ROMAN SOLDIER GUARDS THE CANTINA DOOR

The old Roman soldier's head doesn't really guard the cantina (wine cellar) door. It's the Doberman who does that. There isn't even much wine in it any longer. The space has been taken over by stainless steel tanks of olive oil. And then there is the old washing machine, old shoes, dried up tins of paint...but let's not get into that.

The cantina itself is interesting. In our desperation for space, we had it dug right into the cliff. The cliff was ugly, anyway. In the magic way of Italian builders it was soon a sparkling white place with beautiful terracotta floors. (Shelves and grot soon put an end to that.) A rather inelegant fountain was put in front of the wall so that only the door gives away the cantina's presence. It looks as if it has been there, always.

This was the can't-decide pic, summer's bounty: Basket