#165 Things to share over coffee

February 2026

Hello Friend,

Greetings from a miserable rainy day in Sicily. The long, hard winter of 2026 is continuing, with more storm clouds, wind, hail, snow, and general bad weather forecast. So, as every Sicilian does, I too hunker down inside and shelter from the cold. I don’t mind the winter. It’s just an excuse to hibernate, watch Netflix, read a book or two, cook some soup and sip endless hot chocolates.

I’m writing this post on the final Thursday of carnival, known as Giovedì Grasso, literally Fat Thursday, and marks the final few days of Carnevale.

The Sicilian Carnival is beginning to taper off, the costumes, dancing and revelry officially come to an end on the first Wednesday of Lent, known as Ash Wednesday on the 18th of February, which leads us towards Easter.

In these ever-secular times, some celebrations are extended to make the most of expensive floats and costumes in larger Carnevale celebrations around Italy. Also, many of the carnevale floats are also used in special summer celebrations.

What I take away from this hedonistic celebration almost every year are the children’s faces, who adore the music, jokes, and costumes of this time of year.

My favourite part of this celebration is the costumes. Every small town has its own parades filled with do-it-yourself floats, homemade costumes, music, food, and wine, all wrapped in a fun, joyous spirit to live life to the full.

Carnevale is adored by children who happily dress up as their favourite superheroes or princesses and frolic in the local squares, throwing confetti and spraying silly string on one another, and eating panini and potato chips at the local cafe.

Today, the rain keeps away the masquerading people, but Giovedi grasso is really about eating. Tonight we will masticate maccheroni, feast on roasted meat, and indulge in fried dumplings and other traditional carnevale desserts. As the day is about making the most of the season, indulging in heavy winter food, and not thinking of your waistline.

So, for now, on this windy, rainy day, let’s put the party aside and let me share what has been helping me to avoid seasonal depression at this time of year.

1. Trying out new pens

My obsession with stationery is almost as big a problem as my adoration of books. If I’m not adding to my reading list, I am browsing notebooks and pens. For some reason, I think having the right kind of journal and pen will keep me motivated and help me to write more. It absolutely doesn’t, but what it does do is make me feel like I have the best options for feeling professional.

This year, I am trying out a new system where I put all of my notebooks into a single folder with refillable inserts. It is working out well because I can carry everything I am working on in my handbag, which lets me quickly jot down notes wherever I am during the day. Even ten minutes while waiting for my coffee, I can jot down some notes and keep moving forward with the mountain of words I need to write.

I recently was saddened during my January decluttering to find my trusty Lamy fountain pen completely clogged up and absolutely refusing to work, so I had to throw it out. So this meant, of course, I needed to go out and buy myself a new one, even though I hadn’t used a fountain pen for months, the neglect resulting in the ink clogging.

But the thought of not having a fountain pen in my arsenal of writing equipment was too tormenting a thought to resist. I love writing exclusively with black felt tips; fine Artline pens are a must, together with Uniball gel ink pens. I always try to restock every year when I get back to Australia.

A fountain pen is like the ultimate fine-tipped writing tool; they are elegant and feel so smooth to write with.

So when my algorithm suggested the Japanese brand Muji, I happily explored their offerings. There is something particularly magical about Japanese stationery; it is simply the best.

So I ordered a selection of their stationery, a couple of gel ink ballpoint pens to try out and my first ever aluminium MUJI fountain pen. And I do not regret it, in fact, I am in love with it!

My beautiful new Muji fountain pen. It was love at first sight.

2. Having a little rant about how entitled Italians can be

Life in Italy is far from perfect. Despite being one of the most idealised countries in the world, there are many problems beneath the surface of its food, landscape, history, and the warmth of its people. It doesn’t take long to see the big issues. Once you actually live here, you see the corruption, how broken the public service, government, healthcare, and education systems can be.

I’m not here to defend or pull down the image of Italy, but since we are sitting down, sharing a few things over a coffee, I need a moment to vent my frustration with the entitlement of some people around me.

I understand how Italians try to live a life that is less focused on material wealth or work and more on friends, family, and social life. Yes, there is something wonderful about la dolce vita, where you take the time to have a good meal, make the most of your summer vacation, and take all the holidays you are given throughout the year.

But I find it a little tiring when life seems to be more about going from one social engagement to the next. Yes, it’s nice to celebrate family birthdays, milestones and anniversaries, but I feel that anything becomes an excuse for a party. I am always buying presents for people I barely know.

Perhaps it is the introvert in me, but my social battery tends to get low, trying to muster enthusiasm for the next birth, baptism, communion, confirmation, wedding, wedding anniversary, university graduation, 18th, 50th, 60th or 70th birthday party. I am tired of spending money on expensive gifts, new outfits and hairdresser appointments as you are expected to make a ‘bella figura’. You need to keep up a good face, put your best foot forward, and keep up with the Joneses or whatever other cliche comes to mind when you have to jump through the different hoops of social expectations.

I’m tired of it all. I feel uncomfortable organising celebrations for myself, my husband, and my son, who really don’t like the fuss. But we, my friends, are very much in the minority. As I fear most Italians are here for the party, and any excuse is a good excuse.

Apart from the love of being social butterflies, it has also become fashionable to demand a certain level of gift-giving from guests. Now this is what really irks me. Please tell me if I am wrong. So I have been invited to a party, let’s say it’s a 50th birthday, and I am informed that the person who has invited me either only wants a cash gift, or if clothing is being bought, only shops at certain brand stores. So I am expected to give a cash gift, as if it were a wedding (here, a wedding cash envelope starts at 150 euros) or buy vouchers to be spent at this person’s preferred brand.

Now, if that isn’t arrogant and entitled, I don’t know what is.

3. George Orwell: Animal Farm and 1984

This month, I’ve still been very much inside an Orwellian wormhole. Animal Farm is brilliantly written, so vivid, and the anti fascism metaphor is literally bashing you on your head as you read every word. George Orwell is as brilliant, fresh and relevant as always. I think every teenager should be reading 1984, as the Big Brother, all-seeing, all-knowing force is akin to social media and the current developments in AI. 1984 is a visceral, dystopian experience that we all need to experience and be reminded of in this time and place.

Even Orwell’s principle of Newspeak is frighteningly relevant, as the very way we express ourselves and communicate is being altered every day and not always in a good way. If I am on my phone scrolling for too long, I distinctly feel numb and somewhat less intelligent. George Orwell was right about so many things!

4. Cooking liver and other offal

I recently had a conversation with a friend about how common it is for people here in Italy to eat things like liver, heart, lungs and other internal organs. My friend was totally grossed out, but it’s a thing in this country, in other European countries, and definitely throughout Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East.

I suffer from iron deficiency, so at least once a month, I go to my local butcher and buy some liver. I am not a fan, but I eat it for the iron. My son, surprisingly, has developed a taste for barbecued liver, which is intense!

In Sicily, particularly at this time of the year, in the winter, is when each family slaughters their purposefully home-raised pigs to make sausages and salami. My dearly departed father-in-law particularly relished frying up pork lungs, heart, liver, and other bits and pieces. Frittili are boiled up pork skin, ears and trotters and are considered a local Sicilian delicacy.

At Palermo, pane con la meusa is a soft bread panino stuffed with veal lung and spleen, boiled and fried in lard. At the same time, the stigghiola is a Palermitano street food consisting of grilled lamb or kid intestines wrapped around green spring onions.

Don’t think this is only a southern Italian thing; in Florence, the Lampredotto is a typical panino filled with the stomach of a cow, slow-cooked in vegetable broth and seasoned with herbs, and is a classic Florentine sandwich.

Recently, I stumbled upon Gasparino1948 on Instagram and TikTok, a butcher in Naples that prepares and ships orders of tripe and other offal all over Italy. The videos of food preparation have millions of views.

5. How my relationship with Italy is changing

Sorry if this newsletter is a bit all over the place this month, but I have a monkey brain that jumps off in many different directions. I’m easily distracted, become obsessed with things and disappear into rabbit holes and then promptly forget all about everything. Sometimes I think I have ADHD, other times I think it’s a peri menopause brain fog kind of situation. Lately, thanks to some serious phone scrolling, I think it might be social media addiction that has generally damaged my brain. Either way, that’s the way my mind seems to be working these days. Things kind of shift and change as you reach middle age.

I find my patience has been worn away. Obviously, you can tell from my rant before! My relationship with Italy has definitely changed. As an Australian living in Italy, this country has tried my patience endlessly throughout the years. At first, there was a lot of chagrin, teeth-grinding, complaining, and I may have hit my head against the wall a handful of times. But with time, I learnt that trying to change Italy was futile, so I resigned myself to how things work here, like waiting in line at the post office and all the simple things that suddenly take forever to get done.

But over the past year, it just feels like Italy has been punching me in the guts. Life on the peninsula is either sweet and slow or hurtful and torturous. I swear, over the past year, I have never been treated so badly by people. I have been in tears at least three times. One, after a nasty interaction with a high school principal that left me emotionally broken, two, being belittled by a misogynist doctor, and three, feeling bullied by pushy parents who want their children to learn English.

Every time I’ve had a confrontation, I’ve felt profoundly lonely. I mean, sure, you get over the negativity, maybe someone was having a bad day, and other people’s bad behaviour is a reflection of themselves and really has nothing to do with me.

But I found it strange how it all left me feeling profoundly alone. That has never happened to me in all the years I’ve lived here. Which makes me think perhaps I’m beginning to fall out of love with Italy. Whatever it is, my relationship with il bel paese doesn’t seem the same.

6. The Band

This month, my 1970s playlist has been getting a bit more play. Particularly songs by The Band, which were formed in Toronto in 1967 and consisted of Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manual, Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm. The soulful blues sound of The Weight has really been talking to me. Robbie Robertsom apparently drew inspiration from the films of Luis Buñuel, which often depict characters trying to do good but facing unexpected challenges. There is something bittersweet about the narrative of a traveller burdened by the world’s demands.

And while Ophelia is basically a breakup song, there is a joyful note in the recollection of a heartbroken boyfriend asking what the hell happened, and hoping for the second coming of Ophelia, who ran away from home.

With 2.8M monthly listeners, it seems I’m not the only one to be hopelessly in love with The Band.

7. Rufus Wainright

Winter seems to bring out my love and admiration for Rufus. I’ve been listening to his early albums, including Want, particularly the title track. I am currently obsessed with the song Old Whore’s Diet “ from 2004’s Want Two, a duet with Antony Hegarty (from Antony and the Johnsons).

There is never any particular explanation when and how a song gets into your head; this one has been on repeat lately. I find their voices meld so beautifully together. Apparently, the title was inspired by Wainwright’s habit of eating leftover Chinese food for breakfast, which he imagined to be the perfect diet for nocturnal old prostitutes.

8. Making new playlists

My favourite subscription service is Spotify. Even though it’s pretty shitty for musicians, I am addicted to it simply because it’s so easy to compile playlists.

It’s easy to discover musicians, old and new, of every genre and decade. I’m addicted!!

This month, besides The Band and Rufus Wainwright, I’ve been listening to a real mixed bag. Dipping into a little James Taylor, Dylan, Dusty Springfield and a sprinkle of John Farnham and Keli Holiday. I find myself stuck in a kind of retro 70s folk loop, with a smattering of rock, one or two new tracks with an older feel, and finishing with some life-affirming David Byrne.

I’m putting a link to this month’s playlist if you want to take a little visit to my listening for this month, some comforting voices for frightening times.

9. The Landman

This month, my son pestered me to subscribe to Paramount+ as he was convinced that they broadcast UFC mixed martial arts matches (I know, welcome to my son’s current fixation!!)

It turns out they don’t show all the matches; only the occasional one, which is always on at ridiculous times like 3 am our time. So I ended up with a one-week free subscription before being charged, which was the perfect time to binge-watch some American t.v.

It turns out there are a few good movies available, including the latest Mission Impossible movie, a new Star Trek franchise series, and a whole heap of Taylor Sheridan-written series.

Sheridan is famous for creating Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner, which was a modern take on the American western genre, focusing on character development, intrigue, and killer dialogue. Sheridan recreates the tough American West in an exciting, insightful, and intriguing way; he has really breathed life into what could be a very tired genre. His success has led him to write prequels 1883 and 1923, which follow the story of the Dutton family through time, and one of the characters in Yellowstone will also be getting his own spin-off series.

But what really caught my eye was his new series, Landman, which stars Billy Bob Thornton. While not exactly a western, it is set within a backdrop that Sheridan is very familiar with. Thornton plays Tommy Norris, a hands-on manager at one of the largest oil-drilling companies in Western Texas.

Norris is the Landman of the title, someone who is out there on the oil fields, managing everything from mechanical failures, workplace deaths and accidents to financial disasters, Mexican drug cartels, private jets, family trauma, a she-devil ex-wife, a disaster-prone son, a nymphomaniac cheerleader daughter, and so much more.

I’m happy to report I made it through the first two seasons without any problems, and I have become totally immersed in this Texan fantasy world. The dialogue is some of the best I have ever heard and really captures the colour and Texan twang. My favourite line has to be: ‘The lawyers are so far up my arse that they can see through my throat.’ Which, to my delight, was actually used a couple of times.

Each episode is like a mini movie; the cinematography really takes us to Western Texas, a mix of opulent oil-generated wealth, working-class reality, epic desert scenery, and Americana.

The series is filled with twists and turns, problems to overcome, disasters that create epic tragedies, and moments of tender humanity, love, and even humour. Tommy Norris and his family have a wild ride through the frontier-like atmosphere of a Texan oil boom, filled with wheeling and dealing, betrayal, and risk.

I can’t wait to see season three, which is due in November.

10. Blood oranges

One of my favourite winter fruits in Sicily is the blood orange. Thanks to my mother’s cousin, who cultivates Sanguinelli at Paterno outside of Catania, we have a steady supply.

I’ve been using them in winter salads, as snacks, and to make the most exotic freshly squeezed juices.

There is something beautiful about blood oranges; the colour and the taste are amazing. Be sure to taste one when you get to Sicily.

The undeniable beauty of the blood orange

Well, that’s all I have on my mind for now.

Thanks for reading along.

Remember to stay well, be kind to everyone, including yourself, and we’ll speak again soon.

Every once in a while, I talk about Sicily.

Other times, I talk about whatever is on my mind.

My writing is always about lightning, the mental load, and sharing my thoughts and ideas.

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Grammar and spelling checked by Grammarly.