Two and a half years on and the title of this piece is now a reality, after more than a few culture shocks and hardships to endure.  But our story goes back a lot further than that.

     Some seven years ago after losing my last wife suddenly and without warning, my friends were becoming concerned about my welfare, so they persuaded me to go on holiday.  I chose Italy, as I have always had an urge explore this country.  I learned later that one of them had remarked jokingly about me coming back with a blond on my arm.  There is a saying about "many a true word spoken in jest"!  Yes, you may have guessed, Liz came into my life when I was in Italy, and we have never looked back since.  It raised quite a few eyebrows at the time, but when one finds something special one has to recognise it and hold on to it.

     My first foray into exploring Italy was in the north around Lake Garda and the Dolomite Mountains, which form the Italian side of the Alps. It was a walking holiday and the scenery of the alpine woods, streams tumbling down the mountains, with their ever changing shades of pink depending on the light, will always remain a fond memory.  At the time, I remember thinking that to live here would be wonderful, but I dislike long cold spells and you could tell that in that particular region of Italy, winter would arrive early and leave late.