Winter 1999

Well as promised a news update (just made it before the promised date of sometime in April. Well what riveting things can we tell you. Well maybe to start I can do a cut and paste job on the last letter I started at the end of March - so here goes...

Once again I write whilst on a BA flight (London – Milan this time)– must be something to do with my brain being pressurised along with the cabin that gives me the urge to share all our news with you all. Well the drought continues in Italy (Milan’s driest winter in 200 years, I think they sent all our rain to Mozambique by mistake), the E&Y/CAP Gemini deal seems to be happening and we have just had a fabulous "white week" with Karen, Ted, Kiki and Amber in the mountains.

If you are reading this you would have passed through the web site which seems to have been well received. Either that or you are all such a polite bunch that no-one had the courage to say it was crap. Anyway Cindy and I had fun building it and hopefully by the time you read this we will have sorted out some of the annoying things some of you pointed out. Like the pages being too wide for your average screen (why you can’t all get 17inch monitors is beyond me – it looks fine on our PC at home). 

Cindy is keen (or is it me that’s keen for her) to start a home business designing and building sites, so if you want to send work her way please feel free to do so. This will hopefully allow her to keep me in a manner in which I could get used to. Cindy is about to embark on her next project which is to build a web site for the Benvenuto Club of Monza.  – we will send you the URL soon, so stay tuned. 

As I said, the Brizzi’s and the Rathbones took a week off to visit the alps and do some skiing. Because of Carnival the kids had the week off and I took some leave to be with everyone (though I missed a few days as I was involved in a proposal to a German Chemical company). It was great to see Karen and Ted and the two girls again and we all had a great time. The weather was perfect (to the extent that it started melting all the snow – at this rate the season has another week or so max before it ends). The more intuitive amongst you are probably wondering how on earth I could be skiing after my tale of woe where I was predicting amputation of my knee as the best I could hope for. Well to put you all in the picture – I did not tear my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) – only my MCL (medial). I also lifted the cartilage off my knee and they thought they might need to operate to sew it back on. Well the cartilage seems to have stuck on by itself and a trusty (hideously expensive and elaborate) knee brace ensured that my MCL could quietly heal without being put under too much pressure whilst I gently got back into skiing and boarding.

It was a different type of ski week for me (very different to the one I spent with Danny). No black runs, no jumps (man it was tempting, but I resisted) and only a little off piste. I actually spent a lot of the time doing gentle slopes with the children, so all in all a family affair. 

Our search for a new home continues – they are selling our apartment and so we have to leave or cough up a shed full of moola. We tried making them a ridiculous offer but they laughed at me. So it seems inevitable that we will have to move – what a right royal pain in the bum. 

What else can I tell you all. Catrina had quite bad brochitis – but seems to have survived. Calvin eventually learned to snow board, though if I get called to school one more time due to his bad behaviour he may not live to enjoy his new found talent. Nicola continues to do well at school and at sport and Cindy is preparing to end off her year on the Benvenuto Club board. Cindy and Catrina also visited Granny in East London for a few weeks. Calvin and I got out of that To Do with our work and school commitments. Cindy was happy to see her mom and sis and the rest of the relatives – as they were to see her. I am still waiting (though I have stopped holding my breath) for my sis to visit.

Our summer plans are all in the air with the potential move so if any of you have any bright (and cheap) ideas please let us know. If all else fails we may go back to Calabria.

Well we will write again in a few months – check out the links page – some new stuff there. As soon as I can convince Danny to share his password with us I will put in the link to the SEEJENNY page.

Oh yes btw – FORZA FERRARI – did you all see that 3 gp's, 3 wins man oh man a never seen before start to the season for Ferrari.

Well  that was the cut and pasted part - since I wrote that the drought here has broken ( we have had lots of rain in Milan and a fair bit of snow in the alps) and fun and games have broken out in Zim. I can only say I am glad I did not choose to live my life there. It is so sad it was such a nice place (sound like a real whenwe don't I :-)   I spoke to Steve today and it seems everyone is just waiting and praying that Mugabe will let the elections happen - though that seems very unlikely.

I and then Cindy and I, had a fantastic experience in La Thuile - yes that too - but I am referring to a snowboarding experience. The other day I saw a piece of off-piste that could be reached by climbing a fair way up a ridge towards a peak 3 or 4 hundred meters above the highest lift in La Thuile - near Belvedere for those of you who know La Thuile. Anyway as I started climbing I noticed another boarder following in my tracks - well with the forced layoff and the altitude I was really battling to stay in front of him - determined that he was not going to steal my piece of virgin snow. As I got to my launch point I caught my breath planning to leap off the minute it looked like he was going to do the same. As he caught up to me he asked me if I was on my way to the top? I looked up and could see no humane way to board back down - so I gave him the - are you f*****g nuts look and said no - why are you? He said he was and that if I wanted to come with him he would take me down the other side of the mountain. So along I went  - sweating bullets an hour or so later we arrived at the peak - what a breathtaking view - and on the other side of the ridge a large untouched valley of white powder. We carried on walking along another ridge to get to the highest launch point possible - I must admit at one stage with a near vertical drop of several hundred meters on either side of me I was close to pooing in my skipants. Eventually we arrived at our designated point and took off whooping and screaming down a valley of virgin snow - man what a feeling.......worth every second of the slog and fear.

Anyway two weeks later after some fresh snowfalls I took Cindy to the same valley. Shame I think she nearly went into shock with fear as we climbed to the peak. The new snow fall had changed the layout of the climb and it made it much harder and even more vertical. I kept on telling Cindy not to stay so close behind me because if I slipped and fell I would take her with me - her response as her nose nuzzled my backside - was no way Jose am I not going anywhere on this climb on my own. We thankfully made it to the top - I will try and scan the photos and put them on soon. We opted not to go for the absolute highest point this time - Cindy had had enough of an adrenalin burst - but again what an experience - our own secret powder valley.

Cindy is coming with me to New York next  week and we hope to see Ursula there as well as doing some touristy stuff. Cindy will have time while I am at work to do some walking around and I am sure she will find  at least one or two interesting shops.

Well that's all for now folks..........