Wednesday 3rd December

I arrive at the lake garda site, by lake shore. The scenery is beyond belief and the lake water is clear and pure, so I go in for paddle. It's freezing but refreshing. The site is 27 hectares of olive groves!

I was content just to sit the by the shore for a while, and just relax and enjoy life and the views and the first bit of sun I've had for days.

I book in to the site and there is nobody else there. Choose a fantastic spot, set up camp, have a brew but wait - there is a problem with the electrics.

Holy shit it must be me, I think - but I cant solve it, so I have to get the owner to sort it out, and of course it's dead simple (if your Italian but I'm not - simple that is, though I do wonder at times) I'm British.

It was one of those moments, like when having searched Asda for an hour and can't find something you want knowing that when you find an assistant they are going to point directly behind you doh! As Homer would say.

Sure enough that’s what happened I tried every available way, six sockets no power, flicked other secondary switches nothing, and I've done an electrical wiring course at college!

Angelo (for that was his name) and who speaks good English, says it is my fault because it is so simple you just have to apply the correct logic, which is Italian logic. I failed because I tried to apply British logic he said "to an Italian it would be no problem, he would just do this" and he solves the problem.

We return to the bar where I found him and I have to buy the drinks because I had not thought the problem through and applied the correct logic. I Can’t help thinking I’ve got this wrong somehow, and yet I’m still paying at the bar.

I love the Italians as a race, although I strongly object to the childish and petulant road manners. I think the expression "the bigger the car the smaller the dick" was invented for them. Also they provide a third kind of logic they present to the world .

Usually we have two types, the first two;

Mens logic
Womens logic
Italians logic

However back to the Italian logic re wiring, everywhere in the world red means danger, live, stop, or as a warning i.e. traffic light

Green means go

I have an rcd trip in my van which lights up when a connection is made, all systems go. I got nothing, what I should have done - applying Italian logic was to throw the main master board switch we have at home onto the red position which plainly in English said off, when logic - British style that is, would not touch it anyway and because the green switches plainly said on, again in English telling me I had power so it did not touch them. Plainly my fault.

However because of it I had a good laugh with the locals at my expense after Angelo explained my British logic to them.

And so to bed tomorrow I'm going to call in at Verona to see the Coliseum /opera house.