cRistina Caboni, 54, was born in Cagliari. Hers is a lineage of beekeepers, whose inheritance he joyfully accepted. In particular, that of an aunt, Assunta Collu, sister of the great-grandmother, who sang for her bees. After studying at the classical high school and a few years at university, she chose to devote herself to her family. She has three children (Davide, 30, Maria Aurora, 25, and Margherita, 23) and a family beekeeping business in Decimomannu, in the province of Cagliari, with her husband Roberto. Around the age of 30 she started writing, first short stories. Then in 2014 her first novel was released, The path of perfumes. Now it’s in the bookstore with The way of honeyand is already working on his tenth book. She loves flowers, nature and Sardinia and dreams of living in a house by the sea.
Cristina Caboni, 54 years old, beekeeper and writer. Photo yuma martellanz
7 am
“As soon as I wake up, I write three pages by hand, just for me. It’s like a stream of consciousness where I get rid of thoughts to abandon and write down what happens to me. Meanwhile my husband Roberto, who is very early riser, prepares coffee and biscuits for everyone. After breakfast, I check the diary and reply to those who follow me on social networks and emails. With some readers a friendship has been created over time, we also send vowels».
Cristina Caboni checks that the bees in her hives are fine.
10 am
“It’s bee time. Their life – part of a single organism, the hive, whose well-being is the shared goal – is a great inspiration to me. There is much to learn in terms of the common good. To visit them, we travel by car to the pastures: as the old shepherds did, we place the hives where there are flowers, often not far from the sea, at milder temperatures.
During the cold season, we visit the bees once a week, check that they are well and that they have enough food. This operation is done during the hottest hours, when the hive is less full and they are calmer: however, uncovering the hive disturbs them. In the other seasons the visits are much more frequent. This year the prolonged high temperatures, due to climate change, have somewhat upset them. Instead of preparing for winter, they acted as if they were in spring».
1 pm
«Roberto, passionate about cooking, pack a quick lunch. Davide is with us, while the girls are away for their study commitments. Soon after, I carve out a space to read. On the table, at the moment there are The eighth life by Nino Haratischvilia lovely family saga, and my heart book, The way of the artist by Julia Camerono. If the weather permits, I also go for a little walk and take time out for my orchids, which I stopped killing thanks to the advice of a reader who loved my book The Garden of Secret Flowers. I’d like to have a vegetable garden, but with Orso, our adored Maremma shepherd, it’s complicated».
It’s writing time, in the company of the Persian cat Arthur.
4 pm
“I light a scented candle and I sit in front of the computer, usually in the company of Arthur, my Persian cat. When I write, I have my rituals: I only use a particular notebook that comes from Australia and I take notes with erasable pens of different colors, which I change according to the ideas that come to me. I reason on the plot by writing by hand, I put myself on the computer when the story is already defined».
19.30
“It’s time for dinner. I don’t like cooking and luckily Roberto freed me from this task again, helped by Margherita, our two family chefs. It is the moment in which we get together, to talk and share the events of the day. Sometimes after dinner we watch television. I like, for example, Bake Off Italy by Benedetta Parodi, or let’s see some films. Otherwise, around 9 pm I’m already in bed, ready to savor my second moment of the day, the one dedicated to reading».
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