...Lo sapeva benissimo che era una presa in giro. Quando lo aveva visto passando distratta di fronte al negozio, dieci giorni prima, il giacchetto aveva all'incirca lo stesso prezzo. Se ne stava fiero e lucido sul petto di un manichino senza lineamenti, il color verde erba così acceso che sembrava parlare. Centocinquanta Euro, ci avrebbe giurato, anche se adesso una nebbia mentale le impediva di ricordare esattamente. "Troppo, per un giacchetto verde neanche imbottito", aveva pensato. Questo se lo ricordava bene. 

Eppure si ritrovava lì, con le mani affondate nella cesta dei capi a sconto, e la presa sicura sulla manica di quello stesso giacchetto, adesso buttato senza cura assieme a decine di altri. "Centocinquanta Euro", lo stesso prezzo che aveva prima dello sconto. Sì. ci avrebbe giurato. O forse si sbagliava. I camerini assediati da file di persone accalcate la obbligavano a comprarlo senza provarselo. Con un po' di fortuna, le sarebbe stato forse benino. Senza indugio si diresse verso la cassa col bel giacchetto stretto tra le mani. Sembrava meno lucido, quel giorno. Comunque era proprio un bel verde erba.

...She knew full well that it was a joke. When she had seen it while passing absentmindedly in front of the shop, ten days earlier, the jacket had been around the same price. It stood proud and shiny on the chest of a featureless mannequin, the grass-green color so bright that it seemed to speak. One hundred and fifty Euros, she would have sworn, even if now a mental fog prevented her from remembering exactly. "Too much, for a green jacket that isn't even padded", she had thought. She remembered this well.

Yet she found herself there, with her hands buried in the basket of discounted items, and her firm grip on the sleeve of that same jacket, now thrown carelessly along with dozens of others. "One hundred and fifty Euros", the same price it had before the discount. Yes. She would have sworn it. Or maybe she was wrong. The dressing rooms besieged by rows of crowded people forced her to buy it without trying it on. With a bit of luck, it might be fine for her. Without hesitation she headed towards the register with the nice jacket clutched in her hands. It seemed less shiny than the other day. It was a really nice grass-green, though.

The Mezze Guys

I Mezze Guys erano Poncho e Ignacio Alvarez, arrivati a Leeds cinque anni prima con il caldo del Messico ancora sulla pelle. L'idea del chiosco con le pareti a specchio era stata di Poncho. "Così ci facciamo la barba prima di entrare," aveva detto brandendo un rasoio e minacciando per gioco il fratello. "E potremo vedere al volo chi tenta di intascarsi le enchiladas senza pagare!"

A Poncho piaceva scherzare. 

Ignacio invece prendeva tutto sul serio. Lo aveva fatto spesso, di radersi prima di entrare nel chiosco, la mattina alle cinque quando nel corso, a prender freddo, c'erano solo lui, il fratello, le enchiladas, e la speranza di un futuro pieno di allegria.

***

The Mezze Guys were Poncho and Ignacio Alvarez, who had arrived in Leeds five years earlier with the heat of Mexico still on their skin. The idea for the kiosk with mirrored walls was Poncho's. "So we shave before we go in," he said, brandishing a razor and playfully threatening his brother. "And we'll be able to quickly see who tries to pocket the enchiladas without paying!"

Poncho liked to joke.

Ignacio, on the other hand, took everything seriously. He had done it often, shaving before entering the kiosk, in the morning at five when in the street, catching the cold, there was only him, his brother, the enchiladas, and the hope of a future full of joy.

A walk in the night

I due camminarono a lungo nella notte, osservando curiosi le ombre precederli nei vicoli e nelle piazze del paesino spento dal sonno. Svoltato un angolo, oltre un breve porticato, la sommità della cattedrale emerse illuminata del più scenico dei gialli ambrati, e, accanto, la vetrina del negozio di souvenir sembrò ridere alle loro facce attonite.

Tra il risuonare dei passi rallentati dalla meraviglia, i due percepirono con tutti se stessi le loro mani unite, lo spazio intorno, e il sacro sguardo della notte che si posava calmo su quella piazza incantata.

***

The two walked for a long time in the night, curiously observing the shadows preceding them in the alleys and squares of the sleepy village. Turning a corner, beyond a short portico, the top of the cathedral emerged illuminated in the most scenic of amber yellows, and, next to it, the window of the souvenir shop seemed to laugh at their astonished faces.

Between the sound of steps slowed down by wonder, the two perceived with all their being their joined hands, the space around them, and the sacred gaze of the night calmly resting on that enchanted square.

A bath in Bath

 

La porta del bagno si chiuse con un leggero scricchiolio. Tutto era come lo aveva lasciato la sera prima. Dalla strana finestra in legno, verniciata anni prima da una mano inesperta, si vedeva ondeggiare, indistinta e grigia, la cima di un albero. Come l’ombra di una donna che dondolasse il capo tra le trasparenti perle di pioggia lasciate sul vetro. 
Anche quel giorno prometteva tempesta. Il vento si era alzato.
Ed era già ora di uscire.

The bathroom door closed with a soft creak. Everything was as she had left it the night before. From the strange wooden window, painted years before by an inexperienced hand, the top of a tree could be seen waving, indistinct and grey. Like the shadow of a woman swinging her head among the transparent pearls of rain left on the glass.
That day also promised a storm. The wind had picked up.
And it was already time to go out.

A brillant start of the year

 

Thank you, Sun!

 

Fallen Rose

A day in Bakewell

Ruggero suddently decided for a tour in Bakewell this Saturday. In the heart of the Peak district, and framed by one of the most sunny days of this summer, the town was absolutely lovely, and the people we meet, too!

My dried hydrangeas

It's again time to prune the hydrangeas this year, and even though we wait with anticipation the arrival of the cheerful-colored flowers, the beauty of the dried ones is also undeniable...

Anche quest'anno è tempo di potare le ortensie, e anche se aspettiamo con trepidazione l'arrivo degli splendidi fiori dai colori allegri, è innegabile anche la bellezza di quelli secchi...

A visit to Barnsley

 

Ossett Black & White

 A few details of Ossett, shot in Black and White. 

A visit to Dewsbury

 This collection of images from Dewsbury needs to be widened. We visited the city quickly and I indeed have missed many oppurtunities to take interesting shots. PS: there is a secret behind Ruggero's phone always handy. I let photographers guess.

Shadows of V-House

 We gave it nickname V-house because our first house was a bit of a mess. We spent some good time there, and yet, we are happy to have found a new home now. Here, some lights and shadows of our V-House.

Liverpool!

 We went to Liverpool one bright spring day. It was so hot that some people walked around the city half naked. As you can see from Ruggero's satisfied expressions, there were a lot of young girls with no second toughts about their attires. The pandemic was almost cancelled by the cheerful mass of people in the streets. We had a great time!