IRON CASKET ON RED

I am still reeling from the number of views, stars and favourites from yesterday's pic. Am even running a slight temperature. Success can be harmful to the health, obviously. And to think, I almost didn't upload it. A thousand million thanks to all of the generous people who bestowed these honours upon me.

Today's effort is pitiful in comparison and took over an hour to do, not a single minute. The old tag is very faded and difficult to read but it says: "Interesting example of the work of the latter part of the 15th Century, of steel, in the form of a casket wrought in letters and architectural ornaments." I know nothing more about it. It is 21 X 18 cms or 8 X 7 inches.

The following is tiresome, about the landslide, the troublesome priest and his niece, Fedora. The road was open last night but closed again this morning after a new fall of rocks and earth. The digger is at work and two geologists are due within the hour.

It isn't our land that is falling upon us, nor is it our road. The road belongs to 60-odd people who never come this far. We are the only ones up and down it like bunnies every day. The land belongs to a woman called Fedora, a niece of the troublesome priest. We tried to buy it from her some years ago even though it is only useless cliff side. We wanted to be able to control the trees that lean so perilously from it.

We were all gathered round a notary's table, as is the custom in buying anything from a sliver of land to a castle in Italy. The price was far too high, of course. There came a point when, via the chatter, I grasped the fact that Fedora had never "registered" her inheritance. I believe this is called tax avoidance or evasion, I know not which. Governments really hate that. Everybody shrugged and said that didn't matter. Logic told me that it did. The priest, who owns a sliver of land next to the falling-down sliver could dispute ownership. More likely, we would have to pay the tax she didn't. If you buy a house in Italy which is carrying debts, you get the debts as well. No extra charge.

I shook my head in the negative, no deal. A great groan went round the table, hands were uplifted, eyeballs rolled. Fedora said she would make the land "regular" right away. She never did. She should have to pay the cost of the digger, the builder, the geometra' and the geologists. Hah! I'll bet, however, that the price of her cliff will drop drastically, along with the falling rocks, earth and trees. It should drop by half, at least, inasmuch as half of it has fallen down.

And now I'm going to have a little lie down and reflect on yesterday's glory.

For the record: Dark and gloomy, about + 8 C.