I made fire and breakfast for my guests at seven and went back to bed again. No guests today and nothing much to do. The second night in a row I dreamt about fire, lots of fire, and always in places it was not supposed to be, in houses, on rocks, even on animals like my now long dead and beloved cat Trusca. I dream a lot about cats too. I am dreaming a lot in general, and most of my dreams are unpleasant ones, maybe it is all the accumulated stress that is coming out, slowly… After I got up again I spent two hours working outside, doing this:

It may not look like a lot of work to you, but it was and it was hot. I stopped moving wood and cleaning up when I felt I had blisters on my hands. Well, it’s my own fault, I forgot to put gloves on again just like last time. I couldn’t get rid of the piles because the wheel barrel is still “out of order”. Claudio has bought a new wheel and will bring it up tomorrow or on Thursday.

Even though there were many clouds the sun was really strong and I sat under the big red umbrella for some time after I’d had a shower and washed my few clothes again:

I sat there for some time, studying my maps and eating the last piece of cake, seeing nobody else was going to. I have decided to start really slowly on Saturday, considering my hurt ankle and all this time I have done hardly anything but cleaning and working a bit and feeding a few guests. It has been more like a special kind of holiday than a typical “guardiano” week. Instead of going directly from Soveltra to Capanna Sponda on Sunday, I will leave on Saturday and stop at Alpe Barone, which I already know and which is very, very nice. This way I split the tour in two and have two short walks. You can see the path on the map:

I’ve walked it before, but the other way round, coming from Barone and arriving at Solvetra. My highest point will be the “Bocchetta della Campala” at around 2300m. I should be at the hut, even in “slow motion”, in about four hours. So, weather permitting, I can leave in the early afternoon after having putting everything in order for my fellow guardianos, who will arrive in the morning to take over. Everything has to be clean and tidy. Normally we also prepare food to make the start easier for them, according to the bookings etc. This time Carla, whom I already met ten days ago, will come up with a group of at least 25 children aged 6 to 10, a cook and kitchen crew. It is a regular event for children called “Campus”. During that week no reservations are taken for Soveltra, only those who pass by can stay of course. Early tomorrow morning the cook, Walter Lösch, who is also a regular Soveltra guardiano, is coming up to take stock of the food there is and make notes of what he needs. He is a “real” cook and I have heard of him, but haven’t met him yet.

Today I also spoke to Fiorenzo, who is responsible for the Piano delle Creste hut, where I worked for a weekend past September and will be guardiana for a week from 28 July to 4 August. He told me that for the first day, the Saturday, I already have 21 bookings. Once again I am on a guardiano duty on my own, which is unusual, nothing I wanted and nothing to be recommended. Fiorenzo told me that during that week, which is one of the busiest, it would be simply impossible to cope on my own. So he will be coming up on the Saturday to help and will maybe stay the whole week. On Saturday also my friends Baggy (Bernd), Olaf and Paul plan to come up to the hut and stay a few days. They will be on their way back home from their walking holiday in the “Seealpen” in France and Bavona valley is no great deviation.

It is raining slightly. I had a plate of penne with my fresh pesto and feta cheese tonight, which was very yummy, and then prepared caponata and tiramisu. Both will keep for a few days. I have at least two guests on Thursday and Friday. And if Walter and Claudio come tomorrow there will be something nice for them to eat. I also plan to make another apricot cake and a quiche with green asparagus tomorrow. Anybody coming?