BLOT ON THE TUSCAN LANDSCAPE

OMG! Would you look at this? It must be visible from outer space. It appeared over night, literally, and there it sits down from our road where we must avert our eyes if we do not wish to see it or worse, people floating in it.

On March 26th, I uploaded a picture of Livorno Man's weekend get away. Weekend get-away. In the space of little over a year he converted half a shed, the other half owned by the old priest who will not sell anything for less than three times its value. Livorno Man came out every weekend, along with his wife and his black dog with a red ball in its mouth. This dog can even bark with the ball in his mouth although I dare say he has to put it down to eat and drink.

This year the man started work on the narrow strip of land that he inherited along with the half shed. One by one he dug steps into the steep bank and shored them up with chestnut logs as you do in this country. I was full of admiration. Italians can make gardens in the most impossible places. A small patch of lawn appeared at the bottom and died. A larger platform was created by building a log retaining wall and filling it with earth. He put concrete slabs on it. I had visions of a table with an umbrella down there. It's a long way to carry food, or, indeed a red ball, but if only at the weekends, why not?

Nope, not outdoor dining. Splashing and floating. It's late in the year for this sort of thing but there you are and there it is. During the week they covered it with an unattractive and completely un-photogenic sheet of black plastic.

I'm sure it is perfectly legal because concrete slabs can be removed and the plastic tank emptied and carted away. Even if it was not legal I would not rat him out because there is, after all, neighbourhood omerta, a code of silence. I wonder if a tapestry needle would be useful?

PS: Does anyone know anything about The Quiet Plodder in Australia. He has vanished.