Wednesday/Rāapa
This is a travel day. It is 2 hours to get to Bologna from Stansted, though it is more time than that in the airport. (We allow three hours before the flight. It is an 8.30 flight, and we are there just after 5.30, the airport is already packed, it is summer holidays time.)
Time to acknowledge Bill. He organises everything. I am CEO of the relationship and the blog. He is CEO of booking flights, booking sports events, driving, booking accommodation and Ed of my blog. He does it happily and never complains. His list is long. He never messes anything up! (Sometimes he does, Ed.) All the accommodation has been fantastic.
I feel so privileged to be on this trip with him. It has just been so inspiring and having fun like when we were 23. It is great having more wisdom and more money, so we don't always stay at the backpackers.
I do still grump about him biting his fingernails. When he is biting his fingernails I have it that I am excluded and cannot contribute and he occurs like he is too busy, better than me, and he has a 'Do not disturb' sign up! I feel left out! My insight is - it doesn't mean what I think. He started biting his fingernails way back. He just does it a lot!
It doesn't work for me that he bites his nails. I think that is why it annoys me. It is also noisy. For now I can't change the habit or him. So another insight - I am looking at what I can do when he does it? This is what I have come up with - ignore him, go to another room, bite my finger nails, slurping extra loudly, nudge him, see a bigger context and just let go of the annoyance, or find another habit equally annoying and do that while he bites his nails.
Just blogging all this makes fingernail biting a nothing. (I wish, Ed.) Bill is a legend and puts up with all my bad habits of which I have plenty. (No comment, Ed.)
I heard this saying once. If you spot it, you've got it. So looking at that habit, I am looking at one of mine. When I lose something I get so annoyed! It is never my fault and I blame Bill. He might have taken the thing I lose, or I have had too many things to do, so of course I would lose something etc. And I keep losing stuff - no surprise, haha. This has been an annoying habit of mine for Bill. So I am now being responsible since I had this insight and not losing things, and not blaming or getting annoyed.
I have been keeping a personal diary on this trip too. This is only for me. I just write whatever comes into my head. It is usually when I am challenged emotionally, and it can be used for delight as well.
Why I mention all this is because when Bill and I are on the same page we are flying. Because of my Landmark work, which I am so grateful for, I can see it is our “beings” that clash. Landmark has assisted me to take a look more closely at who everyone is being. As CEO of the relationship I take responsibility and have things work (though one day I wanted to give my CEO position up.)
More about that another day. Every day on this trip I have created who I am being, and you guessed it, today it is grateful and loving and especially to Bill (my soul mate).
Another good paper article today.
At Bologna Airport, we hired a car and headed to Modena about 40mins away, first to Museo Ferrari. Here we saw Ferrari founder, Enzo Ferrari’s workshop restored, Ferrari engines, the Prancing Horse’s history and a video of how the Ferrari story came to be.
This is Enzo's Dad in the first car in Modena in 1914. It was only for the wealthy, and probably why Enzo got the car bug.
Enzo Ferrari built its first car in 1940 for racing. However, the company's inception as an auto manufacturer is usually recognized in 1947, when the first Ferrari-badged car was completed. I liked this one because it was the year I was born - 1958.
Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it is the oldest and most successful racing team, holding the most constructors championships (16) and having produced the highest number of drivers' championship wins. Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of speed, luxury and wealth. This one from 2008 because I could have owned one then, but now I know about climate change, I wouldn't.
Ferrari is the only team to have participated in every Formula One Drivers Championship, and the most successful: the team holds nearly every Formula One record. (Bill says they're not going so well now though.) Ferrari drivers have included a New Zealander Chris Amon, and Michael Schumacher (holds most number of wins). Here is Chris Amon.
And here is Michael Schumacher on far right. I think everyone has heard of him?
Ferrari has produced a number of concept cars, such as the Mythos. While some of these were quite radical (such as the Modulo) and never intended for production, others such as the Mythos have shown styling elements which were later incorporated into production models. Thirty two of these were built.
In 1949, the 166 Inter was introduced, marking the company's significant move into the grand touring road car market. Road cars continue to make up the bulk of Ferrari sales to the present day. I chose this touring car as it was the year Bill was born. (Yes I am a cougar, 4 months older than Bill.)
This is a 2018 model.
As we are driving to our hotel, Bill spotted this for me - if I ever want to learn a few more tricks than I have already.
