05 March 2020
Even as we wait for the local bus to take us from outside our home in Scotland to start the now more familiar journey to our ‘other’ home in Sardinia, we have grave reservations, knowing the impending pandemic situation, as yet undeclared, but imminent. In northern Italy there is already a crisis, but as yet no cases of Covid-19 discovered in Sardinia, so we take a deep breath, and board the bus, armed with sanitising gel, disposable gloves, face masks, as well as scarves and gloves to protect against the cold.
Our route takes us, as on previous occasions, via Caledonian Sleeper to London, then with Eurostar to Paris. So far, so good. There is an air of caution, nervousness developing amongst fellow passengers, but everyone taking their own decisions on sanitation and what is now called ‘social distancing’. No regulations in place yet, either in UK or in France. We opt to take the one hour walk from Gare du Nord, to Gare de Lyon – easy-peasy – and much preferable to the scary Metro. OUiGO train takes us to Lyon where we had planned to stay two nights so as to enjoy a different town on the way. By this time, of course, we are wishing we hadn’t planned the trip so long ago. Dodging about on foot, sitting at lonesome-looking café tables and avoiding the Saturday afternoon demo in the centre of town gave us a satisfactory impression of the city. Negotiating - or indeed even locating – a food shop close to our hotel proved tricky, but we managed to provide a picnic takeaway in the evening, and even had a pub lunch on Saturday.
Onwards to Toulon and the ferry to Porto Torres, where alongside a sense of relief at arrival, we realize that we are now at the mercy of the constantly changing, often ambiguous, decrees of the Italian and Sardinian authorities.
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| Stroll around Lyon |
Although our intention, as usual, is to work in Locoe, on this occasion we have planned to go first to Marazzino to check on our house there.
All goes well for a couple of days. With no car at our disposal we walk 4 km to the local town and carry our food back home. Then we are stopped by one of the civil defence groups deployed to police the crisis, in this case the Guardia di Finanze (tax police), and questioned. Turns out we arrived on the very day that travel restrictions into the country were introduced, and we would need to spend 2 weeks in isolation in our house. Fine. How do we survive without food? Well, never mind Tesco deliveries, the local Civil Protection volunteers are prepared to do your shopping for you, taking your list and money/bank card (!) and delivering to your door. No charge. Brilliant. After a while, our only neighbours, a couple with a school age son and elderly uncle living at home volunteer to take over the shopping duties and we begin what turns out to be a two month stay, in which, in common with all other house-bound citizens in Italy, and eventually in the UK, we invent our own daily routines, devise and execute projects we would probably never have undertaken before, and form friendships with the neighbours that we have had only occasional contact with over the 17 years of our holidaying there.
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| Breakfast delivered to our door; painting by numbers; new colour scheme; BBQs; Easter lamb; water tank maintenance |
It’s March, it’s still cold and dark in the evenings. The house has only an open fire for heating. We have supplies for about a week. Under the public movement restrictions we are not allowed to go more than 200 metres from our home, so no chance of scavenging driftwood from the beach as we usually do. So we start pruning the garden trees…. and our neighbours let us prune theirs, plus they are delighted to encourage us to remove their pile of well-seasoned tree cuttings, since they don’t operate an open fire. Plenty of exercise for Battistino involved there.
On the local council website we find a list of local businesses who are prepared to deliver goods to your home. As well as deciding to reward these enterprising and courageous souls by checking out their pizzas on a Sunday night, we boldly order huge tubs of white paint, along with a variety of possible DIY dyes, and set about painting the house, first of all the outside,…… then the inside. Whether this will improve the house’s chances of attracting a buyer in the near future remains to be seen. It’s certainly never looked smarter than it does right now. The weather is warm and sunny, allowing a little sunbathing in the yard and clocking up plenty of solar panel power units.
Towards the end of April the central and regional governments start ruminating on how to start allowing movement. The measures have been very strict and thoroughly policed – Carabinieri, Polizia, Guardia di Finanze, Guardia Costiera, Guardia Forestale all being involved in checking self-certification etc. We haven’t been out at all, and are not at all sure what will happen if we do. It must have been like that in the air raid shelters in WW2.
A decision is taken between the brothers, one of whom is himself a Forester and who should theoretically know whether we can move away or not, to risk it. A dawn break-out is planned on May 4th on which day, it seems people can pay a visit to relatives, even if they live in a different province. Maybe because the police forces are themselves unsure who is allowed to do what, when or where, we make it to Oliena in the brothers’ cars (2 of them because we can only have one person in the front and one in the back) in time for lunch. And since then we have been in Locoe!
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| Little Owl visit; shiny beetle on wild carrot; thistle head; pomegranate blossom |
The first thing that strikes us is the significant improvements to the accommodation, undertaken by the brothers during Lockdown. Unable to work elsewhere, and Locoe providing the isolation and therefore the freedom to do as they please, they have partially enclosed the outside front of the kitchen/storeroom using concrete bricks and recycled windows from their aunts’ house. It works well, keeping out the wind and rain from the area they use for family get-togethers, celebrations and picnics in the countryside.
Battistino sets about putting into place his ‘final solution’ for the leaking roof problem. This time the weather cooperates and the boys manage to apply ridged metal roofing sheets, using adhesive instead of inserting screws into the very dodgy roof material. To date, nothing has dared penetrate the bedroom ceiling!
Another improvement is painting. Yes, we have continued the lockdown theme and introduced a colour scheme to the outside walls, not only of our little stable and the main building with its covered extension, but even to the toilet/shower room. It’s all beginning to look a little like a ranch.
The existing greenhouse has also been improved during the winter season, with new mesh netting to provide both shade from the hot sun and to allow some rain to penetrate as the occasion allows.
We missed the early spring soil preparation and planting work, but arrived in time to look after the last crops of broad beans and peas, the first delicious staple vegetable at this time of year. At the same time we have been fully occupied with planting and constructing bamboo supports for rows of tomatoes (194), runner beans (50)and French beans (10). The first potatoes (of 290 plants) have just been collected, and another crop may be planted later in the summer. We spend a considerable time each evening irrigating the developing white cabbage (54), red cabbage (18), cauliflower (5) Romana lettuce (15), green lettuce (22), red lettuce (34), courgette (17), cucumber(18), aubergine(36), onion(475), fennel (7), garlic (14), beet and basil (16) plants in their various locations, as well as giving a drink to the young fruit trees. So far only the strawberries and loquats have been ready to eat, but the fig, plum, apricot, peach, cherry, apple, quince and pear have all been well visited by the bees and butterflies, promising an interesting follow-on in due course. I like the native trees best: the almond, fig, pomegranate, and not forgetting the olive and grape of course.
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| Lots to water |
Battistino has calculated that at the current rate the watering is using 24,000 litres per month. Over the main 3 month period of the summer, therefore, 72, 000 litres. The 1327 plants being watered take 6000 litres per week, or 4.2 litres per plant per week.
We’ve also done what will be almost the last work on the current main vineyard, removing superfluous leaves and shoots in order to maximise the growth of the young grape crop. Battistino has calculated the number of squats he practised while doing this job over a number of days (200 per day). It gets pretty hot so it’s a job best done in the early morning.
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| Roof maintenance; Corrasi; dinner; first spuds; painting new extension; Cala Gonone |
So, here we are 18th June, keeping our fingers crossed that all goes to plan in a few days' time when we make what will be our 4th attempt to head home...now 4 weeks later than scheduled. Sadly, flying seems the only option at the moment. But we are pleased to be leaving Locoe (and Marazzino) in good order, plants flourishing, buildings freshly painted and maintenance up to date. We have been extremely fortunate, spending so much time in this paradise, appreciating the fascination and abundance of nature.
