guess where we are?

It has just occurred to me that i have spend nearly 4 weeks in Italia and have barely blogged about it... I have a bit of free time, so i'll try to fill in some gaps for you all:

- Almost every second day is a "concert night", which roughly translates to the following: Wake up around 8.30 to find Pete and Marg already having spent an hour or so in the kitchen... Head down to the main house for some toast and juice/coffee, then up onto the computer to whip together a layout for the evenings programme (items, composer notes, musician bios)... then i e-mail that to the local printers, and head back to the kitchen to start cutting up tomatoes/garlic/herbs etc... At some point around 11am, find Fran who has put together all the crockery and cuttlery, wine, water, tableclothes and other rubbish and with the boys, load all of it into the van... Drive with the boys to the venue, empty van's contents into the venue's kitchen, and bring out all the required tressel tables and seats... drive back to the house, and help in the kitchen... lunch gets served outside on the large tables with for the crew and musicians... Pete and Marg skip lunch cause they are too busy... Do the dishes for lunch, then report back to the kitchen... keep self busy until around 7pm... drive to the venue with food, lay out food, assemble antipasto platters... guests arrive after concert, eat between running errands... try not to fall asleep, then clear away tables/chairs/dishes, load van, drive home, put leftovers in the fridge, die...

Although that sounds a bit... rushed... it is actually quite fun, as our work is very appreciated, the food at the end is perfect, and if we are lucky, we can catch some of the music...

In contrast, days off are spent at the musicians' hotel pool, reading, and getting drunk again with the musicians...

Today is the last sunday of the festival (the last concert being wednesday night), and sadly most of the musicians have left by now... although there has been a total of about 20 musicians over the course of the festival, coming and going continually, the last group has especially made us feel equal and included us in all their fun. Which is pretty flattering, considering each and every one of their overwhelming musical abilities...

Anyway, i have to get my flight home rescheduled, and then it is ciao to italia and off to see the rest of Europe (in my own, rushed kind of way)...