Too Busy

I wrote down my last post on October 18th and since then I have been too busy. Last week my mother fell while she was walking on  a sliding floor after she had done daily shopping. The floor of the entrance of the building where I live was too sliding because the women who cleaned it had left a lot of soap on the surface. Unfortunately, my mother had a fracture in the high part of her right femur. She wasn't operated immediately because her blood was too fluid. This morning the doctor said he planned to perform the surgery on Wednesday 30th. Stefano is supporting me as he knows the doctor who will perform the operation.

I hope everything will go well.   

Civitavecchia and its beautiful place to run

Since late August 1991 I have been living in this town, Civitavecchia 60 km North from Rome. I have seen how its urban area has been refurbished at great expense and hugely cherished by people who live and work here.  From an urbanistic point of view, many urban corners and buildings in the mid 20th century in Italy were made in the brutalist style. Actually, those parts of  our cities were cold and unfriendly and some have already been demolished. For example, this week I found an old picture which I took in 1991 when I arrived in this town, after I had worked four years in Sicily (South Italy). It shows a place located in the middle of the town and close to the see, where railway operations took place. How could policians chose to do railway operations beetween the town and the coastline? That's hideously unfashionable!  In the 1930s decision makers didn't plan to preserve urban environment and its landmarks. Fortunately, that part of the town has been transformed from this ... 

... to this. 

The picture was taken on a cloudy day and it doesn't do it justice.

As you can see in the picture above, nowadays the railway tracks have disappeared and this urban environment has become a nice place to walk, running and cycling. Local government has made this part of the town more attractive, sustainable and pleasant. And it is a place where I sometimes do short runs and repeats next to the sea. This place gives me motivation. And my small experience in running has taught  me the importance of motivation. 

Are there enough pedestrian areas in your town?

One week inactivity

Just a short post to say that I had been sick (flu and sore throat) last week. And it was hard enough to do a 10 km run yesterday after about a week inactivity. My small experience in running has taught me that inactivity breeds inactivity and consequently we might lose motivation. 

I'd like to share those pictures from last week. The first photo was taken while I was doing shopping and it shows italian garlic. The second one shows packaged lettuce which has been made in North Germany (I saw it in a supermarket in my neughborhood yesterday). Although I love Germany, I thought how could I buy (and eat) veggies which had been harvested more than two weeks ago on the northern side of the European continent (more than 1500 km far from my town)?

       

With regard to veggies, I have just visited Amy 's blog and I'm delighted with her post where she shares the recipe of the vegetarian lasagna. I look forward to giving it a try. Since last Spring I have noticed my high cholesterol levels and awareness about the importance of fruit, veggies and other healthy food has increased sharply. Of course, local food!

Happy weekend to all my blogger friends!