Food for thought..

I don't know about any of you other expats out there, but when I land on British soil after a long stint in Italy, it doesn't take me long to sink my teeth into a whole host of 'British' food. It's not that I really miss it too much when I'm in Italy (authentic, traditional, delicious Italian food everywhere I go? Now who could complain about that...) but I most definitely take advantage of it when I'm in the UK. My first snack of choice when I arrived at the airport this time? A flapjack. I don't think I'd even thought about flapjacks for months, but when I got my hands on one, I savoured every single bite. As my week in England progressed, I made it my goal to enjoy as many yummy foods as possible (see below). And now I'm back in Italy? It's pizza, pasta, proscuitto and gelato in large quantities, although not all at the same time, of course...

A trip to Tewkesbury market led us to these yummy preserves. The banoffee curd? Incredible.

Book. Tea. Biccies. YES.

Beef stew and dumplings.

Some profiteroley chocolatey biscuity thing.

Gooseberry and toffee cheesecake. (These two deserts weren't my personal choices by the way, but I felt it necessary to include them as they got great feedback)

My last meal of the week? It had to be my aunt's UNBELIEVABLE lamb curry, homemade naan bread and cous cous. To die for.

Yes, I did have SOME healthy food...even if it was served with cream and meringue..ahem!

Sweet treats and naughty pets...

Hi folks!

It's been a little while since I posted a hunger-inducing pic of some sweet treats. Actually that's not true at all; my most recent post definitely included some cake photos. Several of them. And to be honest that's probably the topic I blog about most...Anyway, who cares, everyone loves dolce! So here's a snapshot of my most recent indulgence, provided by my boyfriend's zia, who happens to be UNBELIEVABLY good at making dolce. And antipasto. And pasta. And...well, you get the picture...

Coconut cake, some yummy fruity thing and of course, tiramisu...

Moving away from sugary treats, I also have a little terrapin update. Remember Tim and Jennifer? My cheeky little pet terrapins? Well, one of them recently made a bit for freedom. As they were temporarily and 'safely' (ahem) housed in a slightly smaller container as I cleaned out their regular home, a certain male terrapin somehow made his way out of the container and had a wander around the dining room. When I returned, he was there to greet me. To say I was surprised is an understatement. I may have also said the following:

TIM!! What on earth are you doing on the floor?! 

Yes, I do talk to my terrapins. Occasionally. Only when they've behaved badly. Ahem. I concluded that he must have clambered on top of Jennifer (again, ahem) and toppled his way over the side of the small container. Maybe he and Jennifer had had a falling out. Or maybe he just wanted to have a mooch around. I guess we'll never know...

That's all for now, have a great day! :D

Life is like riding a bicycle...

Hi folks!

Well, Spring seems to have sprung here in the south of Italy (she says, crossing her fingers and hoping she hasn't jinxed it). Today was a 'light jacket' day, so here's hoping that the 'no jacket' days arrive very soon! :D

Just a quick blog today, to mention that my little sunshine and tomatoes site has been given an award. Yay! You can check out more info about that right here: http://www.mycurrencytransfer.com/blog/2013/04/top-10-websites-for-expats-in-italy. I didn't even know I had been considered so that was a nice surprise! Here's what was written about sunshine and tomatoes:

If we were handing out awards for aptly named expat blogs, then this would have been in the top three. After all, what sums up life in Italy better than sunshine and tomatoes? But that’s not all we love about this young and funky blog, which is penned by British expat Lucinda, who’s not only a teacher but a keen traveller and foodie (making the name even more apt). We really dig her style and love that she’s ‘discovering Italy one gelato at a time…’ Oh, and we might be slightly jealous too.

How nice is that? :)

I've recently been collecting a nice selection of Spring snapshots to show you all, so watch out for those soon. But for now, I'd like to wish you all a buona giornata, and leave you with this little message:

Teaching in Italy (an article by yours truly!)

So, here it is. My finished article on Teaching English in Italy! I hope it's useful for any of you who are interested in...well, teaching in Italy, or know someone else who is. If you have any more questions, get in touch :)

You can view my article by clicking... here!

Don't forget to explore the rest of the Expat Arrivals website too, for loads of other expat info.