Since starting to organise children’s birthday parties for my kids (and also taking them to friend’s parties) I felt that the party bags are a real waste of money. Nevertheless kids like them, so about a year ago I had an idea!!!

I purchased some CAFOD gifts from the World Gifts website, made a template for a “party bag” and printed one per child. I basically printed an A4 with two images, folded it in the middle and made the bag.

Then I went onto the “kids zone” part of the CAFOD website and printed some colouring sheets, relative to the gifts that I chose this time. I rolled them up and put one in each bag.

Finally, I added a sweet per bag and… there we go, a nice message, some educational things to do and a reward for coming to the party sharing my child’s birthday with him!

This time I chose a “Vegetable Garden” and “Some Chicken” - see the pdf of the party bag and the one of the colouring sheets that I have used.

On the first weekend of October the little village of Bonassola, near the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) along the Italian Riviera, celebrates the dedication of the Parish Church, dating from the XVII century, to the Lady of the Rosary.

The celebration, centered originally around a Catholic Mass on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. and a parade of the Statue of the Virgin Mary in the afternoon of Sunday at 4 p.m., has grown over the years and now it is a truly religious and folkloristic festival that involves the Council and the whole of the village.

Over the weekend, along the streets of the village, people can enjoy live music (a concert on the Friday night and a live band on the Saturday night), food and wine stalls selling traditional dishes (gatafin and apple frittas are just an example!), clothes, jewelleries, bags, sweets and all sort of market stalls (open until late at night), are just a few of the key events of the weekend.

The center point of the folkloristic celebrations, though, is the spectacular firework display that happens on Saturday night, over the bay at 11 p.m. The sea is normally lit by floating candles that have been put in the water by children and adults in the early hours of the evening and that have drifted with the currents to light up the coast. Fantactic!

Some practical hints:
 - If you are staying somewhere else than Bonassola, take the train. Extra trains are scheduled for taking people back after the fireworks, so ask at the station for special services.
- Find a palce on the beach, better towards the left-hand side, where you can enjoy the view of the fireworks.
- Even if you are not religious, have a look at the Church. It is decorated for the occasion with lights and flowers. Some people may think it is a bit OTT, but it is certainly something you don’t see outside Italy! The church seem very plane from the outside, but it is richly decorated inside, with a few unique features, like the original marble Altar or the XVII century organ behind it or a paitning from Discovolo. There is also a major organ, but the true jewel is the little hidden one.

The weekend is buzzing with life and there is a diffuse sense of cheerfulness that is worth experiencing. The village is small, so although busy, it is still a village celebration therefore you won’t feel lost if you let the atmosphere engulf you for a few hours. If you have a chance to go, don’t forget to let us know! 

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If the semi between Nadal and Murray was a great fight, Federer showed a different class altogether and Murray couldn’t find an answer to his super forehand!

Well done Roger! We’ll llook forward to number 14!
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If you haven’t see the semi between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, you have missed some really great tennis!

Here is the link to set 3 after the rain on YouTube. I am sure that soon set 4 will appear!

Let’s hope that the final will be as good. But what a difference in Murray’s tennis comapred to Wimbledon!!!

Testo di Gabriella Morandi

Per lo stile di vita meno frenetico e più legato allo scorrere naturale del tempo, non ci sorprende che in alcune aree d’Italia l’età media della popolazione sia più elevata. Tutti abbiamo sentito parlare della “via dei centenari” che attraversa il cuore della Sardegna. Ma c’è anche un angolo di Lombardia in cui si vive di più, incuneato tra Piemonte, Liguria ed Emilia Romagna. Non troppo distante dalla metropoli convulsa, anche nell’Oltrepò montano non mancano storie di eccezionale longevità. Come quella di nonna Carmela, festeggiata a fine luglio in occasione del suo centesimo compleanno. Classe 1908, Carmela Palli coniugata Gandini, di professione maestra elementare, inziò la sua attività in una scuola privata ma ebbe a Oramala, un piccolo comune vicino a Varzi, il suo primo incarico statale, proseguito a Caglio, in provincia di Como, quindi nel Lodigiano, a Corte Sant’Andrea sul Po, nel Pavese a Travacò Siccomario e a Cava Manara e infine all’Istituto Ada Negri di Pavia. Di esemplare rettitudine e coerenza, i nipoti la ricordano bravissima a farli giocare, insuperabile nel leggergli “Pinocchio”, formidabile nell’insegnargli a fare gli gnocchi, ma anche nonna sui generis decisamente emancipata per i tempi: in gita con le amiche di Varzi ogni lunedì d’estate mentre il nonno a casa faceva il baby-sitter, accompagnatrice d’eccezione durante le prime vacanze in Grecia, viaggiatrice autonoma e intraprendente nella tratta Milano-Londra, dove abita tuttora la nipote Claudia.

I festeggiamenti sono iniziati lo scorso 23 luglio con una cena all’agriturismo “La Sorgente” di Varzi , dove la nonna ha trascorso una piacevole serata in compagnia del figlio Alberto, della nuora Paola e di nipoti e pronipoti. Lo stesso sindaco di Varzi, Ernesto Querciolli, e il parroco don Gianluca sono passati personalmente a farle gli auguri. Le celebrazioni sono continuate il 25 luglio con una gita al suggestivo eremo di Sant’Alberto di Butrio, meta preferita di Carmela per le sue più belle gite degli anni passati e dove la nonna-Cicerone ha sorpreso i suoi compagni di viaggio ricordando Frate Ave Maria, che in questo luogo per circa quarant’anni  - dal 1923 al 1964 - condusse una vita straordinaria all’insegna del motto “essere felici” ma sempre nel nome della preghiera e della penitenza. La tappa successiva, dal singolare toponimo “Oramala”, ha emozionato particolarmente nonna Carmela riportando la sua memoria ai primi anni del suo mandato quando, appena ventenne, proprio qui ebbe il suo primo incarico in un istituto statale. E proprio accanto alla scuola, chiedendo un’informazione, la nonna ha del tutto casualmente rincontrato un suo alunno: “Ma allora tu sei il Cesarino!”. E così Cesare Botti, 87 anni suonati, ha rivisto la sua maestra di quinta elementare, che come un odierno Pico della Mirandola ha ricordato che la classe di allora era formata da quattordici bambini, e anche le due sorelline di Cesarino. L’incontro e’ stato immortalato in una bellissima foto. Emozioni al cardiopalma domenica 27 luglio, con una messa in suo onore nella chiesa cittadina, dove Irene, una dei pronipoti, ha letto due speciali preghiere dei fedeli e il parroco ha definito la nonna “una perla di saggezza, esempio vivente di amore e fedeltà a Dio” e i cinque pronipoti seduti in prima fila “un esempio di ciò che ha saputo dare”. Al “Ristorante degli Alberti”, gestito dalla famiglia di uno dei nipoti di Carmela, i festeggiamenti si sono conclusi insieme a una sessantina di persone, tra parenti estesi e amici più cari. Certo nonna Carmela non si aspettava di rivedere proprio lì una ex collega e tre ex allieve: Elena Bensi, che le aveva scritto per anni anche dopo le elementari, Cecilia De Martino e Chiara Muggia, tutte compagne all’Istituto Ada Negri di Pavia. Che hanno sorpreso tutti mostrando temi dell’epoca, su foglio protocollo ingiallito rigorosamente piegato a metà, con tanto di giudizi oggi forse desueti ma simbolo di una severità ormai perduta. E finalmente la super nonna tutta d’un pezzo ha tradito l’emozione. Quelle gocce che rigano il viso appena segnato dalle rughe, nonna Carmela, ti hanno resa ancora più bella.

Nonna Carmela, my Dad’s Mum, is going to be 100 years old on the 23rd of July 2008. We are planning a celebration with friends and family on Sunday the 27th of July, starting with Mass in the Parish church of Varzi and continuing with a reception at the “Ristorante degli Alberti” in San Marino di Varzi.

At the beginning of June she came to the UK for Shane’s First Holy Communion, cooked the “risotto giallo” for her great-grandchildren (and grandchildren too!) and enjoyed learning how to use skype! She certainly lives her life to the full.

What a match! Whoever saw the tournament today cannot be other than excited for Andrew Murray. Nadal will be a tough opponent, but we must stay behind Murray and wish him victory again!!!

The Dore centres have helped many many children and adults with dyslexia and learning difficulties to improve their skills and transform their lives.

At the end of May 2008 the Dore centres have had to close and this is truly a disaster! My son completed the programme 15 days ago and I can honestly say that he is a different child!!!! What would I have done without the Dore programme for him?

We must help the Dore centres to reopen for those children and people who need help and could have their lives transformed too. What can we do?

WE CAN:

1. Sign this petition to our Government - it takes you no time at all!
2. Email your local MP through the “writetothem” website - it may take you a few minutes, but worth the effort;
3. Email your family and friends and ask them to sign the petition - easy to do;
4. Write to your local newspaper with your stories and raise the public awareness - time consuming but certainly worth it;
5. Talk to schools, churches, associations and ask them to help by disseminating this information.

If you think of other ways for helping, do not hesitate to let me know and I will update this list.

 Let’s work together for the benefit of our children!!!!

Today, 6th of April 2008, we had the first snow of the year (in England)! By lunchtime it had all melted but we all woke up at the scream of one of the children “You won’t believe it! You won’t believe it!”.

After a night out to a family party, the last thing we wanted was to jump out of bed and run to the window, but this is what we did, or at least myself and the other two children while Glen stayed in bed, stretched his arm and lifted the curtain!

It was quite a magical view though and we had a really good family snow-fight!