorgeous, very sunny and nearly 20 degrees, feels like spring.

Sleaford Church
A gargoyle
Inside, the choir screen is 14th century in parts.

Monument to some old politician.


The in laws abode
Me and my ale.

Lincoln, wandering down the hill. Note how pictureskew it is, I likes that, beats the gritty grime of South London.

Lincoln Cathedral

Had a really good time in London, even though we had to hike in from Hounslow where Mark's bro is, but nonetheless I enjoyed it so much more than the last time I was there, the weather was nicer, and I think it made a huge difference not being in yucky Tooting. Saw some good art, went to H&M and bought an orange top, a white and blue striped shrug and a basic long sleeved black tee, really wanted a stripy mini dress but not enough cash. Damn.

Am also really enjoying being in Sleaford at Mark's parents, all very laidback, free food and wine. Got to have a pub lunch with ale today in a tiny pub, with a low roof, a log fire and three locals propping up the bar. Thought of Bri as they had Strongbow on tap.

Also Mark's mum bought me an iPod Nano as an early birthday present and I am in love, eep.

Buzz buzz



working in a wine bar
baby veterinarians c. 15 bc

busyish last few days. On Tuesday I went to look at the stati d'anime, like a census of all people in Rome for around 1700. It was fun, it lists everyone everywhere and their children and what they do, i looked at a few subsequent years and would find that people had died and then I got all sad till I remembered that everyone recorded in 1700 would be dead by now. Also lots of women abandoned by their husbands and left with a bunch of kids, nothing changes. Tuesday night we went bowling and everyone came including the assistant director, was fun but I was a bit rubbish. I love bowling so much, the beer is only $3 for a huge bottle and the shoes are funky silver and red.

Why the Vatican sucks.

There is always a queue.
The entrance is like an airport.
It is crowded.
Everyone goes there even if they don't give a toss about art.
It costs about $25.
They make everyone walk through everything when all people want to see is the Sistine chapel.
They have 20th century catholic art.
No one looks at anything much except the Sistine ceiling so neither can you.
They have guards yelling 'silence' across the Sistine chapel every five seconds.
People only look at things through the lens of their camcorder/ camera
There are gift shops clogging the hall ways with gifts no one should recieve.
The coffee is shit
The barista drinks beer at 11am while making coffee.
You want to kill people at the end.


Thank god they have calming cups of tea back at the British School.

Had a nice Valentines, Mark took me to a jewlerry shop and bought me a lovely red glass pendant. Then we went for dinner at this wine bar/restaurant and ate so much food and drank wine. We came back here for a lecture in the evening beacuse we thought it would be good but it was terrible, but there was free drinks and yum dinner.

Today was a nice day, both did some work, then I had football practise, I am being goalie and getting better I think, still a little scared of the ball though...

Been v busy last few days, mark is here now,
Yesterday we went to Cinecitta, the film studios where films like La Dolce Vita ere made, as well as a lot of recent films and tv series like Rome, and Gangs of New York. Twas very good fun.

Today we had a trip to see a church where one of the artists i work on had painted a god awful ceiling, thank god he went into garden design instead. But it was interesting nonetheless, then Karin dragged us off to a cafe by the Pantheon for cappucino, but then she confessed it was her birthday and when our cappucini turned up, so did profiteroles and prosecco, then more prosecco, and all this before 12. Had a nanna nap this afternoon, then did some work and ate dinner out this evening.

Pictures

There was an exhibition opening here last night for the artist Chris Evans. Twas ok, other people seemed more enthused than me. It is an ongoing project where they invite contemporary british artists to come and respond to rome, and this project just felt a bit too much concept and not enough art. It isn't that I expect art to demonstrate high technical skill or be visually beautiful, but it should tell you something visually beyond the words, and I felt a bit that words were all it had. Anyway, I was thinking of going out, but i was too shattered.


Also went out and bought some stuff from zara and calzedonia yesterday, patterned tights, and from Zara some basic black pants and an orangey red v-neck top.

Some other favourite purchases.