You can't visit Genova, in Italy, and not taste the pesto. It's the home of pesto.
Well, if you have an allergy, okay ... you could miss the pesto but otherwise, you will taste of the most sublime pesto ever made while visiting that ancient Italian city.
They know what they're doing there. You can taste the difference.
There are days when I achieve ridiculous amounts ... because I must.
There are other days, when I smash into the wall that is too much to do and I am empty.
Yesterday was one of those inspired days. This new website was born, today I was this crumpled heap who achieved things but not at the level I like to achieve. Today was all about that early-morning school-run, the masses of laundry, about breathing ...
The new website is all about working with me in Genova, Italy. Jess built it. My daughter. I was so impressed. Her marketing campaign has begun and is impressing me too.
But finally home, with a computer screen that works, I am looking through photographs of those giddy-beautiful days spent in Genova last week.
The orange water ... the fountain there in the heart of the city is used to mark international days. I was in the city during Multiple sclerosis week.
Maybe we refuse to acknowledge our common origins because racism causes amnesia, or because we find it unbelievable that in those days long past the entire world was our kingdom, an immense map without borders, and our legs were the only passport required.
Eduardo Galeano, Mirrors - Stories of Almost Everyone.
Re-entry is always difficult. My life in Genova is so different to the life I live here in Antwerp. And being house-keeper in this quirky little Belgian house means settling back into that domestic life of cleaning and cooking and taking care of people.
It's also about me creating a space that I like to spend time in and so there are peonies in the big vase downstairs ... my laundry is done, the floors have been cleaned, bread was baked, meals cooked. The transition is complete, I am a housewife and all kinds of other things too, again.
I've done a couple of school-runs with Miss 9 (almost Miss 10), we're on a countdown to her fourth of July birthday. And one of those school-runs involved a much-needed detour to my place of worship and peace ... De Slegte. I found treasure, of course.
Eduardo Galeano's book, Mirrors - Stories of Almost Everyone, was my tram-companion today. I love that man's humour. His intelligence more than anything but the way that he writes is rather exquisite. I heard him interviewed a while back and thought, 'Hmmmm'.
I have a copy of his Children of the Days too.
In other news, in news from Genova ... Giovanni is a friend I met long-ago via the internet. Raised in Milan, he moved to New Zealand some years ago with his wife, and it is from there that he too writes the most marvelous things.
You can imagine, it's rare that we find ourselves in the same country at the same time. Until this last visit he was always in Italy when I wasn't however we did catch up back in 2010, when I was at home in New Zealand. And this time the gods of travel allowed us a small meeting.
He arrived in Genova last Sunday and we met in Piazza De Ferrari. The antiques market was still on and it was fun to wander with him, hearing his stories of this thing and that.
I was obviously beyond temptation having purchased the beautiful shawl. (Actually I reached home with about 2euro in change in my pocket. This is my traveling life, the common story of Di wandering... New Zealand to Istanbul being the most disturbingly close-call of all).
Giovanni and I lunched, we caught up on stories and then, that evening we were able to join Barbara, Donatella, Luciano, and friends of theirs, for aperitivo out in the city. It was so much fun. But that's Genova to me ... aka La Superba.
My airline had contacted me that afternoon and so there was the scramble as I worked to get ready to leave a day earlier than I had planned. Gert has since expressed bemused surprise that he made that mistake while booking for me. We never make these mistakes and, while it was a situation that made me laugh, there was so much I was leaving until that last day in the city.
Mmmm, children, don't leave everything until the last moment.
Anyway, I left Giovanni in the city on the Monday, as he wandered there before he headed off along the exquisite Ligurian coastline. And I gifted my wine and Monday-food to Barbara, then left. It was over again.
And below ... a photograph I took of Giovanni as we said our goodbyes until next time we find ourselves in the same country again. 
I know some really special people and, occassionally, we find ourselves in the same country at the same time.
Giovanni is originally from Milan but has spent many years living in New Zealand. We've never quite managed to be in Italy at the same time however I did visit him and his family when I was home 2 years ago.
Today he caught a train to Genova and I got spend a few hours in the company of this lovely man. We wandered the city, talking as we wandered. And tonight we met up again and went out for aperitivo with friends here.
I was saying goodbye (for now) to Donatella and Luciano (aka Susto E Soranzio), to Barbara, as well as a hello and goodbye to two people I hadn't met before but whose company I enjoyed.
The thing that most amused me was that I thought I was leaving on Tuesday. But no. An email arrived, that online check-in email that arrives 24 hours before departure. It would seem that I am leaving tomorrow ...
Probably best I found that out today.
Oh the laughter. And then the mad attempt to buy a train ticket because, you know, the trains will be quite full as everyone heads home after a long weekend. And in the rush, somehow, the ticket machines wouldn't take my money.
But I was in good company. Barbara and Giovanni made it happen ... well actually, we gave up and I bought one from the woman at the ticket counter.
So I've packed, more or less. And I have breakfast plans down in the old city for tomorrow. And I have to drop off my 'Monday food supplies' because, you know, I won't be here in the city.
Yep, it's all just one big adventure, isn't it.
Today, at the monthly antiques market here in Genova, I met the most marvelous man and he sold me this 'most divine thing'.
I wasn't shopping. I was actually accompanying Outi as she shopped however ... this happened. This beautiful shawl that I couldn't resist and believe me, I can resist most things, but this hit me in my girly soul.
I wasn't bartering, I really didn't have the money. Unfortunately most people assume I'm bargaining. It used to happen in Istanbul too. The lovely bloke selling this dropped to a price that was simply superb and so yes, I'm walking to catch my plane in Milan on Tuesday ...
But no, really, the Belgian bloke is bailing me out. Thankfully. I broke into a sweat confessing. I love this shawl that much though ... and I'm not sure I captured it here as it's silky and heavy and completely luxurious. But anyway, you get an idea.
