The dog must be alive

Buondì.

Day 7 of our lockdown, and not getting out of bed until nine on a Monday morning somehow didn’t seem like a luxury.

We particularly feel the restrictions on going outside (obviously…) and so take any excuse to do so. Food shopping, for example, or taking the trash to the containers at the end of the street.

It’s recently been clarified that a short walk, around the block say, is acceptable if ‘social distancing’ is maintained. We’re therefore venturing out for 10-15 minutes at a time, once or twice a day, just to get some air and stretch our legs.

Not that there’s anything to see: few or no people, not even any traffic passing. The other evening, I walked down the very centre of what is usually a busy street for ten minutes, just daring something to come along and run me over. But nothing did.

Talking of walking, anyone who has a dog is sorted, that being an acceptable reason to leave the house at whatever time of day the animal needs to do its business (“fare i bisogni”).

Italians being Italians, so by nature crafty (furbo) and able to spot a loophole from a kilometre away, one comune (local authority) has had to specify that walking the dog was only acceptable as long as the animal in question was actually alive. Plastic dogs on leads have no ‘bisogni’ to ‘fare’.

(If you have nothing better to do today, the full story is here: Si può far uscire il cane, basta che sia vivo)

Another ‘coronavirus’ social meme is aimed at keeping kids, rather than adults, occupied during the long hours of lockdown.

The picture shows the house next door to mine, decorated by two little boys, Robert and Albert, who I’m sure would much rather have been outside booting their football against parked cars and chasing cats.

What does the banner hanging from the upstairs window say?

“Andrà tutto benissimo! Restiamo a casa. Robert – Albert”

“Everything will be great. We’re staying at home. Robert – Albert”

Here’s a close up:

So that’s two things to cheer you up. What else?

Sales of last week’s ‘eBook of the Week’, Le italiane, were very pleasing. Thank you to everyone who helped us out by buying a copy. Do help further by leaving a review (here’s how). Unfortunately most people don’t bother.

And finally, a few reminders.

On Friday our ‘Spring Sale’ begins, which means that you’ll be able to use a coupon code to get 20% off everything in our online shop – one-to-one lessons via Skype, ebooks, the works! Watch out for details on March 20th. In the meantime you could be browsing our Catalog page to pick out materials for your current level and plan your future progress.

After the Spring Sale, as I’ve already mentioned, we’ll be doing a ‘Book Club’, with the aim of reading Umberto Eco’s ‘Il nome della rosa’. It’s the perfect project if you’re quarantined! Only kidding – that’s not something to wish for, I assure you. But anyway, if you’d like to join us, seek out a copy in the original Italian.

Having said that, Helen commented:

…have you completely lost your mind???
I was excited to read that you are going to start a book club and the first book is “Il Nome Della Rosa” so I quickly jumped on line and located a second hand copy here in Australia. The other day said book – or should I say tome – arrived. Mamma mia!!!
What have you got us into?? I am estimating that at a page a day (on a good day), 5 days a week, I might get through it in two & a bit years!
I beg you: please have pity on those of us who struggle daily!

OK, so it is a very long book, I admit. On the other hand, if you’re only going to read a page a day, then anything longer than a pamphlet will take you forever, so Helen’s objection is academic.

Think of the ‘Book Club’ as an opportunity to learn to read in a different way, maybe? By which I mean, faster, more efficiently, not getting stuck at the bits you can’t figure out. As always, I will be offering suggestions and advice.

Last but not least, there’s Saturday’s EasyItalianNews.com bulletin to not forget.

Coo over a fetching picture of Italy’s reasonably-competent Prime Minister, why don’t you? I think there’s general agreement here, if not about dog-walking, that we wouldn’t swap Conte for certain other prominent global leaders…

And there’s some GOOD NEWS, for a change, about employment rates in Italy which are (soon to be ‘were’) now better than the previous shockingly-bad level. Read our simplified article with a squint, ignoring the fact that the whole country is now closed for business, and it sounds as if things are finally going fantastically. Pat on the back, Italy.

Oh well… think I might take the trash bag for a walk.

A mercoledì, allora.