Why I should write a Salento platform for BootsnAll

Dear BootsnAll,

If you’re reading this then it means you’ve received my application and decided to take a look at my blog. For various reasons I don’t blog much, so I thought I’d add this post to back up my application. So, to cut a long story short, here’s why I think I’d be a great fit for your platform project.

I love to write great copy for quality websites

In the past I’ve written copy (online and offline) for a number of blue-chip clients and employers. I’ve produced travel copy for Air Miles, British Airways, Disneyland Paris and Beachcomber holidays. I spent four and a half years writing content for the East Sussex County Council website. It was awarded Best UK council website in 2008 by SOCITM (The Society of It Managers). I updated and maintained over 200 pages of content. I enjoy writing for sites that get traffic and for an audience that wants to read my stuff.

I love Salento

After all, why else would you give up a good job that you enjoy to move to a place with high unemployment and a poor future prospects? My husband and I fell in love with Salento on day two of our first holiday here and we always vowed that we’d move here some day. It’s not the easiest place to live, but as anyone who’s head-over-heels knows – the sacrifice is worth it.

I enjoy collaborating with other professionals to achieve a common goal

Whether it’s on a marketing project team or as part of the web team that relaunched the council’s website, I’ve always enjoyed working as part of a team. After all, there’s no way anyone can be the best at everything. I know how to write and I produce engaging web content, but I can’t create a database or design a usable web page. And why should I, when there are other professionals who can? The chance to work as a team again and launch something like this would be an exiting opportunity for me.

I want to work on a long-term project

I’ve moved to Salento long term, and I’d love to get my teeth into a project that I can work on for years. If that project can also help develop Salento’s much needed tourism industry then it’s a win-win situation for me.

I want to get back in the saddle again

After spending 10 years honing my skills, I need to keep writing. This opportunity would allow me to write about a subject I love and to stay in touch with today’s emerging web trends. I tweet, I use Facebook and now I would like to create content for a quality website again.

View my full CV on LinkedIn.

I wrote this old school

I wrote this old school, with a pen and paper. Waiting in the car with my sleeping son whilst my husband held our place in the queue at the Doctor's surgery. Pen and paper. So lovely to form the words again, instead of tapping out typos on a keyboard. Creating emphasis with a flourish at the end of a word. No wonder people think they can read your personality through your handwriting.

I wrote this with a skinny, black, diary pen. Designed for short memos and jottings, not long pieces of prose. Fine for these brief thoughts, but not suitable for a few thousand words a day.

As I move from one page to another my handwriting alters to reflect the new angle I'm writing at. And the reduction of solidity underneath.

Seeing my handwriting again is almost like bumping into an old friend you haven't met for ages. A pleasure. I should write like this more often. I bet I don't.

PS - After posting a link to this on Twitter @MrWordsWorth was inspired to write this poem. Thanks Mark.

Locked out of Twitter

For three days I've been locked out of my online social network. Twitter, Facebook, my email and a bunch of other random sites I use to touch base with the real world are now no longer within my grasp. I feel bereft.

Sounds dramatic? Well look at it from my position. I live in a small town in southern Italy, far away from my family and old friends who I connect with on Facebook. I've been looking for freelance work. My computer problems mean that I can't access the sites I use to search for work and as I can't get onto my email I can't see if anyone has a job for me. And Twitter? Twitter is my office water cooler. With no fixed workplace it's the place I go to swap gossip with people who have similar interests to me or who work in the same field.

So I guess saying I feel bereft isn't so dramatic after all.

Buying a house in an Italian kitchen

Last Friday at about 1pm my husband and I were was sitting in a stranger’s front room in Italy waiting to buy a house. It was a fairly standard southern Italian living room. The walls were covered with family photos, there were china ornaments on most surfaces and, of course, the obligatory Padre Pio plaque.

When you buy a house in the UK it’s all very unspectacular. You exchange contracts, then something electronic happens behind the scenes and later that day the Estate Agent calls to say you can collect the keys. In Italy the process is far more personal.

When you buy a property in Italy, the buyer and seller meet, usually at the offices of the buyer’s solicitor. The solicitor reads a detailed contract at the speed of a horseracing commentator and when she (or he) has finished reading everyone pretends they’ve understood what was said and signs it. Then you pay. And it’s not an electronic payment between banks either. The buyer pays by cheque, so it has the feel of a lottery win presentation. You almost want the bank to draw up a massive cheque so you can photograph the handover.

But this time he process was even stranger, because we didn’t complete all these legal manoeuvres in our solicitor’s office, we were in someone’s kitchen. And that, surely, has to be one of the weirdest places to buy a house.

Favourite restaurants in Salento

Salento in Puglia, southern Italy, is famous for it’s food. Generally portions are hearty and made with fresh local produce. Fish is a popular feature on menus at coastal restaurants, whilst inland you’re more likely to find meat-based dishes on offer. Specialities include home-made orrechiette (ear-shaped pasta), cavallo (horse) and large plates of antipasti.

There are plenty of places to get a great meal, but these are my favourites. They’re the places we go back to again and again.

Naos, Ugento

Via Giannuzzi Capitano Ugo, 90
0833 955157
Naos is a great place to sample Salentine cooking at its heartiest. Worth trying are the homemade arancini, the ceceri and tria (handmade pasta in a chickpea sauce) and the penne with salmone. Portions are generous and many dishes are made with home-gown ingredients.

Retro, Castrignano del Capo

Whether you eat in the outside courtyard or the vaulted dining room, a meal at Retro never disappoints. This is one of those places without a menu, but whatever Salvatore (the chef and owner) offers you will taste great – don’t worry! There’s also a wide selection of wine and some delicious cakes and biscuits to sample.

Gnam, Santa Maria de Leuca

Lungomare C.Colombo
333 28 24 328
A popular spot for pizza at the bottom of Italy’s ‘heel”. The pizzas here are twice the size of normal ones, but they’ll put two different toppings on if you’re sharing and can’t agree on what you want. Tables are outdoors, on a flight of stairs opposite the seafront.

Lo Sturno, Parabita

Via Immacolata 2
0833 593477
This is a good choice if you want to eat where the locals eat. It’s situated in a stone cellar in the historical centre of Parabita, a small town about 15 minutes inland from Gallipoli. Everything I’ve tried here tastes great, but the meatballs in sauce (polpette al sugo) seem to be their signature dish. Get here early for lunch, as after 1pm it fills up with business people.

Osteria San Martino, Lecce

Via Marco Aurelio, 10 (near the park)
340 40 64 411
One of the best places we’ve found recently. Again there’s no menu, but they offer a wide variety of local specialities at really reasonable prices. And no-one speaks English, so it’s a great place to practise your Italian. It may not be the most glamorous restaurant in Lecce, but this is a great family-owned place and the food never disappoints.

Scoglio dele Sirene, Gallipoli

Great views of Gallipoli harbour from this restaurant on the sea wall. It’s especially romantic in the evening when the place is strewn with candles. This is one of the more expensive places on this list, but then again you are paying for the location. It’s great for super-fresh seafood and local specialities.

Tatanka, near Santa Maria de Leuca

Litoranea Leuca-Gallipoli
340 34 36 909
Another place with an amazing sea-view. Tatanka’s menu isn’t the biggest I’ve seen, but everything is cooked well and tastes great. The rocks opposite are a great place for a swim, if you don’t mind deep water. Daredevils jump from the cliffs into the clear sea, and there is a cave you can swim into. Just make sure you go swimming before lunch!

Denis Island - Marooned in paradise

No shoes, no keys, no phones - no worries. Leave the outside world behind on this tranquil private island, accessible only by light aircraft and just a 30-minute flight from Mahe. A small coral dot in the Indian Ocean, Denis is swathed in tropical vegetation and ringed by pristine beaches.

Originally a pirates' lair, Denis' secret treasure hoards are still to be discovered on its 375 acres. The island's real riches, however, are its natural delights: giant tortoises, rare bird species and colourful marine life. Few places in the world offer richer rewards underwater and Denis Island is a mecca for both sports fishermen and scuba-divers.

Heavenly surroundings are complemented by Denis Island Lodge's wonderful hospitality, fine cuisine and luxurious cottage accommodation. It's the perfect choice for discerning castaways. So if you want to be marooned in paradise, simply choose your Man Friday and... go.

Melanzane alla parmigiana (Aubergine and tomato bake)

This isn't the quickest dish to prepare, but it tastes amazing.

Ingredients

450g (1lb) of aubergines
salt
1 large onion
olive oil
sunflower oil to fry the aubergine slices
2 garlic cloves
2 x 400g (14oz) cans plum tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
glass of red wine
225g (8oz) mozzarella cheese cut into 6mm slices
50g (2oz) grated Parmasan

Slice the aubergines into thin circles about ½ cm thick. Salt and leave to drain in a colander for ½ an hour.

In the meantime make a tomato sauce. Peel and chop the onion and peel and crush the garlic. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the onion, adding the garlic about 5 minutes later. Fry for a few more minutes, then add the tomatoes and their juice, the red wine and oregano. Break the tomatoes up a bit with the wooden spoon. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. The sauce should reduce a fair bit so it is nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Fry the aubergine circles in batches in the sunflower oil. Make sure the oil is hot otherwise the aubergine will soak it all up. When each batch is finished, drain on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.

Put a layer of aubergines on the bottom of a lasagne dish, cover with some of the tomato sauce and then with sliced mozzarella. Continue until you have finished all the ingredients (you can usually do about 3 layers). Finish by sprinkling the grated parmesan on top.

Bake in a hot oven (220C, 425F, Gas mark 7) for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden and the mixture is bubbling.

Serve with fresh bread and a green salad.