I may have said this before, but...

I'm having lots of fun here. The things I'm loving the most today are:

– The weather. Most of all the weather. I really don't want to piss British- or southern hemisphere-based readers off but... it's simply wonderful! The temperature is pretty constant. This means that you don't need to check the weather forecast before you leave the house. And you don't have to pack a bag full of things to cover every weather eventuality. Even if it rains, which is rare, it's still warm. I love spending the majority of my time outdoors. I love having dinner on the terrace with the sun setting behind the mountains. I love swimming in the sea multiple times every day.

– The people. My friends are so lovely; they're kind and thoughtful and caring and I love spending time with them. But every week I meet friends and relatives of theirs and they're also kind and thoughtful, and very welcoming to an English girl who speaks little Italian. Initially I thought people were being more kind to me because they knew my story, but not everyone can know. This weekend, Eve and I were invited to join five of Matte's friends for lunch at his parents, so there were ten of us in total. Matte's parents were so hospitable and waited on us hand and foot. When I offered to help clear up and load the dishwasher I was told I couldn't, but I'd be welcome to pull up a chair and have a chat while they cleared up. (This bullet point isn't about the food, but I'll just quickly tell you what we had... marinated peppers, pizza pieces, torta verde (beet leaves and rice in pastry – a typical Ligurian dish), salami and prosecco to start. Then homemade tagliatelle with ragu, accompanied by red wine made by Eve's dad. Then pork steaks. Then fruit and cake and pastries, with limoncello made by Gianluca's mum and mandarinetto – the same as limoncello but made with mandarins. Then coffee.)

– The food. Chri arrived back from Genoa this weekend with a bag full of apricots that they'd picked that day from the tree in Massimo's garden, as well as a jar of jam they'd made that afternoon. Oh, and a cake he brought back from his business trip to the Alps last week – what a lovely friend he is! For dinner this evening we've just eaten the most delicious octopus salad (with tomatoes from the garden), stuffed courgette flowers (from the garden), green beans and then plums that Marco's parents brought back from Piemonte. I love eating fresh, seasonal, local food. Another thing I read in the Lonely Planet book, which I'm going to take note of in future, is that you should only take a small amount of food because you will be obliged to have seconds and quite probably thirds, maybe fourths. So start off with a small portion and you'll be able to manage the refills and not have to risk offending your host by refusing more food. The other trick is to leave something on your plate. If you have an empty plate you will more than likely be persuaded to have more. I find it interesting that the Italians often eat their meat totally on its own – no potatoes, no veg. Everything is also self-service – nothing is plated up in the kitchen; it's all about tucking in together.

– Wifi. It makes a massive difference having wifi. I love being connected to my family and friends around the world. I loved receiving photos of Hooch's latest baby via WhatsApp this weekend – congratulations my Marra, very proud! I love Skyping my lovely sister and beautiful nephew every Monday, and Janello, and hopefully Laura and little Rose soon. I love being able to email people and post my photos to Facebook and update my blog regularly. It helps me feel closer to the people I love who I'm not physically close to right now. I couldn't be without that, much as I love it here.

– My car. It's great being independent. It's even better not having to get the train. Bringing my car was definitely a good idea!

The things I'm enjoying least are:

– Sun cream application. It's tedious and time-consuming and the factor 30 leaves white marks on my black clothes :(

– My knee injury. I went running twice last week and ended up walking the second time, which I never ever do. I've rested it over the weekend (read: been out enjoying myself, but don't tell Graeme that!) so will try running on it again tomorrow. I've also been doing some strengthening exercises and applying a special pain relieving gel, so hopefully that will all help.

And that's it. I'm very very happy here and I know I've said it before, but I feel incredibly blessed to be living this dream. As always, I dedicate every second of my life to the man I loved most in the world. I know he'd be happy for me.