Friday, August 24, 2012

WAITING FOR BEATRICE

Beatrice
Marie Spartali Stillman
Image: Wikipedia Italia


As I said on Tuesday, you know it's too hot when the Sicilians start to complain and today everyone is doing just that.

"I can't stand it any more", said the newsagent's wife, fanning herself, as I purchased a newspaper this morning.  "It's been three months now".  Indeed, she is right, for this year the heatwaves began in June, not in July as they usually do. As for the sea, that is of no help to us either, according to the Modicani, because now there is "too much humidity" down at the beach.



What, then, are we to do?  Well, we can await the promised storm Beatrice but  "Waiting for Beatrice" has become rather like "Waiting for Godot" and, as in the play, I fear there is "nothing to be done". Nothing to be done except call upon Sicilian pazienza....

In the meantime, Sicilians compare the depth of their suntans, smilingly assure me that there are "only" another ten days to go before everything reopens after the seemingly endless August break and ask me why the British newspapers are "afraid" of the Queen. I explain that the publications' reticence [until today] over the Prince Harry pictures has nothing to do with fear of a woman with no political power but is based on fear of possible new privacy laws. Then I explain the Harry puns.....




Today the first fichi d'India of the new season are in the shops - a sure sign of autumn.  Could it be the fact that fico can also mean "cool" or a goodlooking fellow that made me think of them then?


3 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

I have never seen a prickly pear on sale here, except in Harrods food hall. A pity because once you have managed to peel them they are really delicious.

Rosaria Williams said...

I do miss prickly pears!
As for the heat, at least you can take long walks on the beach, humid or not.
Hope your heat-wave relents soon.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi,Jenny. They used to be on sale sometimes in the large supermarkets in Cardiff but at a prohibitive price. Such a pity. Hi, Rosaria. I bet you do! I'm not actually that near the beach and I don't have a car so it's not that easy. But I prfer the city anyway!

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