We have now been in Italy for a whole week and for the first time since we arrived, it has not rained for over twelve hours. 

We are therefore in a better – if not quite celebratory – mood and can reassure our avid readership that the tumult reported in the previous blog is now behind us. How so? For a start, we have running water; a loo that flushes and a fridge that cools! And whilst the water flow through our taps hasn’t been fully resolved, it has proved fun guessing out of which tap the supply will be delivered – since both kitchen-sink and hand-basin taps need to be opened in order to encourage a flow out of just one of them. 

We are further dilemmarised (good, eh? Just made it up. Spellcheck is not happy) by the fortunate circumstances that have befallen us from around midday today, in that – not only did it stop raining, but the sun has shone for almost a whole Sunday afternoon – and it was hot! As such, we have taken so many photographs, it’s proved impossible to select just the one or two which normally serve to illustrate both our travels  . . . and travails. (See – I’m on fire tonight – might be the combined effect of running water – and maybe brandy.)

So please enjoy this uncharacteristically brief blog and unapologetic plethora of images.

But just afore ye go, I need to backtrack a tad, since you need to know we had planned to strap two e-bikes to the back of the Knumptywagen prior to our departure. Frustratingly, mine had developed a fault which no amount of pleading with local cycle shops could cure. After a cascading sequence of phone calls, we were lucky enough to track down Chloe and Dave, a freelance cycle-repair tag-team who between them had volunteered to see if they could sort out the issue before we set off.

Despite best efforts (and the impenetrability of Chinese electronics) the bike was not cured, so we were really touched when Dave simply offered to loan us his for the trip. We duly collected what has turned out to be the Wolf-in-Sheep’s-Clothing of the e-bike world – and just for a change it was the High Priestess who trailed in my dust-cloud this morning as we toured the fascinating floriculture of last night’s Agricamper stopover.

Indeed, as an inexperienced user of this high-powered, custom-built e-bike, I couldn’t make the damn thing go slow enough and have spent more time braking than pedalling. (I simply daren’t open it up to its full potential – I’d be wheelying into Montenegro before it ran out of juice.)

Suffice it to say that we have again enjoyed an afternoon’s trip – and well-deserved lunch – on the prom alongside the Mediterranean, on the Italian Riviera, under blazing hot sun and with smiles again on our little Knumptying faces.