update

Sorry. Blogging is going to remain intermittent and not very interesting for a while, I fear. But things are finally starting to jell. The movers will be here on Tues and we've settled on a price. Winnie is being taken care of for the 21 days she has to wait after her rabies shots to be brought over. Which is good, because it will take me that long to put enough money in the bank to pay the pet transport company anyway.

My little house wot I love so much is a forlorn sight with boxes stacked up to the ceiling and the kitchen half in and half out of packing cases.

But the reality is slowly hitting home. I'm moving to another country. Again. I hope I don't make a habit of it.

Still, once you're in Rome, where is there left to go except down?

Speaking of which, I thought this was quite a hopeful sign.

Vatican and Italian Police Stop and Seize Passports of Roman Catholic Womenpriests Advocates and Activists

ROME, Italy - Yesterday, at 6:00 o'clock, the Italian police stopped representatives of Catholic organizations from around the world as they walked into St. Peter's Square to deliver a petition calling for the restoration of women's ordination to the diaconate. The group was holding a banner saying "Ordain Catholic Women" and handing out educational materials. A total of thirteen members of the Italian and Vatican police gathered to question the eleven representatives. After taking their materials, the Italian police demanded their passports and called the Vatican police, who sent their chief.

...

"Our peaceful action did not merit the extreme reaction of the police-sending the chief down to interrogate us while seizing our passports," stated Aisha Taylor, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference. "However, I was not surprised. Time and again, when it comes to women's role in the Church, the Vatican overreacts and demonstrates just how fearful they are about the growing support for women's ordination. "

Wow. Imagine being trapped in the 70s for the rest of your life.