We are in Lucca

So far being here has meant outdoor swimming and splashing, eating pizza, drinking coffee, warm sun and warm when it's not sunny.

We are staying on a farm. There is a pomegranate tree (!!), apple trees and vineyards. There is a noisy tractor and sit on lawnmower, both of which Ivy is really facinated by and also slightly scared of. Earlier we hear the tractor and she grabbed my hand so we could go and see it. When she says tractor it sounds like she's saying chocolate.

Being here has also meant the anxious wait to hear from the university. Apparently we will know via email tomorrow. It has also meant trying to navigate websites looking for an apartment to rent. Websites which apparently don't give you the option to search by number of bedrooms (wtf). It has also meant going to estate agent offices at the wrong time (damn siesta), and trying to work out the abbreviations in the property descriptions.

But it is mostly warm, and so far Ivy is not sleeping awfully (but not great either), so we're ok. And I love swimming outdoors, even if it is unheated!