Leo's blog

...and it was indeed...! Just...just half a degree above 30, for the hottest day of the last 3 years...! It has been hot the whole week, with rain on and off and sunshine otherwise. Thunderstorms are expected for tomorrow...It will start to cool down now...more than 10 C˚ in couple of days...back in line with the average for beginning of July...! Cold winter followed by hot summer...mild winter followed by warm summer...something that is maybe worth analyzing more in details...
I think this summer will bring more days like this...It's not a forecast, it is only based on nothing, just my sensation... The forecast was done Saturday night...and it was right...!

That is what a colleague (or should I say a friend?) of mine told me shortly after I won once again the prize at the mid year comms session this morning!! Yes...again me, second time in a row...unbelievable...!
Last December the question was on about Santa Claus and the A330, this time instead was something a bit more complex...

If all the men and women on earth would like to buy all the Airbus Aircraft sold up to the end of 2008, how much each of them should pay in USD...?

I underestimate the number of people on earth (I though about 4 billions, instead I found out there are over 6 billions) but at the same time I underestimate also the number of airplane we sold in Airbus history...so in the end I worked out about 195$...where the correct answer was 163$...! Not too bad...

So, once again a sparkling Rose' in the cupboard...!

Sunday night...a week that I have moved in. The first week in my new flat. It was OK. I mean, I am not at full speed yet, I am not very familiar with spaces and all the rest, I still move here as I am somewhere I don't now. But it's getting better...I thought the biggest work was to pack and move all the stuff from a place to another one...I though once I had done that the rest was easy...!!! Now probably this is true, nevertheless unpack all the boxes and find a place for every little thing does not take less time...and it's not lees tiring! Slowly...step by step I am trying to organize the space and to store everything in the best way I can...! Sometime I go for some temporary solution cos I haven't bought everything yet...! I still need a desk and some shelves for my bedroom for instance...or a TV stand and a cupboard for the living room...! But as I say...a step after another one everything will be done... Yesterday I bought plates and glasses, plus few more accessories for the kitchen...I have a long to do list on my desk...and a double one in my mind...

Someone said it... I heard it on the Radio, on TV and I saw it on the map...! It will be a very hot week, for sure...and it might go over 30˚ for the first time since 2006...! We have time until Friday, then it will cool down... I am not too sure we are gonna brake the wall of the thirties, but if so I think Wednesday could be the day...! I am expecting some heavy scattered showers as well for next week... It is definitely gonna be interesting...  
Today high was 25.2˚ and I was feeling really boiling... How I could I cope with summer in Florence in the past I don't know...!!

It's 01.15 in the night. I am just back from Italy, and quite tired. I left 15 C in Milan, the same that I found here when landed...for once temperature here is the same that in Italy...for once I go to Italy, it rains...!!!! Nevertheless, now, seated on my bed, I am looking around me, trying to familiarize with the brand new bedroom. It's the first night I will sleep here. It's not too bad so far. I thought it would have felt different, weird, instead not. I am a bit "cold", like if it was a normal night, Not too excited, but this is me. Emotionless at time. But this is only one aspect, more I will see in the next days. When coming back I will find nobody at home, or eating every night on my own... I mean, not that I always chatted with my flatmates or had dinner together, but I knew they were always there... Don't get me wrong though, I was waiting this for long time now...for various reasons that house sharing brings along...
I am using somebody's Wi-Fi...funny cos I didn't catch it the other days, when I tried to connect from here. But i didn't need it...Anyway in the meantime that I will set up mine, it helps...
I reckon it will take still a month to clear up everything, unpack all the boxes and store everything, but no rush...I can take all the time I want. There is also something still to buy, many things in fact. Ikea...I will come back soon.
 

It's a strange feeling tonight at Hughenden Road. This is the last night I sleep here, the last after 4 years, after 1543 days. The room is empty...there is me, the bedsheets, trousers and a shirt for tomorrow morning, my shoes and a Fiorentina picture attached to the wall...this is my present for the next taker of the room.. That's it...! All the rest is there, silent, still, empty, sad.
It was a great time the one spent here, Rupert and Charlotte were two fantastic landlords, their children very sweet and well mannered. Sometimes I had problems with my flatmates, but I don't care now...this is time for good memories, as when we slept 4 of us in this bedroom : me, Tommy, Mone and Bencio, as all the time friends came along to watch some football on tv...How to forget Carla and her boiled vegetables, Andrew and his cool yellow Honda to finish off with Biri and his kindness?
At the very beginning I wasn't sure, it took a bit to get convinced, but soon I realized that I ended up in one of the nicest street overall in Bristol, and that the flat, with a bit of work could have become great...and I started to adore it!!
I was in the smaller bedroom for over two years, and I was fine, I moved into this one only in September 2007, and I loved it right away... its view is simply stunning. I felt it was mine...I still feel it...! But it's not. I have mine though...and that's where it becomes odd. I'm excited by the new place, but yet I am sad to leave this one. I can't describe it...I am not even able to write a proper post so is full of thoughts my mind...
Who knows how will I feel in few hours...? I am not good at farewell...I will go downstairs for the very last time, few step, the key left on to a little table, a door to open, then another one, the last one for the last time. I think I will walk away, not turning back. This will be history. Will be a big chunk of my memories, of my greatest memories.

Saturday 13.06 (day 1)

h. 10.17
 
Morning everybody...the long Ikea Furniture Assembly Weekend has already began...! For the moment I am on my own...I hope that some of my lazy friends that are still sleeping at this time will turn up at some point and help me out with all of this...
Mummy is out...she will be responsible for quality check...and I am sure it will be tough to pass it...! :) Later I will upload few shot to show the situation now...and we will see how it develops as the day goes on...
At the moment we have four chairs ready, and the table nearly finished...it's a good start...! :)

h. 13.30

Lunch break with cannelloni, fruit salad e choccolate cake...! Francesca just left, Biri is here and Bjoern is on his way. What you expect from him...just arriving when the food is coming...! :0
Anyhow...this was the first lunch on the new table...good enough... Work wise we are at the moment in the bedroom. building the wardrobe...!

h. 17.35

We need another break now...wardrobe is build, at least the frame...but it took more than what we tought...now is time for the bed...hopefully is gonna be easier! Bjoern and Biri did a fantastic work...! Now also the two Francescas and Serena joined us...we got a good working team!
Going to drink my coke...deserved...

h. 20.00

So here we are...end of day one...! We went quite far I have to say...Franco and Jena joined us as well, helping out with the bed which is the last thing we have assembled...! What is left now is the inside of the wardrobe, but we have already done the drawers! Then, fix the mirror to the wall in the bathroom, and most of the things are done...!
Tomorrow will do all of these

I wish to thank very much of all you the helped me today...! Ikea furiture is a bit like playing lego...it could be fun to build it...and come back kids for a bit.

Sunday 14.06 (day 2)

h. 09.55

This morning we take it easy. Just move some of the stuff from the old to the new place, nothing more. I the afternoon Bjoern is coming back and we will finish to assemble to wardrobe. I actually have to go to pick up daddy from the airport as well.

h. 16.00

The flight was a bit late...so we shifted everything about 1 hour. I went to  buy some screws to B&Q with Bjoern, so now we can start from the mirror, and the go the the wardrobe, that hopefully will not take too much. Gabriele might join us a bit later. We take it easy today.

h. 19.45

Oh my God...the actual inner part of the wardrobe design is rubbish. The door hinges take off lots of spaces for drawers and basically I had to change the layout. It make no sense...and it is quite weird; usually things are so well thought out. At the end I have two spare drawers and I will have to buy an extra basket. Nevertheless...in the end I worked out a solution...but it is not what I wanted... It is not a big deal though...everything we had to do is done... There are still things I need to buy...but they will come later...now I have to move all my stuff...actually from tomorrow...now we have to go to Zio for the pizza...

h. 01.15

Pizza was good...as usual...! 

...yeah OK true that I have bought a flat just now...but you know...I am always up for new experiences...and so I have asked my boss if there were any chances to go for a secondment somewhere... he came back to me saying that Airbus has just opened a new office. That is not be in UK, but fair enough...it is always raining here, and it is not engineering, but it is more commercial oriented...I am thinking about that but I think is a good chance to learn something new...so I am tempted to accept. He actually sent me also a picture of the new office... I'd love it....!!