A new addition…

It’s been such a long time since I’ve written anything, for which I apologise. I’d like to say the reason being was lack of time; however it was lack of content! Since my last post restrictions here tightened and places closed until mid way through January when we were allowed out again. After the hiatus it now feels like the year is already passing at a rate of knots. From not doing much and having nothing to write about it’s suddenly become quite busy!

The reason being is furry, has four legs and is called Peggy! Yes the inevitable has happened and we have a new addition to the household; despite having vowed we wouldn’t! She is currently 15 weeks old and we’re already her third home. She was being advertised on a local dog rescue’s Facebook page, Vesuvio’s Dog. Her gorgeous little face was too irresistible to ignore so we applied to have her….along with 59 other people! Luckily we were chosen to be her family and I thank my lucky stars every day! After having dogs for so many years, I didn’t realise how much I actually missed having one; the constant companionship, the unwavering love and the sheer joy at seeing a little soul develop. I thought our lives were better off out here by not having the responsibility of a dog, but now I see what a mistake that was. She’s only been with us three weeks but I already can’t imagine not having her! I’m eternally grateful to the friend who sent a screenshot of her to us.

Here in Italy, most people love dogs. Everywhere is much more geared up for canine friends, who are welcome at most places, including restaurants and supermarkets! So the restriction of owning a dog is even less out here. The only thing that doesn’t fit well with owning a puppy is long days on the bike…but somethings are worth sacrificing cycling for! Before long she might even be joining us on some two wheeled adventures.

In the meantime though, she’s already had a taste of what’s to come, with a day out on the Amalfi coast in our campervan and a play about on the water in our canoe; both of which she took in her stride and was a little gem. Her curiosity as to what was over the side of the canoe was soon eradicated once I’d held her in the water for a few strokes of doggy paddle, she then decided curling up for a nap was a much better option!

The Amalfi coast day out was the first day of decent weather in a long time (yes it even rains a lot here in Italy too!) So we grasped the opportunity and headed off for the day. Mr BND spent his time over our festive lockdown renovating the van; a project that I’ll admit I didn’t have the upmost of confidence in! However, I was made to eat humble pie as the result is excellent! The previous layout of the van had a lot of wasted space, a very narrow bed and little annoying nuances that seemed to make life harder than necessary. So out it all came and we started from scratch! I say we…mainly him…I made one or two helpful suggestions but otherwise left him to the banging and crashing about down in the garage, wincing when it was obviously not going well! So we were keen to test out the new and improved version and headed to the coast! We parked up in a little town called Minori, just along the coast from Amalfi. We were lucky enough to get a parking space right on the end so when we opened the van’s side door all you could see was the sea crashing against the sheer cliffs to the right and lapping the tiny little beach below; a perfect place to while away the hours. We’d brought our bikes and before long I was climbing up out of the small town on to the ribbon of tarmac that hugs the cliffs heading along to Amalfi. It was glorious! Such a wonderful feeling to be out in the sunshine after so long. It was a blissful hour of whizzing round corners, blasting up hills and cruising through villages with the deep blue of the sea below for company. After Amalfi the roads were so quiet, with only a handful of cars and a few other cyclists. Nearing Positano I reluctantly headed back to swap with Mr BND and take over puppy watch. Not exactly a hardship as she spent most of the time asleep and I sat and read my book to the sound track of crashing waves…what a perfect day!

We’re unsure of what the restrictions look like for the next few weeks, but hopefully I’ll have some more adventures to write about soon. For now though I’ll bid you farewell as there’s a little bundle of fur at my feet wanting play time! Bye from Peggy and I!