back on track

everybody's gone and everybody got home safe and sound. it has been an intense christmas full of family outings and reunions. everything went well and no hemicranias visited my head until a nasty one which started on Saturday after my farewell to my parents and carried on through all Sunday. All the tension accumulated after a week of work and sightseeing found its way out through my achilles' heel.

anyway, it was good to have my parents here and to see keven, lindsey, juliette and ilsa. steve was very sweet in taking some time off work and join his family at the airport to say goodbye and hand over a last-minute present to his brother: two pictures of the girls that he took last time they were here with a manual reflex camera, developed himself during his photographic course and get them hand-framed.

the only downside of these past holidays is that it now seems ages since i have been home in september. this made me think a lot about my life in uk, and i kind of resolved that it is time for me to start thinking of my moving-back. for the time being, this means translating my italian CV, preparing my italian cover letter and keeping my eyes open to grab any (rare) opportunity it may arise. i have also decided that i won't exclude any cities of central and north italy in my research. i know, i know, you have already heard me saying the same many times and i am still here. but i have got to try and try again, have i not.

having said that, things are going well in london. thanks to my mum's care, my house is nice and clean, and yesterday also the stairs were professionally cleaned. hurrah! all our friends are now back and some of them are arranging getting-togethers and things. steve has promised me to reduce his time in front of telly and devote more time to dialogue and other activities. i consider this a great improvement in our co-habitation. we are also arranging his b'day tour on the 4th of february, including historical london walks followed by a historical pubs' tour. on another positive note, my cousin phoned me up today with the good news that she successfully passed her first uni exam (contemporary history), and i was very proud of her and v. glad that she is really into her study. last, but not least, my best friend arianna (or aribu) has decided to come to visit us for Steve's b'day. it will be her third visit (if we exclude our trip to london just before i moved here). she wanted to experience a musical this time, so i booked the chilling woman in black. whuuuu!

so, after a bad week, i am fully back into my working routine and i have interesting, although complex and risky, projects to look forward (including a potential book launch in fiesole!) and loads of holidays to take this year (my plan is to spend a couple of w/es visiting european cities, the summer in italy at my parents' holiday house and to take a two-week holiday in the states). and i still complain? back to work now.