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Yes, the fibrecast cast is off the foot, thanks to all your well-wishes. Weilding my little travel knife, I sawed through it and probably gave the poor cleaner a shock when she would have cleared the bathroom rubbish tin out the next day. An elastic sport support has taken its place.

After leaving Palermo we travelled along the northern coast to Cefalu and then on to the mountain town of Roca. With its narrow medieval streets and solid buildings, this once walled Norman town is considered very old, even on this ancient island which has been dominated by so many nations over the eons that they should relocate the UN here.

Disappointingly, since I left Palermo the food on offer has been ordinary at best. The one exception being a long lunch in a vineyard where a Godfather type patriarch talked to his vines while his efficient family ran the business of the food and wine tasting. I might add that the two whites and three red wines we tasted were excellent, as was the anti pasto. They even had a (numbered) Antonio Lorca classical guitar, which I was allowed to play for a while - hey, I was excited!.

Our first visit to Mt Etna was fascinating. With remnants of the last major eruption in 2001 still visible and reconstruction of a whole tourist complex underway near the summit, it was a reminder of nature at its wildest. With several dozen tremors a day being the norm, people go about their business with an almost nonchalance while the prospect of a future major eruption is generally accepted as inevitable. Asked if they were worried, people just shrugged their shoulders and told me that they simply put faith in (their) God. However, the earth didn’t move for me that day; at least not that I noticed.

The next day was a serious trip toward one of the many high craters of Mt Etna; because of the continued noxious gas emission from the main crater, it is dangerous to venture too close to the real summit. First we went up by ski lift and then transferred to a 4X4 vehicle before trekking around the various craters. It was a glorious day but typically turned cold soon after we arrived. At 3,400 metres, the walking was difficult because of so much loose sand and gravel, which became finer and finer the higher we trekked. Needless to say that I spent several hours in the late afternoon with my foot up drafting this blog.

To end this blog I’d like to offer an Australian joke, mainly for those alien blogger intruders who have sent me so many nice messages - however for those friends who have heard this one before, I beg your tolerance: ..... while driving in the countryside, an elderly lady became lost and decided to seek directions when she came across a young girl leading her family’s dairy cow down the road. The elderly lady, after getting directions from the girl, was intrigued as to why she was leading the cow down the road. “Tell me little girl,” said the lady, “what are you doing with that cow?” The young girl looked hard at the lady, thinking the question rather dumb. “I’m taking her down to Farmer Brown’s bull,” she replied. The old lady was shocked. “Surely,” she said, “that should be a job for your brother.” The young girl appeared puzzled and stroked the cow affectionately as she replied. “No lady, it’s got to be a bull!”

And on that note I’ll leave you until next time.

Ciao for now.

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