Recently I was in Italy. To clarify a little…I use the word recently in a fairly liberal sense. It might have been a few years ago, maybe four, even five?  It’s a funny thing about losing one’s mind eh?

Doesn’t really matter. What matters is that today I bought a bottle of Aperol. What also matters is today there are zillions of diamonds sparkling on the sea outside my window. What matters is that there are poppies in glowing orange and red formations, invincible in their flaming colours as they flutter and glow and scream their vibrancy and those poppies make me think of Turkish fields and Italian meadows and happiness.

It was in Italy that I discovered Aperol. It occurs to me right this second, that it wasn’t on that most recent trip at all. In fact, it was on that other trip to Italy…one almost ten years ago. But it matters not.

It is an aperitif; an infusion of herbs and roots. It is slightly bitter and a nuclear colour that resembles poppies in the sunlight. It looks like it could do harm or might even have a half-life of 48,000 years. How can we really know?

But it makes me think of summer. And today I bought some so I could sit on the deck with the delicate chinking of ice on glass with the radioactive swirl of that Italian infusion. I want to sit with my memories, make some plans to create some new ones this summer and be happy in the sunshine.

That is how I’m starting my weekend. Hope you have a similar great start to yours…