"Benvenuto, Primavera" - "Welcome, spring!"

I know: it's been over a month since I last posted. We have really fallen into a comfortable routine, and don't feel like tourists anymore at all. Even Meryck's birthday was a pretty low-key event. We celebrated his 17th with lunch and yummy chocolate cake at home (the mystery of the day: "How did you get the pudding inside the cake?" - I'll never tell.) That evening, we went to one of our favourite restaurants for a delicious dinner followed by karaoke night at the local pub. I forgot to take the camera with us, but I did get a few pictures at home.

It seems like the cold and miserable winter is finally over. The last week or two, we have had some beautiful sunny days, up to 15 degrees celsius or even warmer. We have had bit of rain, but that's acceptable when the temperature is well above freezing! (I guess it's also part of spring, right?) We may have seen the last of our little space heater, until we need it as a fan in the summer. Hopefully that's not just wishful thinking!

Unfortunately, we didn't have very good luck with the weather a couple of weeks ago, when Terry and I met up with his cousin Bridget and her family in Florence. Her husband Dan grew up in Milan, and lead us to a nice restaurant on the other side of the river. We were a little surprised to find that it was the same restaurant that we had gone to with Terry's OTHER cousin back in the fall! We had another delicious meal and a good visit with Bridget and Dan and their two kids, Gabriela and Massimo. Gabriela was a little shy to begin with, but if we had a little more time, I'm sure Terry would have convinced her that he is her favourite Uncle. (sorry Jeremy & Andrew) Massimo was pretty laid back and happy to hang out with anyone. It was really nice to spend a day with them, even if it was freezing and rainy. They're moving to Singapore now, and I'm sure it will be an exciting adventure for the whole family.

for the record, I know that Terry isn't an uncle to Massimo and Gabriela, but "uncle" is so much easier for a kid to say than "first cousin once removed"

Speaking of uncles makes me think of aunts which is a nice smooth, natural segue to my next thought. (did you see how I did that? Clever, huh?) Tomorrow Terry and Meryck and I head to Rome to meet up with my mother and her two sisters, my auntie Judy and auntie Pat. I will stay in Rome with them for a week, and we're looking forward to seeing the Forum, the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Terry and Meryck will join us for the weekend, and we'll tour the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, and of course the creepy Capuchin Crypt! Also on our non-schedule is the Borghese gallery and the million other things that Rome has to offer. March 11, after Mom and Pat meet the pope (seriously!), we'll come back to Perugia for a week. I'm looking forward to showing them around Perugia, and I'm sure we'll make some daytrips to Florence, Pisa, Assisi and maybe Orvieto. On March 17th, we'll head to Lyon, France where we'll meet up with my brother and his family (Mike, Alison, Holly & Charlotte), and with my sister, Josie, and her daughter, Alaina.

Mom, Pat and Judy will fly home out of Lyon on March 24, while the siblings make our way to Rome, Perugia, the Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, and whatever else we can fit into the weeks that they'll be here. Mike and Ali and the girls fly home to Australia (with a couple days in Dubai) on March 31st, and Josie and Alaina will stay with us until April 4.

So that is our next month in a nutshell. I'm sure we'll have a million pictures to share, and some good stories to tell. (well, for your sake, I hope the stories are good, because I WILL be telling them, regardless!)

So forgive us if we're a little hard to contact in the next little while - we are busy being tourists again!

Buona primavera everyone! Ciao!