Nonno Anni and Grandpa Bob would’ve both turned 100 this month. I’m forever grateful to have had these two men in my life. They were there for all my significant life events, birthdays, graduations, wedding day, and, more especially, there for so much of my ‘everyday’ life as I spent many weekends and every school holidays with each of them for decades. I know I’m so, so fortunate to have been given their unconditional love, gentle guidance, care and wisdoms. They could both be very tough men at times and I received nothing but respect and love from them. I still think of them a lot and at challenging and uncertain times I think back to their ways and what they might do or advise. I’ll be writing more about each of them as they both remain an inspiration to me ❤️ – for now, I think what I wrote on page 112 of Joe’s Fruit Shop and Milk Bar, pretty well sums them up…
“My grandfathers were both born in October 1923, three days apart, on opposite sides of the world. While Annibale grew up in the snowy mountains of Fossa, Bob mostly lived near the beach at Manly, Sydney. Annibale was dark-eyed and haired, olive skinned – Bob, a contrast of fairness, with blue eyes and sandy hair. They were tall, about the same height, physically fit and strong. They worked hard in numerous jobs as young men before each establishing their own businesses with the assistance of their wives, and achieving success.
Throughout their lives, Bob liked watching cricket and football; Annibale rarely watched sport of any kind. Bob favoured meat and potatoes, Annibale, meat and pasta. Neither cared much for salad, nor were they churchgoers. They valued family, living an honest life. Both were quick to step in to defend or help a stranger, especially the underdog. Their mother countries, to whom they were each patriotic, were on opposite sides during the war. They could so easily have chosen to shun each other, cite their differences rather than their similarities. But they didn’t, for the sake of two little girls, their shared granddaughters.
Perhaps most of us are more alike than we sometimes realise.”
Spaghetti squash… a sunny winter vegetable. It grows on a vine like pumpkin and has yellow, star-shaped blossoms that only open for one day. Love how, once tender, you can gently fork the strands from the sides to create spaghetti in its own bowl.
Thank you for joining me here throughout the year! Many of you have been here with me for a decade now and it’s a joy to connect with you through stories, cooking, gardening, old photos and of course, Italy. I’m very grateful to you all! The festive season for me has so far been a short ‘holiday at home’ with (mostly) big, blue skies, gardening, swimming, park picnics, cooking, catching up with those I can, and missing those I can’t. As always, the ‘bleeding heart’ vine is flowering right on time in Christmas (and Italian!) colours of red, white and green. There is panettone, Roger’s Xmas tree bread rolls and my cousins made lovely crostoli.
Colomba cakes are mostly bought and Nanna Francesca used to make a more modest Easter bread with hard-boiled eggs baked into it. This year I broke with tradition and made an ‘Easter lasagne’ for the family. It has been a rainy day so it seemed the thing to cook.
Our two birdbaths and various ground dishes about the place are being visited and almost emptied every day by both day and night visitors to the garden. 😊🐦🐝🐞🐾
Happy 80th Birthday to my great uncle, Vince. Lovely to celebrate this milestone with him on the weekend. To me, he’s always been a gentle soul and am so glad we’ve stayed close.
It’s Nonno Anni’s birthday in a few days so there was once a time when all the family would be getting together this weekend at my grandparents’ house. Several tables would be pushed together, Nanna Francesca would cook huge bowls of pasta and either polpette or cotolette, and of course there’d be cake, champagne and maybe Franjelico, or Sambuca with a coffee bean lit on top.
The “good” cabinet – filled with items only to be used for special guests, certainly never for family. These were Nanna Francesca’s modest, glass-fronted cabinets of hi-ball glasses, espresso cups, coffee pots and bonbonniere of figurines and sugared almonds (left) in the late 60s and (right) in the early 70s with me, Mum and Nanna Francesca (same Christmas tree).
Zoë Boccabella 