My first full workout in a week! Toe’s still a bit swollen, but coming right along. Fun to work out on the grass, with the Tuscan hills as a backdrop. My companions are stirring, getting breakfast, morning conversations.

The sun shifts, so I shift the monitor back into the shade.

It seems a fine day to set up at the terrace table and work a bit. At some point Kat—maintaining her crown of best dil in the history of dils—stealthily slides a little bacon sandwich toward my elbow. (Very careful not to make eye contact!)

Opening scene accomplished!

Kayla’s hungry, so I demonstrate, step-by-step—how to scramble a couple of eggs. Apparently, I have a special touch with this cuisine basic (or everyone claims I do.) And veggie girl enjoys breakfast for lunch (or any time at all).

Time for lazing around. Kayla’s going down to the pool, Griffin’s playing trucks, Jason’s doing a crossword. And someone has the bright idea of making frozen margaritas. We happen to have what we need, including a blender.

It’s a very strange multi machine, and takes some doing to find the base, figure out how to work it. It’ll also juice the limes!!! This is an amazing contraption, even though Jason has to look up some of the instructions on-line.

This becomes a group project. And we are very self-congratulatory when it all finally works.

More pool time for Kayla, and I think I hear her talking to her boyfriend. His family made us a video for their famed Italian Eggs. This will be on the menu later this week.

Kayla and Griffin play an outdoor jumping game, with her subtly teaching him about taking turns.

It’s very hot, tipping at about 100, and the mosquitos are hungry. They seem to enjoy Kayla’s sweet blood in particular.

Griffin and I have a racing game in which he’s changed the rules so it’s more like Tag. I’m game. Kayla and Mommy must join in. Then it’s Hide and Seek. Griffin tends to hide in plain sight, but we play along. Now Daddy must join in. Shortly it’s back to racing—wherein I go in to make myself a drink—and Grandda enters the field.

Nothing like a happy, energetic kid herding a group of adults.

Inside awhile, maybe we’ll start the llama jigsaw puzzle. Daddy and Griffin continue to race. I think the game has many varieties when it’s down to two players.

Plans for dinner are:

Jason, Kat and Griffin will go into the village, scout out menus. I’ll make a salad.

Yet another mission accomplished so we sit out at our long table, enjoy the easy meal at home. Plans formulate about visiting sites, taking a day trip to Pisa to see the tower.

We watch another beautiful sunset.

More puzzle time, then off to bed.

This morning while I sit out, catching up on the world with my iPad, I hear a chainsaw running from down in the valley. Sound really travels here. It’s six a.m., so someone got working early.

Since I’ve heard the saw on and off, and the sound of wood thumping together. I can’t spot the busy beaver down there, but somebody’s building something.

I’m going to gear up and work out—maybe use a couple of big water bottles in addition to my bands for resistance work. Could be another work-for-a-couple-hours day (or not). It’s so wonderful just sitting here in this spot, looking out at the dusty green, muted golds, the so distinct rows in vineyards, the silvery green of olive groves. I like the gentle roundness of the hills—they’ve been here a very long time—and the shapes, also distinct—of the cypress topping them.

I will get a pillow for my butt today—this chair is hard!—but it’s not a tough place to work.

Nora